Canada has no single national company register. A business may incorporate federally under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) with Corporations Canada, or under one of the thirteen provincial and territorial corporate statutes; both routes are equally valid, and a federally incorporated company must still register in every province where it carries on business. Federal corporation data are searchable free of charge, and since 2024 the names of individuals with significant control over CBCA corporations are published.

The company registries in Canada

Corporations Canada, part of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, administers the CBCA, the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (CNCA) and the Canada Cooperatives Act. Its Federal Corporation Search is free and shows each corporation’s record. Alongside it, each province and territory keeps its own registry — the Ontario Business Registry, the Registraire des entreprises du Québec, BC Registries and Online Services, the Alberta Corporate Registry, the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies and their counterparts — each with its own search facility. A federal multi-jurisdiction search service brings several registries together in one interface.

Federal incorporation gives national name protection but does not replace provincial registration: a corporation carrying on business outside its home jurisdiction registers extra-provincially in each province concerned. Separately, the Canada Revenue Agency issues the nine-digit Business Number, which is distinct from the corporation number and is displayed on the federal corporation record.

Where sole proprietorships and partnerships appear

Sole proprietorships and general partnerships do not incorporate and are not registered federally. They register a business name with the province or territory in which they operate. There is therefore no Canadian equivalent of a national sole-trader register, and verifying an unincorporated Canadian business means searching the relevant provincial business-name registry.

Legal forms that can be registered in Canada

  • Sole proprietorship — one owner, no separate legal personality, unlimited personal liability; registered through a provincial business-name registration.
  • General partnership — two or more partners under the provincial Partnership Acts, with joint and several unlimited liability.
  • Limited partnership — at least one general partner with unlimited liability alongside limited partners whose exposure is capped at their contribution; filed provincially.
  • Limited liability partnership — a provincial form, generally restricted to certain professions, shielding partners from liability for a co-partner’s negligence. There is no federal LLP.
  • Business corporation, federal (CBCA) — a separate legal person incorporated with Corporations Canada; shareholder liability is limited to the capital contributed.
  • Business corporation, provincial — the same limited-liability structure under a provincial business corporations act.
  • Unlimited liability company (ULC) — available in British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia; a corporation whose shareholders carry unlimited liability, used chiefly for cross-border tax structuring.
  • Not-for-profit corporation — incorporated federally under the CNCA or provincially; it has no share capital and members are not personally liable.
  • Co-operative — incorporated federally under the Canada Cooperatives Act or provincially; member-owned, with member liability limited to shares or membership.
  • Extra-provincial corporation — a corporation of another Canadian jurisdiction registered to carry on business in a given province; the registration is a disclosure and licensing obligation rather than a new legal person.
  • Registered foreign corporation (branch) — a non-Canadian corporation registered extra-provincially in each province where it operates; the foreign head office remains fully liable.

Information available from the Canadian registers

The federal corporation search shows, free of charge, the corporate name and name history, the corporation number, the CRA Business Number, the status of the corporation, the governing legislation and date, the type of corporation, the registered office address, the minimum and maximum number of directors and each director’s name and address, the anniversary date and annual-filing period, the status of annual returns by year, the date of the last annual meeting and the date of the certificate of incorporation. Corporations Canada also publishes monthly transaction data and offers an application programming interface for bulk access. Director changes must be notified within fifteen days, and historical filings remain public.

Individuals with significant control

Canada’s transparency reform is now live at federal level. Under the CBCA, a corporation must keep a register of individuals with significant control (ISC) recording each individual’s name, date of birth, citizenship, tax residency, residential address, any address for service, the dates of becoming and ceasing to be an ISC and the nature and extent of the control held. The register is filed with the Director annually with the annual return and within fifteen days of any change, and mandatory filing began on 22 January 2024.

