North America · Corporation (federal or provincial)
Register a company in Canada
Non-resident founders who want a credible North American base — incorporate in British Columbia or Ontario to sidestep the director-residency rule.
- Government fee
- $150
- C$200 (federal online)
- Corporate tax
- 15%
- headline
- Min. capital
- ≈ none
- effectively none
- Setup time
- 1–2 business days
Deep dives
Everything on Canada, in depth
At a glance
How Canada scores for a non-resident
Relative edge
A credible North American base — and BC/Ontario need no resident director.
Relative watch-out
Foreign-owned firms miss the 9% small-business rate, and banking needs a branch visit.
Scores are Lanzamo's editorial judgement (0–100, higher = better for a non-resident founder), built on the verified data on this page — guidance, not advice.
The essentials
For non-resident founders
Can you run it from abroad?
The headline fee rarely decides it — these are the things that actually trip up a founder forming Canada from another country.
100% foreign ownership
Non-residents can wholly own a Canadian corporation. The constraint is director residency, not ownership: federal (CBCA) and several provinces require 25% Canadian-resident directors — but British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI have NO such rule. BC is the usual choice for foreign founders.
Fully remote setup
Incorporation is fully online for federal and the major provinces. The friction is post-incorporation: a CRA Business Number, GST/HST registration, and especially a Canadian bank account, which usually needs in-person ID verification.
Resident director required
Depends on jurisdiction. Federal/Alberta/Saskatchewan/Manitoba require resident-Canadian directors; BC, Ontario, Quebec, NB, NS and PEI require none. All corporations need a registered office in the jurisdiction of incorporation (an agent/address service satisfies this).
Banking for non-residents: Hard
One of the harder banking environments. Major banks (RBC, TD, BMO, Scotiabank, CIBC) typically require a director to attend a branch in person and are cautious with fully foreign-owned companies. Fintechs (Wise, Airwallex) are common workarounds.
Accounting burden: Moderate
Every corporation files a federal T2 return annually (plus a provincial return where not harmonized), keeps a minute book, and files the Corporations Canada annual return. Audited statements are generally not required for small private corporations.
Why founders pick Canada
- BC, Ontario, Quebec, NB, NS and PEI have zero director-residency requirement
- Reputable jurisdiction with full access to North American markets and clients
- Fast, fully online incorporation (1–2 days) with low government fees (~C$200 federal)
- No minimum capital and a modest C$12 federal annual return
Watch out for
- Federal (CBCA) incorporation forces 25% Canadian-resident directors — choose BC/Ontario to avoid it
- Foreign-owned corporations usually don't qualify as a CCPC, so they pay the full ~23–31% combined rate
- Opening a Canadian business bank account as a non-resident often needs an in-person branch visit
- Combined federal + provincial compliance (T2 return, minute book) adds overhead
Is Canada the right base for you?
Put Canada side by side with a U.S. LLC and 11 other jurisdictions — government fee, tax, capital and the resident-director catch — and decide with the full picture.
Official sources
Go straight to the authorities — these are the free, definitive sources for Canada.
Data reviewed June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can a non-resident register a company in Canada?
Non-residents can wholly own a Canadian corporation. The constraint is director residency, not ownership: federal (CBCA) and several provinces require 25% Canadian-resident directors — but British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI have NO such rule. BC is the usual choice for foreign founders.
How much does it cost to register a Inc / Corp in Canada?
The government fee is about $150 (C$200 (federal online)). Federal incorporation via Corporations Canada is C$200 online (C$250 paper). A NUANS name-search report (~C$13.80 self-serve) is needed for a named corporation. Provincial routes differ — British Columbia ~C$350, Ontario ~C$300. Budget roughly $9/yr in mandatory government filings. Federal corporations file a mandatory Annual Return with Corporations Canada for C$12 online — separate from the CRA corporate income-tax return (T2), which every active corporation must also file. Provinces charge their own annual filing.
Do I need a resident director to form a company in Canada?
No resident director is required. Depends on jurisdiction. Federal/Alberta/Saskatchewan/Manitoba require resident-Canadian directors; BC, Ontario, Quebec, NB, NS and PEI require none. All corporations need a registered office in the jurisdiction of incorporation (an agent/address service satisfies this).
What is the corporate tax rate in Canada?
Federal general rate is 15%. The 9% small-business rate applies only to the first C$500k of active income of a Canadian-Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC) — a non-resident-owned corporation is generally NOT a CCPC and does not get 9%. Provinces add their own rate, giving a combined general rate of ~23% (Alberta) to ~31% (PEI), with Ontario ~26.5% and BC ~27%.
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