How to incorporate in Nova Scotia

This guide covers one job: forming a Nova Scotia limited company on your own, online. Companies in the province are kept by the Registry of Joint Stock Companies, which most people shorten to RJSC. You can file without a lawyer. The official route is listed first, then the steps in the order the registry works through them.

The official route

  1. RJSC Connect filings
    Cost
    PaidSource
    Login
    Needs an RJSC Connect accountSource

The government charge to incorporate is $200Source. Expect to pay for the name step on top of that, unless you take a numbered company. The yearly renewal is a separate charge, covered under “After you incorporate” below.

Before you start

Numbered or named? A numbered company skips the name step altogether. Can you choose one in Nova Scotia? YesSource You can still trade under a different name later.

For a named company, the registry checks the name. How Nova Scotia handles it: A name reservation with the registrySource. The registry checks a proposed name against Nova Scotia and New Brunswick records, federal corporations and the Canadian trademarks database. It takes about two days.Source

The standard reservation costs $60.52 (incl. tax)Source. A name that includes “Canada” or “Canadian” needs the wider federal check, which costs $75.58Source.

You do not need a NUANS report, but it can save money. A NUANS report isn't required, but uploading a recent one lowers the reservation fee.Source With your own report, the reservation drops to $15.12Source. Private vendors sell the reports, so the price is Set by the NUANS vendorSource.

Look the name up yourself first. The RJSC Connect searchSource shows who is already on the register. What a basic look costs: FreeSource.

Step by step

  1. Reserve a name, or use a numbered nameSource. Send the reservation request and wait for the answer before you file. A numbered company can go straight to the next step.
  2. Prepare the Memorandum and Articles of AssociationSource. These are the founding documents. A single subscriber is enough, and a witness signs alongside them.
  3. Fill in the company incorporation form onlineSource. You do this in RJSC Connect, which needs an account.
  4. Attach the required formsSource. The registry wants a statutory declaration, plus notices that name the directors and officers, the recognized agent and the registered office.
  5. Pay and submitSource. Once it is accepted, you get a certificate of incorporation, a certificate of registration and a Business Number for the Canada Revenue Agency.

After you incorporate

Renew every year. The annual renewal costs $118.35 every yearSource.

Proving the company exists. A bank or landlord may ask for a certificate of status. You can order one from the company’s page in RJSC Connect, for $37.40Source.

Copies of your filings. You don't need an account to search or to order copies, and certifying a copy is free.Source A copy of a single document costs $12.45 per documentSource, and a copy of the articles costs $24.95 per documentSource.

Your details are public. A search shows names and addresses, recognized agents, partners, directors and officers, and the filing history.Source We link to the registry search and do not repeat those names here.