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Choose a name for your business.
You may operate a sole proprietorship under your own name or choose to use additional words or a completely different name. If you use any name that is different from your own, you must register this name with the Companies Branch of the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services.

If your business operates under your name “Michael Smith” you do not have to register, however you may realize several advantages if you do register. If you operate your business under the name “Michael Smith Consultants” you must register the business name.

Under Ontario's Business Names Act, fines of up to $2,000 can be levied against individuals and up to $25,000 for corporations for failure to register or for registering false or misleading information.

When you are choosing the name you should know that certain words or expressions are prohibited. For instance, you cannot use words that imply incorporation, such as Limited or Inc., or words that imply the business is associated with any branch of government. "A Guide to Selecting Your Business Name" provides all the details about which words or expressions cannot be part of the name of your sole proprietorship.

Conduct a search for your chosen business name
to see if any other business is using the name you have chosen.
Business name registration is no guarantee of exclusive use. Business name protection is provided by a trademark, not by name registration. The Business Names Act does not prohibit the registration of identical names, so you could register a business name that another company is already using.

If you register a name that is the same or confusingly similar to an existing name, you can be sued, so it's a good idea to conduct a name search to see if anyone else is using the business name you want. You can easily check the availability of your name by ordering a preliminary name search. The cost is minimal and for $10 you can check up to 3 names.

For more extensive search, you may also want to get a NUANS report. NUANS (New Upgraded Automated Name Search) is a Canada-wide corporate and business name registry. A NUANS search will display corporations, business names and trademarks, which are similar to the name you have searched. You can order your NUANS report here.

Now that you have selected your business name and conducted a name search, you are ready to go through the actual business registration procedure to register your sole proprietorship or partnership.

Register your business name.
To register your business name you will need to provide the name and address of the business, a description of the business activity that will be performed, and your name, home address and telephone. If you have a partner, the same information would be required about your partner. You must have an actual street address; a post office box is not acceptable. If you do not have a street address in Ontario, you may want to order our Virtual Address service. This service will help you to comply with government regulations.

It is easy to register a business in Ontario. You can simply order online by completing an order form. You can also visit our office to complete the registration form, or we can fax you the forms to be competed and faxed back to us. You can view our registration package and associated fees here.

Register for other licenses, registrations, or certifications you require to legally operate your business.
Depending on the nature of your business activity and the location of your business you may be required to register for additional licenses, permits or other government accounts, like GST, PST, Payroll, WSIB (Workers' Compensation insurance) and other. We can easily assist you with GST, PST, Payroll, WSIB registrations via our website or fax. Simply click on the links to see additional information.

You should definitely contact your local municipality to check if they require you to obtain a local municipal licence for your business.

Renewing your business name registration.
A business name registration must be renewed every five years. The Companies Branch does not send out reminder notices. Renewing your registration is your responsibility. If your business name or business ownership changes at any time, you must re-register your business name and pay the registration fee again.

Order Preliminary NUANS search-(3 names for $10*)

Order NUANS Ontario or NUANS Canada search. ($39.95*)

Register your sole proprietorship.

Register your partnership.