Incorporate · By Province
Two routes. Incorporate provincially in Alberta, or incorporate federally under the CBCA and register extra-provincially in Alberta. Both Alberta steps are filed through an authorized registry agent: the province has no direct online or mail filing, and CorpStart is not a registry agent. We file the federal incorporation; the Alberta registration is done by an agent. Alberta has had no director-residency requirement since 2020 and offers a competitive small-business tax rate.
Two routes. Incorporate provincially in Alberta, or incorporate federally under the CBCA and register extra-provincially in Alberta. Both Alberta steps are filed through an authorized registry agent: the province has no direct online or mail filing, and CorpStart is not a registry agent. We file the federal incorporation; the Alberta registration is done by an agent. Alberta has had no director-residency requirement since 2020 and offers a competitive small-business tax rate.
Straight talk first: CorpStart files Ontario, British Columbia and federal incorporations. We do not file anything in Alberta, and that is not a choice we made. Alberta routes every corporate filing through authorized private registry agents, and Service Alberta does not accept unsolicited applications to become one. So here is an honest map of what an Alberta founder can actually do.
Option A is a true Alberta company, incorporated provincially under Alberta's Business Corporations Act. In Alberta, incorporations are filed through authorized private registry agents rather than a single government website. That's how the province has long handled corporate filings. It's the right choice if your business is entirely Alberta-based and you want a provincial company.
Option B is to incorporate federally under the CBCA and register extra-provincially in Alberta so your federal corporation can carry on business there. We file the federal incorporation; the Alberta registration that follows is filed by a registry agent, not by us. It fits founders who want national name protection or expect to operate beyond Alberta.
Alberta removed its director-residency requirement in 2020. That means you no longer need a Canadian-resident director to run an Alberta company, a meaningful change that put Alberta alongside Ontario and BC as a non-resident-friendly province. It's a genuine advantage over federal incorporation, which still requires at least 25% resident-Canadian directors.
Alberta is also known for a competitive tax environment. The province's general and small-business corporate tax rates are among the lowest in Canada, which (combined with the federal small-business deduction) can make an Alberta-resident corporation attractive for retaining earnings. Tax outcomes depend on where the corporation actually earns and where its owners live, so confirm the specifics with an accountant.
Every Alberta corporation must file an annual return to keep its registry information current, the provincial equivalent of the annual return required of Ontario and federal corporations.
If you work with CorpStart, we file the federal incorporation, which is a strong option in its own right. A federal CBCA corporation gives you name protection across all of Canada, one federal home jurisdiction, and the right to register extra-provincially in Alberta and any other province you grow into. The Alberta registration itself is a separate step through a registry agent.
The honest trade-offs are the residency rule and the registration step: federal incorporation needs at least 25% resident-Canadian directors, and your corporation must register extra-provincially in Alberta before doing business there. If your group can meet the residency rule and national name protection matters to you, that's a fair deal.
If your business will live entirely in Alberta and you'd rather have a straightforward Alberta provincial company (perhaps to keep its tax residency squarely in the province), an Alberta registry agent is the right path, and we'll say so rather than push a federal filing you don't need.
It's national reach versus local simplicity. A federal corporation with Alberta extra-provincial registration is built to operate beyond one province and protects your name coast-to-coast, at the cost of the CBCA residency rule and a registration step per province. An Alberta provincial company is the clean choice for a business that will only ever operate in Alberta, and it keeps the company squarely in Alberta's tax jurisdiction.
There's no one right answer; it turns on where you'll actually do business, your tax picture, and whether national name protection matters. What we can promise is honesty about what we file. We file the federal incorporation. Nothing that goes to Alberta's registry is filed by us.
Tell us your plans and we'll point you the right way: filing the federal incorporation if it fits, or sending you straight to an Alberta registry agent if a provincial company is genuinely better for you.
For the federal route, you answer a short questionnaire: numbered or named, your directors and shareholders (with at least 25% resident Canadians), registered office, and share structure. We check the residency rule and flag anything off before you pay.
We prepare your Articles of Incorporation, By-law No. 1, organizational resolutions, and share registers, and file with Corporations Canada under the CBCA. Registering that corporation extra-provincially in Alberta is the step after, and it goes through an Alberta registry agent rather than through us. We will tell you what it involves and what it costs so nothing about it is a surprise.
Federal incorporation plus Alberta extra-provincial registration, three steps.
Confirm the federal route fits
Tell us your plans. If national name protection and multi-province reach make sense, and you can meet the ≥25% resident-Canadian director rule, federal is a strong fit.
We file your federal corporation
CorpStart drafts your Articles, By-law No. 1, and resolutions and files under the CBCA with Corporations Canada, usually within about one business day.
Register extra-provincially in Alberta
We add your Alberta extra-provincial registration so your federal corporation is authorized to carry on business in Alberta.
Alberta provincial company vs. federal + Alberta extra-provincial registration
| Factor | Alberta provincial company | Federal + Alberta registration |
|---|---|---|
| Who files it | Alberta registry agent | CorpStart (federal + Alberta registration) |
| Home jurisdiction | Alberta | Canada (federal) |
| Director-residency rule | None since 2020 | ≥25% resident Canadians (CBCA) |
| Name protection | Within Alberta | Coast-to-coast |
| Best when you… | Operate only in Alberta | Want national reach or expect to operate beyond Alberta |
| CorpStart files it? | No | Yes |
Can CorpStart incorporate an Alberta provincial company for me?
No, and we'd rather be clear about it. CorpStart files Ontario, British Columbia and federal incorporations. We file nothing with Alberta's registry, because Alberta routes every corporate filing through authorized private registry agents and does not accept unsolicited applications to become one. For an Alberta founder we can incorporate you federally under the CBCA; registering that corporation in Alberta afterwards is done by a registry agent.
Does Alberta require a Canadian-resident director?
No. Alberta removed its director-residency requirement in 2020, so a non-resident can be a director of an Alberta company. The federal incorporation CorpStart files does have a residency rule, though: at least 25% of a CBCA corporation's directors must be resident Canadians.
Is Alberta a good province for taxes?
Alberta's general and small-business corporate tax rates are among the lowest in Canada, which can make an Alberta-resident corporation attractive for retaining earnings. Your actual tax outcome depends on where the corporation earns income and where its owners live, so confirm the specifics with an accountant before choosing a jurisdiction.
Should an Alberta business incorporate provincially or federally?
If your business will operate only in Alberta (and you value its provincial tax residency), an Alberta provincial company via a registry agent is often simplest. If you want name protection across Canada or expect to operate beyond Alberta, a federal incorporation is a strong fit: we file that, and the Alberta registration that follows goes through a registry agent.
Do I need to register my federal corporation in Alberta?
Yes, if you carry on business there. Federal name protection doesn't authorize you to operate in a province on its own. Your federal corporation must register extra-provincially in Alberta (and any other province of operation). CorpStart can handle that Alberta registration as part of the federal route.
Based in Alberta?
$299 service fee + $200 federal government fee. Alberta registration is separate and is filed by an Alberta registry agent, not by us. We file federal, Ontario and BC incorporations, and we'll always tell you which route fits.
Start my corporationCorpStart is a document preparation service, not a law firm. The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute legal or tax advice. For advice specific to your situation, consult a licensed lawyer or accountant.