Ontario Business Registry (OBR): How to Use It, Company Key, Filings and Searches

The Ontario Business Registry (OBR) is the province's online system for registering, maintaining and searching Ontario businesses and not-for-profits. It launched on October 19, 2021. Searching is free; a profile report costs $8 and a certificate of status $26. To file for your own entity, you need a free 9-digit company key.

This guide explains who uses the Ontario Business Registry, how to sign in, how to get a company key, which filings you can make, what searches cost and how to fix the problems people run into most often.

What is the Ontario Business Registry?

The OBR replaced Ontario's older registry systems on October 19, 2021. Businesses registered before that date had their information moved into the new system, so older corporations are in the OBR too. The province says the OBR offers more than 90 transactions online.

The registry covers the main types of Ontario entities:

• Business corporations under the Business Corporations Act (OBCA)
• Not-for-profit corporations under the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010
• Extra-provincial corporations that file returns in Ontario
• Sole proprietorships, partnerships and limited partnerships that register a business name

The OBR is run by the Ontario government. It is separate from the Canada Revenue Agency, which handles your business number and tax accounts, and from Corporations Canada, which keeps records for federal corporations.

Who uses the OBR?

How do you log in to the Ontario Business Registry?

Ontario business registry login works through Ontario.ca Login, the province's sign-in tool for its online services, together with an Ontario Business Account. The Ontario Business Account holds several government services, including the OBR. The province's current OBR pages refer only to Ontario.ca Login; they do not mention ONe-key or GCKey.

To set up your OBR profile for the first time:

1. Get your company key. Request it free from the ministry (see the next section).
2. Sign in to or create an Ontario.ca Login.
3. Create your Ontario Business Account.
4. Link your business. Search for your entity and enter the company key when prompted.

Once linked, your business appears in your Ontario Business Account. After that, you reach the OBR by signing in with your Ontario.ca Login. You can search the registry without logging in at all.

What is an Ontario company key?

An Ontario company key (often called a corporate key) is a 9-digit code unique to your business. It works like a PIN: it proves you are allowed to file for that entity. Every OBR entity uses one, whether it is a corporation, a not-for-profit, a partnership or a sole proprietorship. The ministry says to keep it private and confidential.

You need the company key to link your business to your Ontario Business Account and to let an intermediary file for you. Anyone with your key can make filings for your business, so share it only with someone you trust.

How do you get a corporate key in Ontario?

A company key is free when you request it directly from the ministry through the OBR's "get a company key" service. How it arrives depends on what the registry has on file:

If you think your key has been lost, stolen or misused, the OBR terms say to notify the ministry as soon as you know and ask for a replacement. Keeping your official email address current is the simplest way to avoid waiting for a key by mail.

What filings can you make in the OBR?

Most routine corporate filings in Ontario go through the OBR. The main ones for an OBCA corporation are below, with the government fee for online filing.

Sole proprietors and partnerships also use the OBR to register, renew, amend or cancel a business name. A business name registration costs $60 and lasts five years.

The annual return

Every Ontario corporation must file an annual return through the OBR each year within 6 months of its fiscal year-end. That is the same window as the T2 corporate tax return, but the annual return goes to the OBR, not the CRA. It is free. A corporation that keeps missing required filings risks being dissolved by the Director. Read our Ontario annual return guide for the details, or have us file your annual return.

Notices of change

When a director joins or leaves, an officer changes or the registered office moves, the Corporations Information Act requires a notice of change within 15 days. It costs nothing to file. If you would rather not do it yourself, we can file a notice of change for you.

What searches and documents can you get from the OBR?

Anyone can search the OBR for free to get basic information about a business or not-for-profit. Most filed information, such as the registered office address, goes on the public record. Filing contact details and the official email address do not.

For more detail or an official document, you order a search product. Fees below are for products ordered directly from the ministry.

By mail, each product costs the same but takes about 5 business days. If you are logged in and your business is linked, you can order products for your own entity using "Request Search Products" on its profile.

A profile report is the usual way to see what's on the public record for a corporation. Initial returns and notices of change include the names and addresses for service of the directors and the five most senior officers, plus the registered office address. A certificate of status confirms that the corporation exists and is active, and banks, buyers and foreign agencies often ask for one. Our Ontario certificate of status guide explains when you need it, and you can order a certificate of status through us.

Using an intermediary or service provider

You don't have to use the OBR yourself. Intermediaries such as lawyers, accountants and filing services can file for you, as long as you give them your company key. They claim delegated authority in the system, and the OBR Partner Portal lets them handle filings for many clients at once.

The province also lists licensed service providers that sell search products. The ministry does not endorse any of them, and intermediaries and service providers may charge their own fees on top of the government fee.

Common OBR problems and how to fix them

• The company key goes to an old address. If no email is on file, the key is mailed to the address the registry has. If you moved, use the online verification option, then file a notice of change so the record is current.
• You can't find your business in the search. Try the Ontario corporation number instead of the name, and check spelling and legal endings such as Inc. or Ltd. Federal corporations are kept by Corporations Canada, not the OBR, although they may also file in Ontario.
• A former accountant still has your key. Anyone with the key can file for you. Ask the ministry for a replacement if you no longer trust who has it.
• You confuse the annual return with the T2. Filing your tax return with the CRA does not file your Ontario annual return. Both are due within six months of year-end, but they are separate filings.
• A name was refused or is taken. A named OBCA corporation needs an Ontario-biased NUANS report. You can order an Ontario NUANS report before you file.

If you haven't incorporated yet, you can incorporate in Ontario with us; we handle the OBR filing and send you the company key details afterwards.