Resources for federal corporations

The federal office that incorporates federal corporations and keeps their public record.

• Search for a federal corporation(opens in a new tab)

  The official federal record: status, directors, registered office and filings.

• Corporations Canada(opens in a new tab)

  The federal office itself: services, news and how to reach it.

• How to incorporate a business(opens in a new tab)

  Step by step, from choosing a name to the certificate of incorporation.

• Annual return for business corporations(opens in a new tab)

  Due every year within 60 days after the anniversary of incorporation, and filed online.

• Keep your corporation in good shape(opens in a new tab)

  Report new directors or a new registered office address, and the other changes the law requires.

• Certificate of compliance or existence(opens in a new tab)

  Official proof that a corporation exists and is up to date with its filings.

• Order copies of corporate documents(opens in a new tab)

  Copies of the articles, certificates and other documents on file.

• Reviving a dissolved corporation(opens in a new tab)

  When and how a dissolved business corporation can be brought back.

• Forms and instructions(opens in a new tab)

  Every federal corporation form, with its instructions.

• Fees and processing times(opens in a new tab)

  What each filing costs and how long it takes.

• Not-for-profit corporations(opens in a new tab)

  Incorporating and running a federal not-for-profit corporation.

The federal laws a corporation is formed under, in their official full text. Each company page says which one governs it.

• Canada Business Corporations Act(opens in a new tab)

  The law most federal business corporations are formed under.

• Canada Business Corporations Regulations, 2001(opens in a new tab)

  The detailed rules made under that Act.

• Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act(opens in a new tab)

  The law federal not-for-profit corporations are formed under.

• Canada Cooperatives Act(opens in a new tab)

  The law federal co-operatives are formed under.

The business number and the tax accounts come from the Canada Revenue Agency, not from Corporations Canada.

• Business number(opens in a new tab)

  What the nine-digit business number is and how a corporation gets one.

• Register for a GST/HST account(opens in a new tab)

  Whether a business must collect GST/HST, and how to register.

• Corporation income tax return(opens in a new tab)

  Who files a T2 return, and when it is due.

• About My Business Account(opens in a new tab)

  What the CRA's online account for businesses lets you do.

• Sign in to a CRA account(opens in a new tab)

  Where to sign in to My Business Account.

• Canada's Business Registries(opens in a new tab)

  Search the federal register and several provincial registers in one place.

• Business Benefits Finder(opens in a new tab)

  Government funding and support programs that fit a business.

A corporation formed under a province's or territory's law is on that register, not on the federal one. Most have a free basic search.

• Alberta(opens in a new tab)

  Alberta Corporate Registry. A corporate search is ordered through a registry agent, for a fee.

• British Columbia(opens in a new tab)

  OrgBook BC: every BC registration and its status, free to search.

• Manitoba(opens in a new tab)

  The Companies Office. Basic details are free to search online.

• New Brunswick(opens in a new tab)

  The Corporate Registry, run by Service New Brunswick. Searches carry a small fee.

• Newfoundland and Labrador(opens in a new tab)

  The Registry of Companies, searched through Companies and Deeds Online (CADO).

• Northwest Territories(opens in a new tab)

  The Corporate Registries Online System. Basic details are free; a full profile has a fee.

• Nova Scotia(opens in a new tab)

  The Registry of Joint Stock Companies. Basic details are free to search.

• Nunavut(opens in a new tab)

  The Legal Registries Division of Nunavut's Department of Justice keeps the territory's corporate records.

• Ontario(opens in a new tab)

  The Ontario Business Registry. Basic details of corporations and business names are free to search.

• Prince Edward Island(opens in a new tab)

  Prince Edward Island's business and corporate registry.

• Quebec(opens in a new tab)

  The Registraire des entreprises (enterprise register). Free to search, and it lists directors and shareholders.

• Saskatchewan(opens in a new tab)

  The Corporate Registry, run for the province by Information Services Corporation (ISC).

• Yukon(opens in a new tab)

  How to search Yukon's corporate registry online.