In Canada the province matters more than the country.
One decision dominates everything else here, and most people never hear about it until they have already incorporated in the wrong place: some Canadian jurisdictions require resident directors and some do not.
What Canada asks of a foreign owner.
Every line below is re-verified against the current position for your city and activity before we quote. Regulations in all five markets have moved within the last three years.
- OwnershipOpen in full in the sectors covered by our five lines. Foreign individuals and companies may own Canadian corporations outright.
- The director ruleThe one that decides your incorporation. Federal incorporation under the CBCA carries a resident-Canadian director requirement. Several provinces — British Columbia and Ontario among them — impose no director residency requirement at all. We incorporate where the rule does not bind you, which is a planning decision made at stage one, not a problem discovered at stage two.
- EntityA provincial corporation in the province where you will actually trade, in the great majority of cases.
- Tax registrationA federal business number, then GST or HST registration, plus provincial sales tax where the province operates its own. Payroll accounts are opened before the first employee.
- LicensingMunicipal for most of our lines. Food handling and health inspection are provincial and municipal. Short-term rental rules are municipal and have tightened materially in Toronto and Vancouver.
- BankingSlow rather than hostile. Generally approvable with a local address or a resident director, and the timeline runs to several weeks.
- EmploymentProvincial employment standards govern hours, notice and termination, and they differ meaningfully between provinces.
Which of the five work in Canada.
Ratings are a starting point for the conversation, not a verdict — the cell that matters is the one we check for your specific city.
- Strong hereGhost Kitchen · Vending
- Viable hereShort-Stay Rentals · Taxi & Fleet · Mini Mart
- Revenue currencyCanadian dollars (C$)
Three things worth knowing early.
Do not default to federal
Federal incorporation sounds more substantial and carries the residency requirement that provincial incorporation may not. The choice is made on the rule, not on the letterhead.
Short-term rental rules have tightened
Toronto and Vancouver both restrict short-term letting to a principal residence in most cases. This closes the arbitrage model in those cities and it is checked before anything is leased.
Bilingual obligations in Quebec
French-language requirements apply to signage, packaging, employment documents and customer service. They are workable and they are a real cost line.
Thinking about Canada?
Bring the city, the venture and the capital you are prepared to commit. You will get an honest read on whether that combination is buildable there before anyone talks about fees.