Non-resident corporations · Ontario and across Canada

Own a Canadian company from anywhere in the world.

You do not have to live in Canada to own an Ontario corporation. Marcia Dunkley Gabriel prepares your articles of incorporation, files them with you, and shows every fee before you pay.

Or call 289 921 0063, Monday to Friday

Set-up and first year Ontario company, owner living in Jamaica
ItemPaid toAmount
Service fee, set-up and first yearPaid to Canadian Legal ConsultantsCanadian Legal Consultants$1,750.00
Ontario articles of incorporationPaid to Ontario Business RegistryOntario Business Registry$300.00
Business numberPaid to Canada Revenue AgencyCanada Revenue Agency$0.00
HST on the service fee (not charged)$0.00
Total you pay$2,050.00 CAD

Your own bank may add a foreign-transaction fee to a card payment made from outside Canada.

Choose your route

Choose where you live and what you want to do. You will see the route, what it costs and what you will need.

Canada · Start a company

An Ontario company, set up with you

You file the articles in your own name on a video call with us, so nothing is done behind your back and you learn how your company works.

What happens

  1. First consultation
  2. Choose a named or a numbered company
  3. File the Ontario articles together on a call
  4. Register the business number with the Canada Revenue Agency
  5. Receive your records and yearly dates

What you will need

  • Photo ID
  • Your home address
  • The names and addresses of each director and shareholder
  • Two or three name ideas, if you want a named company
Typical time
About one to two weeks
Service fee
$1,250
Government fee
$300 Ontario filing fee

See the package

Jamaica, The United States, Another country in the Caribbean, Somewhere else · Start a company

An Ontario company from outside Canada

An Ontario corporation does not need a director who lives in Canada. It does need an address in Ontario for its registered office, which this route includes for the first year.

What happens

  1. First consultation by video or WhatsApp
  2. File the Ontario articles together on a call
  3. Registered office address in Ontario for 12 months
  4. Business number from the Canada Revenue Agency
  5. Bank application prepared, and introductions

What you will need

  • Passport
  • Proof of your home address
  • The names and addresses of each director and shareholder
Typical time
About two to four weeks
Service fee
$1,750, with one year of registered office
Government fee
$300 Ontario filing fee

A federal company usually needs at least one director who lives in Canada, so most owners abroad start in Ontario.

See the package

* · Trade goods across the border

Import and export set-up

Canada does not issue one general import and export licence. A business registers a business number, then an import-export account with the Canada Revenue Agency. Owners outside Canada can register too.

What happens

  1. Business number registration
  2. Import-export account added to it
  3. An introduction to a licensed customs broker to clear your goods

What you will need

  • Your company's details, or your own if you trade as a sole owner
  • What you plan to import or export
Typical time
Usually within a few business days
Service fee
Quoted after a first consultation
Government fee
None, registration is free

Clearing goods at the border is done by you or by a licensed customs broker. We introduce you to one.

Book a consultation

* · Open a business bank account

Business bank account application

We prepare your application and the documents banks ask for, and introduces you to banks that work with businesses like yours.

What happens

  1. Check what the bank will ask for
  2. Prepare the application and documents
  3. Introduction to the bank
  4. Follow-up until the bank decides

What you will need

  • Company documents
  • Photo ID for each owner
  • Proof of address
  • A short description of the business
Typical time
Usually two to six weeks
Service fee
$750
Government fee
None

Each bank runs its own checks and makes its own decision. Nobody can promise an account will be opened.

See the package

* · Book a consultation first

Start with a conversation

One hour with a consultant, then a written note of your route and what it will cost. The fee is credited in full if you start a package within 30 days.

What happens

  1. Book a time that suits you
  2. Talk through your plans, then receive your route in writing

What you will need

  • A few lines about what you want to do
Typical time
Usually within a few business days
Service fee
$250, credited to a package
Government fee
None

Book a consultation

An open document case with its folders on a table

What happens after you pay

You see the whole road before you pay. Every step names who does it.

  1. You pay
  2. Within a minute

    Your receipt and the next steps arrive by email

    The receipt lists every fee and names the consultant handling your file, with a direct line.

    Sent automatically
  3. Within one business day

    Marcia writes to you herself

    She confirms what she needs from you and books your first call at a time that suits you, in your own time zone.

    Your consultant
  4. On the first call

    You agree the plan for your company

    The name, the directors, the address and the order of the steps. You then receive a private link for your documents.

    You and your consultant
  5. At each government step

    A short message each time something moves

    Name checked, articles filed, certificate issued, business number issued. You do not have to ask where things stand.

    Your consultant
  6. At the end

    One folder with everything in it

    Your certificate, articles, business number, and one page listing what your company must file each year, and when.

    Your consultant

Why a Canadian company

  • Own all of it from abroad. For most businesses, owners outside Canada can hold 100% of the shares.
  • No citizenship needed. An Ontario corporation does not need a director who lives in Canada.
  • A separate legal person. The company signs its own contracts and carries its own debts, generally apart from yours.
  • A respected Canadian address. Trade in Canada under your own Canadian company, with a registered office in Ontario.
  • A base in North America. Sell to customers in Canada and the United States from your own Canadian company.

What you receive

  • Articles of incorporation, prepared for you and filed together on a call, in your name
  • Certificate of incorporation from the Ontario Business Registry
  • Business number from the Canada Revenue Agency, for invoices, banking and customs
  • Registered office in Ontario for the first year, with your mail scanned to you

See every package

Book a consultation

One hour by video, phone or in person, then a written note of your route and what it will cost. The $250 fee is credited in full if you start a package within 30 days.

A phone resting on notebooks beside a laptop and a cup of coffee on a wooden desk

Good to know before you start

  • Government fees are shown apart from our fee, at cost, on every package.
  • Banks and government offices make their own decisions. Nobody can promise an approval, and we will not.
  • Canadian Legal Consultants does not give legal, tax or immigration advice. When you need a lawyer, an accountant, a licensed immigration consultant or a customs broker, we will tell you.
  • Every Canadian company files a corporate tax return each year, wherever its owners live. For tax questions, we introduce an accountant.
  • No HST is added to our fees.

Start your company

Start a package today, or book a consultation first. The same consultant handles your file from the first message to the last record.