You must register your business name in Ontario if you operate under any name other than your own legal name or your corporation’s exact legal name. Registration is filed online through the Ontario Business Registry. The government fee costs $60 for a sole proprietorship or general partnership, and stays valid for five years before it must be renewed.
This guide covers who must register, the current government fees, each filing step, and the compliance problems we help business owners fix most often.
Who Needs to Register a Business Name in Ontario?
The test is simple. If the public sees a business name that is not your personal legal name, or not your corporation’s exact legal name, the Business Names Act requires you to register that name before you carry on business under it. The Business Names Act is the Ontario statute that keeps a public record of who stands behind every trade name in the province, so that customers, suppliers, and courts can identify the real owner.
Registration is required in each of the following situations.
- Sole proprietors using anything beyond their personal legal name. John Smith can operate as John Smith without registering. The moment he calls the business John Smith Plumbing, the name must be registered.
- General partnerships. Two or more people carrying on business together under a firm name must register that name.
- Corporations using a trade name. A corporation is created under its legal corporate name, often a numbered name such as 1234567 Ontario Inc. If it presents itself to the public under any other name, that operating name must be registered. We cover this in detail in our guide to doing business as in Ontario.
- Limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships. These structures have their own filing requirements, and their firm names must be on the public record before they operate.
If you run the business strictly under your own personal legal name and nothing more, you do not need to register.
What Registration Does and Does Not Do
Registration puts your business name on the public record, gives you a Business Identification Number, and lets you open a commercial bank account and sign contracts under the name. Banks in Ontario will generally not open a business account for a trade name without proof of registration.
Here is what surprises most clients. Registration gives you no ownership of the name. The Business Names Act does not protect exclusivity, and the registry will accept a name identical to one already on record. If someone later registers a name that is the same as or deceptively similar to yours and you suffer damages, the Act gives you a narrow right to claim compensation and to ask the court to cancel their registration. That remedy is limited and expensive to enforce.
If the name matters to your brand, the real protection is a registered trademark under the federal Trademarks Act, filed with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. A registered trademark gives you exclusive rights across Canada for the goods and services you register. In our practice, we treat the name registration as a compliance step and the trademark as a separate branding decision, and we walk clients through both at the start.
What Does It Cost to Register a Business Name in Ontario?
The government filing fee depends on your structure. These are the online filing fees through the Ontario Business Registry as of July 2026. Fees change, so confirm the current amount on the official Ontario fee page before you file.
| Registration type | Government fee | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietorship | $60 | 5 years |
| General partnership | $60 | 5 years |
| Business name for a corporation | $60 | 5 years |
| Ontario limited liability partnership | $60 | 5 years |
| Ontario limited partnership | $210 | 5 years |
| Renewal of a business name | $60 | 5 more years |
Two other costs come up. A NUANS name search report is mandatory when you incorporate a named corporation, and it comes from private search providers at prices that vary by provider. And if you use a lawyer or a filing service, professional fees apply on top of the government fee.
How to Register a Business Name in Ontario Step by Step
Step 1. Choose a name the registry will accept
Ontario limits what you can register. The name cannot suggest that the business is incorporated when it is not, so a sole proprietorship cannot use Inc., Ltd., or Corporation. It cannot imply a connection to the government, and it cannot be obscene or misleading. Beyond the legal limits, pick a name that is distinct in your market. A name that blends into your competitors invites confusion and, in the worst case, a passing off claim.
Step 2. Confirm your business structure first
Your structure decides what you register and what it costs. A sole proprietorship is the fastest and cheapest to set up, a partnership needs a firm name registration and should have a partnership agreement behind it, and a corporation registers a trade name only if it operates under something other than its legal corporate name. If you have not settled this yet, read our guides on choosing a business structure and on the sole proprietorship, or speak with us before you file. Registering under the wrong structure is a common and avoidable false start.
Step 3. Search before you commit
Search the Ontario Business Registry for free to see whether the name is already in use. Remember that the registry will let someone register a duplicate, so a clean search protects you, not the system. We also recommend searching the Canadian trademarks database and checking domain availability before you print a single business card. If you are incorporating a named corporation, you must order an Ontario biased NUANS report from a private provider. A federally biased NUANS report will not be accepted for an Ontario incorporation.
Step 4. File through the Ontario Business Registry
Since October 2021, business name registrations are filed online through the Ontario Business Registry. You will create an Ontario.ca account, then enter the business name, the business address, a description of the activity with its NAICS code, and the owner information. The NAICS code is a standard industry code, and the registry requires one for every registration. Filing online is immediate for most registrations.
Step 5. Pay the fee
Pay the government fee by credit or debit card as part of the online filing. Keep the receipt with your business records.
Step 6. Save the three things the registry gives you
After filing, you receive your Business Name Registration document, which replaced the old Master Business Licence, a nine digit Business Identification Number, and a company key. The BIN is issued by the province and is not the same as the federal business number that the Canada Revenue Agency issues for tax accounts. The company key is the password that controls your registration. You will need it to renew, amend, or cancel the registration, so store it somewhere you will find it in five years. And if your address, activity, or ownership information changes, the registry expects you to update the record within 15 days.
How Long Does a Business Name Registration Last?
