Registering a Business Name

If you trade under any name other than your own full legal name, you must register that name with the province or territory where you do business. Trading as "Mike's Roofing" instead of "Michael Johnson" triggers registration; trading under your exact legal name often does not. Registration is separate from getting a CRA Business Number and separate from incorporating, and the fee is modest. This guide covers when you have to register, the difference between a registered trade name and a numbered company, and how the provinces handle it.‍‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‍

When you have to register

The rule is about the name, not the structure. A sole proprietor who uses a trade name has to register it just as a partnership would. Operating under your own exact legal name (first and last, as it appears on your government identification) may exempt you from registration in some provinces, but the moment you add anything ("Johnson Plumbing", "Johnson and Sons") you are using a trade name and most provinces require it to be registered.

Registering a trade name as a sole proprietor does two things. It satisfies the legal requirement to disclose who is behind the business name, and in most provinces it gives you a limited, province-only claim to that name. It does not make you a corporation and it does not limit your liability: you are still a sole proprietor, personally on the hook (see Sole Proprietor vs Incorporation).

Registered trade name versus a numbered company

There are three common ways your business name can exist:

• Your own legal name. No trade-name registration in many provinces. Simple, but it puts your personal name on every invoice and sign.
• A registered trade name (sole proprietor or partnership). You register a business name like "Mike's Roofing" with the provincial registry. Cheapest of the named options, but it is just a name attached to you personally, with no liability shield.
• A numbered or named corporation. When you incorporate, you can take a chosen name (which usually needs a name-availability search first) or accept a numbered name the registry assigns automatically (for example, "1234567 Ontario Inc."). Many trades incorporate as a numbered company to save the name search, then register a trade name to operate under (so "1234567 Ontario Inc." does business as "Mike's Roofing").

The decision to incorporate is a separate one driven by tax and liability, covered in Sole Proprietor vs Incorporation. Registering a name is just the labelling step.

How the provinces handle it

Each province and territory runs its own registry, and fees and rules differ. Confirm the current fee with your own registry before you budget; the figures below move.

• British Columbia: BC Registries (corporateonline.gov.bc.ca).
• Alberta: Alberta Corporate Registry (alberta.ca), filed through an authorised registry agent.
• Saskatchewan: ISC Corporate Registry (isc.ca).
• Manitoba: the Companies Office (gov.mb.ca).
• Ontario: the Ontario Business Registry (ontario.ca).
• Quebec: the Registraire des entreprises (REQ) at quebec.ca. Quebec stands alone here as in tax; most enterprises operating in Quebec must register with the REQ.
• New Brunswick: Service New Brunswick (servicenb.ca).
• Nova Scotia: the Registry of Joint Stock Companies (novascotia.ca).
• Prince Edward Island: the Corporate Registry (princeedwardisland.ca).
• Newfoundland and Labrador: the Registry of Companies (gov.nl.ca). Note the exception below.
• Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon: the territorial corporate registries; confirm the fee and process directly, as these are not always published clearly.

Most provinces will also issue your federal CRA Business Number automatically when you register the business (see The CRA Business Number and Program Accounts), which saves a step.

The Newfoundland and Labrador exception

Newfoundland and Labrador has no provincial registration system for the trade names of sole proprietorships or partnerships, and name protection is not available at that level for those structures. If you want a protected business name in Newfoundland and Labrador, incorporating is effectively the route. Check the current position with the provincial Registry of Companies, because rules change.

A note on name searches and NUANS

If you incorporate with a chosen (non-numbered) name, most provinces require a name-availability search first, commonly a NUANS report (Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search), to confirm the name is not already taken or confusingly similar. Private search providers supply NUANS reports for a fee in the range of a few tens of dollars; confirm the current cost. A simple trade-name registration for a sole proprietor usually does not need a full NUANS search, though the registry will still check for obvious conflicts.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a registered name protects you like a trademark. A provincial business-name registration is not a national trademark. It gives a limited provincial claim, nothing more. For a brand you want to defend across Canada, ask about a federal trademark separately.
• Skipping registration because you are a sole proprietor. Sole proprietors using a trade name must register it just as anyone else would. The exemption is only for your own exact legal name.
• Treating registration as a liability shield. Registering "Mike's Roofing" does not separate you from the business. Only incorporation does that.
• Hardcoding a fee you read once. Provincial registration fees change. Confirm the current amount with your registry before you assume it.

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