To request a name electronically, visit our Name Requests Online system.  Or you can visit your local Service BC Centre office or Business Information Centre.    

To request a name by mail, visit the downloads section to obtain a Name Approval Request form and the  "Information on Reserving Your Corporate Name" information package.

Only if you want to use a specific name for your company.  Otherwise, you may use the company's incorporation number, which is automatically generated by Corporate Online, followed by "B.C. Ltd."  

If you reserved your name using BC OnLine, you can look up your name reservation number on BC OnLine for the 56 days until it expires.  If you reserved your name using a paper form, you will find your name reservation number (or name approval number) in the top right hand corner of  the official copy of the form that was returned to you.  Contact the help desk if you still cannot find your name reservation number.

A company that uses the incorporation number generated by the Corporate Registry followed by "B.C. Ltd." as its company name.

The following transactions are available online:

• Annual Report (BC and Extraprovincial companies)

• Incorporation Application

• Continuation Application

• Transition Application

• Notice of Alteration

• Notice of Change of Address

• Notice of Change of Directors

• Amalgamation Application (Regular, Vertical and Horizontal)

• Post-Restoration Transition Application

• Application for (Voluntary) Dissolution

• Extraprovincial Registration

• Unlimited Liability Filings

• Community Contribution Company Filings

• Request a Certificate of Good Standing

• Delay of Dissolution or Cancellation

• Register a BC Company with a New Partner (NWPTA)

• Change of Head Office (NWPTA)

• Change or Update Attorney (NWPTA)

• Change of Extraprovincial Name (NWPTA)

• Cancel Extraprovincial Partner (NWPTA)

• Registry Search (available to BC OnLine customers only)

The Corporate Registry plans to make other forms available for online filing on an ongoing basis.

Internet browser information:

• A current version of Internet Explorer or Firefox is recommended

• Unexpected behaviour may occur with other browsers

• The Macintosh platform is supported on a best effort basis

• To ensure the security of your information, an up-to-date browser is required for credit card payments

In order to access the online help system and view PDF files, ensure that you have javascript or active scripting enabled in your browser security settings.

The services listed under "No Login Required" on the Services Menu are available to all of the Corporate Registry's customers without the necessity of logging in.  When you access services without logging in, you must pay by credit card.

If you have created a customer profile ID, or you have a BC OnLine account, you can access all of the filings on the menu after you have logged in.  BC OnLine customers must login through the BC OnLine site.  You can no longer login through Corporate Online.

Only forms that are not available on Corporate Online may be submitted to the Corporate Registry on paper.  See paper filings for more information.

Before you can start any filing listed under "Login Required" on the Services Menu, you must enter the company number and password to prove that you are authorized to complete transactions on behalf of the company.

For annual reports, you can use either the access code or  the company password.

A company's incorporation number is assigned at the time of incorporation and is located at the top right hand corner of the Certificate of Incorporation, Amalgamation, Continuation or Change of Name previously sent out to the company.   It is also printed on the annual report reminders that are sent to the company each year.  These documents are stored at the company's records office.  

A company's registration  number can be found on the Certificate of Registration that was issued to the company by the Corporate Registry when the company was registered in BC. This document is stored at the company's head office.

If you have received a paper copy of the Annual Report Reminder the company's access code is located in Box C.  If you have received an Annual Report Reminder in an email the company's access code is displayed in the message.

If you have requested a reminder,  it is sent to the company in advance of its anniversary date.  See Access Code for more information.

To create a password for your company, click "Create a Company Password OR Email Address" on the left side of the Services Menu.

You will need the company number and access code.

Yes.  You must first login with your customer profile ID and password.  Then click "Change Company Password" or "Change Company Email Address".

Or you can click on the "Your companies" tab at the top of the screen to change the company password or email address.

When you set the company password you can also set a hint to help you remember it. Corporate Online will prompt you with the hint if you can't remember the password.  

If a password hint does not exist or doesn't help, you can request that the company password be sent to the company email address or the registered office mailing address for the company.  

  See Request Company Password for more information.

If you forget your password you can have it emailed to the company's email address if it is included with your company information.

As well, the Corporate Registry may use the email address to communicate with the company in the future.

