Federal Corporation – Extra-Provincial Registration in Alberta

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.

CBCA corporation Alberta registration: why federal incorporation is not enough

A corporation incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) can carry its name across Canada, but it must register extra-provincially in Alberta before it carries on business here. "Carrying on business" is broader than many owners expect. It includes soliciting business in Alberta or having a resident agent, representative, warehouse, office or place of business in Alberta.

The registration gives Alberta Corporate Registry a record of your corporation, an Alberta address for notices and an individual in Alberta who can accept legal documents on its behalf. It does not create a new corporation; your CBCA corporation stays federal.

Who this is for

• Federal corporations opening an Alberta office, hiring in Alberta or signing Alberta contracts, whose owners want the registration done before the first invoice goes out.
• Companies based in Ontario, Quebec or BC that incorporated federally and are now bidding on Alberta work or placing a representative here.
• Accounting and law firms registering a client's federal corporation in Alberta, who want the exact forms, a filed copy for the minute book and same-day confirmation.
• Founders who have just incorporated federally and were told by their accountant that Alberta registration is the next step.

How it works

1. Order online (about 10 minutes). Enter the corporation's federal details, directors, the Alberta address and the agent for service. The total price is shown before you pay.
2. Send us your documents. Certified copies of the charter documents (articles and any amendments) and proof of current status from Corporations Canada. We tell you exactly what to request and from where.
3. We prepare the package. The Statement of Registration (REG3055) and the Notice of Agent for Service (REG3037), checked against your federal records so the names, addresses and share details match.
4. We file through our licensed registry agent partner, [Partner registry agent name], the same business day for complete packages received before 3:00 pm MT.
5. We email the filed registration and every document as PDFs as soon as Corporate Registry issues them, formatted for your minute book.

Common mistakes we catch before filing

• Charter documents that are plain copies rather than certified copies from Corporations Canada.
• A status document that is out of date, or that shows the corporation is in default of its federal annual return.
• An agent for service who lives outside Alberta, or a corporate name entered as the agent when it must be an individual.
• A corporate name on the Alberta forms that does not match the federal name exactly, including the legal element.
• Ordering an Alberta NUANS report that a CBCA corporation does not need, and paying for it.

What you need before you start

1. Your federal corporation number and legal name exactly as shown on the Certificate of Incorporation.
2. Certified copies of the charter documents from Corporations Canada: the Articles of Incorporation and any Articles of Amendment, amalgamation or continuance.
3. Proof of current status from Corporations Canada showing the corporation is in good standing.
4. Directors. Full names and addresses as recorded federally.
5. An Alberta address for the corporation's records and notices.
6. An agent for service: an individual located in Alberta with an Alberta address. We provide one if you have no one here.
7. Valid ID for the person who signs as our contact, which our registry agent partner requires.

Requirements in Alberta

• When to register: before carrying on business in Alberta, which includes soliciting business in Alberta or having a resident agent, representative, warehouse, office or place of business in Alberta.
• Package: Statement of Registration (REG3055), Notice of Agent for Service (REG3037), certified charter documents, proof of current status from the home registry and valid ID.
• NUANS: not required. Alberta exempts CBCA corporations from the Alberta NUANS report that other out-of-province corporations must file with their registration.
• Agent for service: an individual located in Alberta; the agent does not need to be a lawyer.
• Government fee: paid on your behalf and included in the price.
• After registration: an annual return with Corporations Canada each year, and an Alberta annual return for extra-provincial corporations.

The step that takes longest is usually getting certified copies and the status document from Corporations Canada, so order those first.