Business Document Center in Kansas City, MO, is asking for Missouri Certificates of Good Standing at eight times what the Missouri Secretary of State charges. Watch what you pay and what you receive.
KANSAS CITY, MO – October 3, 2026 (STL.News) Missouri business owners are being urged to carefully review solicitations offering to obtain government business documents after STL.News received a mailing requesting $92.25 for a Missouri Certificate of Good Standing — a document available directly from the Missouri Secretary of State for $10.
The solicitation reviewed by STL.News was sent by Business Document Center, using the mailing address 4741 Central Street, PMB 361, Kansas City, Missouri 64112, which checks out to be a UPS Store.
USPress.News published an article titled “Who is Business Document Center?”
The document is prominently titled “2026 – Missouri Compliance Satisfactory Request” and contains specific information about the recipient’s Missouri business registration.
Despite its compliance-oriented presentation, Business Document Center is not the Missouri Secretary of State or another Missouri government agency. It offers a private third-party service to obtain a government-issued document on the recipient’s behalf.
The price difference is substantial.
Business Document Center requests $92.25.
The Missouri Secretary of State charges $10 for a Certificate of Good Standing.
That’s a difference of $82.25, meaning the solicitation price is more than nine times the state’s certificate fee.
Missouri businesses can obtain the certificate directly through the Missouri Secretary of State.
Mailing resembles a compliance notice
The solicitation obtained by STL.News contains several features that business owners could associate with official administrative paperwork.
Across the top of the document is the heading:
“2026 – MISSOURI COMPLIANCE SATISFACTORY REQUEST.”
It includes a document identification number, an “Attachment Sequence No.,” a box labeled “OMB No.,” a QR code and a toll-free telephone number.
A large section is labeled:
“CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING REQUEST.”
The document also uses prominent instructions including:
“IMPORTANT! FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY WHEN COMPLETING THIS FORM.”
Another section is marked:
“TIME SENSITIVE.”
The solicitation incorporates information about the recipient’s actual Missouri business, including its name, address, entity status, year of formation, and state file number.
It also states:
“Congratulations on registering your business with the State of Missouri.”
The document then explains that after the business files with the Missouri Secretary of State, it is eligible to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing.
Having access to that publicly available business information does not make Business Document Center a Missouri government agency.
Missouri offers the certificate directly
A Certificate of Good Standing is a legitimate government document that confirms certain information about a registered business and its standing with the state.
A company may need one in certain situations, including financing transactions, business registrations in other states, and other commercial matters.
But Missouri businesses do not need to use the Business Document Center to obtain one.
The Missouri Secretary of State says its Corporations Division prepares Certificates of Good Standing for $10. Certificates can also be ordered online, and electronically issued certificates include a verification number that can be used to verify their authenticity.
Electronic-payment convenience charges can add a small amount to an online state transaction, but the total remains far below the $92.25 requested in the solicitation reviewed by STL.News.
The basic comparison is therefore straightforward:
Business Document Center: $92.25
Missouri Secretary of State: $10
Difference: $82.25
For business owners who simply want the state-issued certificate, going directly to the Missouri Secretary of State can avoid that $82.25 difference.
Another Missouri business reported the same mailing
The solicitation received by STL.News does not appear to be an isolated occurrence.
A consumer-submitted report dated Sept. 18, 2026, from Independence, Missouri, describes a substantially similar solicitation received shortly after forming an LLC.
The report identifies Business Document Center at 4741 Central Street, PMB 361, Kansas City, MO 64112, lists telephone number 855-203-5959, and says the requested payment was $92.25.
Those details match the company name, address, telephone number, and amount appearing on the solicitation independently reviewed by STL.News.
The online report reflects an individual consumer’s account and is not a court or government regulator finding. However, the matching information indicates that substantially similar Business Document Center solicitations have reached more than one Missouri business.
Other states have warned about certificate solicitations
The issue also extends beyond Missouri.
In 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of State published an alert specifically concerning Business Document Center after recently registered businesses received solicitations offering Pennsylvania Certificates of Good Standing.
According to Pennsylvania officials, the solicitations requested $87.25.