In this situation you will have to submit a Notice of Change of Address on paper along  with covering letter to the Corporate Registry. Once the address has been corrected you will be able to request that the company password be send to your new address.

Only some transactions allow you to enter an effective date in the future.  These filings include:

• Incorporation Application

• Notice of Alteration

• Amalgamations

• Applications for dissolution under section 316 of the Act

The effective date must be no more than 10 days after you submit your filing.  As well, if you have a name reservation, it must not expire before the effective date you specify.

Yes, if you are logged in, your form will be saved every time you click the Save my Work button.  This allows you to return at a later time to complete your form.  

See Your Work for more information.

 

If you are logged in and partially complete a filing, you can come back later and complete it.  Click the "Your Work" tab to see a list of all of your work in progress.  Simply select the form you want to work on from the list.

A partially completed form will remain in Your Work for up to 6 months until it is filed, or until another form is filed for the same company.  

See Your Work for more details.

Click "Create Customer Profile" from the Services Menu or the Login screen.  You will need the incorporation number and password for a BC company in order to create a customer profile.  See Create a Customer Profile for more information.

You can have Corporate Online send the customer profile ID and password to you.  See Request Customer Profile for more information.

You must first login with your customer profile ID and password.  Then click "Change Customer Profile" on the Services Menu.

Or you can click on the "Your Profile" tab at the top of the screen.

No.  There can only be one customer profile for a company.  If you need to have an existing customer profile removed contact the help desk.

The Pre-existing Company Provisions are a set of provisions prescribed in the Regulation under the Business Corporation Act that apply to all pre-existing companies.  Read the Pre-Existing Company Provisions.

The Pre-existing Company Provisions apply to all companies created before March 29, 2004, until they are removed by filing a Notice of Alteration.

A pre-existing company can remove the Pre-Existing Company Provisions by filing a Notice of Alteration.   The company must confirm a statement on the Notice of Alteration that the company has resolved that none of the "Pre-existing Company Provisions are to apply to the company.

Using Corporate Online, filing documents to incorporate in BC is easier than ever.  Just file an Incorporation Application online.

You are not required to have a lawyer to incorporate a company.  However, you may want to obtain legal advice.

If you have a BC OnLine account, you can request a name electronically by visiting www.bconline.com.  If you want to request a name by mail, visit the downloads section to download a Name Approval Request information package and form.

Yes.  A company may adopt by reference or re-statement, with or without alteration, all or any of the provisions of Table 1 and, in that case, those adopted provisions form part of the articles.

See Steps to Incorporating a Company in British Columbia - Appendix A (Should you choose to adopt the Table 1 Articles, these forms may be completed online and downloaded to your printer. The blue information text will not show on your printed copy of the Incorporation Agreement or Table 1 Articles.)
Important Information: The Table 1 Articles are meant to be adopted without amending the document. If you want to customize the articles for the company, it is recommended you seek legal advice.

The contents of the incorporation agreement are set out in section 10(2) of the Business Corporations Act.

See Steps to Incorporating a Company in British Columbia - Appendix A (Should you choose to adopt the Table 1 Articles, these forms may be completed online and downloaded to your printer. The blue information text will not show on your printed copy of the Incorporation Agreement or Table 1 Articles.)
Important Information: The Table 1 Articles are meant to be adopted without amending the document. If you want to customize the articles for the company, it is recommended you seek legal advice.

The New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA) was signed by the premiers of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan in April 2012.  It extends the benefits of the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) that was signed in April 2006.  The intent of the NWPTA agreement is to:

• Strengthen the economies of the three provinces by creating a more open and competitive marketplace,

• Reconcile and streamline extra-provincial business registration, including new and other extra-provincial registrations, across the three participating provinces,

• Introduce flexible regulations and processes that can encompass future additional provincial jurisdictions,

• Establish an open, efficient and stable domestic market in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, and

• Demonstrate the benefits of free trade within Canada.

The direct impact to the BC Registry Service and its clients relates to the registration of various BC legal entities as extraprovincial entities in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and vice versa.

