The NEQ is a ten-digit identifier assigned by Québec’s Registraire des entreprises to an enterprise in its register. It differs from the federal business number and helps find the correct Québec record.
Search the identifier before a common name
Copy the NEQ from a reliable document and search Québec’s official register. Compare the legal name and other names used in Québec with your invoice or contract. An NEQ identifies a record; it does not rate business quality.
A federal corporation can also have an NEQ. Its Québec registration does not change where it was incorporated. Keep the incorporating jurisdiction and Québec registration distinct.
Interpret an absent result carefully
Québec provides exceptions to compulsory registration for certain enterprises. A failed search may also reflect a typing error or the wrong identifier. Review the official instructions before deciding an activity should have an NEQ.
Our Québec resources link to official search rather than importing the public dataset for commercial reuse. Incorrect government information must be addressed through the registry; editing an independent directory cannot amend the official record.
Use the official record to connect names and identifiers
When you already have an NEQ, use it to reach the corresponding Québec record before comparing a name. When you have only a name, the official search also accepts related names or words and offers advanced criteria. Record which method you used so that a later reviewer can repeat the same search.
Québec’s search guidance lists registration status, names used by the enterprise and establishment addresses among the information available. Compare the fields relevant to your document. Do not collapse every displayed address or name into a single assumed storefront identity.
Distinguish assigning an NEQ from looking one up
An NEQ is assigned through registration or constitution according to the enterprise’s legal form; a search form does not issue one. If you are starting an enterprise, first identify the appropriate official procedure. If you are reviewing an existing enterprise, retrieve its record instead. This distinction avoids confusing an application task with a public-information task.
Example
Illustrative scenario: an invoice provides a federal number
Imagine receiving a Québec supplier’s invoice with a nine-digit CRA BN but no labelled NEQ. Do not add a digit or relabel the BN to make it fit the Québec identifier. Ask for the NEQ if available, or search the official Québec register by the enterprise name and review the matching record. Keep the BN and any confirmed NEQ in separate labelled fields.
Check sales-tax registration separately
An identifier or corporation status does not confirm tax registration.
Sources and review
Content updated October 30, 2026. Source checked October 30, 2026. Examples illustrate the process; they do not describe a real corporation.