To get a copy of articles of incorporation in PA, submit a Copy/Certification Request to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations. You can file the request online, by mail, or in person at the Bureau’s Harrisburg office. A plain copy costs $15 plus $3 per page; a certified copy costs $55 plus $3 per page.1Department of State. Fees and Payments Standard processing takes up to 15 business days.2Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions
Look Up the Entity First
The Bureau indexes its records by entity name and entity number only. You cannot search by an officer’s name, a tax ID, an address, or a phone number.3Department of State. Record Searches Use the free online Business Entity Search to pull the corporation’s exact legal name and identification number before you file anything. Small differences in spelling or punctuation will return the wrong entity or no results at all.
Once you have the identifiers, complete the Copy/Certification Request form, designated DSCB:15-133/145/153.4Pennsylvania Department of State. Copy/Certification Request DSCB 15-133/145/153 The form has checkboxes for the document type and lets you request just the original articles, all amendments, or every document on file for the entity. Calculate your fee before submitting; underpayment will hold up processing.
Plain Copy or Certified Copy
A plain copy is a straight reproduction at $15 plus $3 per page. It is fine for internal records, background research, or verifying details of a corporation’s formation.
A certified copy comes with the Bureau’s certification that it is a true and correct reproduction of the official record, and costs $55 plus $3 per page.1Department of State. Fees and Payments Banks routinely require certified copies when opening business accounts, and courts treat certified copies of public records as self-authenticating.5Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Rule 902 Evidence That Is Self-Authenticating If the copy might be used for a loan, a real estate closing, litigation, or foreign registration in another state, pay for certification.
Submitting Online
Pennsylvania’s current business portal is the PA Business One-Stop Hub at hub.business.pa.gov. Create an account, search for the entity, and submit the copy request through the system. The portal lets you verify the entity’s information against state records before you finalize, which catches name and number errors early.
Payment goes through by credit card at checkout. You’ll receive a tracking number and an email when the documents are ready. Standard processing runs up to 15 business days.2Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions
Submitting by Mail
Mail the completed DSCB:15-133/145/153 form with payment to:
Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
401 North Street, Room 206
Harrisburg, PA 171206Department of State. Business
Pay by check or money order made payable to the “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” The instrument must be issued by a U.S. institution, or if drawn on a foreign bank must be denominated in U.S. dollars and carry a routing number. The Bureau does not accept cash by mail.7Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Certifications, Apostilles, and the Authentication of Documents Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for return, or a prepaid air bill if you want a courier. Build in transit time both directions on top of the 15-business-day processing window.
Submitting in Person
Records are open for public inspection at the same Harrisburg address.6Department of State. Business You can review records and request copies at the reception room. Printouts from the Bureau’s computer system or microfilm are available on site at $3 per page.1Department of State. Fees and Payments A formal certified copy still costs the standard certification fee.
Expedited Processing
If 15 business days is too slow, the Bureau offers three expedited tiers on top of the regular copy and certification fees:8Department of State. Expedited Services
- Same-day service: $100 extra, request received before 10:00 a.m.
- 3-hour service: $300 extra, request received before 2:00 p.m.
- 1-hour service: $1,000 extra, request received before 4:00 p.m.
Expedited requests are not accepted by mail. Submit them online or in person.
Make Sure You Actually Need the Articles
People asking for corporate records sometimes need a different document. Articles of incorporation establish a corporation’s legal existence and set out its basic structure, including the entity name, incorporators, and number of authorized shares.9New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Code 15 Pa.C.S.A. Corporations and Unincorporated Associations – 1306 Articles of Incorporation They show what the corporation looked like at formation, plus any amendments since.
A Certificate of Subsistence is different. Pennsylvania uses it in place of the “Certificate of Good Standing” issued by most other states, and it confirms that a corporation is still active on the Department of State’s records as of a specific date.10Department of State. Good Standing or Subsistence Certificates Lenders, landlords, and other states where you want to register as a foreign corporation almost always ask for a Certificate of Subsistence rather than the articles. It costs $40 and can be ordered online through the Business Filing Services portal or by calling the Bureau at (717) 787-1057, option 3.1Department of State. Fees and Payments Confirm which document the requesting party actually needs before paying for a certified copy of the articles.