🇨🇦 Canada
Canada offers a respected, stable base next door to the US, with start-up programmes and a high quality of life.
Who it suits
Who it does not
Living
Consistently ranked among the best countries for quality of life, with welcoming immigration routes including a dedicated Start-up Visa.
Business
You can incorporate federally or provincially; the corporation (Inc.) is the standard vehicle and access to North American markets is strong.
Tax
Combined federal and provincial corporate rates generally land around 23–27%, with a lower small-business rate on qualifying active income.
Figures are indicative and change over time. We confirm the current rules, rates and requirements for your specific situation before you commit.
How incorporation works
- Federal or provincialDecide where to incorporate before anything else. Federal incorporation requires a quarter of the directors to be resident Canadians; British Columbia has no director residency requirement at all, which is why most non-resident founders start there.
- NameRun a NUANS name search and reserve the name — or take a numbered company and add a trading name later.
- Directors and structureSettle directors, shareholders and share classes. Directors in Canada carry personal liability for payroll and tax remittances, so the appointment is a real decision rather than a formality.
- IncorporationFile the articles with the federal or provincial registry. Registration is normally a matter of days.
- Extra-provincial registrationRegister in each further province where the company will genuinely carry on business.
- Business number and accountsObtain the business number from the Canada Revenue Agency and open the accounts the business needs: corporate income tax, GST/HST, payroll, import-export.
- Transparency registerSet up the register of individuals with significant control. Federally the information is filed and parts of it are publicly searchable; in British Columbia the register is kept internally, and the province is moving toward publishing it.
- Bank accountOpen the account. Canadian banks generally want a director or signatory to attend in person, and this is what most often holds up a non-resident file.
What we need from you
- Passport copies for every director, shareholder and individual with significant control
- Recent proof of address for each of them
- A proposed company name and a NUANS report, or instructions to take a numbered company
- A description of the business, its customers and its markets
- The share split and the share classes
- The registered-office address in the province of incorporation
- Details of any Canadian-resident director, where incorporating federally
- Powers of attorney where we act on your behalf
What you end up with
- Certificate of incorporation and the articles
- By-laws and the organising resolutions
- Share certificates and the minute book
- Register of individuals with significant control
- Business number, with the CRA accounts opened
- Registered office and records office
- A corporate pack banks and counterparties will accept
Every year after that
- An annual return to the federal or provincial registry
- A corporate income tax return — the T2 — every year, loss-making and dormant years included
- Financial statements, for the shareholders and for the tax return
- GST/HST returns where registered
- Payroll remittances and year-end slips where anyone is paid
- Keeping the register of individuals with significant control current
Common questions
Do I need a Canadian director?
Federally, yes — at least a quarter of the directors must be resident Canadians. British Columbia imposes no residency requirement, and Ontario removed its own. That single difference is usually what decides where a non-resident incorporates.
Federal or British Columbia?
Federal gives name protection across the country and a familiar form of incorporation. BC gives flexibility on directors and lighter public disclosure. For a non-resident founder with no Canadian director, BC is normally the practical answer.
What will the company actually pay?
Combined federal and provincial rates generally fall in the mid-twenties on general active income. There is a much lower small-business rate on qualifying active income, but it is reserved for Canadian-controlled private corporations — which a foreign-owned company is not.
Can the bank account be opened remotely?
Rarely. Canadian banks are conservative about non-resident ownership and usually want a signatory in a branch. Planning a trip around account opening is normal practice here, not a sign that something has gone wrong.
Is the ownership public?
Federally, information from the register of individuals with significant control is filed with Corporations Canada and parts of it are publicly searchable. In British Columbia the register is kept at the records office with restricted access, and the province has announced a move toward publication.
Does a Canadian company help with US business?
It gives you a North American base, a treaty and a credible counterparty. It does not remove US tax where the business has US activity — that is decided by what the company does in the US, not by where it was incorporated.
Set up your company in Canada
Tell us about your business and we will confirm whether Canada is the right fit — and handle the full incorporation.
- A reply within one working day
- The first consultation is 30 minutes
- Confidential, no obligation