Ontario Business Registration Search (2026): Free Lookups, Profile Reports and How to Check a Business Is Legit

You might be checking a new supplier before paying a deposit, confirming a contractor actually exists, finding who's behind a company that owes you money, or making sure the name you want for your own business is still free. In Ontario, all of that starts in the Ontario Business Registry (OBR). This guide shows exactly what the free search tells you, what the paid products cost and contain, why some companies don't show up, how NUANS differs from an OBR search, where to look for federal corporations, and a short checklist for deciding whether a business is legitimate. Fees and steps are checked against Ontario and federal government pages as of October 2026.

Quick answer

Search the Ontario Business Registry free at ontario.ca by name, Ontario Corporation Number or Business Identification Number. The free result shows the entity's name, number, type, status and public address details. For directors, filing history or proof of status, buy a profile report (C$8) or a certificate of status (C$26) — delivered immediately online.

• Federal corporations live in the Corporations Canada database — search it separately, free

• Document copies cost C$3 each; a certificate of no match costs C$26

• An OBR search is not a NUANS report — Ontario still requires NUANS to incorporate with a word name

• Check a supplier's GST/HST number free in the CRA GST/HST Registry

• Third-party search sites charge their own fees on top of the government price

What the Ontario Business Registry is

The Ontario Business Registry replaced the province's older ONBIS system on 19 October 2021. It holds every business name registered in Ontario by sole proprietors and partnerships, every Ontario corporation and not-for-profit, limited partnerships, and corporations from elsewhere that have registered to operate in Ontario. It's both the place businesses file (registrations, renewals, annual returns, changes) and the public record anyone can search.

Two identifiers will help you search precisely. Ontario corporations have an Ontario Corporation Number (OCN). Business names, limited partnerships and other registrations carry a Business Identification Number (BIN). Neither is the same as the nine-digit Business Number (BN) the Canada Revenue Agency issues for tax — a common mix-up when a supplier quotes "our registration number" on an invoice.

You don't need an account to search. An Ontario Business Account and a company key are only needed when you file something for your own business, or when you want to order search products from inside your linked profile.

What the free search shows

Ontario's position is simple: 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, is public. Administrative details — the filing contact and the official email address the business gave the registry — aren't shown.

In practice a free search result gives you the entity's name, its OCN or BIN, the type of entity (corporation, sole proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, extra-provincial corporation), its status (Active or Inactive) and the location details on file. That's usually enough to answer the first question you have: does this business exist, and is it still active?

What the free search won't give you is the detail behind the listing — who the directors are, when the status changed, or the documents the business filed. For that you buy a search product.

How to search the Ontario Business Registry

1. 1

   Open the OBR search

   From the Ontario Business Registry page on ontario.ca, choose the option to search the registry. No login is needed.

   Ontario Business Registry
2. 2

   Enter a name or number

   Type the business name, the Ontario Corporation Number or the Business Identification Number. Numbers give one exact match; names return every similar result.

   Tip: Try both the legal name and the trading name printed on the invoice — they're often different.

3. 3

   Pick the right entity

   Check the type, status and location carefully. Several businesses can have near-identical names in different cities.

4. 4

   Order a search product if you need detail

   Choose a profile report, document copy or certificate. Pay online by card; online products are delivered immediately.

5. 5

   Save the PDF

   Keep the report with your supplier file or contract. It's a dated snapshot — order a fresh one before any later legal step.

Paid products: profile reports, copies and certificates

When the free listing isn't enough, the province sells a short menu of search products. Prices below are what Ontario charges when you buy directly; online orders are delivered immediately, while mail requests take about five business days.

