Help Guides - Purchase Business Documents in BFS

Purpose: Use this guide to purchase previously filed documents (e.g., formation documents, amendments, annual reports, subsistence certificates/certificates of registration, also known as good standing, etc.) in Business Filing Services.

Step 1: Go to https://hub.business.pa.gov. Enter your username and password. Click Log in. New users should register for an account by clicking the Register button on the right. Click here for additional assistance with registering as a new user in the Hub. NOTE: The Business Hub utilizes Keystone Login. If you have an existing Keystone Login from another Commonwealth system associated with your email address, use your existing information to Log in.

Step 2: Scroll down, under Quick Actions, click Purchase Documents.

Step 3: At the bottom, select the type of document you would like to purchase. For the purposes of this guide, click Business Documents. NOTE: This will open in a separate tab in your browser.

• Click Business Documents to purchase plain or certified formation documents, amendments, reports, subsistence certificates, and any other document submitted to the PA Department of State.
• Click Certified UCC Documents to purchase certified Uniform Commercial Code documents, including financing statements, amendments, and information changes.

Step 4: Type in your business name and click the Search icon.

Step 5: Click your business name in the search results.

Step 6: Click Request Certificate.

Step 7: Click Next Step.

Step 8: Select the type of document you wish to purchase in the dropdown menu, follow the screen prompts, and click Next Step. NOTE: If making a Copy Request (e.g., formation documents, amendments, etc.), you must select whether you want plain or certified copies and, while leaving the white search box empty, click the blue Search button to view all available documents. After clicking Search, in the resulting list, click the document(s) you wish to purchase and click Save and Close. Formation documents (e.g., Articles of Incorporation, Certificates of Organization, Fictitious Name Registrations, etc.) are listed in the system as Initial Filings. Then, click Next Step.

• Index Report (Plain and Certified) *: Used to obtain a listing of all filings previously submitted. It does not display any additional data, such as organizer names or business details. If seeking a copy of the initial formation documents, signatures, and/or names of organizers, complete a Copy Request. The fee for a plain copy is $15.
• Subsistence Certificate: Often referred to as a Good Standing Certificate. For foreign registered entities the Subsistence Certificate is referred to as a Certificate of Registration. The fee is $40.
• Engrossed Certificate: Used to create a custom-worded, Secretary of State stamped certificate, if the other options aren’t applicable. The fee is $125.
• Copy Request (Plain and Certified) *: Used to purchase formation documents, amendments, and any other documents previously submitted on behalf of the business. NOTE: After selecting Copy Request you must select whether you want plain or certified copies and, while leaving the white search box empty, click the blue Search button to view all available documents. In the resulting list, click the document(s) you wish to purchase and click Save and Close. Formation documents (e.g., Articles of Incorporation, Certificates of Organization, Fictitious Name Registrations, etc.) are listed in the system as “Initial Filing”.

*Plain and Certified: A plain copy can be used for most purposes unless a certified copy is specifically requested. A certified copy is a plain copy that includes a certification letter digitally stamped and signed by the Secretary of State. The fee to certify a document is $40.

Step 9: Review the fees for your order and click Next Step.

Step 10: Click Submit.

Step 11: Click Pay with credit or debit card to complete your order.

Step 12: Once your purchase is complete, use My Work Queue to view your order status and access your document(s) when available. To do so, start by clicking My Work Queue on the left.

Step 13: Click Orders at the top to view your pending and available orders.

Step 14: Once the status is approved, click View Downloads.

Step 15: Finally, click Results.zip to download and open your document(s).

Revised 4/2/2025