Occasionally, business owners need to access their most important state documents, such as Articles of Incorporation and Amendments. When a company is incorporated in the United States, it must file its articles of association with the Secretary of State. To obtain a copy of these documents, there are a few steps that must be taken. If you only need an uncertified copy of your statutes for your records, you can look them up in your secretary of state's business directory.
This is the simplest way to access the documents, but it may not be sufficient for business or legal purposes. If you need a certified copy of the items for business or legal reasons, download and complete an application form on your Secretary of State's website. This will require providing information such as the name of the corporation, its state of incorporation, and the purpose for which the document is being requested. Once the application is submitted, you will receive a certified copy with a cover page that includes the state seal or the Secretary of State's signature.
Alternatively, you may find it easier to hire a company to obtain the articles of association than to do it yourself. This can be especially helpful if you are unfamiliar with the process or if you need to obtain multiple documents from different states.
