To get a Michigan Certificate of Good Standing, log into the MiBusiness Registry Portal at michigan.gov/corpfileonline, find your entity, select “Request Certificate,” and pay the $10 fee by card. The certificate arrives as a PDF at the email address linked to your MiLogin for Business account, usually within minutes. Your business must be current on its annual filings for the state to issue one.
What the Certificate Shows
The Certificate of Good Standing is issued by LARA’s Corporations Division and confirms that your entity is legally registered in Michigan, has filed its required annual statements, keeps a registered agent on file, and owes the state no outstanding fees. You may see it called a Certificate of Status or Certificate of Existence.
Common reasons to request one include qualifying to do business in another state, applying for a loan or bank account, closing a sale or investment deal, and renewing certain professional licenses. The certificate has no fixed expiration, but most parties want to see one dated within the last 30 to 60 days, so time the request to the transaction rather than pulling it far in advance.
Check Your Status Before You Pay
LARA will not issue a certificate for an entity that has missed filings or been dissolved, and the $10 fee is not a refund you want to chase. Run your business through the Business Entity Search on the MiBusiness Registry Portal at mibusinessregistry.lara.state.mi.us using your exact legal name or Michigan corporate identification number.1Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Corporations Division
If the entity shows as active and in good standing, you can order the certificate. If it shows as “not in good standing” or “dissolved,” you’ll need to restore it first. That process is covered further down.
The Three Ways to Request
Online
This is the method LARA now steers everyone toward, and as of June 2025 the agency no longer takes certificate orders by phone.2State of Michigan. MiBusiness Registry Portal Create or sign into a MiLogin for Business account, search for your entity in the portal, click its name, choose “Request Certificate,” select “Certificate of Good Standing,” and pay the $10 by debit or credit card. The PDF is emailed to the address on your account.3State of Michigan. Corporations Division Frequently Asked Questions
By Mail
A written request works, though turnaround runs from a few days to several weeks depending on LARA’s workload. Send a request with a $10 check or money order payable to “State of Michigan” to:4State of Michigan. Filing Fees
Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing
Corporations Division
P.O. Box 30054
Lansing, MI 489095Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Contact the Corporations Division
In Person
Walk-in requests are accepted at 2407 N. Grand River Ave., Lansing, MI 48906.6State of Michigan. Corporations Division Hours and Directions The in-person fee is $12.50.4State of Michigan. Filing Fees
Expedited Service
Online orders deliver almost immediately, so expediting mostly matters for mail or in-person requests. LARA adds an expedited surcharge of 25% of the total certificate cost, which works out to $2.50 on a $10 online or mail request and about $3.13 on the $12.50 in-person fee.4State of Michigan. Filing Fees
If You’re Not in Good Standing
Missing filings does not trigger immediate dissolution. Michigan gives domestic entities a two-year grace period, and foreign entities one year, before the Corporations Division actually dissolves or revokes the registration.7State of Michigan. Annual Reports and Annual Statements During the grace period the entity still shows as “not in good standing,” and no certificate will be issued. Once dissolution happens, another business can register your name, missed filings pile up with penalties, and anyone conducting business on behalf of the dissolved entity may be personally liable for debts incurred during that period.
Michigan lets you restore the entity by filing a Certificate of Restoration. Before starting, use the Business Entity Search to view your filed documents and confirm which statements are delinquent, so you can estimate the full cost.
LLCs
File Form 770/771 through the portal. The cost is a $50 restoration fee, plus $25 for each missed annual statement. If you’re restoring on or after February 15, add $25 for the current year. An LLC three years behind, restoring after February 15, would owe $50 + $75 + $25, for $150 total.8State of Michigan. Restore My LLC
Professional LLCs
Same $50 restoration fee, but each missed annual report and statement costs $125 rather than $25. A current-year filing runs $75 if received on or before February 15 and $125 after that.8State of Michigan. Restore My LLC
Corporations
For-profit, professional, and nonprofit corporations file a restoration, bring all back annual reports current, and pay any monthly penalties that accrued. If you’re restoring after May 15 (for-profit and professional) or October 1 (nonprofit), the current year’s report is also required.9State of Michigan. Renew My Corporation
Once processed, the restoration relates back to the date of dissolution, and the entity is immediately eligible for a Certificate of Good Standing.
Staying Eligible Year to Year
Two obligations keep a Michigan entity in a position to pull a certificate on demand.
The first is the annual filing. LLCs and PLLCs file an annual statement by February 15 for $25, with a $50 flat late penalty; an LLC formed or qualified after September 30 skips the February 15 deadline immediately after formation. For-profit and professional corporations file by May 15 for $25, with a $10 penalty per month or partial month past the deadline. Nonprofits file by October 1, with a $5 penalty per missed report. Online filing opens January 15 for corporations and October 15 for LLCs. LARA mails dissolution or revocation notices 90 days before the deadline, but only reaches you if your contact information on file is current.7State of Michigan. Annual Reports and Annual Statements9State of Michigan. Renew My Corporation
The second is your registered agent. Every Michigan entity must keep a registered agent with a physical Michigan address on file at all times. A P.O. box does not qualify, and a business cannot serve as its own agent. If you have no Michigan address, hire a registered agent service or law firm.7State of Michigan. Annual Reports and Annual Statements A lapsed agent is one of the quieter ways to fall out of compliance, because LARA’s warning notices may never reach you.