Online Federal Incorporation

The enhanced name protection provided to a federal corporation, the right to carry on business anywhere in Canada, the increased recognition abroad of a "federal charter" and the high level of service provided by Corporations Canada staff are reasons frequently cited by corporations and their professional representatives for choosing federal incorporation under the Canada Business Corporations Act. And now, federal incorporation can be done online directly at the Corporations Canada Web site.

Eligibility Criteria

All persons wishing to incorporate their businesses at the federal level.

Summary

Anyone wishing to create a corporation under federal law must:

1. Go to Corporations Canada Online Filing Centre;
2. Order a NUANS® federal name search report. Note that a NUANS® search is not required when making an initial filing for a numbered corporation;
3. Submit the NUANS® report (not more than 90 days old) using the "Articles of Incorporation" tab; 
4. Pay the fee of $200 at the Corporations Canada Web site.

Online filing offers many benefits, such as:

• convenience - file from anywhere at any time - the Online Filing Centre is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week;
• reduced delivery costs - traditional delivery expenses and delays are eliminated with online submissions;
• acknowledgement of filing - no more guessing as to whether your submission has been received;
• prompt processing of articles - if you submit your articles before 1 p.m. (EST) any business day, your incorporation certificate should be processed by 5 p.m. (EST) the same day, as long as the documents are submitted in the prescribed form and that the corporate name, if applicable, is accepted (Please note that articles submitted after 1 p.m. should be processed by 5 p.m. the following business day);
• reduced fees for incorporation - the fee for filing online is $200 - a reduction from the $250 fee for filing by mail, fax or in person;
• print and save option - you don't have to complete the application in one sitting. You can save your work and return to it later;
• extra-provincial registration online - after a corporation has been incorporated federally, it may be necessary to register it with the province(s) where it will be conducting its operations (extra-provincial registration). In the provinces of Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan, this process can be done at the same time as federal incorporation is completed online.

To take advantage of online filing, simply follow these steps:

1. Go to the Corporations Canada Online Filing Centre;

2. Register with the Industry Canada Secure Server Facilities to access the Corporations Canada Online Filing Centre;

3. Choose "Articles of Incorporation" from the list of forms available and select one of the four incorporation options available:

• incorporation of a numbered name corporation, e.g., 1234567 Canada Inc.;
• incorporation of a corporation with a name pre-approved by Corporations Canada (a NUANS® is required with the submission - you can get your name pre-approved by Corporations Canada, free of charge);
• incorporation of a corporation where name approval is to be sought (a NUANS® report information in electronic format is required with the submission);
• incorporation of a numbered name corporation that has been pre-reserved.

Follow the menus provided to complete the necessary documents online and then, using your American Express®, MasterCard® or Visa® credit card, pay the prescribed $200 filing fee through the secure online payment facility.

For more information

If you require additional information on the products and services offered by Corporations Canada, please visit the Web site or contact them by phone or e-mail.

Manitoba Contact(s):
See National Contact. 

National Contact(s):
Client Services Section - Headquarters
Corporations Canada
Industry Canada
9th Floor
Jean Edmonds Tower South
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0C8
Telephone: 613-941-9042
Fax: 613-941-0601
Toll-free (information): 1-866-333-5556
E-mail: corporationscanada@ic.gc.ca
Web site: http://corporationscanada.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cd-dgc.nsf/eng/home