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Certificates of Good Standing | Corporations | Publications and Forms | LLC | UCC

Certificates of Good Standing

Obtain a Certificate of Good Standing
You may purchase and immediately print a Certificate of Good Standing for a corporation or LLC after satisfying all requirements of the relevant Illinois statutes. Payment may be made by Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express.

$47 fee for a corporation and LLC (includes $25 expedited fee)
$16 fee for a not-for-profit corporation (includes $10 expedited fee)

You also may purchase a Certificate of Good Standing for a $27.50 fee by calling 217-782-6875. Payment may be made by Visa, Discover or MasterCard. You also may submit your request in writing along with a $25 fee payable by check to Illinois Secretary of State to: Secretary of State Corporations Division, 501 S. Second St., 3rd Fl., Springfield, IL 62756.

Corporations

Obtain a Corporation Annual Report or Articles of Incorporation
Submit your request for an Annual Report or Articles of Incorporation in writing along with a $25 fee, payable by check to Illinois Secretary of State to: Secretary of State Corporations Division, 501 S. Second St., 3rd Fl., Springfield, IL 62756. You also may submit your request for a $27.50 fee by calling 217-782-6875. Payment may be made by Visa, Discover or MasterCard. The Annual Report contains the names of the officers and directors of the corporation or company, but ownership is not on record with the Secretary of State’s office.

Check the Status of a Corporation
Visit the Corporate/LLC Information Search page and enter the exact name or a file number.

Reinstate a Corporation
To reinstate a corporation, you must file BCA 12.45, Application for Reinstatement, in duplicate with the Secretary of State’s office. You also must file Annual Reports for the years that were not filed. For more information, please call 217-785-5782.

Publications and Forms

Locate Business Publications and Forms
Visit the Publications and Forms section.

LLC

Organize a Limited Liability Company in Illinois
To organize a Limited Liability Company in Illinois, complete and submit LLC-5.5, Articles of Organization. Sole proprietorships are filed only at the county level. Check with your County Recorder's office to determine filing requirements. For more information on limited liability companies (LLCs), please contact: Liability Limitations Division, 501 S. Second St., 351 Howlett Building, Springfield, IL 62756, 217-524-8008.

Transact Business in Illinois
A corporation must complete BCA-13.15, Application for Authority to Transact Business in Illinois. Forms must be submitted in duplicate and accompanied by the appropriate certified copy of the Articles of Incorporation and any amendments, or Articles of Organization as amended, from the state in which the company is currently organized. A limited liability company must complete LLC 45.5, Application for Admission to Transact Business. Forms must be submitted in duplicate and accompanied by a certificate of good standing from the state where the company is organized.

UCC

Prepare UCC Forms

The national UCC form must be used
All debtor and secured-party information must be typed in all caps, 9-point Helvetica font. Handwritten forms are not accepted.
Submit two copies of the UCC form with a self-addressed stamped envelope. One copy will be filed and one copy will be returned to you.
You may submit a UCC-3 Amendment Continuation form as early as six months prior to the maturity date of the original filing. The filing office will not stamp a received date on the document on non-business days.
Only one amendment type per form is accepted. A separate fee must be submitted with each amendment form tendered.
If copies of the previously filed Financing Statement are attached, include the following wording in the collateral area: This financing statement is filed in lieu of a continuation statement. The financing statement attached remains effective. Attach copies of the original financing statement and subsequent UCC-3 filings.
Except as provided in subsection (b), if the local law of this State governs perfection of a security interest or agricultural lien, the office in which to file a financing statement to perfect the security interest or agricultural lien is the office designated for the filing or recording of a record of a mortgage on the related real property, if: a.) The collateral is as-extracted collateral or timber to be cut; or b.) the financing statement is filed as a fixture filing and the collateral is goods that are or are to become fixtures and the financing statement is not filed as a fixture filing. Section 9-501(a)(1)
A Fixture Filing is the filing of a financing statement covering goods that are or are to become fixtures and satisfying Section 9-502(a) and (b). The term includes the filing of a Financing Statement covering goods of a transmitting utility, which are or are to become fixtures. Fixtures are defined as goods that have become so related to particular real property that an interest in them arises under real property law. 9-102(a)(40) and (41)
A Transmitting Utility may be filed under the provision of 810 ILCS 5/9-102 (a) (80), if it meets the definition of a transmitting utility.

UCC Filing Fees

UCC-Financing Statement — $20 per each UCC form tendered
UCC-3 Amendment — $20 per each UCC form tendered
UCC-3 Termination — free
UCC-5 Correction Statement — $20
UCC-11 Information Request — $10 per debtor name submitted per form
UCC-11 Information Request for Federal Tax Lien Information — $5 for each individual organizational taxpayer name requested to be searched
Copies-$1 per page (Federal Tax Lien searches-$.50 per page)

Mail to:
Illinois Secretary of State
UCC Division
501 S. Second St., Rm. 350 W
Springfield, IL 62756

In Lieu of UCC Financing Statements

In-Lieu-of UCC Financing Statements are used to move a filing from a county filing office or another state filing jurisdiction to the Secretary of State’s office.
The secured party completes a UCC-1 Financing Statement with current information for debtors, secured parties, and collateral. When using the national UCC-1 Financing Statement follow the instructions on the reverse side. In addition to the standard filing information, special wording is required in the collateral area.

Obtain UCC Forms for County Recorders

Forms may be obtained from commercial printers, from this Web site, or from the International Association of Corporate Administrators (IACA).
The fee for filing and indexing a Termination Statement in a County Recorder’s office is $5; and otherwise it is $10. An additional $5 fee is required for each additional name (after the first name) at each address against which the record is required to be indexed (Section 9-710(b).
Handwritten forms may be accepted at the discretion of the local filing officer.
Except as provided in subsection (b), if the local law of this State governs perfection of a security interest or agricultural lien, the office in which to file a Financing Statement to perfect the security interest or agricultural lien is the office designated for the filing or recording of a record of a mortgage on the related real property, if: a.) the collateral is as-extracted collateral or timber to be cut; or b.) the financing statement is filed as a fixture filing and the collateral is goods that are or are to become fixtures and the financing statement is not filed as a Fixture Filing.
Refer to Section 9-502(b) and (c) for filing requirements needed to perfect a Fixture Filing.
A Fixture Filing is the filing of a financing statement covering goods that are or are to become fixtures and satisfying Section 9-502(a) and (b). The term includes the filing of a financing statement covering goods of a transmitting utility, which are or are to become fixtures. Fixtures are defined as goods that have become so related to particular real property that an interest in them arises under real property law. 9-102(a)(40) and (41)
Filings do not require a signature. Debtors’ signatures are not required on the UCC-1 form. It is the responsibility of the secured party to ensure they have all proper legal documentation to prove their interest in the lien. Secured parties’ signatures also are not required for filing purposes.
The complete address for each debtor is required on a UCC-1 filing. A UCC-3 amendment that adds a new debtor also must give the complete address for each new debtor. If the UCC-3 amendment is changing the debtor address then it must list the new debtor address but not the old address.
The complete address for each secured party is required on a UCC-1 filing. A UCC-3 amendment that adds a new secured party also must give the complete address for each new secured party. If the UCC-3 amendment is changing, the secured party address must list the new secured party address but not the old address.

For more information, please call the UCC Division at 217-782-7518.