How to Register a Business in BC in 2026: Name Requests, Proprietorships, Partnerships and Companies

Registering a business in British Columbia is a fully online job for most people, and it's cheap: the province's fees for a sole proprietorship total well under C$100. What trips people up is the order of operations — name first, then registration, then tax accounts — and knowing which structure needs what. This guide is for anyone starting a business in BC in 2026: a freelancer choosing a trade name, partners opening a shop, or a founder incorporating a company. It covers the Name Request, the fees on the province's own pages, incorporating through BC Registries, annual reports, your business number, GST and PST (including the professional-services expansion that was paused in September 2026), and a worked first-year cost in Canadian dollars.

Quick answer

To register a business in BC, first get your name approved with a Name Request (C$30), then register in the BC Business Registry. A sole proprietorship or general partnership costs C$40; incorporating a BC company costs C$350 plus the name fee, or no name fee for a numbered company. Trading under only your own name needs no provincial registration.

• An approved name is held for 56 days — register before it lapses

• Sole proprietors using another name must register within 3 months after the business name is first used

• Companies file an annual report (C$43.39) within 2 months of each anniversary

• BC issues a free CRA business number; GST from C$30,000, PST at 7% if you sell taxable goods or services

Pick your structure first

BC Registries handles four common forms of business, and the registration path depends on which one you choose. Changing later is possible but costs another filing, so it is worth settling this before you spend money on a name.

Sole proprietorship. One person owns the business and is personally responsible for its debts. The profit goes on your personal T1 return. It's the simplest and cheapest way to start, and most freelancers, trades and home-based sellers begin here. Our BC sole proprietorship guide goes deeper on tax, CPP and city licences for this structure.

General partnership. Two or more people carrying on business together. Each partner is personally liable for the partnership's debts, including debts another partner runs up in the course of the business. A written partnership agreement isn't required by the registry, but you should have one.

Limited partnership and LLP. A limited partnership has at least one general partner with unlimited liability and limited partners who only risk their investment. A limited liability partnership is mainly used by regulated professionals such as lawyers and accountants. Both cost more and are still paper filings in BC.

Company (corporation). A separate legal person under BC's Business Corporations Act. It owns its own assets, signs its own contracts and files a T2 corporate return. Shareholders' risk is generally limited to what they put in. BC also offers benefit companies, which commit to public benefits in their articles, and unlimited liability companies, which are used mostly for US tax planning and cost more to form. If you're weighing a provincial company against a federal one, our incorporation guide compares the two.

BC structures at a glance

	Sole proprietorship	General partnership	BC company
Name approval	Name Request C$30 (not needed for your own name)	Name Request C$30	Name Request C$30, or numbered company
Registration fee	C$40	C$40	C$350
How you file	Online or at Service BC	Online or at Service BC	Online with BC Registries
Liability	Unlimited, personal	Unlimited, shared	Limited to the company
Yearly filing with the registry	None — file changes	None — file changes	Annual report (C$43.39)
Income tax	Owner's T1 with T2125	Each partner's T1	Company T2 (BC tax included)

Name approval

Sole proprietorship

Name Request C$30 (not needed for your own name)

General partnership

Name Request C$30

BC company

Name Request C$30, or numbered company

Registration fee

Sole proprietorship

C$40

General partnership

C$40

BC company

C$350

How you file

Sole proprietorship

Online or at Service BC

General partnership

Online or at Service BC

BC company

Online with BC Registries

Liability

Sole proprietorship

Unlimited, personal

General partnership

Unlimited, shared

BC company

Limited to the company

Yearly filing with the registry

Sole proprietorship

None — file changes

General partnership

None — file changes

BC company

Annual report (C$43.39)

Income tax

Sole proprietorship

Owner's T1 with T2125

General partnership

Each partner's T1

BC company

Company T2 (BC tax included)

When you must register — and when you don't

The rule for sole proprietors is in section 88 of BC's Partnership Act. If you carry on business alone under a name that isn't your own — "Coastline Renovations" — or your own name with words suggesting more people, such as "Priya Sharma & Associates", you must file a registration statement within 3 months after the business name is first used. The statement sets out the business name, the general nature of the business and your full name and residential address.

If you trade simply as "Priya Sharma", the province says you don't need a Name Request or a provincial registration. That's the cheapest legal setup in BC. The trade-off is practical: banks usually want to see a registration before they'll open an account in a business name, and you can't put a brand on your invoices without registering it.

