When an order is submitted via the Business Formation API, it progresses through a structured lifecycle of phases and statuses. Both fields are returned by Get Full Order Details:
orderPhase— the high-level stage of the order (e.g.,Order Received,Processing).orderStatus— the more specific state within the current phase (e.g.,Third Party Received,Ready for Editing).
Use the phase for high-level UX (a progress bar, a status indicator); use the status for detailed customer messaging or to drive partner-side automation.
Lifecycle phases and statuses
Order Received
The initial acknowledgment stage — the API has received the submitted order details. No immediate action required from the platform or client.
- Status:
Third Party Received
Reviewing Information
Verification stage to ensure all required details are accurate and complete. May require additional input or corrections from the user.
- Statuses:
Ready for Editing— order information under initial review.Returned to Editing— additional information or corrections required.
Processing
Preparation and submission of verified details to the relevant state or federal authorities. May involve additional documentation or preliminary compliance resolution.
- Statuses:
Ready for Processing— order verified and ready for state submission.Signature Needed RFI— additional signatures or documents required (respond via Update Order).Filing Rejected— initial compliance checks failed.
Submitted to Agency
The order has been submitted to the appropriate governmental authority and is awaiting official approval.
- Status:
State - Awaiting Approval
Filing Approved
Government has approved the filing. Official documentation is being prepared for final delivery.
- Statuses:
Awaiting Docs— filing approved; awaiting formal documents.Prepare for Completion— documents finalized and being packaged for delivery.
Complete
Final stage. Formation process concluded successfully; official documents delivered.
- Statuses:
Complete Info Received— all necessary information received; final documents delivered.Missing Information— final documents delivered, but supplementary information may still be required.
On Hold
Temporary pause awaiting either additional client input or an internal decision to proceed.
- Statuses:
Data Needed RFI— pending additional client-provided data (respond via Update Order).Requested by Client— hold requested by the client for internal review or adjustments.
Cancelled / Retired
Final closure of the order — either by client request, inactivity, or platform decision.
- Statuses:
Requested by API Partner— cancellation requested via Cancel Order.Client Unresponsive— order retired due to client inactivity.
Reading lifecycle from the API response
Both orderPhase and orderStatus are returned at data.partnerOrder.* on the GET endpoint:
{
"data": {
"partnerOrder": {
"orderGuid": "801VB000001N0adYAC",
"orderPhase": "Order Received",
"orderStatus": "Third Party Received"
}
}
}Async-population caveat: workflow-phase-dependent fields (orderFilingType, filedDate, formedEntityId) stay null until the order phase advances past Order Received. Other fields (contact, businessAddress, companyInfo) may briefly read null right after POST /create-order due to the underlying Salesforce backend's eventual consistency. See Get Full Order Details for the full async-population semantics and retry guidance.