Frequently Asked Questions

You may dissolve a corporation if the owner has passed away. You will need to supply your valid photo ID to dissolve a corporation, we would list you as an agent for the corporation for the person requesting the service. We would change the sole director to inactive. The date that they passed away would be the director's cessation date. We do not need a funeral statement or a death certificate. With a corporate dissolution, a record keeper is required. The record keeper is a person who has been granted custody of the documents and records of a dissolved corporation.

The historical searches cannot be submitted online. You may submit the historical search by emailing our office, please include the information you are looking for. We will send you a payment request by email to process the credit card. Once paid we can process the historical search and email the results back to you. For change documents, each filing has a separate document that may be ordered. Any corporate change, would be accessed as a historical search for each recorded change. If you are going to be processing historical searches often, you can look at getting an account with our office. You would be billed monthly instead of paying for each service.

The Alberta Corporate Search will not include the bylaws or the annual reports for a society as these are microfilm document that may be ordered and supplied by AB Corporate Registries. The Corporate Search will include, registered and records address for the society, along with the name and address for the directors/shareholders. We can order registration documents and annual reports for the society, the documents should be available in 24 - 48 hours.

To register a tradename or partnership, the Declaration of Tradename or Partnership forms are are available on our website. Please check out our Corporate Registries page for additional information. We will need valid photo ID for the individual that is registering the business. We will complete a pre-search for the business name to ensure you are not registering an identical or very similar name to an existing business. A formal NUANS is not required to register a tradename or partnership.

You may request a copy of your corporate annual return filing. Any re-prints after 5 days of the service, must be requested as a service print in the corporate registry system. There is a fee of $23 to reprint the annual return proof of filing.

To locate the owner of a business, you may request a corporate search on our website. The corporate search results will be emailed to you in a few minutes. The corporate search results will include: - Corporate name, Corporate Access Number, business number – if assigned, and legal entity status, registration date - Registered office address and records address - Email address, if recorded - Director’s name, address, and appointment date (as recorded on the Alberta Corporate Registry system) - Shareholder’s name, address, and percentage of voting shares (as recorded on the Alberta Corporate Registry system) - Articles of incorporation (additional article attachments may be available upon request) - Filing history

The annual return is due each year during the anniversary month of the incorporation date. A reminder email may be sent to the corporation approximately 2 weeks prior to the anniversary month. If the email is not received, you are still required to file the annual return. You may file your annual return on our website. Once the annual return is submitted online with payment, the proof of filing will be emailed within 1 hour during business hours.

The trade name is the simplest form of a business organization. The proprietor assumes all responsibilities for the business including financing, operation, taxes, and accepts all profits or losses. If the business fails, the owner must assume total liability. This means all assets, whether business or personal, can be legally taken and used to discharge the liability. ADVANTAGES: - Organization can be informal and flexible. - Easy to start and affordable. DISADVANTAGES: - Profits are personally taxable. - The company ends with the death of the proprietor. - Personally liable for all debts and judgments against the business. -Filing a declaration does not give any right of ownership of the name. The incorporation is a separate legal entity from the directors or shareholders within the corporation. There will be a separate tax filing for the corporation, separate from the directors or shareholders within the corporation. ADVANTAGES: -Limited liability - The limited company forms a distinct legal entity apart from the owners. Therefore, no shareholder of the company can be held personally liable for the debts, obligations or acts of the company. The liability of a shareholder is limited to the value of that shareholders shares. - Ownership of a limited company is easily transferred by the selling of shares, without upsetting the management of the business. - No other limited company can use the exact same name. - The life of the limited company does not end with the death of a shareholder. DISADVANTAGES: - Costs are higher when incorporating and additional records are required. -Annual returns must be filed yearly to keep the company active. West-End Registries may provide general information. When deciding on what type of business you should register, we are unable to provide legal advice. We recommend that you consult with a lawyer or an accountant.

To change the name of your Alberta Incorporation, you will need a NUANS (name search) for the proposed name. Then we proceed with the name change. We can process the name change by email or in person. If it is by email, you will need to supply the name of the corporation, the Corporate Access Number, the new corporate name, and the authorized representative’s valid photo ID. The fee for the NUANS is $57.75 and the corporate name change is $130.00.

We can process a NUANS search for your proposed corporation. The NUANS will reserve your name for 90 days to provide time to incorporate the business. When you are ready to incorporate, we can also complete the incorporation for you.

The annual return form can be located and submitted on our website. Please check out online annual return page for additional information.

To locate the start and end date for the director and shareholder, there would be possibly 2 records that need to be requested. A director would have a cessation date listed on the copy of the proof of filing in which they become inactive. To obtain the shareholder cessation, I can print the last record the individual appears on the corporate documents and the next corporate record when they does not appear. The shareholder doesn’t have a cessation date listed on the corporate records. Using the 2 proofs of filing, the date range of removal would be known.

First step is to complete a pre-search for any similar corporations registered in Alberta. When a unique name is located, we can process a NUANS search. The NUANS fee is $57.75. The NUANS will reserve your proposed corporate name for 90 days to provide time to incorporate the business. When you are ready to incorporate, or if you would like to proceed now, we can complete the incorporation for you also. I can forward the incorporation application. The fee to register the incorporation (including the NUANS) is $542.75. Or we can provide a minute book package for $726.50, which includes the incorporation, NUANS, a minute book, and a corporate seal (raised paper seal).

