CBCA Federal Corp, Provincial Entities, and ULC — Formed in 5–10 Days
Federal CBCA, Ontario/BC/Alberta provincial corps, ULC structures. Open to non-residents. Formation in 5–10 business days. Registered agent, minute book, and share registry included.
What Company Formation includes in Canada
What you receive
How it works
Useful materials
Where to register and how we differ
Company Formation in Canada — frequently asked questions
Yes. Non-residents can fully own a Canadian corporation. The CBCA requires that at least 25% of directors be Canadian residents, but BC and Alberta have no such requirement, making them the preferred jurisdictions for 100% non-resident ownership and control. INNOVA CG provides a nominee Canadian resident director for CBCA and Ontario incorporations to satisfy the statutory threshold without giving up operational control.
Under the CBCA and Ontario Business Corporations Act, at least 25% of the board must be Canadian residents. For a standard 3-person board, one resident director suffices. British Columbia's Business Corporations Act and Alberta's Business Corporations Act both abolished the residency requirement in 2019–2022, allowing a board composed entirely of non-residents. INNOVA CG supplies nominee resident directors for CBCA/Ontario structures.
A CBCA (federal) corporation can carry on business in any province under its federal name with a standard extra-provincial registration. Provincial corporations (Ontario, BC, Alberta) are chartered by the relevant province and must register extra-provincially to operate elsewhere. CBCA offers greater portability; BC and Alberta offer simpler director residency rules; Ontario is preferred for a purely Ontario-based operation or for regulated financial businesses.
Federal CBCA incorporation via the online Corporations Canada portal takes 1–5 business days. You need a proposed corporate name (or a numbered company), the Articles of Incorporation specifying share structure, a registered office address in Canada, and director information including a government-issued ID. INNOVA CG provides the registered address and nominee director and completes the filing on your behalf.
A ULC is a special corporate form available in British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia where shareholders bear unlimited personal liability for corporate debts. This liability feature is typically unattractive for domestic use but is sought specifically by US parent companies: the IRS treats a ULC as a disregarded entity or partnership, allowing US tax losses of the Canadian subsidiary to flow up to the US parent, making it a key tool in cross-border tax planning.