Federal Holding Company

Named vs Numbered Company: If your company interacts with the general public and you intend to brand your business name, a named company is the better choice. On the other hand, if you prefer to expedite the incorporation process by bypassing the name approval step, a numbered company may be more suitable. A numbered company can adopt a trade name or operating name at any time.

The BC Online Business Registry, supported by our in-house legal and accounting team, serves as a comprehensive filing center. As a member of various government units, we are able to offer the following services:

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• NUANS search and name approval
• By-laws, custom articles
• CRA accounts
• WCB accounts
• Corporate seal, minute book binder
• Annual return, corporate maintenance
• Domain name reservation
• Address services
• Express registration queue
• And more

Yes, our customer service agents can provide general guidelines and assistance (not legal advice). Feel free to call us at 403-768-2726 during our business hours, you may initiate a Live Chat during business hours.

Yes, it is a one-time payment, and there are no monthly or annual fees associated with it.

Yes, indeed. The Certificate of Incorporation and Articles of Incorporation are issued directly by the Corporate Registry unit of the Government. Our in-house legal counsel drafts the Articles of Incorporation, and you also have the option to choose custom Articles of Incorporation if needed.

You can place an order online using a credit card or e-transfer. Once we receive your order, we will review it and proceed with the registration. You have the option to receive your corporate documents either via email or by post.

Yes, we offer 3 types of post-incorporation and maintenance service:

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• Annual Return: At the end of the year, we will file annual corporate return for you.

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• Phone Support:
corporate Update (address change, director's change, shareholder change, officer change). Please Click Here for more details.

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• Complete Maintenance: Annual Return + Phone Support + Notice of Changes Click Here for more details.

Yes, we offer :

• Basic Articles: Click here to see the Sample
• Standard Articles: Click here to see the Sample
• Custom Articles: For more customizations, we offer Custom Articles which could be prepared as per requests (available in next steps).

Generally, a business name should consist of two elements: distinctive and descriptive. The distinctive element should be unique or made-up words, while the descriptive element can include common English words. For example, in the name "Mike Construction," "Mike" serves as the distinctive element, and "Construction" acts as the descriptive element. Please provide your ideal name, and if it doesn't meet the requirements, we will guide you through the process.

Every corporation must include a legal ending after its name. The government offers six legal endings that have the same meaning. You may choose the option that best complements your business name.

NUANS stands for Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search. It is a federal name search system designed to check for existing business names similar to your proposed business name, helping to avoid conflicts. To register a corporation, a valid NUANS Reservation report is required to ensure that the chosen name is not already in use. Please Click here to see the sample of NUANS Report

Prior to incorporate a named federal corporation, the name must be pre-approved by Corporations Canada. The process begins with obtaining a valid NUANS report, which is required for the name pre-approval request. Therefore, reserving a valid Nuans report is the first step, obtaining the name pre-approval is the second step and registering the corporation is the third step.

The name must be submitted to Government for approval. This process involved:

• When submitting a name request application to the government, you can include up to three choices of names per submission. If you do not have three distinct names, you can repeat the same name.
• The government will then check the availability of your proposed names and determine whether they are valid for registration.
• Once the processing is complete, you will receive a Name Request Number (NR number), which is valid for 56 days. This number allows you to proceed with the incorporation process, provided your chosen name is approved.

If you choose electronic documents, we will send the PDF files to your billing email. Alternatively, you have the option to receive the electronic documents via email and also receive printed copies by post. This way, you can have both digital and physical versions of your important corporate documents for your records.

Yes, the requested date for incorporation cannot be earlier than the current date and must be within 30 days into the future. This ensures that the incorporation process aligns with your business plans while adhering to government regulations.

This is the main business activity that your company engages in. Please specify only one activity in one or two words, as we need to choose the closest match from the government system.

The registered address can be updated in the future by paying the necessary filing fees. Many corporations begin with a residential address due to the absence of a rental address during registration, but they may change it later as needed.

An address service is an annual mail and scanning service we offer to corporations that do not have a local physical address in this province. It can be renewed each year by paying the applicable fees. Any documents related to the corporation that we receive will be scanned and emailed to you.

All federal corporations must register with the province where their head office or registered office is located. This process, known as extra-provincial registration, is mandatory. It can be completed either during federal incorporation or afterward, but it must be done before commencing business activities.

