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Business & Charities

 - The Bureau is limiting over the counter (paper) expedited filings to 5 per service company until further notice.

This includes all expedite service levels (same day, three-hour and one-hour). Please note that there is no limit on expedited filings submitted online through Business Filing Services.  This step is necessary for the Bureau to be able to process all expedites in a timely manner. 

The Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations maintains the records repository of more than 3 million companies that do business in the Commonwealth and serves as the centralized filing office for Uniform Commercial Code financing statements. In order to register a business, you will need to file with the Bureau.

The Bureau also administers the state's charitable solicitation law. It maintains registration and financial information on over 13,000 charities soliciting in the Commonwealth, as well as more than 450 professional solicitors and fundraising counsels.

Online Filing 

Pennfile allows you to submit your application electronically but your application still requires human review.  We are experiencing backlogs at this time, due to high volumes of filings. We appreciate your patience as we work through this. Upon completion, your documents will be returned via email.

Order Certificates/Copies Online

As we work to digitize our Corporate database, you may notice that some documents are readily available, while others require scanning. On orders for documents that are not yet scanned, we ask that you allow up to five business days for your order to be processed.  Once your order is processed, you will be invoiced $3 per page.  Within 24 hours of final payment, your documents will be emailed to you.

Subsistence Certificates/Certificate of Registration

As of July 2015 what was formerly the Good Standing Certificate is now referred to as the Subsistence Certificate for Domestic Filing Entities or the Certificate of Registration for registered Foreign Associations.

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.  Learn more...

UCC Filing Search

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Charities Can File Online

Filing online is EASY. Pennsylvania Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations launched a new online system for renewals. Just set up your Keystone Account and file a renewal.

Renew online

Follow our tutorials

file initial or renewal online