What is a Certificate of Incorporation and How to get it?

Certificate of incorporation is a certificate which is formed at the formation of a company. Certificate of incorporation states that you are given a license to form a company by the state government where you intend to set up your headquarter.

The requirements for certification of incorporation differs from state to state. Therefore, one should learn about the statutes governing the business of the state where one intends to incorporate it.

The certificate of incorporation is also called the certificate of registration because by issuing this certificate, you register your business with the state.

A certificate of incorporation should be obtained in order to carry out certain activities which you will learn later in the article.

Before getting the certificate of incorporation right after when you decide to run your business as a corporation, decided the name of the corporation and checked the availability of the name, done all trademark researches, and have a registered agent.

Table of Contents

Why does one need to submit a Certificate of Incorporation?

People who want to operate their company as a corporation are required to get a certificate of Incorporation.

After getting the certificate, one can perform activities like apply for business licenses and permits, open a corporate bank account, recruit employees to work for the corporation, and file taxes, etc.

What does it contain?

The information contained in a certificate is different for different states. However, there is a list of details that you may need to provide if you want to get a certificate of incorporation.

Also Read 11 Duties of Directors of a Company

1) Name of your company:

The name of your company should end with a corporation or incorporated or Company, or it should end with an abbreviation like Co., Inc., Corp.

2) Type of the company:

There are different types of corporations such as Cooperative, Nonprofit, Business stock, business nonstock, benefit, insurance, Business Statutory close, professional, management, etc. you are required to mention the type of corporation you are going to incorporate.

Names and addresses of the incorporators of the incorporation.
Name and address of the registered agent of the incorporation.
Complete address of the Office of the corporation.
Names and addresses of all boards of directors of the incorporation.
Purpose of business
What are benefits to the public if you are forming a benefit organization
Whether the shares of the corporation will public or not, and if yes, then mention the aggregate number of authorized shares.
Future effective date request
All additional provisions

How to get it?

Getting a certificate of incorporation is a big step for your business, and you certainly don’t want to make any mistake in that. Getting it is a long process and requires you to submit certain information. You can either take the help of a lawyer for getting a it, or you can follow the following steps to get your certificate on your own.

Step 1. Visit the State website:

Go to the state website where the main office of your business is located, or you can search with your business’s name on the state’s website where the branch of your business is located. This will help you to find out the exact state of the main office of your business.

Step 2. Look for “Corporate Filings” or “business entities” on the state website:

Once you find out “corporate filings” or “Business entities” link. Click on it. When you click on it, you will get a “Business Entry Search Screen.”

Also Read Common Carrier - Definition, Importance and Types

Enter the name of your business and press enter. You will be provided with a search containing a similar business name.

Step 3. Confirm details:

Look through all the search and click on the link for your business, and it will display the details of your business. Read the details carefully and make sure that all details are correct.

Step 4. Fill the request form:

You will find a request form on the website. Fill all the details carefully on the request form and submit it online to request for the issuance of a certificate. However, there are chances that your state does not offer one to order business documents.

In that case, you are required to download the request form and get a printout. Fill all the details that have been asked in the request form sign it and post it to the address mentioned on the state’s website.

Step 5. Pay processing fees for your case:

The next and final step to get a certificate of incorporation is to pay the processing fees. If you have filled your request form online, then there are chances that you can pay the processing fees online also.

However, if this option is not provided on the website, then look for a mailing address for payment.

Write a cheque or get a money order ad to send it to the mentioned mailing address. Most of the time, you will need to send both cheque and request form to one mailing address. In that case, you can send both documents together.