An Official Intermediary for the Province of Ontario
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Incorporate in Ontario Online - Get Documents in 30 Minutes via Email
Yes. With an experienced in-house legal and accounting team, Biz Ontario is a trusted registered member of multiple government units. We offer a full suite of incorporation and corporate maintenance services, including:
Yes! Our customer service team is available to offer general assistance (note: we do not provide legal advice).
You can reach us by phone during business hours.
Yes, incorporation is a one-time payment with no recurring monthly or annual fees from us.
Absolutely. The Certificate of Incorporation and Articles of Incorporation are issued by the official Ontario Corporate Registry.
Our in-house legal team drafts the articles, and you may opt for custom versions to fit your specific needs.
You can place an order online using a credit card or e-transfer. Once your order is reviewed and processed, we’ll register the company and deliver the documents either by email or postal mail, depending on your preference.
Yes, we offer three levels of maintenance to keep your Ontario corporation compliant:
A Named Corporation allows you to select a custom business name e.g., Johnson Car Wash Inc.
A Numbered Corporation does not include a custom name. Instead, a number is assigned by the government e.g., 12345678 Ontario Inc.
When incorporating a company, it’s assigned a corporation number. If you choose not to name your business, this number becomes its official name - for example, 1000044599 Ontario Inc.
NUANS (Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search) is a federal database utilized to verify if there are any existing business names that could potentially conflict with your intended name.
For registering a business in a province (Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick, PEI), only the NUANS Reservation Report specific to that province is accepted. A federal NUANS report cannot be used for provincial registration.
A corporation’s name generally needs two components:
Example: In "Mike Construction," “Mike” is distinctive and “Construction” is descriptive. Enter your preferred name, and we’ll help if adjustments are needed for approval.
By law, every corporate name must include a legal ending. The government allows six options, all of which carry the same legal meaning:
Choose the one that complements your business name best.
Registering a trade name (also known as a DBA or Operating Name) offers several benefits:
The biggest advantage of a numbered company is skipping the NUANS search and approval step, making the process faster and less expensive.
However, the disadvantage is the lack of a brand name. This can be easily resolved by adding a trade name. This allows the corporation to remain "12345678 Ontario Inc." legally while doing business as "Mike's Awesome Shop."
A corporation is required to have a physical registered office address in Ontario. P.O. box or virtual mail box address is not acceptable. If you do not have a physical address, we offer address and mail scanning service.
The address must be a physical location within Ontario. P.O. Boxes and virtual addresses are not permitted. All official correspondence and legal documents related to the corporation will be sent to this address.
The address service alone will provide your company with a registered address that will allow for it to comply with the registration requirements. This address is not for operations; it is solely for registration purposes.
The mail scanning to email service is for forwarding all mail digitally to you if the address receives any government-related mail for your company.
The Address Service is an annual mail-handling and document-scanning solution we offer to corporations that do not have a local physical address in Ontario. This service can be renewed yearly for a similar fee.
Any government or corporation-related mail received on your behalf will be scanned and emailed directly to you.
You can update your corporation’s registered address at any time by paying the applicable filing fee. Many businesses initially use a home or residential address during incorporation and update it later once they acquire a commercial or office location.
One or more directors have been marked as having no residency in Canada. If you're incorporating as a non-resident, our Corporation for a Non-Resident package is built specifically for this.
Canada allows full foreign ownership of corporations, and with over 90 international tax treaties, it offers strong protections against double taxation on international income. Our package includes:
Please upload a document (.pdf, .doc, or .docx only) or email us the following information for each individual:
Each director has equal power and control over the corporation, exercised through majority vote. The directors are the "operating mind" of the company, responsible for supervising its management and affairs.
Yes. At least one director must be listed at the time of incorporation. You can update the director information at any time in the future through a Notice of Change with the Ontario Business Registry.
If you opt for our Complete Maintenance package (available in the next steps), director changes and mandatory filings can be handled by our team at no additional service cost.
A director is responsible for overseeing the corporation's operations and has the authority to make administrative decisions. To qualify as a director in Ontario:
If you are a lawyer, accountant, or service provider setting up the corporation for a client, do not enter your own name in the director or shareholder sections. These fields must reflect the actual owner(s) and directors of the corporation.
Note: We do not contact directors directly. All communication and document delivery are handled through the person listed in the billing address or the primary contact for the order.
We left this section as a choice on purpose because many of our clients are lawyers who prefer to draft the bylaws on their own. Choosing not to include it indicates the following:
In simple language, the shareholders are the owners of the corporation. If a corporation has 1 shareholder, regardless of the number of shares issued, that single shareholder owns 100% of the company.
Share classes determine the rights of the owners (such as voting rights). Consider these examples:
Share numbers cannot be in decimal points. Use the following logic to determine your distribution:
Yes. You can change the share price, share number, and shareholders at any time. These changes are typically documented internally in your Minute Book and updated with the government when there is a change in the Individuals with Significant Control (ISC) register.
If you hire employees, including yourself, you need a Payroll Account Number. If you do not have an employee, your own salary or a family member's salary can be processed through the payroll account to take advantage of CRA 'income splitting'.
Note for 2026: Under current TOSI (Tax on Split Income) rules, family members must generally be "actively engaged" in the business (working an average of 20+ hours per week) to qualify for certain income-splitting benefits. This service covers the initial setup of the account with the CRA, not ongoing payroll processing.
If your business involves importing physical goods for commercial use, an Import Account (RM) is required. This account identifies your business to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for customs clearance.
As of 2026, all importers must also register through the CARM Client Portal (CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management) to manage duties and taxes.
If your business involves exporting physical goods to other countries, an Export Account (RM) is required. The government uses this account to process customs declarations and track the movement of goods out of Canada.
Registering with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is required for most businesses in Ontario within 10 days of hiring their first worker (including family members and some subcontractors).