Specifically, the agreement requires the three registries to facilitate extraprovincial registration for the following domestic legal entities:

• Incorporated companies

• Currently in effect for Alberta and to be extended to Saskatchewan on July 1, 2013

• • Limited Partnerships

  • Limited Liability Partnerships

  • Cooperative Associations

The agreement also eliminated:

• The requirement to file an extraprovincial annual report, and

• All statutory filing fees

Before you can register a company in Alberta, you must ensure the name is available for use in Alberta as well as in BC.   You can get your own NUANS report or the staff in the Names Unit at the BC Registry Services can get it for you.   The cost is $32.00 (effective August 1, 2013).  This amount is in addition to the fee for the BC name approval, which is $30.00 + ($1.50 service fee + GST).

Before you can register a company in Saskatchewan, you must ensure the name is available for use in Saskatchewan as well as in BC.   You can get your own name search report or the staff in the Names Unit at the BC Registry Services can get it for you.   The cost is $50.00 (effective August 1, 2013).  This amount is in addition to the fee for the BC name approval, which is $30.00 + ($1.50 service fee + tax).

No.  If the BC company will be using its incorporation number as its name in Alberta and/or Saskatchewan, there is no requirement to complete an Alberta NUANS search report or a Saskatchewan name search.  Numbered company names are always in the prescribed format of "1234567 B.C. LTD."

Yes, but you should know that failure to use the Name Requests Online system to request a NUANS search or failure to enter the NUANS information requested by the system, will result in you having to complete additional steps to complete the registration process or to complete a change of name in Alberta.  The Name Requests Online system is designed to work together with the BC Registry Services filing system, Corporate Online.

If you do decide to get the NUANS search report yourself, you should also ensure the name you are using in BC is available first.  To do that you must submit your 3 name choices using the Name Requests Online system.  Once you do that and you have an approved name for use in BC.  

For additional support with BC Registries filings, visit bcregistry.gov.bc.ca/filing for your service options. Please note that Service BC does not provide legal or financial advice.

Yes, but you should know that failure to use the Name Requests Online system to request a Saskatchewan name search or failure to enter the Saskatchewan information requested by the system, will result in you having to complete additional steps to complete the registration process or to complete a change of name in Saskatchewan.  The Name Requests Online system is designed to work together with the BC Registry Services filing system, Corporate Online.

If you do decide to get the Saskatchewan name search report yourself, you should also ensure the name you are using in BC is available first.  To do that you must submit your 3 name choices using the Name Requests Online system.  Once you do that and you have an approved name for use in BC.  You can contact the Saskatchewan Corporate Registry to have them provide you with the report and an opinion letter so you can determine if the name is also available in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Corporate Registry’s telephone number is 306-787-2962.  

Or visit their website.   

If you request the Names Unit staff to do a NUANS search report on your behalf at the same time you submit your name choices for the BC company, staff will examine the BC name first and, if it is available, will send it to our preferred service provider, Dye & Durham, who will request a NUANS search report.  

Once the Names Unit staff receives the NUANS search report and opinion letter from the preferred service provider, the results of both the BC name request and the Alberta NUANS report will be emailed to you.

Call the Names Unit at: 1 877 526-1526.

If you request the Names Unit staff to do a Saskatchewan name search report on your behalf at the same time you submit your name choices for the BC company, staff will examine the BC name first and, if it is available, will send it to the Saskatchewan Corporate Registry, who will request a name search report.  

Once the Names Unit staff receives the Saskatchewan name search report and opinion letter, the results of both the BC name request and the Saskatchewan name search report will be emailed to you.

Call the Names Unit at: 1 877 526-1526.

If you do not want to register in Alberta or Saskatchewan at the same time that you are incorporating your BC company do not enter the Alberta and Saskatchewan head office and attorney information.  The BC company will still be incorporated.  Simply return to the Services Menu in Corporate Online and choose the Register a BC Company with a New West Partner to register at a later date.

Note: If the Alberta NUANS number or Saskatchewan name reservation number has expired, you will be required to request an additional search.

Names Unit staff will email you confirmation that the name has been rejected for use in BC.  Because there is no approved name to submit for an Alberta NUANS or Saskatchewan name search report, the staff will also initiate a refund of the fees you paid for the search report and opinion letter.  There is no refund of the name request fee in BC.

Next, you will need to submit 3 new name choices using Name Requests Online.  

You now have the option of choosing another name for the company in BC.  Or you can choose keep the approved name in BC and operate in Alberta and/or Saskatchewan under an assumed name.  There is no refund of any fees.

