When Forming a Delaware LLC, Choose a Registered Agent with Direct Access to the Delaware Corporation Imaging System.

A limited number of commercial registered agents have access to a dedicated online connection to the State of Delaware. This online filing system is not web based. It is a MS-DOS based terminal where the user has direct access to the Delaware Secretary of State Division of Corporations mainframe. DCIS stands for Delaware Corporation Information System. DCIS users are able to file formation documents same day if requested or within the normal 2 days State of Delaware’s turnaround.   If you file directly with the State of Delaware or use a non-commercial registered agent without DCIS access, the normal turnaround is much longer (approx. 7-10 business days).

DCIS users can obtain good standing certificates, plain copies of corporate filings or certified copies of corporate filings same day, normally within minutes and email to you the same day, if you need official documentation stating entity is in good standing and franchise tax has been paid to date.  There are a few reasons why you might want to know if your entity is in compliance: if you are scheduling a closing settlement, Banking purpose and Selling/purchasing Real Estate. The DCIS system can access images of all filings, unavailable on the web. It also lists all Amendments and tax payment history.

Ten years ago the state of Delaware started exploring the move to a web based system to replace DCIS called ICIS, Integrated Corporation Information System. The new system is about to go live and it is believed that once again, a limited number of commercial registered agents will have access to this powerful tool.

When forming a Delaware LLC or Delaware Corporation, you should consider asking whether your agent has access to DCIS and will have access to ICIS. It may surprise you to discover that certain larger agents do not have access, even though they are well known brands.