FAQ

General information

• 1. What are the benefits of incorporation?
• 2. What are the benefits of incorporating at the federal level?
• 3. What are the advantages of incorporating on-line?
• 4. What are the steps that have to be followed when incorporating online?
• 5. Where can I get more information about incorporating?
• 6. What kinds of businesses can incorporate under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA)?
• 7. Who can form a corporation?
• 8. Is a lawyer needed to incorporate?
• 9. If I decide to incorporate, what next?
• 10. How long does it take to get incorporated?
• 11. How long does it take to incorporate a CBCA corporation online?
• 12. Do on-line documents have to be signed?
• 13. Do I have to get a corporate seal?
• 14. If a company incorporates at the federal level, do they need to register anything with the provinces?
• 15. Do I have to incorporate federally and provincially?
• 16. I am a lawyer: Why can't Corporations Canada provide the advice I am seeking?
• 17. Where can I obtain a copy of the CBCA (or another Act) and its Regulations?
• 18. Can I file with the Director the required financial statements in U.S. GAAP (Generally accepted accountant principles)?
• 19. What percentage of directors must be resident Canadian?
• 20. How can I provide feedback to Corporations Canada?
• 21. Can I subscribe to a mailing list to receive information from Corporations Canada?
• 22. If I register to Corporations Canada's list, will my email address be kept confidential?
• 23. Will I be flooded with emails if I subscribe to this mailing list?
• 24. What is a trade-mark?

Sole Proprietor / Partnership

• 1. Is it better to incorporate or to register (as a sole proprietor/partnership) one's business?
• 2. Where may I register a sole proprietorship or partnership?

Not-for-profit

• 1. How does one incorporate a not-for-profit corporation?
• 2. How do you get a charity registration number?

Corporate Name

• 1. How do I choose a name for my corporation?
• 2. What is a NUANS® name search report?
• 3. Where can I obtain a NUANS® name search for my proposed corporate name?
• 4. How can I protect my corporate name?

Corporate Name Training

• 1. Who is the training for?
• 2. What is the Electronic Training on Federal Corporate Name Granting?
• 3. Why should I take this training?
• 4. Will taking the training ensure that my name will be accepted?
• 5. Why do I have to read more than 120 pages to propose an acceptable corporate name?
• 6. Why should I go to your electronic training if I've already taken your name training seminar?
• 7. What's the advantage of the electronic training over your name-training seminar?
• 8. I don't have Internet access. How can I get the training?

Fees

• 1. How much does it cost to incorporate?
• 2. How much does transaction X cost?
• 3. Why are online transactions less expensive than regular transactions?
• 4. Is it safe to pay fees on-line?

Compliance

• 1. What could happen to a corporation if there are no directors (i.e., it is directorless)?
• 2. I have just resigned from the board of directors of a corporation, can I sign and file the required Form 6 (Notice of change of Directors)?
• 3. What is the deadline for filing your first Annual Return (Form 22)?
• 4. Can a corporation have a P.O. Box (Postal Office Box) as the Registered Office address?
• 5. Can a corporation be a director on the Board of Directors?
• 6. Can a corporation incorporate another corporation?
• 7. What are the penalties for filing forms late? (i.e. the Annual Return (Form 22), Notice of Change of Directors (Form 6) and Notice of Change of Registered Office Address (Form 3))
• 8. Is the annual return the same as my tax return?
• 9. Who can sign the forms 1, 3, 4, 6 and 22 (which are the most important)?

Frequently Asked Questions - Answers