Ontario Business Registry search products (2026)

Product	Fee	What you get	When to use it
Basic search	Free	Name, number, type, status, public address	Quick check that a business exists
Profile report	C$8	Detailed current record — names, addresses, directors and officers for corporations	Due diligence, collections, finding who's behind a business
Document copy	C$3 per document	Copy of a specific filing (articles, amendments, returns)	Checking share structure, name changes, dissolution
Certificate of status	C$26	Official confirmation a corporation exists and its status	Banks, lawyers, government contracts
Certificate of no match	C$26	Official confirmation that no record matches your search	Proving a name or entity is not registered

Basic search

Fee

Free

What you get

Name, number, type, status, public address

When to use it

Quick check that a business exists

Profile report

Fee

C$8

What you get

Detailed current record — names, addresses, directors and officers for corporations

When to use it

Due diligence, collections, finding who's behind a business

Document copy

Fee

C$3 per document

What you get

Copy of a specific filing (articles, amendments, returns)

When to use it

Checking share structure, name changes, dissolution

Certificate of status

Fee

C$26

What you get

Official confirmation a corporation exists and its status

When to use it

Banks, lawyers, government contracts

Certificate of no match

Fee

C$26

What you get

Official confirmation that no record matches your search

When to use it

Proving a name or entity is not registered

What's inside a profile report

For a corporation, the profile report shows the current legal name and any former names, the OCN, the date of incorporation or registration, the current status, the registered office address, and the directors and officers on file. For a business name registration or limited partnership, it shows the registrant, the business address and the registration and expiry dates. It's the closest thing Ontario has to a company fact sheet, and at C$8 it's one of the cheapest due-diligence steps you can take.

The report does not show shareholders. Ontario corporations must keep a register of individuals with significant control, but that register stays with the corporation — it isn't published by the province.

Old documents and why some copies take longer

Copies are available immediately online for anything filed on or after 19 October 2021, or where an archived document package already exists. Older filings may first need to be converted from microfiche, which takes about five business days. If you need a 1990s articles of amendment for a lawsuit, order early.

Watch out for intermediary pricing

Search engines are full of private sites selling "Ontario corporate search" or "official business profile" reports, sometimes for C$60 or more. Some are legitimate service providers adding a convenience fee; others simply resell the same C$8 report. Ontario itself notes that intermediaries may charge their own fees on top of the government price. Unless you need a lawyer-grade package or a multi-province search done for you, buy directly from the OBR.

Searching for your own business name: OBR vs NUANS

If you're searching because you want to register a name, the OBR result is only a first filter. Here's how the two tools differ.

An OBR search checks Ontario registrations. It's free and instant and tells you whether someone in Ontario has already registered something identical or very similar. For a sole proprietorship or partnership name, that's usually all you do — Ontario doesn't stop two businesses registering the same name, and a business name registration gives you no exclusive rights. The search simply saves you from picking a name another local business already uses.

A NUANS report is a federal database search that compares your proposed name with existing corporate names, business names and trademarks across Canada. Ontario requires an Ontario-biased NUANS report when you incorporate with a word name (a numbered company like "1234567 Ontario Inc." needs none). The province doesn't sell NUANS itself; you order it through a private search house or one of the authorized service providers listed on the OBR, at their price. Order it shortly before you file — the report goes stale, and someone else can register a similar name in the meantime.

Federal incorporation works differently since Corporations Canada moved the name check into its online filing form: when you incorporate federally online with a word name, you no longer need to buy a NUANS report first. If you file federally and then start business in Ontario, you register the federal corporation in Ontario through a free initial return within 60 days.

Which name search do you need?

Step 1

Sole proprietorship or partnership name → free OBR search

Step 2

Ontario corporation, word name → Ontario-biased NUANS report

Step 3

Ontario numbered corporation → no name search

Step 4

Federal corporation online → name check built into the form

no NUANS needed

Our Ontario registration checklist covers what happens after the search, and the business name generator can help you shortlist names before you check them.

Federal corporations: search Corporations Canada

A frequent reason a company "isn't in the Ontario registry" is that it was incorporated federally under the Canada Business Corporations Act. Its master record sits with Corporations Canada, and its Ontario registration (if it filed one) is only a pointer.

The federal Search for a federal corporation tool lets you search by corporate name, corporation number or Business Number, and filter by province of the registered office, status (Active, Inactive – Amalgamated, Inactive – Discontinued, Dissolved) and governing Act. Ordering a federal corporate profile online is free, and a certificate of compliance costs C$10. Two quirks: the database excludes banks, insurers, loan and trust companies and provincially incorporated companies, and new filings can take several hours to appear.

