West Virginia Code
Article 1. General Provisions
§31E-1-128. Certificate of Existence

(a) Any person may request a certificate of existence for a domestic corporation or a certificate of authorization for a foreign corporation from the Secretary of State.
(b) A certificate of existence or authorization provides the following information:
(1) The domestic corporation's corporate name or the foreign corporation's corporate name used in this state; and
(2) If the corporation is a domestic corporation, that the corporation is duly incorporated under the law of this state, the date of its incorporation, and the period of its duration if it is less than perpetual;
(3) If the corporation is a foreign corporation, that the corporation is authorized to transact business in this state; and
(4) If payment is reflected in the records of the Secretary of State and if nonpayment affects the existence or authorization of the domestic or foreign corporation, whether all fees, taxes, and penalties owed to this state have been paid.
(c) Subject to any qualification stated in the certificate, a certificate of existence or authorization issued by the Secretary of State may be relied upon as conclusive evidence that the domestic or foreign corporation is in existence or is authorized to transact business in this state.

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