For facilitation of an assumed name in Saskatchewan contact the Saskatchewan Corporate Registry at 306 787-2962.

For facilitation of an assumed name in Alberta contact the Alberta Registry Services at 780 427-7013.

No.  All statutory fees associated with the registration of an Alberta extraprovincial company were eliminated under the Trade Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA).  Additional fees for the registration of a Saskatchewan extraprovincial company have now been eliminated under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA).  

However, you still must pay the statutory fee to incorporate (or amalgamate or continue in) the company in BC and the additional fee if you choose a future effective date for the incorporation.  

Once the Alberta Registry receives the information, they will issue the confirmation with 24 to 48 hours.

Once the Saskatchewan Corporate Registry receives the information, they will issue the confirmation with 24 to 48 hours.

If you select an effective date in the future, the information you entered will not be submitted to Alberta and/or Saskatchewan until the effective date has passed.  

No.   Effective April 27, 2009 an Alberta Company that is registered in BC as an extraprovincial company will no longer be required to file an annual report or to file any delinquent or outstanding annual reports.  The practice of cancelling the registration of an Alberta Company that fails to file its annual report is no longer in effect.

No.   Effective July 1, 2012 a Saskatchewan company that is registered in BC as an extraprovincial company will no longer be required to file an annual report or to file any delinquent or outstanding annual reports.  The practice of cancelling the registration of a Saskatchewan company that fails to file its annual report is no longer in effect.

A business number is a prerequisite when you apply for any accounts for the assignment of coverage with WorkSafeBC, PST or for GST/HST, corporate income tax, payroll deductions or import/export tax with CRA.

Since 1994 all new incorporated companies have been required to request a business number from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).  The number is an identifier that uniquely identifies a company in Canada.

With the new release of the Corporate Online in November 2004, the business number will be assigned automatically through the system.

When new companies are incorporated, Corporate Online will automatically request the business number from CRA.  After the request, CRA will generate and send the new business number to the Corporate Registry.  Then the Registry will send the number to the client in the notification that is sent as a result of their filing an Incorporation Application.

When a client completes a transaction that will create a new business number (incorporation, registration, continuation, amalgamation and restoration) a notification will be generated by Corporate Online and included with the documentation mailed to the client by the Corporate Registry.

You will have a business number if the company has applied for any accounts for GST/HST, corporate income tax, payroll deductions, import/export tax, PST or for WorkSafeBC coverage.  If you have any of these accounts, then the number should be on various company records.

If you still cannot find the business number, please contact CRA at 1-800-959-5525 to request it.

When a BC company is first created CRA assigns it a 9-digit business number.  Then when the company registers for their GST/HST, PST, WorkSafeBC or other accounts an additional 6 digits are added to the number for each account.  This creates a unique identifier of 15 digits.  

The Corporate Registry is one of the primary partners in the initiative to assign businesses a single number (business number) for dealing with all levels of government.  Having a unique number for each company helps simplify and streamline business with the federal government and other agencies such as Workers' Compensation Board and Ministry of Finance.  It facilitates the assignment of coverage with WorkSafeBC, PST or GST/HST, corporate income tax, payroll deductions or import/export tax with CRA.  

Unlimited Liability Companies (ULCs) incorporated in British Columbia are a new type of BC company governed by the Business Corporations Act.    The liability of shareholders for an Unlimited Liability Company differs from a regular BC limited company.  Within an ULC, "The shareholders of the company are jointly and severally liable to satisfy the debts and liabilities of the company to the extent provided by section 51.3 of the Business Corporations Act.

ULCs are used as tax planning tools by American companies.

Federal and provincial tax authorities treat ULCs just the same a limited companies.  For U.S. tax purposes, however, they are considered to be "transparent" and therefore U.S. investors can benefit from flow through provisions for losses, etc.  As a result, tax planners have been utilizing ULCs for many activities related to acquisitions, restructuring and divestitures of Canadian assets by U.S. investors.

The notice of articles for a ULC must contain a statutory description of shareholder liability.  (Refer to section 51.11 of the Business Corporations Act)  The notice of articles is the primary charter document for BC companies, and sets out fundamental "tombstone" information about the company.  The statement of shareholder liability is included in the notice of articles for ULCs so that the searching public is aware of the status of the company.

