- Registry
- Ontario Business Registry
- Name search
- NUANS report for a named corporation
- Numbered option
- Available and faster
- Also needed
- CRA business number and GST/HST where applicable
Incorporate in Ontario
Canada's largest provincial market, filed through the Ontario Business Registry, which replaced the province's older system in October 2021.
- Country
- Canada
- Usual entity
- Corporation
Why founders choose Ontario, and when they should not.
Ontario contains the largest share of Canadian business activity, and for a company whose customers, premises and staff are in the province, provincial incorporation is usually simpler and cheaper than federal.
Filings run through the Ontario Business Registry, which the province launched in October 2021 to replace its previous system. Corporations registered before that date had their records migrated, which occasionally means older entities have details that need confirming when they next file.
The registry also sells profile reports, certified copies and certificates of status directly, which matters when a bank or a counterparty asks for evidence that the corporation exists and is in good standing.
Who Ontario fits.
Ontario usually suits
- Businesses whose customers and premises are in Ontario
- Professional service firms serving the Toronto and Ottawa markets
- Companies that do not expect to trade across provincial lines
- Founders who want the fastest route to an operating Canadian corporation
On fees. Government filing fees are set by the jurisdiction and change without notice, sometimes mid year. We quote the current fee for your specific filing at intake, confirmed against the authority on the day, rather than publishing a figure here that may be stale by the time you read it. Our own service fee is on the pricing page and does not change.
- Order matters
- Doing these out of sequence causes rework
Filing in Ontario, step by step.
The sequence specific to Ontario, including the parts that differ from other jurisdictions.
Name
Obtain an Ontario biased NUANS report for a named corporation, or take a numbered corporation and register a business name for it afterwards
Articles
File the articles of incorporation through the Ontario Business Registry, the system the province launched in October 2021
Minute book
Prepare bylaws, first directors' and shareholders' resolutions, share issuance and the share register
Ontario does not hold these, and a bank or a buyer will ask for them.
Registrations
CRA business number, GST/HST registration where the threshold applies, and a payroll account before anyone is paid
Provincial
Confirm registration for carrying on business in Ontario and in any other province where you operate
- Missing one
- How we track these
What a Ontario entity owes each year.
| Obligation | Who wants it | When and how much |
|---|---|---|
| Annual return | Ontario, filed with the CRA return | Annually. Separate in substance from the T2 even though it travels with it |
| T2 corporate return | Canada Revenue Agency | Annually, six months after year end |
| GST/HST returns | CRA, once registered | On the frequency assigned to you |
| Registered office | Maintained by you or your agent | Must remain current on the registry |
- Honest comparison
- Including where another jurisdiction wins
Ontario against federal incorporation
For a business whose customers, premises and staff are in Ontario, provincial incorporation is the simpler answer. One registry, one set of filings, and no federal layer sitting above it.
Federal incorporation earns its cost when the name needs protecting across the country or when you genuinely trade across provincial lines. A Toronto consultancy serving Toronto clients gains very little from it.
Ontario also removed its director residency requirement, which historically pushed non resident founders toward British Columbia. That change makes Ontario a realistic option for a founder outside Canada in a way it was not before, and it is worth knowing if you were advised otherwise a few years ago.
What people get wrong about Ontario
The corporation exists once incorporated. It still needs a CRA business number, and GST/HST registration once the threshold is crossed, plus a payroll account before anyone is paid.
Articles, bylaws, directors' and shareholders' resolutions and the share register are what evidence the corporation was actually organised. Banks and buyers ask for them.
Corporations that predate the October 2021 registry launch sometimes have information that needs correcting at the next filing rather than being assumed current.
Ontario questions
A numbered corporation is faster and avoids the NUANS search. You can register a business name for it afterwards and trade under that. A named corporation is worth it when the name itself is the brand.
Ontario removed its director residency requirement, which makes it accessible to non resident founders in a way it previously was not.
Evidence from the registry that the corporation exists and is up to date on its filings. Banks and counterparties ask for it regularly.
Forming in Ontario?
We will confirm the entity, the current government fee and the realistic timeline before anything is filed.