Other provinces and the national gateway

Canada has no single national company register. Each province runs its own, and access rules differ — some offer free public searches, others route company searches through registry agents. Corporations Canada points users to Canada's Business Registries, a federal gateway that searches several provincial registries at once. It's useful for a first pass, but it doesn't cover every province, so if you know where the business is based, go to that province's registry directly.

How to check a business is legit in Ontario

A registry listing proves a business exists on paper. It doesn't prove the business is honest, solvent or the one you think you're dealing with. A sensible check takes about 15 minutes and costs at most C$8.

Ten-minute legitimacy check

0/7

• OBR or Corporations Canada shows the exact legal name on the contract, with status Active
• The address on the registry matches the address on the invoice or website (or there's a clear reason it doesn't)
• The profile report names directors you can match to the people you're dealing with
• The GST/HST number on the invoice is confirmed in the CRA GST/HST Registry for the invoice date
• No listing on Ontario's Consumer Beware List or in its recent convictions and compliance notices
• Any trademark the business claims appears in the Canadian Trademarks Database
• Payment details match the business — be wary of personal accounts or e-transfers to a different name

Share Print

The CRA GST/HST Registry

If a supplier charges you GST or HST, you can confirm their number free in the CRA's GST/HST Registry. You enter the first nine digits of the number, the business name as it appears on the invoice and the transaction date; the registry tells you whether that business was registered for GST/HST on that date. This matters twice: a fake number is a red flag, and you can only claim input tax credits on tax charged by a registered supplier. Print the result for your records. (Quebec QST numbers are checked on Revenu Québec's site instead.) Our GST/HST guide explains what to do with the number once it checks out.

Ontario's Consumer Beware List

The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery publishes a Consumer Beware List of businesses that ignored two ministry notices about a consumer complaint, or that have been charged or convicted under the Consumer Protection Act or other ministry laws. Entries generally stay posted for 21 to 27 months, and convictions and compliance agreements are posted separately for 27 months. It's aimed at consumer businesses — contractors, car dealers, travel and home-improvement firms — and it's worth a look before any home renovation contract.

If something looks wrong

If the registry shows the company dissolved, the director named on the report isn't the person you've been emailing, or the GST/HST number belongs to someone else, stop and verify by phone using contact details you found independently. Suspected scams can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

Worked example: vetting a renovation contractor

Priya in Burlington gets a C$38,000 quote from "Lakeshore Renovations" asking for a 30% deposit. Here's her check and its cost:

1. Free OBR search for "Lakeshore Renovations" returns three results. One is a business name registration in Burlington, status Active — but registered to an individual, not a corporation. Cost: C$0.
2. Profile report on that BIN shows the registrant's name matches the person who quoted, and the registration was renewed last year. Cost: C$8.
3. GST/HST Registry check on the number printed on the quote, for today's date, comes back registered. Cost: C$0.
4. Consumer Beware List search shows no listing. Cost: C$0.

Total spend: C$8. Priya now knows she's contracting with a sole proprietor personally — useful if anything goes wrong — and that the tax number is real. If the search had shown an Inactive registration or a name mismatch, she would have asked for an explanation before paying a cent.

What Priya's check cost

C$0

OBR basic search

C$8

Profile report

C$0

GST/HST Registry + Consumer Beware List

~15 min

Time taken

all online

Reading the results: status, dates and common surprises

Active vs Inactive. An Active entity can trade. Inactive can mean a dissolved, cancelled or amalgamated corporation, or a business name registration that expired. Business names must be renewed every 5 years; an expired one often just means a forgotten renewal, but legally the business is trading under an unregistered name until it renews.

A corporation that hasn't filed annual returns can be dissolved by the province after notice. If the profile report shows years of missing annual returns, the company may be close to cancellation — something to factor in before you extend credit.

A sole proprietor using their own name doesn't need to register at all. "Jane Smith" painting under her own name won't appear in the OBR, and that's perfectly legal. "Jane Smith Painting" must be registered.

Extra-provincial corporations — companies incorporated in another province or federally that operate in Ontario — appear in the OBR with a pointer to their home jurisdiction. For directors and filings, go to the home registry.

Numbers on invoices. An invoice might show a BN (nine digits, often followed by RT0001 for GST/HST), an OCN, a BIN, or a federal corporation number. Searching the wrong database for the wrong number is the most common reason for "no results".