Pennsylvania warned businesses that they could obtain certificates directly from the state for considerably less and raised concerns about the information in the solicitation.
That official warning is particularly noteworthy because it involved the same company name and the same general service now being marketed to Missouri businesses.
Business Document Center named in earlier AG lawsuit
Business Document Center was also previously named as a defendant in a state attorney general’s consumer-protection lawsuit involving Certificate of Good Standing solicitations.
In February 2022, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced litigation against Centurion Filing Services LLC, doing business as RI Certificate Services; Business Document Center LLC; and Dean Marshlack.
The attorney general alleged that the defendants misled newly established businesses and nonprofit organizations into paying higher prices for Certificates of Good Standing that they could obtain directly from Rhode Island’s Secretary of State for considerably less.
Those were allegations in a civil enforcement proceeding and should not be interpreted as establishing that the current Missouri solicitation violates Missouri law.
Rhode Island later announced a court-approved agreement involving Centurion Filing Services. Under that agreement, Centurion was required to make available up to $104,000 in restitution, pay a $25,000 civil penalty, and cease future mail solicitations in Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island Attorney General’s announcement specifically attributed those settlement obligations to Centurion. STL.News is not attributing those payments or penalties to Business Document Center.
The earlier litigation is still relevant because Business Document Center was expressly named as a defendant in the original Rhode Island lawsuit over certificate solicitations.
Reports continue around the country
Consumer-submitted reports involving Business Document Center have continued appearing in 2026.
Reports from several states describe mailings sent to businesses after their formation offering to obtain Certificates of Good Standing or similar documents for fees substantially higher than the amount charged directly by state government.
Some reports identify the same 855-203-5959 telephone number appearing on the Missouri solicitation reviewed by STL.News.
These consumer reports should be treated appropriately: they are allegations or experiences submitted by members of the public, not determinations that Business Document Center violated a law.
However, together with official government warnings and the earlier Rhode Island litigation, they demonstrate why businesses should carefully investigate compliance-related solicitations before sending money.
Public business records can be used in solicitations
A solicitation containing accurate information about a company’s registration can appear particularly convincing.
But much of the information businesses provide when registering with a Secretary of State becomes part of the public record.
That means a private business may be able to obtain a company’s name, filing information, and other registration details without having any relationship with the government.
The Missouri solicitation reviewed by STL.News demonstrates why business owners should distinguish between information obtained from government records and a communication actually sent by the government.
A document containing your company’s name and state registration information does not, by itself, establish that it came from the Missouri Secretary of State.
Missouri businesses should check the state first
There is nothing inherently improper about a private business charging customers to perform a service they could perform themselves.
Companies routinely charge convenience or processing fees to obtain public records, make filings, or complete administrative tasks for customers.
The important question for consumers is whether they understand what service they are buying, who is providing it, and what the government itself charges.
In this case, that comparison matters.
A Missouri business owner receiving the solicitation might reasonably want a Certificate of Good Standing.
But before paying $92.25, the business owner can visit the Missouri Secretary of State’s official website and obtain the certificate directly for $10, plus any applicable electronic-payment convenience charge.
That simple check can save a business approximately $82 on a single certificate.
Business owners should also be cautious about assuming that words such as “compliance,” “time sensitive,” document numbers, business-registration information, or administrative-looking formatting mean correspondence originated with a government agency.
Check the sender.
Check the website domain.
Check who will receive the payment.
And most importantly, check the government agency’s own website before paying a third party for a government-issued document.
Editor’s Note
STL.News is not accusing Business Document Center of criminal activity or asserting that the company is prohibited from charging a fee for its services. Business Document Center offers a private third-party document service and is not the Missouri Secretary of State.
This article is published as a consumer and business alert so Missouri business owners understand that a Certificate of Good Standing offered in the solicitation reviewed by STL.News for $92.25 can be obtained directly from the Missouri Secretary of State for $10, plus any applicable electronic-payment convenience charge.
This report helps Missouri businesses make an informed purchasing decision.
For the solicitation reviewed by STL.News, the bottom line is simple:
$92.25 through the private service versus $10 directly from the State of Missouri.
Before paying, Missouri businesses should check the state first.
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