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• Additional Info:

  Newly-registered corporations and LLCs have recently received a solicitation letter from a business, NH Certificate Service, entitled "2020 CERTIFICATE OF STATUS REQUEST FORM" with an offer to provide "an elective Certificate of Status" for an $87.25 fee. The New Hampshire Secretary of State is receiving calls and emails from customers questioning the letter, or who may have acted on the offer before realizing the notice was a sales solicitation and not an official notification from the Secretary of State's Corporation Division.
  
  Businesses are warned that such notices are not from, nor authorized by, the Secretary of State.
  
  Please be aware that corporations, LLC's and other business organizations in New Hampshire are NOT required by law to obtain the "Certificate of Status". If a business organization requires a certificate of status, known in New Hampshire as a certificate of good standing, it can be obtained from the Secretary of State's Quickstart website for a total fee of $7.00.
  
  Unfortunately, solicitations of this kind are not uncommon. Anytime you receive such a notice by mail or email, you should:
  
  Review the fine print. Many, like the one in this example, will state that "This is not a government agency," or something similar. However, not all similar solicitations include this disclosure, so it's always best to confirm with the appropriate official source, especially before sending any payment.
  Before initiating payment, verify you are required to have the item or service offered with the person in your company responsible for official reporting, such as your finance manager.
  Anyone who believes they are a victim of a deceptive advertisement or business practice, or who feels they were misled into paying a fee, are encouraged to submit a complaint to the BBB Serving New Hampshire, as well as the New Hampshire Attorney General's Consumer Protection Bureau using this link: https://www.doj.nh.gov/consumer/complaints/index.htm