Company Incorporation in Canada
Incorporation of a Canadian corporation — federally with Corporations Canada under the CBCA (CAD 200 filed online, with an optional CAD 100 priority service giving 4-hour processing), or provincially in Ontario (OBCA) or British Columbia (BCBCA). A CBCA corporation can have as few as one director, but at least 25% of the directors must be resident Canadians and, where there are fewer than four directors, at least one must be a resident Canadian; certain restricted and cultural sectors require a majority. That rule bites on DIRECTORS, not shareholders, so a non-resident may own 100% of a federal corporation. Ontario repealed its director-residency requirement effective 5 July 2021 and British Columbia imposes none, which is why non-residents often prefer a provincial company — both points come from secondary sources, not an official provincial page, so we confirm them before advising. A word name needs a NUANS search (integrated into the online CBCA application, CAD 13.80 if ordered separately); a numbered company needs none. Individuals with significant control (ISC) must be filed with Corporations Canada at incorporation. A federal corporation must additionally register extra-provincially wherever it carries on business.
1–5 business days
CAD
Compare the structures
Every column is a vehicle you can actually incorporate here, and each is bought on its own terms. Every fact carries where it was read: on the authority’s own page, or — marked Indicative — on a filing platform or publication we name and link. Anything we could not read anywhere is marked Pending verification and confirmed with the authority before you pay.
| Federal Business Corporation (CBCA)Operating under one name across every province with a federally recognised corporate identity — startups, SMEs and the wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary of a foreign parent. One director minimum, but at least 25% resident Canadians (at least one where there are fewer than four). | Ontario Business Corporation (OBCA)Ontario-focused SMEs and professional corporations that do not need cross-Canada federal name protection. Ontario repealed its director-residency requirement effective 5 July 2021 — reported, not confirmed on an official ontario.ca page. | British Columbia Company (BCBCA)BC-based businesses, and non-residents who want a Canadian corporation with no resident-director requirement — widely stated, but the BC government page could not be reached to confirm it. | Sole ProprietorshipA freelancer or single-owner micro-business testing an idea — no incorporating statute; a provincial business-name registration plus CRA program accounts as needed. Business income is taxed on the owner's personal T1. | Partnership (General / Limited / LLP)Two or more persons carrying on business together; professional firms often use an LLP where permitted. Governed by provincial partnership legislation and registered provincially; income flows through to the partners. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum owners | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Maximum owners | Pending verification | Pending verification | Pending verification | 1 | Pending verification |
| Minimum directors | 1 | 1 | 1 | Pending verification | Pending verification |
| Liability | limited | limited | limited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Foreign ownership | Yes | Yes | Yes | Pending verification | Pending verification |
| Tax treatment | Separate legal person taxed at corporate rates; may be a Canadian-controlled private corporation (CCPC) if resident in C… | Corporate; same CCPC/small-business-deduction eligibility as any Canadian corporation. | Corporate; CCPC eligibility as for any Canadian corporation. | No separate legal person; business income taxed on the individual's personal T1 return. | Flow-through: the partnership is not itself taxed; income is allocated to and taxed in the partners' hands. |
| Audit required | Pending verification | Pending verification | Pending verification | No | Pending verification |
| Audit threshold | Pending verification | Pending verification | Pending verification | Pending verification | Pending verification |
| Annual compliance | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
| Typical use | Startups and SMEs incorporating federally for name protection across Canada; wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary of a forei… | Ontario-focused SMEs and professional corporations. | BC-based businesses and non-residents who want a Canadian corporation with no resident-director requirement. | Solo consultant or e-commerce seller who registers a business name provincially and, if over the GST/HST threshold, a GS… | Professional services firms (LLP) and family/joint ventures (general partnership). Registered provincially. |
What we will need from you
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Articles of incorporation (CBCA Form 1)
Sets the share structure, any restrictions on share transfers and the minimum/maximum number of directors.
Initial registered office address and first board of directors (CBCA Form 2)
The registered office must be in Canada.
Written consent of each first director
A person must consent to act. At least one director is required, and enough resident-Canadian directors to satisfy the 25% rule (or the at-least-one rule where there are fewer than four directors).
