How to incorporate in British Columbia

This guide walks through forming a British Columbia company on your own, without paying an intermediary. The official route is first, then each step in the order the registry expects.

The official route

Most new BC companies are filed in Corporate OnlineSource. To get in, you need Paid; needs a Corporate Online profile ID and company passwordSource.

The total government charge for a named company: $380($350 filing + $30 Name Request)Source. That figure already includes the name approval, which you pay for separately at the start.

Lawyers and incorporation services can file on your behalf. Expect their fee to be added to the government charge, not to replace it.

Before you start

Decide on the kind of company. BC has more than one kind of company, and the rules and costs differ between them, so settle this before anything else. Forming an unlimited liability company costs more: $1,030Source.

Named or numbered? Can you skip the name and take a number? YesSource A numbered company needs no name approval, so you can go straight to the filing.

For a named company, get the name approved first. BC checks names itself through Name RequestSource. A NUANS report isn't required. BC's own Name Request does the name check.Source The price of a request: $30 ($130 priority)Source. How long an approved name stays yours: 56 daysSource. Plan to file before that runs out.

Look up existing companies

Before you settle on a name, it helps to see who is already registered. This is where BC is unusual: Corporations, limited partnerships and societies are searched in BC OnLine. Sole proprietorships, partnerships, co-ops and benefit companies are in the newer BC Registry search.Source

Corporations live in BC OnLineSource. Access: Paid; needs a BC OnLine account (paid setup)Source. A BC OnLine account has a setup fee and can't be opened for a one-off search.Source Opening the account costs $100Source, and each corporate search is billed at $7 + $1.50 service charge per searchSource. In other words, the per-search charge is added on top of the base search price, so a handful of searches costs more than it first looks.

For a one-time check of a few names, Name Request is usually enough on its own: the registry compares your proposed name against existing ones as part of approving it.

Step by step

  1. Choose a company typeSource
  2. Get a Name Request approved, or use a numbered nameSource If you take a number, skip ahead.
  3. Draft the articlesSource They set out how the company is run, such as how directors are chosen and what shares exist.
  4. Sign the incorporation agreement and keep it with your recordsSource
  5. File the Incorporation ApplicationSource Pay the fee shown above when you submit it.
  6. Receive your Certificate of Incorporation and Notice of ArticlesSource These two documents are your proof that the company exists.

After you incorporate

Every year, file an annual report. The charge for it: $43.39Source

Proof of the company. If a bank or landlord asks, a certificate of status costs $35Source, and a certificate of good standing costs $35($25 certificate + $10 search)Source.

Tax. No GST is charged on these registry fees.Source Your tax account is separate: the Canada Revenue Agency issues the business number.

Doing business in other provinces. Companies from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba follow different extra-provincial rules under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement.Source