A business name registration lasts five years from the date it is filed. The province does not reliably remind you, so the renewal date belongs in your own compliance calendar. You can renew in the months before expiry, and there is a short grace window of up to 60 days after expiry. Miss that window and the registration cannot be renewed. You must file a brand new registration, which means a new BIN, and that ripples into your bank records, your CRA accounts, and any licence that references the old number. Renewal costs the same $60 and takes minutes online. Letting it lapse costs far more in administration than the fee ever would.
What Happens If You Do Not Register?
Three consequences, in rising order of pain.
First, the fine. Carrying on business under an unregistered name is an offence under the Business Names Act. Individuals face fines of up to $2,000 and corporations face fines of up to $25,000, and directors and officers who allow the contravention can be fined up to $2,000 personally.
Second, the courtroom problem. A business operating under an unregistered name cannot maintain a court proceeding in Ontario in connection with that business, except with leave of the court. Picture suing a client for an unpaid $30,000 invoice and discovering you must first ask a judge for permission because your name was never registered. You can usually fix it by registering and seeking leave, but you fix it on the defendant’s schedule. Your contracts do not become void, which is a small mercy the Act spells out.
Third, personal exposure for corporate owners. A corporation carrying on business under a registered operating name must show both the operating name and the full corporate name on its contracts, invoices, and orders. Ontario courts have held business owners personally liable where the paperwork never revealed that the customer was dealing with a corporation. Two lines on an invoice template prevent that entire risk.
The Mistakes We See Most Often
In our practice, the same handful of errors accounts for most of the business name problems that land on our desks.
- Treating registration as name protection. Owners invest in signage and marketing believing the $60 filing reserved the name. It did not. When a competitor with a registered trademark sends a demand letter, the rebrand costs thousands.
- Missing the five year renewal. The registration quietly expires, the name becomes unregistered, and the owner finds out when the bank flags the account or a lawsuit stalls.
- Dropping the corporate name from invoices. The invoice shows only the operating name, a deal goes bad, and the owner is sued personally.
- Registering before searching trademarks. The registry accepted the name, but a federal trademark holder did not.
- Losing the company key. Without it, renewing or amending the registration becomes a recovery exercise with the ministry instead of a five minute filing.
How We Handle Business Name Registration at Insight Law
When a client retains us for a business registration, we start with a short consultation on structure, because the structure decision drives everything else. We then review the proposed name against the Ontario Business Registry, the Canadian trademarks database, and common law use, file the registration, and deliver the Business Name Registration document, the BIN, and the company key in a single organized package. Most straightforward registrations are completed within a few days of the initial consultation.
“The registration itself takes minutes. The value is in what happens before it, checking that the name is actually safe to build a brand on”
Demet Altunbulakli, Founding Lawyer
Registration vs Incorporation vs Trademark
Owners often conflate these three. They solve different problems.
| Question | Business name registration | Incorporation | Registered trademark |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it creates | A public record of your trade name | A separate legal entity | Exclusive rights to a brand |
| Protects the name from others | No | Partial protection for the corporate name in Ontario | Yes, across Canada |
| Limits personal liability | No | Yes | No |
| Government fee | $60 | $300 in Ontario | Federal filing fees apply |
| How long it lasts | 5 years, renewable | Indefinite while in good standing | 10 years, renewable |
| Where it is filed | Ontario Business Registry | Ontario Business Registry | Canadian Intellectual Property Office |
If liability protection is the goal, a name registration alone does nothing for you. Read our guide on business incorporation to see whether incorporating fits your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register if I operate under my own name?
No. If you carry on business under your exact personal legal name and nothing more, the Business Names Act does not require registration. Adding any word changes that. Jane Doe needs no registration, but Jane Doe Consulting must be registered, because the added word makes it a business name rather than a personal name.
Does registering my business name stop others from using it?
No. Registration is a public record filing, not a grant of ownership. The registry will accept identical or similar names, and your main remedy against a copycat registrant is a narrow compensation claim under the Act. For real exclusivity, register a trademark federally. Many of our clients do both, the name registration for compliance and the trademark for protection.
What is the difference between a BIN and a CRA business number?
The Business Identification Number is a nine digit number issued by the Ontario government when you register a business name, and it identifies the registration in the provincial system. The business number is a separate nine digit number issued by the Canada Revenue Agency for federal tax accounts such as HST and payroll. You will likely end up with both, and banks and government forms may ask for either, so keep both with your records.
What happened to the Master Business Licence?
It was retired when the Ontario Business Registry launched in October 2021. The document you receive now is called a Business Name Registration, and it serves the same purpose as proof of registration for banks, suppliers, and licensing bodies. Older Master Business Licences remained valid until their expiry dates, and on renewal you receive the new style of document.
Can a corporation register more than one business name?
Yes. A single corporation can register as many operating names as it needs, one for each brand, division, or location, while remaining one legal entity. Each name is a separate registration with its own fee and its own five year renewal date. This is a common and cost effective way to run several brands without incorporating a separate company for each one.
Can I change my business name after registering?
A change to the business name itself is not an amendment. It means registering the new name and cancelling the old one, each through the Ontario Business Registry using your company key. Changes to details such as the address or the business activity are filed as amendments to the existing registration, and the registry expects updates within 15 days of the change.
The information provided above is of a general nature and should not be considered legal advice. Every transaction or circumstance is unique, and obtaining specific legal advice is necessary to address your particular requirements. Therefore, if you have any legal questions, it is recommended that you consult with a lawyer.
