Business

Scam Alert

The Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations has learned that many new businesses are receiving a mailing (PDF) intended to deceive and defraud them. Visit our Scams page for more information.

OFAC Sanctions Lists

OFAC, is the agency within Treasury that enforces trade sanctions against various targeted foreign countries, groups, and individuals. Transactions with sanctioned countries or persons by U.S. persons or within the United States are prohibited. While there is no law requiring that people check these sanctions lists, it is illegal to do business with anyone on these sanctions lists.

The main sanctions lists are the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list and the Consolidated Sanctions list. Sanctions List Search is a free tool provided by OFAC to assist the public in complying with sanctions programs. This is for individual users that are looking for potential matches on OFAC's sanctions lists.

OFAC has configurations for automated systems and software programs. OFAC's SDN list is available in XML, fixed-field and delimited formats that can be imported into a variety of software programs. OFAC also publishes the SDN data in a comma separated values format (CSV). This format is recognized by Excel and other spreadsheet programs and can be imported into spreadsheet format by simply opening the file in your default spreadsheet application.

Of course, these lists must be updated with changes, so OFAC has an email subscription service that will notify you when there are updates to the sanctions list. You can go to this link to sign up for these services.

Here's how to become a DGS certified Small, Small Diverse and/or Veteran Business:

The PA Department of General Services' Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small

Business Opportunity handles the registration process.

Subsistence Certificates/Certificates of Registration
What many states call a “Good Standing Certificate” is known in Pennsylvania as a “Subsistence Certificate” for domestic filing entities and a “Certificate of Registration” for registered foreign associations. This terminology is important to know when placing Business Orders.

Online Filing
Business Filing Services allows you to submit your filings electronically, but your application still requires human review. Submissions are processed in the date they are received unless expedited services are requested.  Processing times may vary and are noted on the search page for every filing type.  We appreciate your patience. Upon completion, documents submitted online will be returned via the Business Filing Services portal.

Online Ordering
As we work to digitize our entire business entity database from microfilm, you may notice that some documents are readily available while others require scanning. When ordering documents that have not been digitized, we ask that you allow up to five business days for your order to be processed.  Once your order is complete, you will be notified via email that the records are available in the Business Filing Services portal. 

UCC Filing Search