Ontario Certificate of Status (Good Standing): How to Get One

An Ontario Certificate of Status is the official document the Ontario Business Registry (OBR) issues to confirm that a corporation exists on the provincial register. It's what banks, lawyers and foreign authorities mean when they ask for a certificate of good standing, certificate of existence or certificate of corporate status in Ontario. The government fee is $26, and an online order is issued immediately. This guide covers what it shows, how to order one, how it differs from a profile report, and how to apostille it for use abroad.

Ontario Certificate of Status at a glance

What an Ontario Certificate of Status shows

The certificate is a short, signed statement from the registry about one corporation on a given date. It identifies the corporation by its legal name and Ontario corporation number, gives its date of incorporation or amalgamation, and confirms its current status on the register, for example that it is active and has not been dissolved or cancelled. The issue date matters: the certificate speaks only to the corporation's status on that day.

It does not list directors, officers, shareholders or financial information. If you need those details, you need a profile report or document copies instead.

Certificate of Status vs profile report

Document copies of filed articles, amendments and notices are also available for $3 each.

How to verify a company's legal status in Ontario

If you just want to check whether an Ontario company exists, you don't need to pay anything first. Anyone can search the Ontario Business Registry for free to get basic information about a corporation. That's enough to confirm a name, corporation number and status before you sign a contract or send a deposit.

When you need something you can hand to a third party, order the official product: a profile report for the detail, or a certificate of status as formal proof. For companies registered elsewhere in Canada, see our guide to business records searches.

How to get a certificate of good standing in Ontario

Step 1: Make sure the corporation's filings are up to date

A certificate reflects whatever is on the register. If annual returns are overdue, file your annual returns first. The Ontario annual return is free and due within six months of the fiscal year-end; our Ontario annual return guide explains how to file. A corporation that has been dissolved for non-filing must be revived before it can show as active.

Step 2: Order through the Ontario Business Registry

If you have an Ontario Business Account linked to your corporation's OBR profile, sign in with your Ontario.ca Login and choose Request Search Products from your entity's profile. You can also order directly from the ministry, through an intermediary, or through a licensed service provider. Government fees apply either way; service providers may add their own service fee.

Step 3: Pay and download

Pay the $26 fee. Online orders are issued immediately as an electronic certificate. Mail orders take about 5 business days.

Step 4: Authenticate it if it's going abroad

Foreign banks, courts and registries usually won't accept a Canadian certificate without an apostille or authentication. See the next section.

Short on time? We can order your Ontario Certificate of Status for you, with apostille if needed.

Apostille and authentication for foreign use

Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention effective January 11, 2024. Since then, Ontario documents headed to a Convention country get an apostille, a single certificate that the foreign country accepts without further steps. Documents for countries outside the Convention still receive a certificate of authentication, and the destination country's embassy or consulate may require additional legalization.

In Ontario, apostilles are issued by Official Documents Services (ODS), part of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. ODS authenticates Ontario-issued public documents, including business registry documents, so it handles certificates of status issued by the OBR.

• Fee: $32 per document for Ontario government documents
• How to apply: online through the document authentication portal, by mail, or in person in Toronto, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Windsor or Thunder Bay (book an appointment)
• Timing: mail-in requests typically take up to 15 business days; complete in-person requests are usually processed in about 30 minutes
• Before you apply: confirm with the receiving country's embassy or consulate exactly what it requires, because ODS can't advise on that

ODS checks the signature and seal on the document, not its contents. Order the certificate first, then send it for apostille.

Federal corporations: Certificate of Compliance

If your corporation was incorporated federally under the CBCA, the Ontario registry is not the issuing authority. Order a Certificate of Compliance from Corporations Canada: $10 online or $20 by mail. Most recipients treat it as the federal equivalent of a certificate of status.

Apostilles for federal documents come from Global Affairs Canada, not Ontario's ODS. Our general certificate of status guide compares fees and documents across every province.

How recent does a certificate of status need to be?

An Ontario Certificate of Status doesn't expire, but it confirms status only on its issue date. Because of that, the person relying on it decides how old is too old. Banks, closing lawyers and foreign registries commonly want a recently issued certificate, often from within the past few weeks, and some ask for one dated within days of closing. Ask the recipient before you order, and order close to the date you need it, especially if it also has to be apostilled.