Incorporate a business in British Columbia

Requirements to incorporate in British Columbia

A B.C. company is created under the provincial Business Corporations Act. A few choices come first, because they shape the documents, the cost and the timeline.

In B.C., the incorporation application and the notice of articles go to the registry, while the incorporation agreement and the articles stay in the company's records. Hence the importance of a complete Minute bookMinute bookOfficial record holding a corporation’s articles, by-laws, resolutions and registers.See definition → from day one.

How much does it cost to incorporate in BC? Government fees and processing times

The cost to incorporate in BC has two parts: government fees, identical whichever provider you use, and the provider's service fee. Incorpo shows them on separate lines.

A numbered company skips the name request, its fee and its wait. The standard processing time of the incorporation filing itself is still being verified, so only the timelines above are shown.

The table puts B.C. next to federal incorporation and Alberta. Our service fee comes on top and is published on the pricing page.

Name rules in British Columbia

A named B.C. company needs an approved name before the incorporation application is filed. The request goes through Name Requests Online (BC Registries)source, and an approved name is held for 56 dayssource. If the incorporation is not filed within that window, the request has to be redone.

• Distinctive element: a word that sets the business apart, such as a coined word or a family name.
• Descriptive element: a word that says what the business does or how it does it.
• Legal ending: Limited, Incorporated or Corporation, or an abbreviation such as Ltd., Inc. or Corp.
• Language: English form, French form, or bothsource.
• No confusion: a name too close to an existing business, or one suggesting a link with a government, is usually refused.

A Corporate nameCorporate nameThe corporation’s legal name: a distinctive, a descriptive and a legal element.See definition → approved in B.C. is protected in the province only; federal incorporation, covered below, protects it across Canada.

Numbered BC Ltd. company or named company?

When a business only needs a legal vehicle, such as a holding company or a company trading under another name, a Numbered companyNumbered companyCorporation named after its registry number (e.g. 12345678 Canada Inc.). Skips the name search.See definition → is the quickest route. Numbered option in B.C.: Yes — incorporation number followed by "B.C. Ltd."source. No name request, no wait.

A numbered company can switch to a name later by filing a notice of alteration. Name change fee: $130 ($100 + $30 name approval)source.

Director residency rules in British Columbia

Director residency in B.C.: None: no B.C. or Canadian residency requirement for directorssource. Directors can live in another province or abroad, which is one reason founders from outside the province, or outside Canada, look at B.C.

Federal rules are different: At least 25% of directors must be resident Canadians; at least 1 if fewer than 4 directorssource. When no director lives in Canada, that point often settles the choice. Tax residency is a separate question that an accountant can assess.

How to incorporate in BC: step by step, how we file for you

1. 1Name or numberWe run a preliminary search and prepare the request through Name Requests Online (BC Registries)source, or set up a numbered company if a name can wait.
2. 2DocumentsWe prepare the incorporation application, the notice of articles, the incorporation agreement and standard articles, using your share structure, directors and office addresses.
3. 3Filing with BC RegistriesOnce you review and sign, we file and follow the application. You receive the certificate of incorporation as soon as the registry issues it.
4. 4Digital minute bookOrganizational resolutions, share issuances, registers of directors and shareholders, and the transparency register, ready to sign and stored online.
5. 5Tax registrationsWe guide you through the CRA business number and, depending on your activities, GST/HST, B.C. PST, payroll and WorkSafeBC accounts.

After incorporation: annual report and registrations

• Annual report: deadline: Within 2 months after each anniversary of incorporationsource; fee: $43.39source.
• Director changes: notice to the registry (deadline: Within 15 dayssource); fee: $20source.
• Transparency register: Mandatory for B.C. private companies since Oct. 1, 2020source. Filed with the registry? No: kept at the company's records officesource. Public access: Not publicsource.
• Records office: minutes, resolutions and registers kept up to date.
• Taxes: a corporate income tax return every year, plus the GST/HST and PST returns that apply to your activities.

How to dissolve a corporation in BC

A solvent B.C. company is usually dissolved voluntarily: the shareholders approve the dissolution by resolution, an affidavit confirms that the company has no assets or liabilities (or has provided for them), and the application is filed with BC Registries. Government fee: $20source. Tax accounts with the CRA are closed separately, after the final returns.

How to register a sole proprietorship in BC, and when a company makes more sense

A sole proprietorship is not a company: the owner and the business are the same person. Registration: Required within 3 months of first using a business name other than one's ownsource. Fee: $40 (+ $30 name request)source. Residency: No B.C. residency requiredsource.

A corporation is a separate legal person: business debts are generally its own, and its income is taxed at corporate rates. Owners often revisit the question when revenue grows or when they hire; an accountant can compare both options with your figures.

B.C., federal or another western province?

B.C. incorporation suits a business that operates mainly in the province. Federal incorporation protects the name across Canada (fee: $200 (online filing)source), but a federal company working in B.C. still registers there as an extraprovincial company: Within 2 months after starting to carry on business in B.C.source.

Under the New West Partnership, companies from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba registering in B.C. pay No filing fees except name request/reservationsource. B.C. also offers the unlimited liability company (ULC), sometimes used in cross-border structures; basic fee: $1,000 basic feesource. Whether a ULC fits is a tax question for an accountant.