Certification Qualifications/Eligibility
Questions about Certification Qualifications/Eligibility
WRMSDC certifies any for-profit business located in Northern California, Nevada, or Hawai‘i that is 51% or more ethnic minority-owned, operated and controlled by a U.S. citizen (s), and authorized by the State and County to do business. Click here for additional criteria and see below for which groups the National MSDC considers ethnic minorities and U.S. citizens.
Ethnic Minority Certification is granted to companies that are owned, operated and controlled by U.S. citizens who belong to one or more of the following minority groups (to qualify for certification, a minority business owner must provide documentation to support the claim that they possess 1/4 or 25% minimum of the following ethnicities):
Asian-Indian | A U.S. citizen whose origins are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. |
Asian-Pacific | A U.S. citizen whose origins are from Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific or the Northern Marianas. |
African- American | A U.S. citizen having origins in any of the Black racial groups of sub-Saharan Africa. |
Hispanic | A U.S. citizen of true-born Hispanic heritage, from any of the Spanish-speaking areas of the following regions: Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean Basin only. Brazilians shall be listed under Hispanic designation for review and certification purposes. |
Native American | A person who is an American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut and Native Hawaiian, and regarded as such by the community of which the person claims to be a part. A Native American Indian must be documented members of a North American tribe, band or otherwise organized group of native people who are indigenous to the continental United States and proof can be provided through a Native American Blood Degree Certificate (i.e., tribal registry letter, tribal roll register number) |
The National MSDC certifies based on bloodline NOT nationality.
An applicant must be a U.S. citizen either by birth or naturalization and must have the appropriate documentation to prove this. Permanent residents and Green Card holders do not qualify.
There is no restriction on how long a business has been in operation, although the company must have verifiable business operations to be certified. Please keep in mind that businesses that benefit most from certification have experience working with major corporations; the capacity to provide goods and services to Fortune 500 corporations or their prime suppliers; broad geographic coverage; and the capacity for growth. If your company does not meet these recommended standards, then WRMSDC strongly suggests you develop your business and consider applying for certification at a future date.
If a change occurs in your business, it is your responsibility to inform WRMSDC within thirty (30) days. The following is a list of common situations:
Change in ownership, control, or operations
Relocation of a business
Change of products or services
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Send us your question: certification@wrmsdc.org