How to incorporate federally

A federal corporation is one created by Corporations Canada rather than by a province. You can do the whole thing yourself, online, without a lawyer or a filing company. The official route is first, then the steps in the order the application asks for them.

The official route

  1. Online Filing Centre
    Cost
    PaidSource
    Login
    Needs an ISED account with identity verificationSource

Applications go through the Online Filing CentreSource.

Most filings need an ISED account with identity verification, and some also need the corporation key.Source

The government charges $200 ($300 expedited)Source for the articles of incorporation.

Filing companies and law firms offer to do this for you. Their charge comes on top of the government’s, and the government’s part does not get any cheaper.

Choose how the company is named

A numbered company. The corporation number becomes the legal name, so there is no name to check. Allowed federally? YesSource This is the fastest path, and you can still pick a trading name later with the province where you operate.

A named company. A name needs a NUANS report showing it does not clash with existing names and marks. How the federal application handles it: The name search is part of the filingSource. The report costs $13.80Source. For a federal incorporation the NUANS search is part of the online application, so don't order a separate report first.Source A NUANS search result is good for 90 days and doesn't mean the name is approved.Source

If you want a report before you apply, for example to compare a few names, the NUANS siteSource sells them (Paid; no login neededUnconfirmed. We haven't confirmed this on an official page yet. Confirm with the registry: NUANS corporate name and trademark reports).

Do your own look first. It saves a rejected name. Check existing business names and trademarks too, not just corporation names.Source

Step by step

  1. Choose a word name or a numbered nameSource. With a number, skip ahead; with a word name, the search runs inside the application.
  2. Choose standard articles or write your ownSource. The standard set is the simpler choice; write your own only if you know you need different terms.
  3. Give the registered office address and the first directorsSource.
  4. File the information on individuals with significant controlSource. In plain terms: who ultimately owns or controls the company.
  5. Submit and pay in the Online Filing CentreSource. The fee is the one shown above.
  6. Register in each province or territory where you do businessSource. See the next section.

What you get back

When Corporations Canada incorporates the company, it issues a certificate of incorporation. The company exists from the date on the certificate, which also shows its corporation number.Source From then on the company appears in the federal search, and a profile costs FreeSource. If a bank or landlord wants formal proof, a certificate of status costs $10 ($20 by email, $20 by mail)Source. Certified copies of your documents cost $40 per documentSource.

Each year after that, file the annual return: $12Source.

Then register with your province or territory

Incorporating federally does not, by itself, let you carry on business in a province. You still register as an extra-provincial corporation where you operate, at that province’s own fee. How each one handles it: