Register Your Business

Who must register?

Sole proprietorship (one owner) carrying on business under a name other than the individual’s full name;
Partnerships carrying on business under a firm name other than the full names of the partner
Corporations carrying on business under a name other than their corporate name;
An existing general partnership or limited partnership registering a business name different from the registered firm name;
Limited liability partnerships;
Extra-provincial limited liability partnerships; and
Extra-provincial limited liability companies

Overview

Online government services are critical, not only to individual citizens, but also to businesses and not-for-profit corporations of all sizes.

To serve Ontario better, we have launched the Ontario Business Registry, which offers simpler, faster, and more convenient access for organizations that are registered, incorporated, or licensed to carry on business in Ontario.

This new online registry is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and makes it easy to interact with the government. Businesses and not-for-profit corporations can complete a wide range of transactions through the new online registry, including registering a new business and dissolving an existing one.

Access the registry

Find a list of all services offered.

Search for a business or not-for-profit corporation

Anyone can do a free search of the Ontario Business Registry to get basic information about a business or not-for-profit corporation.

Search the Ontario Business Registry

Once you find the profile of a business entity you want to know more about, you can choose to order a search product (for example, a detailed profile report) to get additional information about that entity.

Corporations

To order a search product for a corporation, other than your own, contact one of the government’s authorized service providers:

Other types of businesses

To order a search product for your own entity or an entity that is not a corporation (for example, sole proprietorship, partnership), you can choose to go through one of the above service providers or direct through the government look for the “Search Products” drop-down list in the entity’s profile in the Ontario Business Registry.

Access your existing business or not-for-profit corporation

If your business or not-for-profit corporation was registered or incorporated before the launch of the Ontario Business Registry on October 19th, the information has been migrated from the old system and it has a profile in the new registry.

To access a business or not-for-profit corporation profile, make filing under business statutes you will need its company key. A company key is similar to the Personal Identification Number (PIN) you use at the bank or to access other online accounts or services.

1. Get a company key

In order to access the Ontario Business Registry, you must get a company key.

Get your company key

2. Login into One-Key

Once you have a company key, select the button below and follow the prompts. For security reasons, you will be asked to create a ONe-key ID and a ServiceOntario account.

Create a new business entity or not-for-profit corporation

To create a new business entity or not-for-profit corporation, select the appropriate button below and follow the prompts. For security reasons, you will be asked to create a ONe-key ID and a ServiceOntario account.

If you are incorporating a business or not-for-profit and are proposing a name that you have chosen yourself, please get an Ontario-biased Nuans Report to confirm that no existing Ontario corporation has the same name or a name that’s similar to the one you are proposing.

You can get an Ontario-biased Nuans Report from one of the government’s authorized Service Providers:

You can also search for a Nuans member on the Government of Canada’s website.

Incorporate an Ontario business corporation

Incorporate a not-for-profit corporation

More options for new business entities

Your BIN (Business Identification Number) should not be confused with the federal Business Number (BN) assigned by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for federal programs, including Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST), Import/Export Accounts, Payroll Deductions and Corporate Income Tax. For more information regarding the federal Business Number, visit the CRA website.