Business Records Search: Ordering Official Corporate Records in Canada

A business records search gets you official documents from a Canadian corporate registry, not just an on-screen result. The usual products are a corporate profile report, copies of filed documents, certified copies and a certificate of status. Lenders, buyers, courts and foreign authorities ask for these records because they prove a company's legal details on a specific date.

What is a business records search?

A free lookup tells you that a company exists. A business records search goes further: it retrieves the registry's official record of one company and the documents it has filed, in a form you can put in a loan file, a closing book or a court record. Every corporation in Canada is created under the federal Canada Business Corporations Act or a provincial or territorial statute, and the registry for that jurisdiction holds its official record.

If you only need to confirm that a company is registered, start with a free lookup. Our guides to the Canada business registry search and the Ontario corporation search explain the free tools. This guide covers what to order when a quick search isn't enough.

What official records can you order?

How much do official corporate records cost?

These are government fees only. Intermediaries and service providers add their own charges. You can order a business records search from us and receive the official reports without opening an account in each registry.

When do you need official records rather than a free search?

Lenders and banks

Banks and lenders open accounts and advance credit only to a correctly identified legal entity. They usually want a recent profile report or certificate of status, and often the articles, to confirm the exact legal name, the directors who can sign and that the company hasn't been dissolved.

Buying a business or its shares

Corporate due diligence for an acquisition starts with the public record. The buyer's lawyer orders the profile, the articles and every amendment to check the share classes, any restrictions on share transfers, past name changes and amalgamations, and whether annual returns are current. A gap in filings is a negotiating point, or a closing condition.

Litigation and collections

To sue or enforce a judgment, you need the company's exact legal name and its registered office address for service. A profile report gives both. Courts and opposing counsel may also need certified copies of articles or notices of change to prove who the directors were at a particular date.

Cross-border and government filings

Foreign registries, embassies and some Canadian agencies ask for certified copies or a certificate of status, sometimes authenticated for use abroad. Order these early: certified copies by mail can take about 10 days federally.

What does a corporate profile report show?

• Legal name and former names, with the dates of each change.
• Corporation number and, where available, the business number.
• Jurisdiction and governing statute, and the date of incorporation, amalgamation or continuance.
• Status: active, dissolved, inactive, amalgamated and so on.
• Registered office address, the address for legal service.
• Directors, and in some registries officers, with the addresses on file.
• Filing history: annual returns, notices of change and amendments.

A profile is not a certificate. The profile describes the company. The certificate is a short official statement about its existence and standing. For an Ontario corporation, you can order a certificate of status on its own.

Can corporate records show who owns a company?

Only partly. In most registries, the public record of a private corporation lists directors but not shareholders. Since January 22, 2024, federal (CBCA) corporations must file information about their individuals with significant control with Corporations Canada, and some of that information is made public. Quebec's enterprise register can show the names of ultimate beneficiaries. For the securities register or a shareholders' agreement, you need the company's cooperation, typically through a data room in a transaction, or a court order.

How do you order a corporate records search?

1. Identify the company precisely. Get the exact legal name and, ideally, the corporation number and jurisdiction. A trade name on a website may not be the legal name.
2. Pick the right registry. Order from the jurisdiction where the company was incorporated. A company registered extra-provincially in Ontario also has an Ontario record, but its articles and full history are in its home registry.
3. Choose the products. A profile report for a snapshot; document copies for the history; certified copies or a certificate when someone else will rely on them.
4. Check dates. Banks, lawyers and foreign authorities often want recently issued records, so ask how recent they need to be and order close to when you'll use them.
5. Read the results. Compare names, numbers and directors against your contract or KYC file. Missing annual returns, a recent change of directors or a dissolved status are red flags to raise before you proceed.

Common problems with corporate records searches

• Wrong jurisdiction. A federal corporation operating in Ontario appears in both registries, but its articles are federal.
• Out-of-date information. The record is only as current as the company's last filing. A director who resigned may still be listed if no notice of change was filed.
• Older filings. Documents filed before a registry moved online may not be downloadable and can take longer to obtain.
• Confusing it with a name search. A records search pulls the record of an existing company. If you're choosing a name for a new company, you need a name search such as an Ontario NUANS report.

Should you order records yourself or use a service?

For one federal or Ontario company, ordering directly is simple. A service saves time when you need records from several provinces, need certified copies for a closing, or want someone to review the filing history and flag gaps. OpenCompany retrieves profile reports, document copies, certified copies and certificates from federal and provincial registries. See our pricing for registry services.