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How to Get a Certificate of Good Standing in South Dakota

South Dakota calls it the Certificate of Good Standing and charges $20. Here is how to order it and what must be current first.

At a glance

Document name
Certificate of Good Standing
State fee
$20
Online ordering
Yes
Typical turnaround
Online only, $20. South Dakota's ordering page states that this request may be filed electronically only, and publishes no turnaround. Its fee schedule separately prices a $35 paper channel that the ordering page does not offer, so treat the $35 as a stale row rather than a route
Issuing office
South Dakota SOS ↗

How to order it

  1. Clear any past-due filings first. Check your entity status with the South Dakota SOS and resolve the requirements below. Tax clearance may be a separate document.
  2. Order it online. Search your LLC in the South Dakota portal, request the certificate, and download it. Link in the table above.
  3. Pay the $20 fee. Confirm payment methods and the total in the official portal; extra fees may apply.
  4. Use it inside the recipient's window. The certificate has no state expiration, but banks and other states usually want one dated within the last 30 to 90 days. Order it close to when you need it.

Would rather not deal with the agency yourself?

CorpNet orders the certificate for you
$69 service fee, plus the South Dakota state fee shown above · A filing service, not a registered agent. Ordering it yourself is cheaper and the steps above are the whole process.
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Full ordering details for South Dakota

South Dakota issues the Certificate of Good Standing, also called the Certificate of Existence, through the SD SOS Business Services portal using the Business ID. Filing online costs $20. THE TWO SOUTH DAKOTA SOURCES DISAGREE ON WHETHER A PAPER ROUTE EXISTS. The fee schedule prices one at $35, being the $20 fee plus the state's standard $15 paper surcharge, but the ordering page states that the request may be filed electronically only and shows no postal option. Use the $20 online route. The certificate is available for any registered entity except general partnerships, reserved names, registered names and DBA business names.

Important to know about South Dakota

  • SD annual report ($55 online / $70 paper for LLCs, due by the first day of the second month after formation anniversary month) must be current. First annual report due the year after formation.
  • South Dakota certificates contain a raised seal on paper copies. The online PDF is accepted in most states but not all - verify the destination state requirements before ordering.
  • Foreign LLC qualification INTO South Dakota costs $750, one of the highest in the country. This does not affect the Certificate of Good Standing fee but is a common surprise for out-of-state entities expanding into SD.

Ordering this to register in another state?

A certificate of good standing from South Dakota is what the new state asks for when your South Dakota LLC registers to do business there. Pick the state you are expanding into to see its exact filing, fee, and process.

Find your state-to-state guide · Registering an out-of-state LLC into South Dakota instead?

Related guides

This page provides general information based on publicly available South Dakota Secretary of State requirements. It is not legal advice. Names, fees, and procedures can change. Verify with the South Dakota SOS before ordering.