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How to register a company in Canada

Canada is unusual among major jurisdictions because there is no single 'Canadian company' — you incorporate either federally with Corporations Canada under the CBCA, or provincially under a provincial Business Corporations Act, and the two routes have materially different rules for a non-resident. Ownership is never the obstacle: a foreigner can own 100% of the shares of any Canadian corporation. The obstacle is who sits on the board. A federal (CBCA) corporation requires that at least 25% of its directors be resident Canadians (and where there are fewer than four directors, at least one must be), which is a hard stop for a founder with no Canadian on the team. That single rule is why most non-residents skip federal incorporation and go provincial. British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island impose NO director-residency requirement at all, so a sole foreign founder can be the only director and the only shareholder. British Columbia is the usual default for international founders, with Ontario a close second. The filing itself is fast and fully online in BC, Ontario and federally — but the work that actually makes the company usable (a CRA Business Number, GST/HST registration and, above all, a Canadian bank account) happens after incorporation and is where remote founders lose time.

Canada overview How we research
Country
Canada
Topic
How to register
Reviewed
June 2026

By the Lanzamo Editorial Team · Reviewed June 2026 · How we research

  1. 1

    Choose your jurisdiction first — this is the real decision

    Before anything else, decide federal vs provincial, because it dictates whether you need a Canadian director. Federal (CBCA) and Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba require 25% resident-Canadian directors; British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI require none. A non-resident with no Canadian partner should almost always incorporate in BC (the common choice) or Ontario, not federally.

  2. 2

    Clear and reserve your company name

    For a named (non-numbered) federal corporation you must obtain a NUANS name search report (about C$13.80 self-serve) that proves your name is distinctive. British Columbia does not use NUANS — you request name approval through BC Registries' Name Request system for roughly C$30. The fast alternative anywhere is a numbered company (e.g. '1234567 B.C. Ltd.'), which needs no name search and can be renamed later.

  3. 3

    Appoint at least one director and one shareholder

    Every corporation needs a minimum of one director (a real person aged 18+, no nationality limit in the no-residency provinces) and at least one shareholder, who can be the same person. In BC or Ontario your sole foreign self can fill both roles. If you incorporate federally instead, you must recruit a resident-Canadian director to satisfy the 25% rule — often a paid nominee/resident-director service.

  4. 4

    Establish a registered (and records) office in the jurisdiction

    Every Canadian corporation must maintain a registered office address physically located in its province (or, for a CBCA company, in Canada) where official mail and statutory records are kept — a foreign address will not do. Non-residents buy this as a registered-office/records-office service from a local agent or law firm (commonly C$150-C$500/yr). BC also requires a records office in the province.

  5. 5

    Set the share structure and capital

    There is no minimum paid-in capital and no notarial deed: a single common share is enough, and many founders start with one class of common shares. You set out the authorised share structure in the articles. The nominal share is a formality, not cash you must wire to a Canadian account before incorporating, which keeps the entry bar low.

  6. 6

    Prepare and file the articles of incorporation

    Federally you file the Articles of Incorporation (Form 1) plus the Initial Registered Office Address and First Board of Directors (Form 2) through Corporations Canada's Online Filing Centre. In BC you file an Incorporation Application with an incorporation agreement and notice of articles through BC Registries (BC OnLine / the Business Registry). Most provinces accept model/standard articles so no lawyer is strictly required for a simple company.

  7. 7

    Pay the government fee and receive your Certificate of Incorporation

    The federal fee is C$200 online (C$250 by paper). British Columbia is roughly C$350 to incorporate (plus the ~C$30 name request) and Ontario is around C$300. On approval you receive a Certificate of Incorporation and your corporation number, typically within one to two business days for online federal filings and a few business days provincially after name approval.

  8. 8

    Hold the organisational steps and build the minute book

    Immediately after incorporation, complete the first directors' resolutions: issue shares, adopt by-laws, appoint officers and set the fiscal year-end. These records live in a corporate minute book that the corporation is legally required to keep current. Non-residents usually have their incorporation agent or accountant prepare the initial minute book, since it is checked when you open a bank account.

