• Business Name Registration
• Name Approval
• Proprietorship, Partnership or Incorporation?
• Registering a Sole Proprietorship or Partnership
• Registering a Corporation
• Federal Incorporation
• Society and Other Legal Structures
• Business License
• Taxation
• Workers' Compensation Board
• Employment Standards

Federal Incorporation

Conducting business outside BC

You should consider Federal Incorporation if you want to carry on business in more than one province or outside the country. The heightened name protection provided to federal corporations is also often a reason for choosing Incorporation under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA).

This is seen as an important element of the right you have to carry on business throughout Canada. Once federally incorporated, your corporate name has a protected status second only to trademark protection.

A company registered as a Federal Incorporation must still register as an "extra-provincial" corporation if:

• It has a resident agent or representation, an office, warehouse or place of business
• It has a BC number in a provincial telephone directory within the province

Who can be Federally Incorporated?
Under the Canada Business Corporations Act, any individual or corporation may receive a certificate of Incorporation for any legal purpose with the exception of operating such institutions as banks, insurance companies, and trust and loan companies.

Contact Information

Federal Incorporation Information Kits are available from:
Industry Canada, Corporations Directorate
2000-300 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 6E1
Tel: (604) 666-9875
Fax: (604) 666-4274

Note: Information Kits and an Online filing feature can also be found at: http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/corporations