How to Register a Business in Ontario: The Ontario Business Registry, Step by Step

You have to register if your business has employees, facilities or offices in Ontario. A sole proprietor also has to register if they're trading under any name other than their own.

Do you need to register?

Your situation	Do you register with Ontario?
Sole proprietor trading under your own name	Not for the name, but you must register provincially if you have employees, facilities or offices in Ontario
Sole proprietor using a business name	Yes, register the business name
Partnership	Yes, register through the Ontario Business Registry
Corporation	Yes, incorporate provincially or federally (consult a lawyer or professional advisor first)

Ontario's own advice is that a sole proprietorship is the easiest and most common way to start, and you can incorporate later as the business grows.

How to register, step by step

1. Search the name. Search the Ontario Business Registry free to see if your business name is already taken.
2. Get your logins. Create an Ontario.ca Login and set up your Ontario Business Account. You'll be asked to do both during set-up.
3. Choose your business type. Sole proprietorship, general partnership, limited liability partnership, limited partnership or corporation.
4. Fill in the registration. You'll need a working email address and a debit or credit card.
5. Get your BIN. ServiceOntario registers you with a 9-digit Ontario Business Identification Number.

For a corporation there's an extra step: unless you use a number name, you need an Ontario-biased or weighted Nuans name search report to reserve the name. A federally biased Nuans report isn't accepted, and Nuans reports come from private name search companies, not the province.

The catch with registering a business name

Here's what surprises most new sole proprietors: registering your business name in Ontario doesn't protect it. Ontario lists an unprotected business name as one of the cons of a sole proprietorship. Registration records who's trading under the name; it doesn't stop someone else using it.

Ontario's guidance says a corporation's name is protected if you incorporate federally. Outside that, a registered trademark is the usual way to protect a brand. Do the name search, then check the trademark database before you print anything.

Your BIN is not your CRA Business Number

Ontario is careful to point this out. The 9-digit BIN from ServiceOntario is different from the Business Number (BN) the Canada Revenue Agency gives you. You'll need the BIN to incorporate and to create an import or export account, and you'll deal with the CRA number separately for federal tax accounts.

After you register: the rules that catch people

• 15 days to report changes. If your business information changes, you must tell the ministry within 15 days, using an Amended Registration for a business name or the right filing for your entity type.
• Keep the official email current. The ministry uses it for important messages, including your company key.
• Annual return for corporations. Corporations must file an Annual Return through the registry each year within 6 months of their fiscal year-end.
• Renewals. Business name registrations have to be renewed, which you can do online in the registry.

Your company key and the Ontario Business Account

To manage your business online, you set up an Ontario Business Registry profile. You'll need your registered entity, a company key, an Ontario.ca Login and an Ontario Business Account. The company key is a 9-digit code unique to your business, and you should keep it private. If a lawyer or accountant files for you, you can give it to them.

You can get your company key free by email, sent right away if there's an email on file, or by mail, which can take several days. Once you're set up, the Ontario Business Account gives you one dashboard for over 90 registry transactions, your filing history and all ministry messages.

If you use an intermediary, they'll file through the separate Partner Portal, built for legal professionals, accountants and other service partners.

Changing or closing your registration

Everything after registration happens in the same registry. Once your profile is set up, you can renew a business name, update your company information, file a corporation's annual return, or cancel or dissolve a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation online. Amendments and cancellations of a business name registration filed online with the ministry are processed immediately, so there's no reason to leave an old name sitting on the record.

What's public once you register

Most of what you file, such as your registered office or other address information, goes on the public record and anyone can search the registry free for basic information. Administrative details, like the contact information for the filing and your official email address, aren't shown publicly. If you work from home, think about which address you list.

My advice

Pick the name, search it in the registry and the trademark database the same afternoon, then register online so it's done immediately. Put a reminder in your calendar for the renewal date and for any change you make, because the 15 day rule is easy to miss. Then get on with the bit that grows the business: a short business plan and a first logo from our list of free logo makers.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register my business in Ontario?

You must register if your business has employees, facilities or offices in Ontario. A sole proprietor must also register if they use a business name other than their own name.

How long does it take to register a business in Ontario?

Online registration of a business name for a sole proprietorship or general partnership with the ministry is processed immediately. By mail, it takes 15 business days.

What is a BIN in Ontario?

A BIN is the 9-digit Ontario Business Identification Number you get from ServiceOntario when you register. It's different from the Business Number the Canada Revenue Agency issues.

Does registering a business name in Ontario protect it?

No. Ontario lists an unprotected business name as one of the cons of a sole proprietorship. Ontario's guidance says a corporation's name is protected if you incorporate federally.

How long does an Ontario business have to report changes?

If your business information changes, you must tell the ministry within 15 days.