Start with the jurisdiction that incorporated or registered the business. Search by legal name or registry identifier, then compare the record with your contract or invoice. A federal search alone cannot establish whether every Canadian business exists.
Build a useful search request
Collect the exact name, operating name and province or territory shown on a recent document. An identifier helps when the name is common. Never send banking details or identity documents to a directory.
Use our federal search for the licensed federal index. For a provincial business, open its official registry from the registry directory. Try the distinctive part of a name, then a previous name if you know one.
Match the record before drawing a conclusion
Check at least the legal name, registry identifier and jurisdiction. A similar name in another province may identify a different business. An office address may be an address for service rather than a storefront.
If there is no match, review spelling, language variants, numbered names and dataset coverage. Record which registry you checked and when. Continue with the missing-results guide rather than treating an empty result as proof of non-existence.
Choose the source before adding filters
Separate three details before searching: the name printed on your document, the authority that registered the entity, and the identifier that authority issued. Treat each as a separate field in your notes. A province in a mailing address is a useful clue, but it does not by itself identify the incorporating authority.
For the official federal search, begin with the legal name or corporation number. Corporations Canada explains that different operating names are not included as legal-name search entries. If the document shows only a trading name, request the corresponding legal name before narrowing your search.
Keep an evidence trail for similar results
Compare candidate records in a small working list rather than selecting the first similar name. Keep the exact identifier, issuing registry, name shown and consultation date together. Add a short reason for excluding each candidate. This makes it easier to revisit a decision when a later document supplies a missing number or an older name.
Illustrative scenario: a storefront name gives no match
Suppose a shop advertises under a short brand while its proposed contract uses a numbered corporate name. Search the contract’s identifier in the registry named on its documents, then compare the returned legal name. Ask the shop to explain the connection between the two names. Keep that explanation with your search note; a similar brand elsewhere is not the missing link.
Continue this task
Sources and review
Content updated October 30, 2026. Source checked October 30, 2026. Examples illustrate the process; they do not describe a real corporation.
Corporations Canada — Search tipsCanada’s Business Registries — FAQCorporations Canada — Conseils de recherche