Agent for Service must be one of the following:

1. A director residing in BC
2. A contact Person residing in BC

Director is the decision maker of a corporation who takes administrative decision and have the power to make changes in the corporation and remove/add another director.

• Must be 18 years and above.
• Can be a Canadian Citizen, PR or Non-Canadian Citizen.
• Should not be in a status of bankruptcy.

If you are a lawyer, accountant, or other service provider opening this corporation on behalf of a client, please refrain from entering your name here. This section is designated for the primary owner(s) of the corporation. We do not communicate with the directors; instead, we contact the individual listed in the billing address.

To register a corporation, at least one director's information is required. In the future, you can add or remove directors from your corporation. If you select "complete maintenance" services in the next steps, you can add or remove a director at no additional cost.

Each director has equal authority and control over the corporation. The second director can remove the primary director and vice versa. Therefore, you may consider adding an additional director whom you trust.

The incorporator(s) are typically the director(s) of the corporation. An incorporator refers to the person(s) applying to incorporate the business. Therefore, the incorporator(s) can be individuals or another corporation.

If you are a lawyer, accountant, or other service provider opening this corporation on behalf of a client, please do not enter your name here. The incorporator(s) are generally the director(s) and owner(s) of the corporation. We do not communicate with the directors; instead, we reach out to the individual listed in the billing address.

If you are incorporating this business as a subsidiary or operating company under a parent or holding company, you may select "incorporator is another corporation" and list the parent or holding company’s name as the incorporator.

The Articles of Incorporation are registered with the government during the corporation's registration. Once the business is incorporated, the articles can be modified through proper filing (Articles of Amendment) and the payment of applicable fees.

The "Advanced Articles of Incorporation" enable the issuance of Class A common voting shares and Class B common non-voting shares. If you wish to customize the names of common, preferred, voting, non-voting, or other share classes, you may select the "set my own text" option. The custom share structure option will be available in the next steps.

Corporate bylaws, also known as the company constitution, are the rules, rights, regulations, and policies established by a corporation. These bylaws are typically prepared by a corporate lawyer to ensure that no rules or clauses conflict with the Provincial Corporations Act or the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA).

A Corporate Minutes document is a compilation of corporate records (including the articles of incorporation) that can be provided to anyone who inspects the records or during an audit. Corporate Bylaws and Minutes may also be required by certain banks to open an account.

Yes, the expense is tax-deductible. When you incorporate a company, the expenses are referred to as business development expenses, which are tax-deductible. Any expenditures incurred after incorporation are classified as operating expenses, which are not tax-deductible. Furthermore, handling it separately later is a manual process that requires the involvement of a corporate lawyer, resulting in a significant increase in cost and time (and these expenses are also not tax-deductible).

Since a corporation is a separate legal entity from its owners, it can only be owned by possessing its shares. The corporation's assets and stock are divided into pieces, each referred to as a share. For instance, if a corporation issues 100 shares valued at $1 each, the total net worth of the corporation would be 100 x $1 = $100.

To simplify corporate filing, most people initially set the share price at $1. Over time, both the share price and the number of shares can be adjusted or increased as needed.

A corporation's stock is divided into shares. Those who own the shares are, in fact, the owners of the corporation. To categorize these owners, shares are classified. Class A common voting share owners possess voting rights that allow them to influence changes to the corporation's policies and rules, while Class B common non-voting share owners do not have such rights.

In simple terms, shareholders are the owners of the corporation. If a corporation has one shareholder, that individual owns 100% of the shares, regardless of how many shares there are.

A corporation has 2 shareholders: John and Mike.
Case 1: Both owners have rights to vote: Assign class A to both.
Case 2: Only John has voting rights: Assign class A to John and class B to Mike.

Share number cannot be in decimal point.
Case 1: John, Mike and Ali own same percentage: Assign exact same number to each.
Case 2: John owns 40%, Mike owns 30% and Ali owns 30%: Assign shares 40 to John, 30 to Mike and 30 to Ali.
Case 3: John owns 51%, Mike owns 24.5% and Ali owns 24.5%: Avoid decimal point by doubling the proportion. Assign 102 to John, 49 to Mike and 49 to Ali.

Yes, you can change the share price, the number of shares, and the shareholders at any time.

Setting up a corporation key is mandatory. To access your company in the future or to file any changes or updates, you must enter the corporation key to verify that you are the authorized person. Establishing a key during the incorporation process is easy, convenient, and cost-effective.

