You’ve decided a corporation is the best choice for your business. Now you need to set it up. In Alberta the process is easier than you may think. The following is a brief description of what you will need to make your business a legal entity. Additional investigation will be necessary on your part to fully understand a corporation and all its nuances.
1. Choose a name for your corporation … or not!
In Alberta every corporation is given an Incorporation Number by the Alberta government. The corporation may choose to use this number followed by “Alberta Inc.” as its name.
There are two parts to a corporate name:
A unique, catchy, few words that describe your business (your business name)
To make it legal you need to end the corporate name with one of the following: Limited, Limitee, Ltd., Incorporated, Incorporee, Inc., Corporation, Corp.
2. Now you begin the process of registering your corporation.
At your local Registers Office order a Newly Updated and Automated Name Search or NUANS Report. This is a search of your proposed corporate name to determine if it is already in use in Canada. When your name comes back as available continue.
Complete an Articles of Incorporation form. This form provides basic information about your company.
Next is the Notice of Address or Change of Address form. This form provides a record of the location of the business as well as information of the incorporator filling out the form.
Finally, the Notice of Directors or Notice of Change of Directors form. On this form you will list the directors of your corporation and their addresses.
3. Take the NUANS Report and the three completed forms to your registers office and have them registered with Corporate Registries. If all goes well you should be issued your Certificate of Incorporation confirming the legal existence of your corporation within a week.
Congratulations! You are the majority shareholder of a new corporation. Now you need to get ready to do business. See – THE BUSINESS OF DOING BUSINESS – Part 3
