Provincial Incorporation
For the Province of Nova Scotia, this is done through the Registry of Joint Stock Companies. Incorporating a business means that it becomes a separate legal entity with the right to carry on business in Nova Scotia. The provincial name search for an incorporated company looks for similarly registered businesses across the country, but the names are not put to the same level of scrutiny as the federal name search. The fee for the name search is: Atlantic Search $52.39 and Federal Search $65.48. Incorporation fees are $293.84, and registration fees are $103.39 for incorporation. The Registry of Joint Stock Companies in Nova Scotia recommends that a lawyer be retained to draw up incorporation papers.
Name searches are performed by the Registry of Joint Stock Companies and many private companies listed in the telephone book (yellow pages) under "Searches of Records". Costs vary.
Note: An individual must file incorporation documents with the Registry of Joint Stock Companies.
For more information, please contact:
Registry of Joint Stock Companies
Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations
9th Floor, Maritime Centre
1505 Barrington Street
P. O. Box 1529
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 3K5
Telephone: (902) 424-7770
Fax: (902) 424-4633
Toll-free (information): 1-800-670-4357
E-mail: joint-stocks@gov.ns.ca
Web site:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/rjsc/
See the document: Registry of Joint Stock Companies
Federal Incorporation
Federal incorporation is done through Corporations Canada of Industry Canada in Ottawa. The most stringent tests are put into plaCe before granting the right to use a particular business name. A higher level of scrutiny is used by Corporations Canada than by the Provinces. Incorporation fees are $250 or $200 if completed online. Federal incorporation also allows the company to "carry on business" anywhere in Canada using its own name, and there are no restrictions on where the head office can be located. Even if a company is federally incorporated, it may have to register with each province it chooses to conduct business in and the registration fees vary from province to province.
The governments of Canada, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario are now working together to streamline the federal registration process. Not only can businesses register their federal corporation online, they can also access extra-provincial registration forms at the same time. This one-stop on-line service also allows federal corporations to complete and file their federal and provincial returns at the same time.
Federal incorporation kits are available online at: http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/incd-dgc.nsf/en/h_cs01402e.html
For more information, please contact:
Corporations Canada
Industry Canada
9th Floor
Jean Edmonds Tower South
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0C8
Telephone: 613-941-9042
Fax: 613-941-0601
Toll-free (information): 1-866-333-5556
E-mail: corporationscanada@ic.gc.ca
Web site:
http://corporationscanada.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cd-dgc.nsf/eng/home
See the document: Federal Business Incorporation - Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA)
Corporate seals can be obtained through Rubber Stamp companies (see list in yellow pages under Stamps). Minute Books can be obtained through some stationery stores. Share certificates can be obtained through Dye & Durham Co. Inc. by calling 1-800-668-9011.