Incorporating
Business corporations may be incorporated under the Business Corporations Act by filing Articles of Incorporation together with required supporting documents and payment of the required fee. It is the responsibility of the incorporator to ensure that Articles of Incorporation are properly filed with the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services in accordance with the Business Corporations Act and conform to law.
Not-for-profit corporations may be incorporated under the Corporations Act by filing an Application for Incorporation of a Corporation Without Share Capital, with supporting documents and payment of the required fee.
Incorporating offers certain advantages to the incorporators and their successors but at the same time it also places certain responsibilities upon them. Before proceeding with incorporation, you should give the matter serious consideration. In this regard you may wish to consult a lawyer who has experience in corporate matters. DO IT YOURSELF FEDERAL INCORPORATION
Federal Incorporation can easily be done online without a lawyer.
However you may still need a provincial incorporation as well.
-
Get a Federal Corporate Name Search (NUANS Report) in electronic (PDF) format
- Register with the
 Corporations Canada Homepage.
- After you register with the Corporations Canada On-Line Filing Centre, you can file your business incorporation electronically.
- Submit your Corporate Name Proposal online.
- After your name is approved, file the Articles of Incorporation online. You will need a credit card to pay the $500 filing fee.
Provincial Incorporation filing fees are usually much less, so you may want to just register in your home province.
- After you receive your Certificate of Incorporation, you will likely still be required to register your business in any province or
territory where you carry on business.
| |
10 Steps to Incorporating your Business - Select Corporate Jurisdiction
- Select Corporate Names
- Determine Corporate Name Availability through NUANS
- Complete Articles of Incorporation
- Submit & Register Articles of Incorporation
- Purchase Corporate Seal & Minute Book
- Complete Corporate By-Laws, Organizational Minutes & Issue Shares
- Obtain Other Permits & Licenses eg Sales taxes and vendors permits
- Set Up Bank Account
- You are done. Start Your Business!
|
|
NUANS stands for Newly Updated Automated Name Search. NUANS is an advanced search system that searches corporate and business registries across Canada, with over 8,000,000 records of corporation names, business names and trademarks. In order for you to register or incorporate your business, a NUANS Report is required by the Federal & most provincial governments. NUANS Reports are used to determine the availability of a corporate/business name. Clients search the NUANS database and listing for any similar or possibly confusing existing corporation names, business names and trademarks to make sure that no one else has already registered the corporate or business name, or trademark you plan to use for your business.
NUANS reports are valid for 90 days from their date of submission. There are different types of NUANS reports, geared towards different jurisdictions (i.e. provinces) or Canada. NUANS reports for incorporations must be for the relevant jurisdiction (Federal or desired province) and must be a "reservation" type report.NUANS Pre-Searches
To avoid performing repeated NUANS reports (which can be expensive),
a "pre-search" of the NUANS database is available.
| |
Corporate Name Search Reports
You need to make sure that no one else has already registered the corporate or business name, or trademark you would like to use for your business. To avoid duplication of names and in order for you to register or incorporate your business, a corporate name search report is required by the Federal and the provincial governments. These reports are used to determine the availability of a corporate/business name by searching the relevant databases or registries listing any similar or possibly confusing existing corporation names, business names and trademarks.
In Canada, there are 2 different kinds of reports: a NUANS biased report; and a provincial name report. The NUANS (Newly Updated Automated Name Search) database provides name search reports for the following jurisdictions: Canada (Federal); Ontario; Alberta; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; and Prince Edward Island. For all the other provinces (B.C., Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland & Labrador), they each require a name search report from their respective provincial database and registry and NOT from the NUANS database. |
