Incorporate · By Province
You have two routes, and CorpStart files both. Incorporate provincially under the Business Corporations Act (BC) for a British Columbia company, which we file for $319 plus the province's fees, or incorporate federally under the CBCA and register extra-provincially in BC. Both give you limited liability. On directors they differ: BC imposes no residency requirement at all, while a federal corporation must keep at least 25% resident-Canadian directors under CBCA s.105(3), so federal is the stricter of the two.
You have two routes, and CorpStart files both. Incorporate provincially under the Business Corporations Act (BC) for a British Columbia company, which we file for $319 plus the province's fees, or incorporate federally under the CBCA and register extra-provincially in BC. Both give you limited liability. On directors they differ: BC imposes no residency requirement at all, while a federal corporation must keep at least 25% resident-Canadian directors under CBCA s.105(3), so federal is the stricter of the two.
CorpStart files British Columbia provincial incorporations, Ontario incorporations and federal incorporations, so a BC founder can take either route with us. The choice is a real one rather than a formality, and this is an honest map of what each gives you.
Option A is to incorporate provincially in BC: a true BC company created through the BC Corporate Registry (BC Registry Services) under the Business Corporations Act. That's the right choice if your business is entirely BC-based and you want a provincial company. It's done directly through the BC Registry or a BC registry agent, not through CorpStart.
Option B is to incorporate federally under the CBCA and then register extra-provincially in BC so your federal corporation is authorized to carry on business there. This is the route CorpStart supports end-to-end, and it's a genuinely good fit if you want national name protection or expect to operate beyond BC.
British Columbia has no director-residency requirement, so you don't need a Canadian-resident director to run a BC company, which puts BC alongside Ontario as a founder-friendly province for non-residents and newcomers. That's a real advantage over a federal corporation, which requires at least 25% of directors to be resident Canadians.
A BC provincial incorporation involves a name approval request and the filing of an Incorporation Application through BC Registry Services, each carrying its own government fee. BC's registry fees are modest, and the province runs an online BC Registries system for filings. Because these fees and steps change and are handled directly by the registry, confirm the current amounts on the BC Registry site before you file that route.
Every BC company must keep its records current and file an annual report with the registry, the provincial equivalent of the annual return you'd file for an Ontario or federal corporation.
If you're going to work with CorpStart, we file both the BC provincial incorporation and the federal one, so this is a genuine choice rather than a consolation prize. A federal CBCA corporation gives you a name protected across all of Canada, one federal home jurisdiction, and the right to register extra-provincially in BC and any other province you expand into. That registration step is not on our checkout: talk to us and we will tell you what it involves.
The honest trade-off is the residency rule and the registration step. Federal incorporation needs at least 25% resident-Canadian directors, and your federal corporation must register extra-provincially in BC (and each other province of operation) before doing business there. If your group can meet the residency rule and you value national name protection, that's a fair trade.
If, on the other hand, your business will live entirely in BC and you'd rather have a straightforward BC provincial company, the BC Corporate Registry is the place to do that, and we'll tell you so rather than steer you into a federal filing you don't need.
Think of it as national reach versus local simplicity. A federal corporation with BC 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 in each province. A BC provincial company is the clean choice for a business that will only ever operate in BC.
There's no universally correct answer: it depends on where you'll actually do business and whether national name protection matters to you. What we can promise is honesty about which route we file: federal incorporation and its BC extra-provincial registration, yes; a BC provincial incorporation, no.
If you're unsure, tell us your plans. If federal fits, we'll file it and handle the BC registration; if a BC provincial company is genuinely the better call, we'll point you to the BC Registry rather than sell you the wrong thing.
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. Then we can add the extra-provincial registration in BC so your federal corporation is authorized to carry on business there. If a BC provincial incorporation is what you truly need, we'll say so plainly and direct you to BC Registry Services.
Federal incorporation plus BC 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 BC
We add your BC extra-provincial registration so your federal corporation is authorized to carry on business in British Columbia.
BC provincial company vs. federal + BC extra-provincial registration
| Factor | BC provincial company | Federal + BC registration |
|---|---|---|
| Who files it | BC Registry Services / registry agent | CorpStart (federal + BC registration) |
| Home jurisdiction | British Columbia | Canada (federal) |
| Director-residency rule | None | ≥25% resident Canadians (CBCA) |
| Name protection | Within BC | Coast-to-coast |
| Best when you… | Operate only in BC | Want national reach or expect to operate beyond BC |
| CorpStart files it? | No | Yes |
Can CorpStart incorporate a BC provincial company for me?
Yes. CorpStart files British Columbia provincial incorporations under the BCBCA, through BC Registry Services. A numbered BC company is $669 before tax and a named one is $699, the difference being BC's $30 Name Approval Request, which is a government fee rather than a report we absorb. The alternative is a federal corporation registered extra-provincially in BC, which we also file. A BC company needs both a registered office and a records office at physical BC addresses.
Does British Columbia require a Canadian-resident director?
No. BC has no director-residency requirement, so a non-resident can be a director of a BC company, similar to Ontario. Note that the federal incorporation CorpStart files does have a residency rule: at least 25% of a CBCA corporation's directors must be resident Canadians.
Should a BC business incorporate provincially or federally?
If your business will operate only in BC, a BC provincial company is often the simplest choice, and we file those. If you want name protection across Canada or expect to operate beyond BC, a federal incorporation is a strong fit; we file that too, and the extra-provincial registration that follows is a separate step we will walk you through rather than sell you on checkout.
What does it cost to incorporate in BC?
A BC provincial incorporation involves a name approval fee and an incorporation application fee through BC Registry Services; both are shown on our checkout before you pay. For the federal route, it's our $299 service fee plus the $200 federal fee, and any BC extra-provincial registration afterwards is a separate cost we will quote rather than guess at.
Do I need to register my federal corporation in BC?
Yes, if you carry on business there. A federal corporation's national name protection doesn't authorize it to operate in a province by itself. It must register extra-provincially in BC (and any other province of operation). CorpStart can handle that BC registration for you as part of the federal route.
Based in BC?
A BC company is our $319 service fee plus BC's own fees, $669 numbered or $699 named, before tax. A federal corporation registered extra-provincially in BC is the other route, at our $299 service fee plus the $200 federal fee and the BC registration. We file both, and we'll always tell you which one actually 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.