British Columbia Incorporation

Last updated April 3, 2024

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Incorporation is the process of registering a business as a separate legal entity called a corporation. Business owners in British Columbia can accomplish this by registering their companies with the provincial or federal government. Companies incorporate to:

• Give limited liability to their shareholders
• Enhance their professionalism in the public eye
• Apply for potential financing from investors or banks

If you own a smaller for-profit business and aim to operate at a local level within British Columbia, provincial incorporation may be suitable for you. Incorporating provincially requires the corporation to maintain a registered office and a records office in British Columbia. The company can still do business outside of the province, but it will only be guaranteed to be able to trade under its chosen name within the province.

You can incorporate federally to do business nationwide in Canada with your chosen corporate name. The registered office can be located in any Canadian province. Federal incorporation also provides greater name security, but it will likely be more difficult to have your chosen name approved.

You are not legally required to have a lawyer in order to incorporate a business. However, you may wish to consult a lawyer to answer any legal questions that you have.

You can also incorporate on your own with LawDepot’s Company Articles questionnaire, which we designed to help business owners easily gather and submit the information they need to incorporate.

You can follow these six steps to incorporate your company in BC: 

1.  Name your corporation

First, choose between a numbered or a named corporation. All incorporated companies must have a corporate designation in their name, such as:

• Inc.
• Ltd.
• ULC.
• CCC.

The BC Registry helps business owners check for corporations with a similar name. Our article, How to Incorporate a Business Online, also provides tips on naming your company, such as:

• Avoiding misrepresentations (e.g., implying association with the government)
• Adding distinctive elements like location and industry type 
• Following provincial and federal naming guidelines
• Conducting industry research

In a numbered corporation, your incorporation number is your company’s name, and you do not need to reserve a name. 

2. Request and reserve a name 

Next, if applicable, request and reserve a name for your company. The BC government must approve your business name first. Consider checking that your company’s name does not overlap with other corporations or trademarks by filing a Newly Updated Automated Name Search (NUANS) Report.

Your company’s name will be reserved for 56 days if approved.

3. Collect the required information to file the Company Articles

Compile and complete the necessary Company Articles describing your company’s share structure and purpose. These documents include: 

• Business activity, which lists details from shareholders’ and director meetings
• The company’s registered name and initial registered office location
• Contact information for the board of directors and shareholders

All corporate records and other official documents are kept at the initial registered office.

4. Obtain the Corporate Minute Book

After you’ve filed the Company Articles, you need a Corporate Minute Book, as it’s required by the BC Business Corporations Act (section 179). It’s a collection of the corporation’s record-keeping documents. You can order either a physical or digital copy through LawDepot.

Our Corporate Minute Book contains:

• Articles of Incorporation
• Directors’ Meeting Minutes
• Corporate Bylaws 
• Directors’ Resolutions 
• Shareholders’ Resolutions
• Share Subscriptions
• Share ledgers
• Annual reports

You also have the option to create a Corporate Seal and Share Certificate, which can help authenticate official documents.

• A Corporate Seal is a paper embossing tool that creates a stamp that bears the company’s name. The company’s board of directors uses this seal to sign and certify documents.
• A Share Certificate is a legal document that confirms a person's ownership of shares in a company.

5. Register for mandatory financial accounts

It’s crucial to register for these financial accounts to follow tax laws and keep your business running smoothly:

• GST or HST: The company must register for GST or HST if they make more than $30, 000 in annual sales. 
• PST: Companies in BC must register to collect PST if they sell or lease taxable goods, services, or software. Some items, however, may be exempt from PST. 
• Payroll: Canadian law requires you to register for payroll if you have employees. 
• Import and export: Companies must register to import and export if they want to trade goods to or from Canada.
• WorkSafeBC: BC law states that you must register for insurance coverage with WorkSafeBC if you are hiring or planning to hire employees.

6. Submit incorporation paperwork and fees

After you complete the necessary forms, submit them to us, and we will do the rest. Once LawDepot receives your paperwork, we will file it as soon as possible.  

We will review your documents for grammar, punctuation, and completeness but cannot offer legal reviews or advice. If you have specific questions about your business or the incorporation process, you can consult a lawyer.

If your incorporation paperwork is missing information or we require clarification, we’ll contact you directly and wait for your guidance. This could potentially result in a delay in the filing of your application.

However, incorporation registration typically takes about 4 to 7 business days after we receive the papers. BC also follows a special name approval process. We need approval for your corporation's name before proceeding with your application, and this step may take up to 33 days.

After the BC government approves the name, your incorporation will be complete within 3 to 4 business days. LawDepot offers a Super Rush Service option if you wish to speed up the government's name approval wait time.

Once LawDepot reviews your order, we submit it for registration within one business day. If you need to change your order, we urge you to contact LawDepot technical support immediately. We will do our best to stop your order, but please presume that all orders are final.

Incorporating through LawDepot costs as low as $99, plus $380 Government Fees, covering basic incorporation and name approval fees. Other costs may include:

Additionally, you can add the following optional services to your order:

LawDepot also allows you to choose the service level that best suits your business needs:

Sample

British Columbia Incorporation

Create and file all the forms needed to incorporate your business in British Columbia.

Start Your BC Incorporation