LP Registration – Extra-Provincial Limited Partnership in Alberta

A limited partnership (LP) is a partnership with one or more general partners who run the business and one or more limited partners who invest in it. In Alberta, LPs are registered under the Partnership Act, the same statute that covers trade names and general partnerships. An LP formed elsewhere keeps its home registration; Alberta registration adds it to the Alberta record so it can carry on business here.

When an out of province limited partnership must register in Alberta

Alberta requires an entity formed outside the province to register once it carries on business here, which includes soliciting business in Alberta or having a resident agent, representative, warehouse, office or place of business in Alberta. That test is written for corporations; the Partnership Act wording for LPs is close to it.

The route depends on where the LP was formed:

• British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Manitoba. These are New West Partnership (NWPTA) jurisdictions, and NWPTA covers LPs. Registration goes through Alberta's Online Extra-provincial Registration, which alberta.ca describes as free of government cost.
• Ontario, Quebec, the other provinces, the United States or another country. The extra-provincial LP registration is filed through a registry agent with the home-jurisdiction documents.

Who this is for

• The Ontario LP, often a real estate or investment vehicle, that has taken on an Alberta project or Alberta investors.
• The BC, Saskatchewan or Manitoba LP that wants the NWPTA filing done correctly the first time.
• The law clerk, paralegal or accountant registering an LP for a client who needs the filed documents in PDF for the record book and partner pricing.
• The LP formed outside Canada that needs an Alberta agent for service as well as the registration.

How it works

1. You complete the short online form with the LP's name, home jurisdiction, general partners and the Alberta agent for service.
2. You upload the home-jurisdiction documents. If you do not have a current certificate of status, we tell you how to order one from the home registry.
3. A CORES-trained agent reviews the package against Alberta's requirements and the home documents, and orders the Alberta NUANS report (a name search that reserves the name for 90 days) if one is needed.
4. We submit the registration through a licensed Alberta registry agent, or through the NWPTA online route for BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba LPs. ACS is a private company; we are not a government office or a registry agent.
5. You receive the filed documents and confirmation by email within 1–2 business days of a complete package.

Common mistakes we catch before filing

• Registering a trade name instead of the LP. A trade name covers an individual or a corporation operating under another name; it does not register a limited partnership.
• A certificate of status that is months old. Alberta expects proof of current standing from the home registry; we tell you the same day if yours needs refreshing.
• An agent for service outside Alberta, or a company named instead of an individual.
• Assuming the NWPTA route applies to an Ontario LP. It covers BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba only.

What you need before you start

• The LP's exact registered name and its home-jurisdiction registration number.
• A certified copy of the LP's home registration (the certificate or declaration of limited partnership).
• Proof of current status from the home registry, such as a certificate of status or good standing.
• The name and address of each general partner.
• An agent for service: an individual located in Alberta with an Alberta address. We can act as your agent for service.
• Valid government photo ID for the person signing.

Requirements in Alberta

• The agent for service must be an individual located in Alberta; they do not need to be a lawyer.
• Registering a business name in Alberta does not protect the name; a NUANS search reduces the risk of a conflict with an existing Alberta name.
• Alberta business names have no periodic renewal. Changes of partners or address and cancellations are filed through a registry agent. Whether an extra-provincial LP files an Alberta annual return is a point we confirm before you order.