A ULC must identify itself as such in its name through the use of specific words (specifically, the words "Unlimited Liability Company" or the abbreviation ULC), and most not use any words that could lead the individuals to believe that it is a limited company.

This is intended to protect those individuals (shareholders and creditors) who may have dealings with a ULC by ensuring that they are aware of the nature of the entity.  An essential part of the ULC framework is the requirement for a ULC to clearly identify itself as such at all times and in all circumstances.

They were designed to encourage U.S. investment in British Columbia.

Both Nova Scotia and Alberta have similar legislation permitting unlimited liability companies.

Nova Scotia legislation has permitted ULCs for almost 100 years,

Alberta legislation has permitted ULCs for the past 2 years, and British Columbia is amending the Business Corporations Act on October 29, 2007 to allow for the incorporation of unlimited liability companies.

ULCs must have the words "Unlimited Liability Company" or "ULC" at the end of their name.  If the unlimited liability company wants to use a numbered name, its incorporation number will be followed by the words "B.C. Unlimited Liability Company"   

(For example: 0899999 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company).

Yes, subject to section 51.3 of the Business Corporations Act, an incorporator for an unlimited liability company is liable.  When an incorporator enters into an Incorporation Agreement prior to incorporating a company, they agree to take in their name one or more shares of the company and, therefore, they are the first shareholders of the company.

Yes, section 51.3 of the Business Corporations Act  allows for a BC limited company to become a BC unlimited liability company.  The company would follow the procedures to file a Notice of Alteration (from a BC Company to become a BC ULC) - Form 48.  This is an online filing and can be accessed from the Services Menu.

An unlimited liability company must set out on the face of each share certificate issued by it the following statement:

"The shareholders of the company are jointly and severally liable to satisfy the debts and liabilities of the company to the extent provided by section 51.3 of the Business Corporations Act.

The requirement for each share certificate issued by a ULC to contain a statutory description of shareholder liability is intended to bring to the attention of shareholders (and potential purchasers) the nature and extent of their liability.

Community Contribution Companies (CCCs) incorporated in British Columbia are a new type of BC company governed by the Business Corporations Act.  

(1) A company is a community contribution company if its notice of articles contains the following statement:

This company is a community contribution company, and, as such, has purposes beneficial to society. This company is restricted, in accordance with Part 2.2 of the Business Corporations Act, in its ability to pay dividends and to distribute its assets on dissolution or otherwise.

Both the United States and United Kingdom have similar legislation permitting community contribution companies.

CCCs must contain the words "Community Contribution Company" or "CCC" within the name but not as a prefix.  If the community contribution company wants to use a numbered name, its incorporation number will be followed by the words "B.C. Community Contribution Company Ltd."   

(For example: 0899999 B.C. Community Contribution Company Ltd.)

Yes, the Business Corporations Act  allows for a BC limited company to become a BC community contribution company.  The company would follow the procedures to file a Notice of Alteration from a BC Company to become a BC CCC - Form 50.  This is an online filing and can be accessed from the Services Menu in Corporate Online.

A name in a language other than English that the company uses when operating outside of Canada.  See Translation of Company Name for more information.

No.  Companies may only use an English or French name inside Canada.

You can add, delete or change a translation of a company name by filing a Notice of Alteration.

Yes.

If you choose to change the name of the company with an effective date of change in the future, the information you entered for the registration portion will not be submitted to Alberta until the effective date has passed and the company has officially changed its name here in BC.

No.  All statutory fees associated with the registration and changes to a registration of an extraprovincial company were eliminated under the Trade Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement.

However, you still must pay the statutory fee to file the Notice of Alteration to change the name of the company in BC and the additional fee if you choose a future effective date.

Once the Alberta Registry receives the information, which is usually the same day, they will issue confirmation of the change the following business day.

An incorporator may be an individual, firm or corporation.  The incorporators sign the company's incorporation agreement before the incorporation application is submitted to the Corporate Registry for filing.

Once the Incorporation Application is filed, only corrections to an incorporator's name or address can be made. Contact the Corporate Registry for information on how to file a correction to this information.

For BC companies, a director is an individual who is a member of the board of directors of the company as a result of having been elected or appointed to that position.

BC companies must have at least one director.  There is no maximum number of directors.

