Delaware Business Search

How to read the official business-entity file, and a way to have the search run for you.

Delaware Business Search

Delaware certificate of status

Quick answer. Delaware does not treat the free name-search list as proof of good standing. The Division says that list is not an indication of current status. A certificate of status is ordered, for a fee, through the Division’s certificate service or a Delaware online agent.

Official office

Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations

Open the official search

Phone: (302) 739-3073

John G. Townsend Building, 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901

General information is (302) 739-3073 option 2. Franchise tax is option 3. In-person visits are by appointment at (302) 739-3077.

Steps

  1. Get the file number from the free search

    You still start at the name search so you order the certificate for the right entity. The page tells you the free record stops at name, number, date, and agent.

  2. Order a certificate of status, not another name search

    The search page says to contact a Delaware online agent or to use the Document Filing and Certificate Request Service for a certificate of status or for copies. The Division’s home page links “Check Entity Status” as its own service.

  3. Clear tax problems before you order, if the certificate is for a closing

    A corporation behind on its March 1 report, or an LLC behind on the June 1 tax, should not expect a clean status certificate. Pay through the official tax portal, then order. The Division’s franchise-tax section can speak to corporate status at (302) 739-3073 option 3.

  4. Match the PDF to the file number

    When the certificate arrives, compare the file number and the exact name. Delaware has many entities with near-identical names. The number is the check.

What the certificate is not

It is not a list of members, not a tax clearance from the Division of Revenue for every tax type, and not a statement that the company is qualified in any other state. Foreign qualification is a filing in the other state. A Delaware certificate only speaks to the Delaware file.

Common mistakes

  • Forwarding a screenshot of the name list to a lender who asked for a certificate of good standing.
  • Ordering the certificate in the name on the website rather than the name on the file number.
  • Assuming status can be given over the phone. The contact page says the Division will not provide entity filing history by telephone.

Questions

Can I check Delaware good standing for free?

You can see the short public record for free. The Division says that result is not current-status proof. A certificate of status is a paid order.

Who issues the certificate?

The Division of Corporations. You order it through their certificate service or through a Delaware online agent, as the name-search page describes.

Does the registered agent automatically send good standing?

Only if your agreement with that agent includes the order. The Division does not mail a certificate just because the tax was paid.

Sources reviewed