Realistic timeline: For a BC or Ontario incorporation, a non-resident can realistically go from name approval to Certificate of Incorporation in two to five business days; a federal online filing is often one to two days but only if you have lined up your resident-Canadian director. The slow parts come after: the CRA Business Number and especially GST/HST registration can take a couple of weeks for a non-resident (and longer if security is required), and a usable bank account is the genuine bottleneck — a fintech account in days, a chartered-bank account potentially weeks and possibly a trip to a branch. Plan three to six weeks to be fully incorporated, tax-registered and bankable.

Right after you incorporate

Get a CRA Business Number and a corporate income-tax (RC) account

Every active corporation needs a 9-digit Business Number (BN) from the Canada Revenue Agency, with an 'RC' corporate income-tax program account. Federal incorporations are often issued a BN automatically; otherwise you register online. Note that since 3 November 2025 the CRA no longer registers BNs or program accounts by phone — non-residents must use Business Registration Online (BRO).

Register for GST/HST — and budget for the non-resident security deposit

GST/HST registration is mandatory once taxable Canadian revenue exceeds C$30,000 in a rolling four-quarter period (you can register voluntarily below that). The trap for foreigners: a non-resident with no permanent establishment in Canada is generally required to post security with the CRA to obtain a GST/HST account — a real cost and paperwork step domestic founders never face.

Open a business bank or fintech account

This is the hardest part for a non-resident. Canada's big banks (RBC, TD, BMO, Scotiabank, CIBC) almost always require a signing director to attend a branch in person to open a corporate account, which can mean a trip to Canada. The remote-friendly route is a fintech such as Wise or Airwallex, which onboard against your incorporation documents without a branch visit. Open early — you need it to receive revenue and pay the CRA.

Set up bookkeeping and your T2 / annual-return calendar

Engage a Canadian accountant to keep books and file the federal T2 corporate income-tax return (plus a provincial return in Quebec and Alberta, which administer their own). Separately, a federal corporation must file the C$12 Corporations Canada annual return each year, and provinces require their own annual filing. These two annual returns are different things from the T2 tax return and are easy to overlook.

Register for payroll only if you pay a salary

You open a CRA payroll (RP) account only if the corporation pays employment income — including a salary to yourself as director. Many non-resident owners take profit as dividends rather than salary in year one and skip payroll entirely, though dividends to a non-resident attract Part XIII withholding (see Taxes). Confirm the salary-vs-dividend mix with a cross-border accountant.

Frequently asked questions

Can a non-resident own 100% of a Canadian corporation and be its only director?

Yes on ownership — there is no nationality limit on shareholders anywhere in Canada. Being the sole director depends on jurisdiction: in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI a single non-resident can be the only director. Federally (CBCA) and in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, 25% of directors must be resident Canadians, so you would need a Canadian co-director.

Should I incorporate federally or in a province?

For a non-resident with no Canadian on the board, provincial — almost always British Columbia (the common default) or Ontario — because they impose no director-residency rule. Federal incorporation gives a name protected Canada-wide but forces a resident-Canadian director, which usually means paying for a nominee. Incorporate where you can legitimately sit on your own board.

Do I need to travel to Canada to incorporate?

No — the incorporation filing itself is fully online in BC, Ontario and federally, and can be done from abroad. The CRA registrations are also remote. The one step that may still require a physical visit is opening an account at a traditional Canadian bank, which is why many non-residents use a fintech (Wise, Airwallex) instead of a chartered bank.

What is a numbered company and should a non-resident use one?

A numbered company takes a registry-assigned name such as '1234567 B.C. Ltd.' instead of a chosen word name, so it needs no NUANS report or name approval and incorporates faster and cheaper. It is perfectly valid; many founders incorporate as a numbered company to launch quickly, then register a trade name or rename the corporation later for branding.

Sources

More on Canada

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