Corporations Canada publishes a defined subset: the individual’s full legal name, their address for service or, failing that, their residential address, the description of the nature and extent of significant control, and the dates of becoming and ceasing to be an ISC. Date of birth, citizenship and tax residency are not published, and publication is withheld for individuals under eighteen, individuals lacking capacity, certain public office holders and where publication would create a serious threat to safety. Law enforcement and the financial intelligence unit retain access regardless. The register covers CBCA corporations only, and it cannot be searched by the name of an individual.

Provincial regimes differ. In Quebec, ultimate beneficiaries have been declarable to the enterprise registrar since 31 March 2023 and are public, showing the name, dates of becoming and ceasing, professional address and the qualifying condition with voting percentage, but never the date of birth. In British Columbia the transparency register of significant individuals has been mandatory since 2020 but is not public: access is limited to directors, police, tax authorities, securities and financial regulators, the financial intelligence unit and the law society. A public British Columbia registry has been legislated but no launch date could be confirmed.

Financial statements

Financial statements are generally not public in Canada. Most corporations do not file them with Corporations Canada; they are provided to shareholders in advance of the annual meeting. The exceptions are distributing (publicly traded) corporations and not-for-profit corporations that solicit funds. Directors’ minutes, resolutions and accounting records are not open to the public.

Documents that can be obtained from the register

  • Certificate of incorporation — the charter document evidencing the creation of the corporation and its date; copies can be ordered.
  • Certificate of Compliance — certifies that the corporation exists, has not been dissolved, amalgamated or discontinued, and is up to date with its annual returns, ISC filings and fees. This is the Canadian federal equivalent of a certificate of good standing, used for financing, supply contracts and transactions.
  • Certificate of Existence — certifies that the corporation existed at a specified date or during a specified period, without confirming current compliance. For bodies formerly under the old Canada Corporations Act a letter of existence is issued instead.
  • Copies of corporate documents, certified or plain — the charter documents, articles of amendment, notices of change of directors and of registered office, and, for not-for-profit corporations, by-laws and financial statements. A certified copy is accompanied by a letter attesting that it is an exact copy of the document held by Corporations Canada, for use in court and similar proceedings.
  • Corporate profile and annual return data — the consolidated public record of identity, status, registered office, directors, ISC information and filing history, available on the corporation’s detail page and in bulk through monthly transaction files and the corporations interface.
  • NUANS name search report — a federal or provincial report comparing a proposed corporate name with existing names and trademarks. It is no longer required for an ordinary CBCA incorporation or name pre-approval, where the search is built into the application, but remains required for revival, amalgamation and continuance filings and for cooperative services.
  • Provincial certificates and record searches — each provincial registry issues its own certificates of status, corporate registry searches and copies of filed documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a single company register in Canada?

No. Corporations Canada keeps the federal register under the Canada Business Corporations Act, and each province and territory keeps its own. A federal multi-jurisdiction search brings several registries together, but registration itself remains jurisdiction-specific.

Do sole proprietors appear on a Canadian company register?

Not on a corporate register. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships register a business name provincially; there is no federal registration for them.

Are beneficial owners of Canadian companies public?

For federal CBCA corporations, yes in part: since January 2024 the name, address for service, nature and extent of control and the relevant dates of individuals with significant control are published, while date of birth, citizenship and tax residency are not. Quebec publishes ultimate beneficiaries; British Columbia’s transparency register is not public.

What is a Certificate of Compliance?

A certificate issued by Corporations Canada confirming that a federal corporation exists, has not been dissolved, amalgamated or discontinued, and is up to date with its filings. It is what Canadian practice uses in place of a certificate of good standing.

Are Canadian financial statements public?

Generally not. Most corporations provide financial statements to shareholders rather than filing them publicly; distributing corporations and soliciting not-for-profit corporations are the main exceptions.

What is a Business Number?

A nine-digit identifier issued by the Canada Revenue Agency for tax and programme accounts. It is different from the corporation number but is shown on the federal corporation record.

Sources

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