Some extraprovincial companies provide the name of a director in order to be issued a Business Number by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Yes.  A BC company's directors or their addresses can be changed by filing a Notice of Change of Directors.

An officer of a company is an individual who has been appointed to any office of the company, such as a President or a Secretary.

Section 141 of the Business Corporation Act states that the directors of a company may appoint officers. An individual, including a director, may be appointed to any office of the company.  

Unlike the Company Act, the Business Corporations Act does not require that a company appoint officers, or that  it  has a president and secretary.  

Officer information can be updated only once a year at the time the company files its annual report. Changes to officer information will not be accepted between annual report filings.

A company's registered office is the location where legal documents can be served.  The address must be in British Columbia.

A company's records office is the location where all the records for the company are kept.  The address must be in British Columbia.

Yes.

Yes, any change to the delivery or mailing address of these offices must be filed immediately with the Corporate Registry.  The addresses can be changed by filing a Notice of Change of Address.

The authorized share structure refers to the kinds, classes and series of shares that a company is authorized to issue.

Yes.  There must be at least one class of shares.

Share class refers to the type of share.  A company must have at least one class of shares.

A class of shares can include one or more series of shares if the special rights and restrictions attached to the class provide for this inclusion.

A company only needs to inform the Corporate Registry of a resolution or court order when that resolution or court order alters the special rights or restrictions attached to a class or series of shares.

To add a resolution or court order date, file a Notice of Alteration.

A company is in non-compliance with the Business Corporations Act if it has no active directors, or if it has overdue Annual Reports.  

As well, a BC company that was incorporated before March 28, 2004 and has not filed a Transition Application by March 28, 2006 is in non-compliance.  Companies that did not meet this deadline are no longer considered to be up-to-date with their company's filings.  The Registrar may take action to dissolve a company that fails to file a Transition Application.  If you have missed this deadline, you can still file.  Please do so as soon as possible.

A company that is in non-compliance will not be issued a Certificate of Good Standing by the Registrar and may not be able to file certain forms with the Registrar.  See Issues of Non-Compliance for more information.

Yes.  At any time you can click the "View Draft Filing" button on the left sidebar to view your draft .

You can pay by credit card or by debiting your BC OnLine deposit account.

BC OnLine provides access to a number of provincial government services.  The fee for services is paid out of a deposit account that you maintain with BC OnLine.  The deposit account is similar to a bank account.  

For more information, see BC OnLine's website.

 

May we suggest contacting a service provider who can submit filings on your behalf for a fee.

The fee for each transaction is regulated by a schedule to the Business Corporations Act.  See Fee Schedule for a list of fees for services available on Corporate Online.

A BC OnLine service charge of $1.50 plus GST applies to most transactions.

See Refund Policy for information.

Yes.  You can print the receipt displayed on your screen after your transaction, and you can have a copy sent to you by email.

Corporate Online does not store your credit card number.  Only the credit card type and authorization  number for the transaction are stored.

Depending on the filing type, notification documents are provided to the company.  See notification for more information.

You can print uncertified copies of documents that you have filed online and your receipts within 30 days of completing the filing.  Click Reprint a Previous Filing to do so. 

To reprint a copy of a filed document, you will need your company's incorporation number or business number.

To reprint a copy of a receipt, you will need your company's incorporation number or business number and the company password.

There is no charge to print these documents.

To receive certified documents you can request a copy to be emailed to the company email address or mailed to the registered office address on file free of charge by calling the BC Registry Services, Corporations Unit, at 1 877 526-1526.  You will need your company's incorporation number or business number. 

For information on obtaining copies of other filings, such as an annual report, please see the Search and Copywork section on our website.

Certified certificates are still valid when printed in black and white. If a colour copy is required, then it is suggested to print it on a coloured printer high-quality paper.

Emailed documents will state ‘ORIGINAL’ on the top-centre of the document.

If there is a question regarding validity, clients may request a BC OnLine account or call the Corporations Unit at 1 877 526-1526.

To request a BC OnLine account please review the BC OnLine Account Management section.

Yes, for some filings  including  the formation of new BC companies, changes of name, amalgamations, liquidations, dissolutions and restorations.

Yes.  Public notices are available by subscription to the QP LegalEze.

