Register a Provincial, Federal, or Foreign Corporation in Ontario
We can assist corporations from across Canada or from outside of Canada file the necessary forms and applications in order to do business in Ontario.
For high-volume clients who file on a daily basis, take advantage of preferred rates using a CorpServ account!
Corporation Type
Federal Corporation or,
a Foreign Non-Share Corporation operating in Ontario
A corporation incorporated federally, or under the laws of any other Canadian jurisdiction (Province) must file the following information with the Ministry of Government Services Companies branch.
- A completed application form: Initial Return, Notice of Change by an EP Federal or Domestic or Foreign Non-Share Corporation (5286E)
*Tip: right-click and ‘save link as’ and save to desktop. - For Initial Returns: a copy of the most recent Articles showing full corporate name and date of incorporation or amalgamation.
- For name changes, include pages 1 and 2 of the Articles of Amendment showing both former and new name with the Form 2.
- A Notice of Change application must be filed within 15 days after any change to the information.
Application for a License for an Extra-Provincial Corporation
(from outside Canada into Ontario)
For business corporations incorporated or continued under the laws of a jurisdiction outside of Canada wishing to operate in Ontario must file the following documents with the Ontario Business Registry:
- A Completed Application form: Application for a License for an EP Corporation (5280E)
*Tip: right-click and ‘save link as’ and save to desktop. - An additional SIGNED COPY of the Application form 5280E
- Along with signed Appointment of Agent for Service (5281E)
- The details of an Ontario NUANS Name Search Report: reference number, proposed name and the date of the report.
- An original Certificate of Status issued by the government body in the home jurisdiction and signed by an authorized governing jurisdiction, setting out:
- the name of the corporation
- the date of incorporation or amalgamation
- the subject jurisdiction
- the corporation is valid and in good standing*
*Note: if a Certificate of Status is not available, a legal opinion from a lawyer authorized in the jurisdiction is required setting out the requirements above.
If the License needs to be amended, complete the following application: Application for Amended EP License (5282E)
If the License is being terminated, complete the following application: Termination of an EP License (5283E)
(leaving original jurisdiction)
Business Corporations incorporated in another jurisdiction can transfer out of the original jurisdiction and continue into Ontario (BCA) by filing the following:
- Completed application form: Articles of Continuance (5264E)
- An additional SIGNED COPY of the Articles of Continuance application is also required.
- Certified copy of the incorporating documents with any amendments from incorporating jurisdiction.
- Letter of Satisfaction, certificate of discontinuance or other document issued by the corporate registry of the incorporating jurisdiction indicating the authorization to apply for Articles of Continuance.
- For corporations outside of Canada, a legal opinion authorizing the corporation to apply for continuance.
- The details of a NUANS Name search report: reference number, proposed name and date of the report.
Filing & Government Fees
| Extra-Provincial Corporations | Filing Fees | Government Fee | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Notice by an EP Federal, Domestic Corporation (completed application uploaded) | $75 | $0 | 2-3 days min. |
| Initial Notice by an EP Federal, Domestic Corporation | $95 | $0 | 2-3 days min. |
| Notice of Change by an EP Federal, Domestic Corporation | $95 | $0 | 5-7 bus. days min. |
| Application for License for an Extra-Provincial Corporation | $50 | $330 | up to 15 bus. days |
| Application for License for an Extra-Provincial Corporation (expedited) | $95 | $330 | 5 bus. days |
| Amended Application for License for an Extra-Provincial Corporation | $95 | $150 | 5 bus. days |
| Termination of an Application for License for an Extra-Provincial Corporation | $95 | $0 | same day |
| *Administration fees apply when paying by credit card and are not shown above. Varies based on amount. | |||
Need a Government Form? Visit our Resources section for all the Ontario Corporation Forms.
Important Tips for the new Ontario Business Registry forms!
Helpful Tips:
When encountering a problem opening PDF using a browser such as Chrome, please follow these steps to open and complete the form.
- Highlight the form name, right-click to select “Save link as” to save the PDF form onto the desktop. The form may not open in browser.
- Open the form that you saved on the desktop with a current version of Adobe Reader.
- Now complete the form, save the data, and close it. Then open again to see if the input data is there.
If PDF forms do not open in the latest versions of Firefox and Chrome, click here for the solution.
- Please use the latest Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat 8 or higher to complete and save the forms. If you are experiencing issues opening the form, download the form to your desktop and then use Adobe to open the form and complete.
- Signed application copies of any articles to be filed should be kept with your records. They are not required for electronic submission.
- All forms should be saved as Adobe PDF document once completed with all data-fields accessible.
- Some fields within the forms have character limits which may not accept the full text required (for example, share provisions). If the text content does not fit please provide a separate document attached and mark the field as ‘See Attached’. Attachments are preferred in MS Word format, PDF attachments are only acceptable as the required schedules for articles of amalgamation.
- If the form requires a Primary Activity (or NAICS) code or you are amending and existing entity that does not have a code on record, it must be provided.
- For articles applications requiring a NUANS, only the details of the report are required. The report can be kept at the corporations registered office.