The Business Number (BN) is a nine-digit number assigned by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that serves as a common client identifier for businesses, simplifying their interactions with federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Each corporation must have a unique Business Number.

Corporations are required to report all income and expenses to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). A Corporate Tax ID (also known as RC 0001) is used for this purpose. Every corporation must obtain a Corporate Tax ID from the CRA.

The company's official email is included in the company profile. Notifications, warnings, and messages regarding your corporation will be sent directly to this email address. If you need to reset your company key at any time, the reset code will be sent to this email as well.

The corporation's officers (such as President, CEO, VP, Secretary, etc.) are responsible for managing the daily operations of the business. In their respective roles, they are granted legal authority to act on behalf of the corporation in nearly all lawful business-related activities.

Most corporations initially assign a single individual to multiple roles, such as director, incorporator, officer, and shareholder. As the company grows, these roles can be redistributed among other individuals.

Typically, the titles 'President' or 'CEO' are assigned to the primary director or the most significant individual in the corporation. The subsequent roles include VP, Treasurer, Secretary, Administrative Assistant, and others.

If you sell products and services in Canada and collect GST/HST from your customers, you are required to obtain a GST/HST Account Number. The customer's invoice or receipt must display the HST number. Failing to collect HST may result in penalties from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

If you hire employees, including yourself, you will need a Payroll Account Number. If you do not have any employees, you can process your own salary or a family member's salary through the payroll account to take advantage of CRA's 'income splitting'. Please note that this is not a payroll service; rather, it refers to the initial setup of a payroll account with the CRA.

If your business involves importing physical goods, obtaining this account is required. The government uses this account to facilitate customs clearance.

If your business involves exporting physical goods, this account is required. The government uses this account to facilitate customs clearance.

Share certificates are legal and official proof of ownership of a corporation. Banks may require them to open a bank account. Most people opt for 5 share certificates to save costs, although some choose 10 or 20. The package typically includes blank certificates for adding a spouse, child, or friend as a shareholder in the future.

The company seal is a tool used to stamp or emboss important documents to indicate that they are certified and approved by the Board of Directors of the company. It is commonly used for:

1. employment and vendor contracts
2. minutes from Board of Directors meetings
3. leases
4. To be granted for bank loans or mortgages
5. any contracts or agreements

Supplies, including the minute book binder, seal, and share certificates, will be shipped by Canada Post to your corporation's mailing address.

Yes, we offer 3 types of post-incorporation and maintenance service:

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• Annual Return: At the end of the year, we will file annual corporate return for you.

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• Phone Support:
corporate Update (address change, director's change, shareholder change, officer change). Please Click Here for more details.

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• Complete Maintenance: Annual Return + Phone Support + Notice of Changes Click Here for more details.

The Annual Return of a corporation must be filed for every Canadian corporation each year to maintain its active status. This filing ensures that the corporation’s records remain up to date.

Yes, the expense is tax-deductible. When you incorporate a company, the expenses are referred to as business development expenses, which are tax-deductible. Any spending incurred after incorporation is classified as operating expenses, which are not tax-deductible.

We recommend reserving a domain name that matches your business name. If your desired domain name is taken by another domain registration company or a competitor, it may become challenging to establish your brand and operate your business effectively without a proper website. (example: www.yourbusinessname.ca)

A Business Email Address includes your business name and is used for communications related to your business, typically based on your custom domain. (example: CustomName@companyname.com)

The Google Business Profile is a free business listing provided by Google. It allows you to share details and photos of your business, including your location, services, and products.Creating this free profile is an excellent way to enhance your visibility across Google services. Information from your Google Business Profile may appear in Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping.

The package does not include an extract of the draft version from government systems sent to our customers. If you wish to review the draft before the final submission, this option is available. Please note that the timing of when the draft copy is emailed to you depends on your chosen service speed. If we do not receive your approval within the specified timeframe, our representative will proceed with the final submission and then deliver the relevant company establishment documents to you.

Canada Post offers the following options for shipping items within Canada:

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• Xpresspost Certified: is a service for sending documents that captures the recipient's signature upon delivery of the item. This service is ideal for sending important notices as well as legal and court documents.

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• Expedited: is fast, cost-effective ground shipping within Canada. All items can be tracked and have on-time guarantees.

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• Regular Parcel: is a cost-effective ground delivery service available to customers.

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