Extra-Provincial Annual Returns – File Your Alberta Return Online

Extra-provincial annual return in Alberta: who files and who does not

An out-of-province corporation that carries on business in Alberta (soliciting business here, or having a resident agent, representative, warehouse, office or place of business in Alberta) must be registered extra-provincially. Keeping that registration current is a yearly task, and which task depends on where the corporation was formed.

• Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, the territories and foreign corporations: file an Alberta annual return through a registry agent each year. This page.
• Federal (CBCA) corporations: file the federal annual return with Corporations Canada (reported at $12) and the Alberta extra-provincial return. One does not replace the other.
• British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba corporations (NWPTA): register through Alberta's Online Extra-provincial Registration, and changes filed at home, including annual returns, flow to Alberta automatically at no cost. There is usually nothing to file in Alberta; we tell you if your record says otherwise.

The Alberta return is a registry filing. It is separate from the home-jurisdiction annual return, from the T2 corporate tax return your CPA files with CRA, and from the resolutions in your minute book.

Who this is for

• The out-of-province owner with an Alberta site, branch or sales presence, who wants the Alberta filing handled from one place with the home filing.
• The federal corporation that assumed the Corporations Canada return covered Alberta.
• The law clerk, paralegal or CPA maintaining extra-provincial registrations for a client list, who wants same-day confirmation, PDFs for the minute book and partner pricing.

How it works

1. Fill in the short online form: the corporation's name, its Alberta registration details, current directors, head office and Alberta addresses, and the Alberta agent for service. We confirm the registration's status first with our free corporate lookup.
2. A CORES-trained agent reviews the return against the Alberta record within one business hour.
3. We submit it through a licensed Alberta registry agent into CORES, Alberta's Corporate Registry System. ACS is a private company; we are not a government office or a registry agent.
4. You receive the confirmation and the filed return by email the same business day for orders received before 3:00 pm MT, and a reminder before next year's due date.

If a return cannot be filed, our refund policy explains what happens.

Common mistakes we catch before filing

• Directors changed at home but not in Alberta. The Alberta record is confirmed on the return, so stale directors stay on it for another year.
• An agent for service who has left Alberta. The agent must be an individual located in Alberta; see agent for service changes.
• A head office that moved without an Alberta change of head office filing.
• A missed year skipped over. Each outstanding year is filed in order.

What you need before you start

• The corporation's legal name and home jurisdiction, and its Alberta registration number.
• The current directors and their addresses.
• The head office address and any Alberta place of business.
• The name and Alberta address of the agent for service.
• A credit card. No registry login is needed, because owners cannot file in CORES themselves.

Requirements in Alberta

• A registered extra-provincial corporation keeps its Alberta record current and files the Alberta annual return each year.
• The agent for service must be an individual located in Alberta; a lawyer is not required.
• A proof of current status from the home registry may be requested when a registration has lapsed.