Filing a BC Annual Report

The following overview provides the information you need to file a BC Annual Report.  For business or legal advice, you should go to a small business consultant or a lawyer.

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.

Click on a particular topic of interest below, or read the whole guide using the scroll bar.

Background
Important Information
Getting Started
 

 Background

Every BC company, which includes an Unlimited Liability Company, must file an annual report within two months of its anniversary date of incorporation.  The annual report filing reminds the company to promptly file any change to the information shown in the Corporate Register.  It also tells the Corporate Registry that the company is still active.  

A company's annual reports must be filed in consecutive order.

Important Information

Click on a topic of interest below, or read the whole section using the scroll bar.

Access Code
Directors
Office Addresses
Officers
Company Email Address
Pay and File
Your Receipt

Access Code

The company's access code is located in Box C on the annual report reminder that is sent to the company in advance of its anniversary date.   To file an annual report, you may only use an access code from annual reports that have not yet been filed.  

If you do not have the access code, you can use the company password if one has already been created for the company.  If you do not remember the company password or do not have a company password, click "Forgot the company password?".

Directors

Before March 29, 2004, the addresses for the directors in the corporate register was their physical or delivery address.  Now, these director's addresses include a delivery and a mailing address.

On Corporate Online, the director's delivery address has been defaulted to become the mailing address as well.  If this makes the mailing address incorrect, you can file a Notice of Change of Directors to correct or change the mailing address to meet postal requirements.  For example, you can correct it by adding in a P.O. Box number, or enter another address.  The company also has the opportunity to correct this mailing address information when it transitions under the new Act and files a Transition Application.

If any of the company's directors have changed as of the date of this annual report, you must file a Notice of Change of Directors online before you complete this filing.

Office Addresses

Before March 29, 2004, the addresses for the registered and records offices in the corporate register was their physical or delivery address.  Now, these office addresses include a delivery and a mailing address.

On Corporate Online, the delivery addresses have been defaulted to become the mailing address as well.  If this makes the mailing address incorrect, you can file a Notice of Change of Address to correct or change the mailing address to meet postal requirements.  For example, you can correct it by adding in a P.O. Box number, or enter another address.  The company also has the opportunity to correct this mailing address information when it transitions under the new Act and files a Transition Application.

If the office addresses have changed as of the date of this annual report, you must file a Notice of Change of Address online before you complete this filing.  Note that when you file a Notice of Change of Address it does not become effective until the beginning of the following day.  You will not be able to file any other forms for the company until the Notice of Change of Address is effective.

Officers

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.  

However, if a company has officers, that officer information may be reported on the Annual Report. If you choose to include officer information, this 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.

Before March 29, 2004, the addresses for the officers in the corporate register was their physical or delivery address.  Now, an officer's addresses include a delivery and a mailing address.

On Corporate Online, the officer's delivery address has been defaulted to become the mailing address as well.  If the mailing address is different from the delivery address, please correct it as part of this filing.

Company Email Address

The Corporate Registry is beginning to collect company email addresses to make communicating with companies easier and faster in the future.  This feature is optional.  However, if you enter an email address, the company password can be emailed to that address should you forget it.  

The email address will only be used by the Corporate Registry to communicate with our customers.

You have the option to decline receiving the annual report reminder completely or to continue receiving the annual report reminder.  

If you choose to receive your annual report reminder, then it will be emailed as long as the company does not have any outstanding annual reports and the company email address is on file.  

NOTE:  If the email address is not on file or if the company has outstanding annual reports, then the company will receive a paper annual report reminder by regular mail.   

Pay and File

Please view the complete draft of your filing by clicking "View Draft Filing" before you pay to ensure all of the information on the form is complete and correct.  You require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

See the fee schedule to review  the fee for this filing.

Your Receipt

When you are presented with the receipt, you will be able to  view a print-friendly version of the your filed document and the receipt.  You require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Getting Started

Before you begin, ensure you have the following information on hand:

While you are completing the form, you can view a draft of all the information you have entered by clicking "View Draft Filing" from the left sidebar.  To view the document, you require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

THIS INFORMATION IS INTENDED AS A GUIDE ONLY AND SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BUSINESS CORPORATIONS ACT AND THE REGULATION UNDER THE BUSINESS CORPORATIONS ACT