Partnerships register in the same Business Registry, for the same C$40 fee, and limited partnerships and LLPs file paper forms. You don't need to live in BC to register a business there, but a registration is not a licence to operate: your municipality issues business licences separately, and some activities need provincial permits too.

One more point that surprises people: switching between a sole proprietorship and a partnership — for example, when a spouse joins the business — isn't a simple change. The province says you must register an entirely new business and then dissolve the old one.

Step 1: Get your name approved with a Name Request

Every named business in BC starts with a Name Request (NR) submitted online through BC Registries. You choose the business type, enter up to three names in order of preference, and pay C$30, plus a C$1.50 online service charge. If you're in a hurry, a further C$100 buys priority examination, which the province says produces a decision in 1 to 2 business days. If you can't apply online, the province accepts a paper Name Request form by mail or at a Service BC location, paid by cheque or money order to the Minister of Finance.

What makes a name pass. Examiners look for a distinctive element ("Coastline"), a descriptive element saying what you do ("Renovations") and, for companies only, a legal ending such as "Ltd.", "Inc." or "Corp." Names that are purely descriptive ("Vancouver Plumbing"), too close to an existing name, or that imply a government connection are commonly rejected. A proprietorship or partnership must not use a corporate ending.

What approval gives you. An approved name is reserved for 56 days. If you don't register in that window, the reservation lapses and you start over; BC Registries also sells a renewal at the same C$30 price. Note what approval does not do: the province says only incorporated companies, co-operatives and societies can guarantee exclusive use of their names. A registered proprietorship name gives you no exclusive right, so check the Canadian Trademarks Database before you order signs.

Registering a sole proprietorship or partnership in BC

1. 1

   Submit a Name Request

   Enter up to three names and pay C$30 plus C$1.50. Priority costs C$100 more.

   Tip: Leave out Ltd., Inc. and Corp. — those endings are for companies.

2. 2

   Note your NR number and expiry date

   The approved name is held for 56 days.

3. 3

   Open a BC Registries account

   Use a basic or premium account. Residents of Canada log in with the BC Services Card app.

4. 4

   File the registration

   Enter the NR, the nature of the business, the start date, owners' names and addresses and the business address. Pay C$40.

   BC Registries — sole proprietorships and partnerships
5. 5

   Get your BN and set up tax accounts

   Request a free CRA business number, then register for GST and PST if they apply, and apply for your city business licence.

Step 2: Register a proprietorship or partnership

With an approved NR, you log in to the BC Business Registry and file the registration. BC Registry no longer accepts paper forms for sole proprietorships or general partnerships, so it's online — or in person at a Service BC location, which charges the same C$40 and takes cash, debit, credit card, cheque or money order.

Once accepted, you get a registration statement and a registration number. Keep a PDF copy: banks, payment processors and some suppliers will ask for it. Since December 2023, qualifying sole proprietors can also get a Digital Business Card to prove their registration online.

Limited partnerships and LLPs still use paper forms: a limited partnership costs C$165 and an LLP C$275. For those two, the Statement of Registration and the business number arrive by mail after processing.

Keeping it current. Proprietorships and general partnerships make changes online or at Service BC, and fees apply. A new trading name needs a fresh Name Request. Typos and minor errors are corrected by registry staff at no charge. There's no annual report for a proprietorship or partnership, which is one of the reasons the structure is popular — but you must dissolve the registration when you stop trading so the register doesn't show you as active.

Step 3: Incorporating a BC company

Section 10 of the Business Corporations Act sets out how a company is formed: one or more incorporators sign an incorporation agreement agreeing to take shares, and an incorporation application is filed with the registrar. The application includes a completing party statement, the incorporators' names and addresses, and either your reserved name and NR number or a statement that the company will take a numbered name.

Named or numbered. With a Name Request, the company uses your approved name. Without one, the company is named after its incorporation number followed by "B.C. Ltd." — for example "1456789 B.C. Ltd." — and you skip the name fee. Plenty of owners start numbered and register a trade name later.

What you'll need. A registered office and records office address in BC, at least one director, the share structure, and articles (the company's internal rules — BC Registries provides standard table articles you can adopt). Directors don't have to live in BC or Canada. After incorporation, the company receives a certificate of incorporation and a Notice of Articles, and you should set up a minute book with the incorporation agreement, articles, share register and director consents.

The fees. According to the Corporate Online fee schedule, incorporating a BC company costs C$350 plus the C$30 name approval. An unlimited liability company costs C$1,000 plus the name fee. A company formed in another province or federally registers as an extraprovincial company for C$350 plus C$30.

