Getting Started with the CorpNet Business Formation API

The CorpNet Business Formation API is your gateway to integrating business formation services into your own platform. Use it to query available formation packages, submit and manage entity-formation orders, upload documents, and track order status across all 50 U.S. states.

Before making your first request, follow the steps below to get set up.

Authenticate your API requests

All requests carry a Bearer token issued by CorpNet during partner onboarding. There is no token exchange — the token you receive is the token you send on every request. See Authorization for the full auth model and error semantics.

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN

Contact our CorpNet Support Team to get your token.

Environments

EnvironmentBase URLUse Case
Staginghttps://api.staging24.corpnet.comTesting, QA
Productionhttps://api.corpnet.comLive requests

Staging and production tokens are distinct.

Identifiers

Two identifiers come up repeatedly:

  • apiUserPid — your static partner ID, issued by CorpNet at onboarding. Required in the body of POST /create-order and PATCH /update-order-v1. Other endpoints don't accept it.
  • pcid — a per-order tracking ID you generate (recommended: uuid4().hex). Sent only on POST /create-order. Not a credential — fresh value per order. Uniqueness is your responsibility; the API does not enforce it server-side.

Once you create an order, the API returns an orderGuid at data.partnerOrder.orderGuid (full-echo response, see Create a Business Formation Order). Use that orderGuid for all subsequent operations on the order.

Core flow

StepActionEndpoint(s)
1Retrieve packages — fetch available packages for the customer's entity type and stateGET /business-formation-v2/package
2Create an order — submit business and applicant details to initiate filingPOST /business-formation-v2/create-order
3Track progression — read the orderPhase and orderStatus as the order moves through the lifecycleGET /business-formation-v2/get-order/{orderGuid}
4Respond to RFIs — when CorpNet's filing team requests information, respond programmaticallyPATCH /business-formation/update-order-v1/{orderGuid}
5Handle documents — upload partner-supplied attachments and download filed documentsPOST /send-order-document-v1, GET /download-order-document-v1

Try your first request

Fetch available LLC packages for California:

curl 'https://api.staging24.corpnet.com/api/business-formation-v2/package?entityType=LLC&state=California' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN'

The response includes available packages, options, and pricing — pass these into the next step. See Business Formation Object for the response shape.

Tips

  • Store orderGuid values in your own system at order-creation time. The GET response can return null on documented-required fields immediately after creation due to async population in the underlying Salesforce backend — having the original submission cached avoids lookup surprises.
  • Validate input before submission. The API enforces business rules (state-format codes, conditional field cascades) but client-side validation surfaces issues earlier.
  • Branch on HTTP status, not body fields. The API distinguishes parse errors (5xx) from validation errors (4xx); response bodies use a {statusCode, message, data} envelope but the body's statusCode may not always agree with the HTTP status.
  • Plan for double-decoding. The HTTP response body is a JSON-encoded string containing JSON — clients may need to JSON-decode twice. See the Business Formation API overview for details.

Next steps

Need help? Contact your CorpNet integration manager or [email protected].