Individuals with significant control (ISC) information — filed at incorporation
Full legal name, date of birth, citizenship, country/countries of tax residence, addresses, the dates of becoming or ceasing to be an ISC and a description of the significant control. Made public by Corporations Canada, subject to limited exceptions (an address for service may be used instead of a residential address).
Proposed name — a word name with a NUANS search, or a numbered name
For online CBCA incorporation the name search is integrated into the application, so a NUANS report should NOT be ordered separately first. A numbered company (e.g. '1234567 Canada Inc.') needs no NUANS report at all.
Shareholder details and share subscriptions
Foreign shareholding is unrestricted federally — the residency rule applies to directors only.
For a foreign individual director or foreign corporate shareholder: identity and residence details
The federal filing is an online self-declaration system with no apostille step, but identity and AML checks arise at the bank, and country of residence and citizenship must be filed for the ISC register.
Cost breakdown
Our fee and the government’s are always separate lines. Government fees are passed through at exactly what the authority charges — we add nothing to them.
| CBCA incorporation (articles of incorporation) — filed ONLINEone line of this schedule appliesVERIFIED on the ISED CBCA services-fees page: CAD 200 for online incorporation (the same fee applies to amendment, continuance and revival). This is the load-bearing federal figure. | CA$200Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| CBCA incorporation — filed by NON-ONLINE method (mail/other)VERIFIED as the non-online rate on the ISED services-fees page. That page frames some of its numbers as 'proposed' changes; CAD 250 was shown as the higher non-online rate. Prefer the CAD 200 online route. | CA$250Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| NUANS federal name-search report — only for a WORD name, not a numbered nameonly if it appliesVERIFIED on the NUANS federal-report page: CAD 13.80. For online CBCA incorporation the search is integrated into the application, so do not order a report separately; a numbered company needs none. | CA$14Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Priority / express online service (4-hour processing) — optionalonly if it appliesVERIFIED as an optional add-on: CAD 100 on top of the regular application fee for priority (4-hour) processing of eligible online transactions. | CA$100Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Ontario (OBCA) articles of incorporation — onlineonly if it appliesConsistently reported as CAD 300, but we will not publish that figure until it is read off the Ontario fee schedule. Confirmed at quote. | Confirmed before payment |
| British Columbia (BCBCA) incorporation applicationonly if it appliesNOT confirmed — the BC government incorporated-companies fee page returned socket hang-up / timeout on repeated attempts. Widely reported as CAD 350. Confirmed at quote against the official BC Registries fee page. | Confirmed before payment |
| British Columbia name request / approvalonly if it appliesNOT confirmed — same blocked source. Widely reported as CAD 30. Confirmed at quote. | Confirmed before payment |
| Comriq professional fee | Fixed fee within 1 business day |
These are the authority’s published lines. Which of them apply depends on your filing — a schedule by headcount, capital or entity type is one line, not all of them — and the applicable line is confirmed before payment, at cost.
How it runs
You will see these exact stages update in your client portal as we progress.
Name Chosen (word name + NUANS, or numbered)
A word name requires a NUANS search — integrated into the online CBCA application, CAD 13.80 if ordered separately. A numbered name requires none.
Articles Filed
Articles of incorporation (Form 1) filed online with Corporations Canada for CAD 200, with Form 2 (registered office and first directors) and each director's consent. The optional CAD 100 priority service gives 4-hour processing.
ISC Information Filed
Individuals with significant control information is filed with Corporations Canada at incorporation, as required since 22 January 2024, and is published publicly subject to limited exceptions.
CRA Accounts Opened
A CRA Business Number plus the corporation income tax (RC), GST/HST (RT) and payroll (RP) program accounts are opened as needed.
Extra-Provincial Registration
A federal corporation registers in each province or territory where it carries on business.
Ready to start?
This one is priced to your situation — most of what we do needs a local filing agent, so we scope it rather than guess. Tell us the specifics and we come back with a fixed quote and a confirmed timeline, within one business day.
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Verified September 2026
Requirements and statutory fees are set by Corporations Canada (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada), under the Canada Business Corporations Act and change without notice. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your engagement letter and quote are the binding documents.