Which system you'll use. BC is midway through replacing its older Corporate Online and BC OnLine systems with the new BC Business Registry, which combines registration, filings and payments under one BC Registries account and BC Services Card login. Companies are being moved over in phases and are told before they must switch. In practice, the incorporation screen you see depends on the company type, so start from the BC Registries home page and follow the prompts for your type.

After incorporating: annual reports and records

Section 51 of the Business Corporations Act requires every company to file an annual report within 2 months after each anniversary of the date it was recognized. The report confirms the company's offices and directors as of the anniversary, and the fee is C$43.39. It's a short online filing, available in English or French in the new Business Registry, but it's the one most small companies forget. A company that misses several years can be dissolved by the registrar, and bringing it back costs a restoration fee plus every missed annual report.

Between annual reports you must notify the registry of changes to directors and office addresses, keep your minute book and records office up to date, and hold or waive annual shareholder resolutions. If you wind the company down, a voluntary dissolution application costs C$20, but you'll need to deal with CRA accounts and assets first.

On the tax side, the company files a T2 return within six months of its year-end. There's no separate BC corporate return: BC tax is calculated on the T2's provincial schedules. The combined small business rate is 9% federal plus 2% BC on active business income up to C$500,000 — see our small business tax rate guide and T2 guide.

Keep these in your BC company's records office

0/6

• Incorporation agreement and certificate of incorporation
• Notice of Articles and the company's articles
• Register of directors and their written consents
• Securities (share) register
• Directors' and shareholders' resolutions and minutes
• Copies of every annual report filed

Share Print

Business number, GST and PST

Business number. The CRA lists British Columbia among the provinces where you receive a federal business number when you register or incorporate. A sole proprietor can request one during registration or later through CRA Business Registration Online; it's free either way. You need a BN before opening a GST/HST, payroll or import-export account. Our business number guide explains the program accounts.

GST. You must register for GST once your worldwide taxable sales pass C$30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters. Below that you're a small supplier and registration is optional — though registering lets you claim back the GST you pay on business costs. BC businesses charge 5% GST on sales within BC, and the HST rate of the destination province on sales shipped to HST provinces. See our GST registration guide.

PST. BC's provincial sales tax is separate and administered by the BC Ministry of Finance through eTaxBC. If you sell taxable goods, software or taxable services in BC, you generally must register before you start making taxable sales. The exception is a small seller: a BC business without an established commercial premises whose taxable sales were C$10,000 or less in the past 12 months and are expected to stay at or below that. The general rate is 7%. Our BC PST guide covers rates, exemptions and returns.

Other accounts. Hiring staff means a CRA payroll account and, in most industries, WorkSafeBC coverage. You'll also need a business licence from your municipality before you open — fees and rules vary by city, and some Lower Mainland and Okanagan municipalities offer an inter-municipal licence for mobile trades.

From idea to trading in BC

Day 1

Choose your structure and submit a Name Request

1–2 business days with priority

Name approved; reservation runs 56 days

Same day online

File the registration or incorporation; request a BN

Before opening

City business licence; PST if you sell taxable goods or services

Sales pass C$30,000

Register for GST

Within 2 months of each anniversary

Company annual report (C$43.39)

Worked first-year cost: proprietorship vs company

Here's a realistic comparison for a Kelowna web developer who wants to trade as "Okanagan Pixel Works". Government fees come from the official pages cited; the lines marked "estimate" are MSMETOOLS estimates based on typical 2026 market prices, not official figures.

The registration bill for the proprietorship is C$71.50 in government fees. The company is C$381.50 before any legal help, or C$351.50 if it's numbered. Over the first full year, the real difference is the accounting: a company needs its own T2, financial statements and payroll or dividend paperwork for the owner, which typically costs several times what a T1 does.

What the company buys is limited liability and the option to leave profit in the business at the 9% plus 2% small business rate rather than paying personal tax on all of it each year. Many BC owners start as a registered proprietorship and incorporate once profits regularly exceed what they draw to live on. Our startup cost calculator helps you build your own version of this table.

If the developer sells only web development services, no PST applies, because those services aren't taxable in BC. If they also resell software licences or hardware to BC clients, they'd need a PST number unless they qualify as a small seller.

BC registration fees at a glance (2026)

C$30

Name Request

+ C$1.50 online

C$40

Proprietorship or partnership

C$350

Incorporate a BC company

C$43.39

Company annual report

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Using the name before it's registered. The Name Request only reserves a name — nothing is on the register until you file the registration. Print invoices and signs after the registration is accepted.

Letting the Name Request expire. An approved name lapses after 56 days. If you miss it, submit and pay for a new request; you can't extend a lapsed one.

