Canada has no LLC — every entity is a corporation, federal or provincial. Pick the wrong jurisdiction and you're stuck finding a resident director; pick right (Ontario or BC) and a non-resident can own and direct it entirely.
The structure decision shapes everything after it — funding, tax, and how much ongoing compliance you're signing up for.
Gives Canada-wide name protection and the ability to operate under the same name in every province. The trade-off: at least 25% of directors must be resident Canadians, or at least 1 if the board has fewer than four.
Ontario repealed its resident-director requirement in 2021; British Columbia has never had one. Both let a non-resident found, own and direct a Canadian corporation with zero Canada-resident board members.
The same sequence we run for every Canada filing — so nothing depends on memory or luck.
If you have no Canada-resident director and want to avoid a nominee arrangement, Ontario or BC provincial incorporation is the direct route. Federal (CBCA) suits founders with a genuine resident director already in place.
A numbered company skips the NUANS name-search requirement entirely and is the cheapest, fastest route if you don't need a specific trading name at incorporation.
Federal filing is CAD $200 online through Corporations Canada; Ontario is CAD $300, BC roughly $351.50. All three typically clear in 1–3 business days online.
Mandatory within 30 days of incorporation for CBCA corporations, identifying anyone who owns or controls 25%+ of shares.
Instant online. This single 9-digit number becomes your account identifier across corporate income tax, GST/HST, and payroll.
Mandatory once you cross the threshold. Corporate income tax registration is required regardless of revenue — even a corporation with zero income must file annually.
Federal online filing typically clears in 1–2 business days (4-hour express service available for an added fee); Ontario runs 1–3 business days, BC often same-day. Full setup including CRA registration and a minute book: 1–2 weeks.
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Federal incorporation (numbered company) | CAD $200 | Skips the NUANS search fee entirely — the cheapest federal route |
| Federal incorporation (named company) | CAD $200 + ~$14 NUANS report | NUANS search now integrated into the federal online filing |
| Ontario provincial incorporation | CAD $300 | No resident-director requirement since 2021 |
| British Columbia provincial incorporation | CAD ~$351.50 | No resident-director requirement, ever |
| Corporate minute book setup | CAD $150 – $500 | Bylaws, share issuance, director/officer resolutions |
| Realistic year-1 total | CAD $600 – $1,000 | Incorporation, minute book and basic professional support combined |
Registration is day one. This is what the calendar looks like after.
Every Canadian corporation must register for corporate income tax with the CRA and file annually, even with zero revenue — incorporation does not eliminate the reporting duty, it starts it.
GST/HST registration is mandatory once expected annual taxable revenue exceeds CAD $30,000; below that, registration is optional but sometimes worthwhile to claim input tax credits.
A Canadian-Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC) qualifies for a small business corporate tax rate of roughly 12% (combined federal/provincial, varies by province) on the first CAD $500,000 of active business income — a meaningful reason to get the corporate structure right from the start.
Opening a Canadian bank account is frequently the hardest step for a non-resident — many banks still want in-person identity verification, so plan for this separately from the incorporation timeline itself.
Only if you incorporate federally under the CBCA, which requires 25% resident-Canadian directors (or at least 1 with a board under four). Ontario and British Columbia have no residency requirement at all — most non-resident founders choose one of these two specifically to avoid needing a nominee director.
No. Canada has no LLC entity type. The equivalent limited-liability structure is a corporation, federal or provincial — the closest thing to what US or UK founders expect from an "LLC" conversation.
Federal (CBCA) if you genuinely need Canada-wide name protection and multi-province operations, and if you have a qualifying resident director. Provincial (Ontario or BC) if you're a non-resident founder operating in one province or online, and want to avoid the resident-director requirement entirely.
Not incorporation itself — that's fast and fully online. It's opening the Canadian bank account, where many banks still expect in-person identity verification. Plan for this as a separate, longer-lead step.
You must file a corporate income tax return every year regardless of revenue — a zero-revenue year still requires a nil return, not silence.