Ordering Certificates

There is an information tile located on the Business Registration Division web page entitled, Order Certified Documents , which will provide information on:

Starting an Order
Placing an Online Order
View or Check Previous Orders

You may also find the links to begin an order from the Online Business Services link and scroll down to the information on Ordering Certified Documents.

Yes. If you have questions about creating an account, see the YouTube video, How to Set Up an Account. If you are adding more than one user to an account, you may want to review more detailed instructions on creating and managing an account in Online Business Services.

The dirty document status may appear if you have ordered a document on an entity that shows a status other than current/active, i.e., merged, converted, dissolved, etc. The dirty document status also shows when ordering documents on a municipality. These documents require custom certificates. Call the Business Service Center at 919-814-5400 ext. 3 or email [email protected]. Refer to or enter into the subject line of the email, “Dirty Document Question.'

Sometimes the documents have not been imaged and are not available for immediate download. These documents must be manually pulled and imaged onto the system before you can download. If you are ordering the document, the order is automatically queued for imaging. Allow 24 business hours for processing.

If you are wanting to download a document without placing an order, call the Business Service Center at 919-814-5400 ext. 3 or email [email protected]. Refer to or enter into the subject line of the email, “Image Request.' You will need to provide the document ID# and name of the company.

Customers can obtain a custom certificate for Name Changes, Mergers, Consolidations or Conversions when property is owned by the company for filing with the Register of Deeds Office. The certificate provided will have the 3' header required for filing.
Here is what you will need to do:

Contact the Service Center at the NC Department of the Secretary of State at 919-814-5400 ext. 3
You will need to provide your name, address and email address as well as the company name, SOSID #, and Document ID# for the certificate being requested.
The Business Service Center will email you an invoice for payment and once payment is complete, you will have access to open the certificate and print or save the document to your records.

You may also email [email protected] and provide all of the information in the second bullet above. An invoice will also be emailed to you for payment prior to receiving the certified document.

It depends. Once a document has been ordered through our Website, the payment is collected and cannot be refunded. However, if you order the same certified document twice, you may request a refund on the second order.

Ensure that you are placing an order for the correct company and document that you intend to order.

Where on the website can I begin to order a certificate?

Do I need to have a NC Secretary of State website account to place an order for a certified document?

What is a “Dirty' document status on an Invoice?

I was reviewing the documents filed for a company and came across an image indicating the image was not available and to request an affidavit. How do I do that?

The company owns real estate and has either filed a name change, merger, conversion or other document revising the ownership of the company. How do I obtain the certificate to file with the Register of Deeds Office?

Am I able to receive a refund for an order I have placed and realize I either selected the wrong document or I determined I don’t actually need the document that was ordered?