Adding "Ltd." to a proprietorship name. The legal endings belong to companies. Using them as a sole proprietor misleads customers and gets names rejected.

Expecting registration to protect the name. Only companies, co-operatives and societies get exclusive use. Search trademarks before you brand.

Forgetting the annual report. Set a calendar reminder for each incorporation anniversary. Missing reports leads to the company falling out of good standing and, eventually, dissolution.

Registering a new structure without dissolving the old one. When you switch from proprietorship to partnership, or incorporate and stop trading personally, file the dissolution so you don't leave a live registration behind.

Charging PST on professional services. As of October 2026, BC accountants, engineers, architects and property managers don't charge PST on those services, because the expansion is paused.

What to do next

Decide on your structure, run your shortlist through a trademark search and submit your Name Request. Once registered, request your BN, set up GST and PST if you need them, and apply for your city licence. For funding, see our BC small business grants guide, and if you're comparing provinces, our Canada business registration guide puts them side by side.

Official links

• BC — Sole proprietorships and partnershipsName Request, C$40 registration, LP/LLP fees
• BC Registries and Online ServicesName Requests, Business Registry, account login
• Corporate Online fee scheduleIncorporation and annual report fees
• Business Corporations Act (BC Laws)Sections 10 and 51
• Partnership Act (BC Laws)Sections 88 and 89
• Notice 2026-001 — professional services and PSTPause of the PST expansion
• CRA — Business number and program accountsBN issued with provincial registration

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

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to register a business in BC?

A sole proprietorship or general partnership costs C$40 to register, plus C$30 for the Name Request (and a C$1.50 online service charge). Incorporating a BC company costs C$350 plus the C$30 name approval, or no name fee if you take a numbered company. Companies then pay C$43.39 for each annual report.

Do I need to register my business in BC if I use my own name?

No. The province says that if you do business under your own name you don't need a Name Request or a provincial registration. Once you add other words — 'Priya Sharma Design' or '& Associates' — you must register within 3 months after the business name is first used. You may still need a city business licence and CRA tax accounts either way.

How long does a BC Name Request take?

Standard Name Requests are examined in the order received, and wait times vary through the year; BC Registries publishes current wait times on its site. If you pay the extra C$100 priority fee, the province says approval takes 1 to 2 business days. An approved name is held for 56 days, so register before it expires.

Can I register a business in BC online?

Yes. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships register online in the BC Business Registry using a BC Registries account and BC Services Card login, or in person at Service BC for the same fee. BC Registry no longer takes paper forms for those two types. Limited partnerships and LLPs are still paper filings. Companies incorporate online.

Do I get a business number when I register in BC?

BC is one of the provinces where you get a CRA business number through provincial registration — the CRA lists British Columbia among them. A sole proprietor can request one in the Business Registry or later from the CRA. The BN is free, and you need it before opening GST/HST, payroll or import-export accounts.

Do accountants and engineers in BC charge PST from October 2026?

No. BC planned to extend PST to accounting, architectural, engineering, security and non-residential real estate services from 1 October 2026, but paused the measure in September 2026 and has set no new date. Legal services remain taxable at 7%. Confirm the latest position in the Ministry of Finance's Notice 2026-001 before invoicing.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 12 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.Sole proprietorships and partnerships — Province of British Columbia · accessed 12 October 2026
2. 2.Corporate Online — fee schedule — BC Registries and Online Services · accessed 12 October 2026
3. 3.BC Registries public product fee list — BC Registries and Online Services · accessed 12 October 2026
4. 4.Partnership Act, RSBC 1996, c. 348 — sections 88 and 89 — King's Printer, British Columbia (BC Laws) · accessed 12 October 2026
5. 5.Business Corporations Act, SBC 2002, c. 57 — Part 2 (sections 10 and 51) — King's Printer, British Columbia (BC Laws) · accessed 12 October 2026
6. 6.BC Business Registry: A new way to manage B.C. companies — Province of British Columbia · accessed 12 October 2026
7. 7.Notice 2026-001: Notice to providers of professional services — Province of British Columbia — Ministry of Finance · accessed 12 October 2026
8. 8.Provincial Sales Tax Act, SBC 2012, c. 35 — definitions — King's Printer, British Columbia (BC Laws) · accessed 12 October 2026
9. 9.You need a business number or a program account — Canada Revenue Agency · accessed 12 October 2026
10. 10.RC4022 General Information for GST/HST Registrants — Canada Revenue Agency · accessed 12 October 2026