If you are logged in with a BC OnLine account you can search for BC and Extraprovincial companies on Corporate Online.

The information displayed on Corporate Information page is available without charge.  This includes the company name,  number, and type, any translations of the company name or assumed names if applicable, and the corporate history.

No.  Only the corporate summary and documents filed electronically are available for viewing on Corporate Online.  

Firms, societies and partnerships can be searched in Corporate Online.

Cooperatives can be searched through the corporate index from the BC OnLine menu.

Once you have paid, the corporate summary and all electronic documents will be available to you until you logout of Corporate Online or timeout due to inactivity.  This timeout period is one hour.

Yes.  Click the "Print Filed Document" button on the Receipt screen.  

You can also view and print any document that has been electronically filed for your active BC company or extraprovincial company.  There is no charge for this service

Select "View and Print a Previous Filing"  from the Main Menu.

All companies that were created before the Business Corporations Act came into force on March 29, 2004 will have two years from that date to complete the transition process and file a Transition Application on Corporate Online.  This is necessary so that all companies comply with the new regulations.

A company that fails to file a Transition Application with the Corporate Registry within the two year transition period from March 29, 2004 to March 28, 2006, will receive a notice from the registrar indicating the company is in default of its obligations under the Business Corporations Act. If the company does not respond within the timeframe indicated in the notice, the registrar will take action to dissolve the company.

For customers who do not want to file electronically, we suggest you contact a service provider who can file on your behalf.

BC companies that were incorporated before March 29, 2004 and did not file a Transition Application by March 28, 2006 are no longer considered to be up-to-date with their company's filings or in good standing.  This may impact the company's ability to transact business with their financial institution or licensing and regulatory authorities.

You can still file a transition application.  File it as soon as possible to ensure that your company's filings are up-to-date.

For customers who do not want to file electronically, we suggest you contact a service provider who can file on your behalf.

No, there is no fee to file a Transition Application for your company.

No.  Only BC companies incorporated prior to March 29th, 2004 must complete the transition process and file a transition application.  Extraprovincial companies are companies incorporated outside of BC and registered here because they are carrying on business and are NOT required to complete the transition process.  

No.  There is no requirement for a company that will be dissolved to complete the transition process or to file a transition application.

Yes.  Changes in address of the registered and/or records office or changes to information about the directors and their addresses can be filed.

Yes.  An annual report for any year can be filed prior to completing the transition process.

The new Business Corporations Act replaces the Company Act and introduces significant changes and improvements to corporate law governing companies incorporated in British Columbia. The transition process is necessary so that all companies comply with the new regulations.

The transition involves a review and update of company records and filing a "Transition Application" form with the Corporate Registry. This is a mandatory electronic filing. Step-by-step instructions are provided in the Transition Guide, which is available from the downloads page. It explains what a typical, small BC company must do to comply with the transition requirements in the Business Corporations Act.  

This guide is only intended for small companies with limited ownership and simple share structure. If this applies to you, you are encouraged to download the guide to familiarize yourself with the transition process.

This guide is not intended to be used by larger companies or companies with more complex ownership or share structure. If your company is more complex then you should seek legal advice since the Transition Guide may not contain important information that you need in order to comply with the transition requirements in the Business Corporations Act.

The Transition Guide is available from the downloads page.

The Transition Guide explains the requirements for making the transition from the Company Act to the new Business Corporations Act. It provides step-by-step instructions on what a typical, small BC company must do to comply with the transition requirements in the Business Corporations Act.

The guide is only for individuals who want to transition a small company themselves. If, after reading the guide, additional assistance is required to transition your company, you should seek legal advice. Staff at the Corporate Registry cannot interpret the guide or advise on how to transition a company.

If you are not sure that you have the most current copy of your company's memorandum and articles you may want to order a Transition Package. You will receive a certified copy of these documents as part of this package.

The Transition Package includes a certified copy of a company's current memorandum and articles and the Transition Guide.

To get a Transition Package, complete the order form and mail it to the Corporate Registry.  The fee for the package will be $40 payable by cheque or BC OnLine account.

The order form is available from the downloads page.

Restored pre-existing company must file a Post-Restoration Transition Application within 12 months of the date of restoration.

A company that was incorporated as a company prior to March 29, 2004.