Quick facts
- Cost: the lookup is free. A corporate profile report is $68, a certificate of status is $68, and a certified copy of articles or a certificate is $68, all plus GST.
- Time: the lookup is immediate. Registry products are usually emailed the same business day.
- Who can search: anyone. You do not need to own or represent the corporation.
- What you need: the corporation's legal name, not its trade name, or its corporate access number.
Whether you are checking a contractor before you pay a deposit, confirming your own corporation is still in good standing, or pulling records for a closing, the process is the same. Look it up, read the status, then order the product that answers your actual question.
Why people search for a company in Alberta
- Before signing. A lease, a supply contract or a joint venture is only as good as the corporation on the other side. Does it exist, and is it active?
- Checking a contractor or supplier. A company that quotes under one name and invoices under another is worth a two-minute search.
- Buying a business. Buyers and their lawyers want the directors, the shareholders and the filing history before money moves.
- Checking your own status. Owners search their own corporation to confirm the annual return was filed and the address on file is current.
- Advisors at closing. Accountants and lawyers order profile reports and certificates of status for financings, sales and reorganizations.
Step 1: Start with a free lookup
Alberta's corporate records live in CORES, the Corporate Registry System run by Service Alberta. Searches, like filings, are processed through registry agents and authorized service providers. Our free lookup gives you the basics without an order:
- the legal name, exactly as registered;
- the status: active, struck, dissolved or amalgamated;
- the corporate access number, the registry's identifier for the corporation;
- the type of entity, such as an Alberta corporation, an extra-provincial corporation or a society; and
- the registration date, which also tells you the anniversary month for annual returns.
Search by legal name, not by brand. "Bow Valley Plumbing" may be a trade name of 1234567 Alberta Ltd., and the corporation is the record you want. If the name search comes up empty, try the legal element variations (Ltd., Inc., Corp.) and any spelling you have seen on an invoice or cheque.
Step 2: Read the status
The status line answers the first question most searches are really asking: is this corporation alive?
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active | The corporation exists and is registered. It does not by itself prove the annual returns are current. |
| Struck | Corporate Registry has dissolved the corporation, usually for repeated failure to file annual returns after notices. |
| Dissolved | The corporation no longer exists, either voluntarily by its shareholders or by the registry. |
| Amalgamated | The corporation combined with one or more others into a single successor corporation; search the successor for the current record. |
| Extra-provincial | A corporation formed outside Alberta, such as a BC, Ontario or federal corporation, registered to carry on business here. |
A struck or dissolved corporation can be revived within 10 years by an interested person, meaning a director, shareholder or creditor. If it is your own corporation, the fix starts with the missed returns; our guide to Alberta annual return deadlines and strike-off explains the sequence and how to catch up.
Step 3: Order the product that answers your question
The free lookup tells you that a corporation exists. The registry's search products tell you who is behind it and whether it is in good standing.
| Your question | Order this | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Who are the directors and shareholders, and what has been filed? | Corporate profile report | Legal name, status, registered office, directors, the top five shareholders with their percentage of voting shares, history and the list of filed documents |
| Is it in good standing, in a form a bank or lender will accept? | Certificate of status | A certificate from Corporate Registry confirming the corporation exists and is in good standing as of the date issued |
| I need the articles or the Certificate of Incorporation itself | Certified copy | A copy of the articles of incorporation or amendment, the certificate or filed notices, certified by the registry |
Who asks for what, in practice:
- Banks and lenders want a certificate of status, and most want one dated recently.
- Buyers and their lawyers want the profile report, then certified copies of the articles.
- Landlords and tender committees usually accept the profile report as proof of existence.
- Owners rebuilding a lost minute book order certified copies of everything on file.
All three are emailed, usually the same business day. If the corporation's annual returns are overdue, file them before ordering a certificate of status; a certificate only helps once the record is clean.
Step 4: Know what a search cannot tell you
A corporate search is a record of registry filings. It will not show:
- Litigation. Lawsuits are court records, not registry records.
- Credit history or debts. Secured debts and credit files are held in other systems.
- Who really controls the business. The report lists the top five voting shareholders on the last annual return, not every beneficial owner.
- Trade names and partnerships in the same result. Business names are registered under the Partnership Act and searched separately.
- Whether a name is free for your own use. That is a different search. If you are choosing a name to incorporate under, you need an Alberta NUANS report; see whether you need a NUANS report in Alberta.
How to search a federal company operating in Alberta
A federal corporation, one incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act, must register extra-provincially before it carries on business in Alberta. Once registered, it appears in an Alberta search as an extra-provincial corporation with its Alberta agent for service on file.
For the corporation's home record, including its federal directors and filings, search the federal corporations database maintained by Corporations Canada. Two searches, two records: the Alberta one tells you it is registered here; the federal one tells you it exists at all.
The same logic applies to BC or Ontario corporations doing business in Alberta. Search Alberta for the extra-provincial registration, and the home province for the underlying corporation.
What Alberta corporate searches cost
| Product | Cost | Typical delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Free lookup (name, status, number, type, registration date) | Free | Immediate |
| Corporate profile report | $68 | Usually the same business day, by email |
| Certificate of status | $68 | Usually the same business day, by email |
| Certified copy of articles, certificate or notices | $68 | Usually the same business day, by email |
Our prices are total fees before GST (5%), government fee included, as of September 2026.
Common mistakes
- Searching the trade name instead of the legal name. The brand on the truck is often not the corporation on the contract. Find the legal name on an invoice or ask.
- Reading "active" as "in good standing." A corporation can be active with annual returns overdue. A certificate of status is the proof; the status line is not.
- Ordering a profile report when the bank wanted a certificate of status. Ask the recipient which document they need before you order.
- Relying on an old certificate. A certificate speaks to the date it was issued. Order a fresh one for a new transaction.
- Assuming a federal corporation is automatically registered in Alberta. It is not. Check for the extra-provincial registration.
- Expecting a search to reveal lawsuits or debts. It will not. Those checks are separate.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Alberta corporate registry search?
Our free lookup shows a corporation's legal name, status, corporate access number, type and registration date at no charge. Alberta's corporate records live in CORES and are accessed through registry agents and authorized service providers, so the detailed profile report is a paid product wherever you order it.
How do I find the directors of an Alberta company?
Order a corporate profile report from Alberta Corporate Registry. It lists the current directors along with the registered office, the top five voting shareholders and the filing history. We email it, usually the same business day, for $68 + GST.
What does 'struck' mean on a corporate search?
Struck means Corporate Registry has dissolved the corporation, most often because annual returns went unfiled after warning notices. The corporation no longer exists as far as the registry is concerned, but an interested person can revive it within 10 years of dissolution.
How do I search a federal company operating in Alberta?
A federal (CBCA) corporation must register extra-provincially to carry on business in Alberta, and once registered it appears in an Alberta corporate search as an extra-provincial corporation. For its home record, search the federal corporations database kept by Corporations Canada.
Next step
Look it up free, then order only what you need. Search any Alberta corporation by name or number at no charge, and order a corporate profile report for $68 + GST when you need the directors, shareholders and filing history. Reports are emailed, usually the same business day.
ACS is a private company. Our CORES-trained agents prepare your filing and submit it through a licensed Alberta registry agent. We are not a government office or a registry agent. Questions? Call (403) XXX-XXXX (Mon–Fri 8:00–6:00 MT).