Small, Woman- and Minority-Owned (SWaM) Business Certification
Documents Required for All Certification Applicants
Code of Virginia § 18.2-213.1:
A person shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if, in the course of business, he willfully
makes a false statement knowing it to be untrue, whether by affidavit, report or other
representation, to an official or employee of a public body for the purpose of influencing the
certification or denial of certification of any business entity as a small, women-owned, or
minority-owned business, or disadvantaged business;
All Applicants
1. Proof of U.S. citizenship or Permanent Residency for the business owner(s) who make(s) up at
least 51% of the company’s ownership interest in the form of:
a. DMV License
AND
b. EITHER: U.S. Passport or Birth Certificate, Permanent Resident Card, or Certificate of
Naturalization
2. A complete copy of the Federal business tax return from the most recent year and 1st page of
previous two years of the firm applying for certification and its affiliate(s)
a. Sole proprietorships and single-member LLCs that file Schedule C must send a complete
copy of the Federal personal tax return from the most recent year and the first page of
the Form 1040 and Schedule C for the previous two years
3. First page of the Form 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return) for the most recent four
quarters of the firm applying for certification and its affiliate(s). If the firm has no employees,
submit a letter signed and dated by the owner stating that.
4. Documented proof of contributions used to acquire ownership showing that the owner paid for
the value of his/her interest in the business or in some way invested personal funds into the
business. Acceptable proof includes both sides of cancelled checks or receipts. If unavailable and
the firm is more than five (5) years old, a signed statement describing the personal investment
may be acceptable.
5. Resume of owner(s) and officer(s). Resumes must be detailed, in chronological order and
include places of ownership/employment with corresponding dates.
6. Copies of professional licenses and permits, including all licenses and permits held by the
business, its owner(s), and officer(s) of the business in the areas of work in which the business is
seeking certification
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Additional Required Documents for Corporations
1. Certificate of Incorporation
2. Articles of Incorporation and any amendments
3. Corporate bylaws and any amendments
4. Minutes from most recent stockholder meetings
5. Minutes from most recent board of directors meetings
6. Both sides of stock certificates
7. Stock ledger
Additional Required Documents for LLC
1. Certificate of Organization/Existence/Formation
2. Articles of Organization and any amendments
3. Operating Agreement and any amendments
Additional Required Documents for Sole Proprietorship
1. Current business license
2. Certificate of Assumed/Fictitious Name
Additional Required Documents for Franchises
1. Franchise Agreement
Additional Required Documents for Partnerships
1. Partnership Agreement
Additional Required Documents for New Businesses
1. Proof of EIN (e.g., letter from the IRS assigning/confirming EIN)
***Businesses with assumed or fictitious name(s) that wish to have the fictitious name(s) listed on the
directory MUST submit a copy of their business’s Certificate of Fictitious Name.***
NOTE:
SBSD reserves the right to request additional supporting documentation or information to provide
clarification or substantiation of certain criteria or to resolve any ambiguities or inconsistencies in an
application. Documents such as tribal paper, personal checks proving owner’s investment in the
company, owner’s Resume, copies of stock certificates and/or stock ledger may be requested.
Businesses from the following states are not eligible to participate in the Virginia SWaM Program
because of Certification restrictions in their home states: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida,
Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
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CONFIDENTIALITY
Please Note: under Section 2.2-3705.6(20) of the Code of Virginia, trade secrets as defined in the
Uniform Trade Secrets Act (Section 59.1-336 et seq., Code of Virginia) or financial records of a business,
including balance sheets and financial statements, as part of an application for certification as a small,
women- or minority-owned business are exempt from disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of
Information Act (Section 2.2-3700 et seq.) The business is required to (a) invoke such exclusion upon
submission of the data or other materials for which protection from disclosure is sought, (b) identify the
data or other materials for which protection is sought, and (c) state the reasons why protection is
necessary.
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