Common mistakes when searching

• Searching only the trading name. A corporation's legal name ("2345678 Ontario Inc.") may look nothing like the name on its truck. Ask the business for its legal name or number.
• Assuming no result means the name is free. It only means nothing identical is registered in Ontario. Federal corporations, trademarks and other provinces need their own checks — that's what NUANS is for.
• Paying a reseller for a free search. The basic OBR search is free; the profile report is C$8. Check the price before you pay a third-party site.
• Relying on an old report. A profile report is a snapshot. Directors resign and companies dissolve; order a new one before suing, lending or signing a long contract.
• Treating registration as proof of quality. A registry entry tells you nothing about workmanship, insurance or licensing. Ask for WSIB clearance and proof of insurance from contractors, and check any trade licence the work requires.

Official search links

• Ontario Business RegistryFree search and search products
• Ontario search fees and processing timesProfile report, copies, certificates
• Search for a federal corporationCorporations Canada database
• Nuans provincial/territorial name searchesWhich provinces require a name search report
• CRA GST/HST RegistryConfirm a supplier's GST/HST number
• Ontario Consumer Beware ListComplaints, charges and convictions

What to do next

If you were checking a supplier, save the profile report and GST/HST Registry result with your contract. If you were checking a name for your own business, shortlist two or three options and move on to registration — our Ontario registration guide covers the C$60 name registration and the C$300 incorporation, and the Canada incorporation guide compares Ontario and federal routes. Once you're registered, set up your invoices with the invoice generator.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Ontario business registration search free?

Yes. Anyone can search the Ontario Business Registry free of charge to see basic public information such as the name, number, type, status and registered address of a business or corporation. Detailed documents cost extra: a profile report is C$8, copies of filed documents are C$3 each and a certificate of status is C$26 when ordered directly from the province.

How do I find out who owns a business in Ontario?

Order a profile report from the Ontario Business Registry for C$8. For a corporation it lists current directors and officers; for a sole proprietorship or partnership it shows who registered the name. Shareholders are not on the public record, and Ontario's register of individuals with significant control is kept by the corporation, not published by the province.

Is an Ontario Business Registry search the same as a NUANS search?

No. A free OBR search only looks at Ontario registrations. A NUANS report compares a proposed name against corporate names and trademarks across Canada and is what Ontario requires when you incorporate with a word name. You order an Ontario-biased NUANS report through a private search house or an authorized service provider, at their price.

Why can't I find a company in the Ontario registry?

The most common reasons are that it is a federal corporation (search Corporations Canada), it trades under an operating name you are not entering exactly, it is incorporated in another province and has not registered in Ontario, or it is a sole proprietor using only their own legal name, which needs no registration. Try the corporation number or Business Number if you have it.

How do I check if a Canadian business is legitimate?

Confirm it is Active in the Ontario Business Registry or Corporations Canada database, check its GST/HST number in the CRA's free GST/HST Registry, search Ontario's Consumer Beware List for complaints and convictions, and look up any trademark it claims in the Canadian Trademarks Database. If something looks like fraud, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

What does 'Inactive' mean in an Ontario business search?

It means the entity can no longer trade under that registration. A corporation may be dissolved, cancelled or amalgamated into another company; a business name registration may have expired because it was not renewed after 5 years. Order a profile report to see the exact status and the date it changed before you sign a contract with the business.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 8 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Ontario Business Registry — Government of Ontario · accessed 8 October 2026
2. 2.Cost and time required to register, change or search for a business name, corporation or not-for-profit — Government of Ontario · accessed 8 October 2026
3. 3.Search for a federal corporation — Corporations Canada (ISED) · accessed 8 October 2026
4. 4.Services, fees and processing times — Corporations Canada (ISED) · accessed 8 October 2026
5. 5.Nuans provincial/territorial report — ISED Canada · accessed 8 October 2026
6. 6.Confirming a GST/HST account number (GST/HST Registry) — Canada Revenue Agency · accessed 8 October 2026
7. 7.Search Consumer Beware List — Government of Ontario · accessed 8 October 2026
8. 8.Choosing and searching a business name — Legal Line · accessed 8 October 2026
9. 9.Canada Business Registry Search Guide — Kyckr · accessed 8 October 2026