Database of Businesses in Ontario

For tax purposes, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) provides unique identifiers to businesses and other organizations in the form of a nine-digit "business number" (BN). The Business Number is not assigned by the Ontario Registry of Businesses. It is a document issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Learn more about how to apply for a tax ID number from the CRA.

Businesses and nonprofits of all sizes, not just regular people, rely heavily on the government's online services.

Our new Ontario Business Registry makes it easier for businesses that are incorporated, registered, or licensed to operate in Ontario to access the information they need.

Accessible at any time, day or night, this online database streamlines all of your dealings with the government. The online registry is a comprehensive resource for businesses and nonprofits, allowing them to do everything from registering a new company to dissolving an old one.

Is the current information about your company available?

The entity itself must ensure that all information about itself in the public record is correct and up-to-date. Get up-to-date and start learning more right now

It is important to note that any information submitted to the Ontario Business Registry, including registered office or other address information, will become part of the public record and will be searchable in accordance with applicable business statutes. The public record does not include administrative details such as a filing agent's email address or the official's physical address.

Read the records in the registry

Several online services are available from the Ontario Business Registry. All of our most popular offerings are outlined below.

Get a complete rundown of what's on offer here.

Create a company or nonprofit online.

Find out more about the process of registering your business online if you want to start a new company or nonprofit.

Create a business profile online

Look for a company or other legal entity

The Ontario Business Registry is a publicly accessible database where anyone can look up fundamental details about a registered company or charity.

To conduct a search of the Ontario Business Registry

If you want more information about a specific company after viewing its profile, you can purchase a search product, such as a comprehensive profile report.

Corporations

Contact one of the government's approved service providers if you need to order a search product for a company other than your own:

• ecore, a product of Dye & Durham, Inc.
• ESC Business Solutions (UK) Ltd.

Varieties of Enterprises That Fall Outside the Core

If you would like to purchase a search product for a non-corporate business entity (such as your own or a client's), please click here. Access the entity's profile in the Ontario Business Registry via one of the aforementioned service providers, or directly through the government by selecting "Search Products" from the drop-down menu.

Use an already established business entity

The Ontario Business Registry went live on October 19, and if your company or other entity was registered or incorporated before then, its information has been transferred from the old system and it has a profile there.

You'll need the company key to a corporation or other entity in order to access its profile or file any required documents with state and federal business regulatory agencies. A company key functions similarly to a PIN for accessing financial or other online accounts or services.

Step 1 Access the Lockbox at Your Organization

The Ontario Business Registry is only accessible with a valid company key. If an organization's profile in the Ontario Business Registry doesn't include an email address, the company key will be mailed to the registered or head office address or principal place of business.

The company key will be sent to the registered email address in the Ontario Business Registry profile.

Please update your company information to ensure prompt delivery of your company key.

Step 2 Sign in to ONe-Key.

As soon as you have obtained your company key, you may proceed to log in using your ONe-key ID. Get yourself a ONe-key ID and a ServiceOntario profile.

You can safely access government services with your own personal ONe-key ID. If you have a ONe-key ID, you can also sign up for a personal ServiceOntario profile. You'll be able to use a variety of provincial resources, such as the, once you've created an account.

In the event that you lose access to your ONe-key account due to forgetting either your:

• password
• Querying the Recovering
• record of an email address

If you don't have a recovery email address on file or can't remember your answers to the recovery questions, you'll need to make a new ONe-key ID.

Step 3 A ServiceOntario account must be created.

After registering for an ONe-key ID, you will be directed to establish a ServiceOntario profile.

Use your company key to link your business to your ServiceOntario account today. After finishing this process, you will be able to access the Ontario Business Registry through your ServiceOntario account.

Warnings about the need to submit paperwork

These notices of filing requirements can help you get ready to file whether you are incorporating a business or non-profit, registering a business name, a partnership, or an extra-provincial company, or if you want to make changes to, or dissolve, an existing entity.

These notifications will detail the specifics of filing under each of the eight applicable business laws, including what information is required and the procedures to follow.

• Corporations Law
• Federal Legislation Governing the Use of Certain Language in Company Names
• Cooperative Corporations Act
• Specifically, the Act Relating to Corporations
• Act Relating to the Disclosure of Corporate Information
• Law Regarding Corporations Operating Outside of a Province
• As defined by the Limited Partnership Act and
• Companies Act for Non-Profit Organizations

The Providers of Services

If you need assistance with your business transactions on the Ontario Business Registry, you can contact one of the authorized service providers listed below.

• ecore, developed by the Dye & Durham Company
• Corporate Services by ESC Ltd.

Check out the details of each service provider by clicking on their name.

Consulting, legal, and auditing firms

An intermediary is a company retained by a company or other legal entity to carry out business on its behalf.

Intermediaries can now conduct business either through an authorized service provider or by mail. They are unable to do so at this time, but online access for intermediaries will be addressed in upcoming system updates to the Ontario Business Registry.

The following professionals are permitted to conduct business exclusively via email:

• licensed legal professionals in Ontario (lawyers and paralegals) who are supervised by the Law Society of Ontario
• Canadian Certified Public Accountants licensed by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario
• paralegals working for an Ontario lawyer who is a member of the Law Society of Ontario
• filings made with the ministry by OAPSOR (Ontario Association of Professional Searchers of Records) members on behalf of businesses, organizations, law firms, and accounting firms.

You must reveal your business' secret key if you employ the services of a reliable, vetted middleman to conduct business on your behalf. Similar to a PIN for accessing your bank account or other online services, a company key is a unique identifier for logging into a business's network.

Make use of the Company Key Request Form to inquire about obtaining a company key.

Co-operatives

Profiles for co-ops can be found in the Ontario Business Registry, where co-ops can also file notices and returns under the C.I.A.  

See the Notice: Co-operative Corporations Act for more information on forming a co-op or revising its bylaws.

While profiles for co-operative corporations are available in the Ontario Business Registry, transactions involving such entities are currently prohibited. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions.

The Yearly Reports

Ontario's Business Registry is where you can submit your annual return.

CRA's acceptance of annual returns from corporations on behalf of MPBSD ceased on May 15, 2021.

For the period beginning on May 15, 2021 and ending on October 18, 2021, corporations whose annual returns were due during that time were exempt from filing their 2021 returns.

After October18, 2021, corporations will be required to file their annual returns electronically through the registry.

Select "Make Changes" from the registry profile's drop-down menu to submit the annual report for your company. You'll find the option to submit an annual return in that pull-down menu.

Look up your company's information in the Ontario Business Registry.

Statistics about the Firm

The entity itself must ensure that all information about itself in the public record is correct and up-to-date.

Refresh your business's details.

A Notice of Change must be submitted in order to make any changes to a record.

Those who need to make changes to an already-established business or nonprofit organization's profile should fill out the Company Key Request Form to acquire a confidential company key.

Data available to the public

Searches conducted in accordance with the applicable business statutes will have access to all information filed with the Ontario Business Registry, including registered office or other address information. The public record does not include administrative details such as a filing agent's email address or the official's physical address.

Contact us

If you have any questions about registering a business in Ontario, please send us an email. Another option is to contact ServiceOntario by phone.