Quick Answer
A DC Certificate of Good Standing proves your business is registered with DLCP and current on its filings. You order it on the CorpOnline portal for a fifty dollar fee, and if your entity is current it downloads immediately. It is a standard attachment on nearly every DC contract and grant application.
What a Certificate of Good Standing actually proves
Before a DC agency hands your business money, it wants proof you are a real, registered entity that is current with the District. The Certificate of Good Standing is that proof. It is issued by the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) and confirms two things: your entity is properly registered, and it is up to date on its required filings.
It shows up as a routine attachment on grant applications and contract submissions across DC agencies, right alongside your Certificate of Clean Hands and W-9.
How to get one (step by step)
The full walkthrough is in the video above. Here is the short version:
- Go to corponline.dlcp.dc.gov. It is hard to find by searching, so bookmark it. Sign in with your Access DC account.
- Find your entity. On the dashboard, your registered entity shows at the bottom with your company name and filing info.
- Open Certificates and Certified Copies. In the left menu, click it, then select Good Standing Certificate.
- Search and confirm your status. Your company name auto-populates. Click Search, confirm the status reads Active and Good Standing, then click Select.
- Add to cart and pay. The filing fee is fifty dollars. Pay online and your certificate is ready to download.
The one thing that trips people up: the biennial report
DC requires a biennial report every two years confirming your address, officers, and registered agent. If that report is overdue, your entity quietly falls out of good standing and the certificate is blocked. You have to file and pay for the outstanding report first, then wait for the status to update before the certificate will issue. If your application is due soon, check this now, not the night before.
Pull a fresh copy for each application
Treat the certificate as point-in-time. Many DC submissions want one issued recently, so pull a fresh PDF for each application rather than reusing an older file. Funders do check the date.
For the full written guide with the official portal link and last-verified date, see the DC Certificate of Good Standing guide, and browse all DC, Maryland, and Virginia document walkthroughs.