To register a trade name, you can complete the Trade Name Application form. You may submit it in person or by email with a clear photo copy of your valid photo ID. The fee to register the trade name is $65.00. Once we receive the application, we will send you a payment link to register the trade name. You may request a Trade Name Search to get details on an existing business.

You may request the corporate search online. Please check out our Corporate Search page for additional information. The search may be conducted by corporate name or Corporate Access Number (CAN).

We can process a corporate name search - NUANS, for your proposed professional corporation. The NUANS will reserve your corporate name for 90 days to provide time to incorporate the business. With a professional corporation, there are additional requirements with your professional governing body. In most professions, the articles of incorporation must be endorsed by the Alberta governing body. Alberta governing bodies: • chartered professional accounting - Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta • chiropractic - The Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors • dentistry - The Alberta Dental Association and College • law - Law Society of Alberta • medicine - College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Province of Alberta • optometry - The Alberta College of Optometrists

During the registration process, we will complete a pre-search for the business name to ensure you are not registering an identical or very similar name to an existing business. A formal NUANS is not required, but if you prefer to request the NUANS, we may complete the formal name search. To register a tradename or partnership, the Declaration of Tradename or Partnership form is available on our website. If applying in person we will need valid photo ID for the individual that is registering the business. If you would prefer to register remotely, please complete the form and submit by email along with a clear copy of your valid photo ID.

An active corporation currently registered in Alberta may complete a name change at West-End Registries. First we would request a NUANS (corporate name search) for the proposed corporate name, which will hold the proposed name for 90 days. Then complete the Corporate Name Amendment. We will require valid photo identification for the corporation’s authorized representative. The corporation will receive a certificate of amendment and a registration statement for the new corporate name.

Anyone can incorporate a business in Alberta including non-residents and foreigners. An individual or multiple persons forming a business can setup the business as a corporation. Even an existing corporation can form and own another corporation.

There is no residency requirement for directors, officers or shareholders. However, a representative of the corporation, usually referred to as ‘Agent of Corporation’ with an Alberta address is required.

No, you are not legally required to use a lawyer to incorporate your business.

You do not need to be a large business to register as a corporation. A small business with only one owner can register as a corporation.

An agent for service is an individual located in Alberta who can accept notices and documents in person or by mail on behalf of the corporation. A gent of service does not need to be part of the corporation and can be located at a different address other than that of the corporation's. The agent for service does not need to be a lawyer, accountant or any such professional.

It is the legal address of the Corporation in Alberta. The registered office needs to be in a physical location in Alberta, so that the corporation can get legal documents delivered. An Alberta corporation must always maintain a Registered Office within the Province of Alberta at all times which is accessible to the public during normal business hours.

A ‘named’ corporation is registered with a name of choice. It often reflects the type of business and hence provides a brand name. Eg: Sillium Electricals Ltd. A ‘numbered’ corporation is registered without a fancy name hence it gets a number followed by ‘Alberta’ and a legal element. Eg: 785843 Alberta Inc. The number portion of the name is assigned by Corporate Registry and ‘Alberta’ always forms the second part of the name.

Yes, there are some restrictions and they are as follows: - Cannot have a name identical to another corporation. - Cannot contain words which are obscene, offensive, or imply a government connection. - Cannot start with a special character.

A NUANS (Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search) report searches corporate name databases and trade-mark records to confirm your proposed corporate name does not conflict with existing names. The NUANS report reserves the proposed name for 90 days. An Alberta NUANS report is required when incorporating a named company in Alberta.

A Corporation is a legal entity formed by one or more individuals to conduct a business. It is separate and distinct from its owners and has a legal status of its own. A Corporation acts and functions like a ‘legal person’ - It can enter into contracts and own property in its own name, separately and distinctly from its owners. When forming a corporation, the owners transfer money, property, or services to the corporation in exchange for shares. The owners of these shares are shareholders. A Corporation continues to exist even if the owners change or pass away until it goes through a formal legal winding up.

Registering a corporation is called incorporation. The steps to incorporate are: 1. Choose a name for your corporation and obtain an Alberta NUANS report. Alternatively, you can opt for a numbered corporation, and your corporation gets a numbered name. 2. Prepare the Articles of Incorporation, which contain address details, share structure, director board, agent of service. 3. Submit the paperwork through an authorized registry agent. Post registration : 4. Create and maintain a corporate minute book with By-laws. 5. Obtain a business number and corporate tax account with CRA. 6. Apply for any permits and licences your business may need.

It is a legal process that allows a corporation formed in one Canadian province, territory, or federally to legally conduct business in another Canadian province or territory.

An extra-provincial registration is required if your corporation is formed outside of the jurisdiction of Alberta and because it: - Solicits business in Alberta OR; - Advertises in an Alberta telephone directory or appears in any advertisement with an Alberta address OR; - Has a local representation of resident agent, representative, or employee OR; - Has a physical presence - warehouse, office or place of business in Alberta OR; - It is required to be licensed or registered, under any Act of Alberta, to carry on business OR; - Owns land in Alberta