Alberta Corporation – Incorporate Online, Filed 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. CORES is Alberta's Corporate Registry System, and business owners cannot file in it themselves.

Named or numbered company in Alberta: which should you choose?

A named corporation needs three parts: a distinctive element, a descriptive element and a legal element (Ltd., Limited, Inc., Incorporated, Corp. or Corporation). "Aspen Grove Plumbing Ltd." has all three. A named corporation also needs an Alberta NUANS report, a name search that reserves the name for 90 days and must be less than 91 days old when we file.

A numbered company, for example 1234567 Alberta Ltd., needs no NUANS report, so it can be filed as soon as your order is complete. It is the same kind of corporation with the same rights. If you want to trade under a brand later, the corporation can register a trade name, or you can change to a named corporation with Articles of Amendment and a fresh NUANS report.

Who this is for

• First-time founders who have read five websites and still are not sure what articles or share classes are. We define every term and check the package before it is filed.
• Contractors and consultants whose client or accountant has asked them to incorporate before the next contract starts.
• Owners starting a second corporation, often a holding company, who want it done today without re-typing everything.
• Accountants, bookkeepers and law firms filing for clients: documents formatted for the minute book, PDFs the same day, and one account for every client.

How it works

1. Order online (about 10 minutes). Answer plain-language questions; the total price is shown before you pay.
2. We review within about an hour. A trained agent checks the NUANS report for conflicts, the name elements, the addresses, each director's age, the agent for service and the share structure. If anything would be rejected, we call you before filing.
3. We prepare and file. We draft the articles and the three notices and submit the package through our licensed registry agent partner, [Partner registry agent name]. Complete orders received before 3:00 pm MT are filed the same business day.
4. You receive your documents. The Certificate of Incorporation and filed documents arrive by email; a minute book, if selected, follows within 1–2 business days.

Common mistakes we catch before filing

• A name with no distinctive element (for example "Alberta Plumbing Ltd."), or no legal element at all.
• A NUANS report that is more than 90 days old at filing, which the registry will not accept.
• A P.O. box entered as the registered office.
• A director under 18, or no agent for service, or a company named as agent instead of an individual located in Alberta.
• Share classes that do not match what your accountant planned, which means Articles of Amendment later.

What you need before you start

1. Your name choice. Either a proposed name (we can order the Alberta NUANS report and review it for conflicts) or "numbered".
2. A registered office. A physical street address in Alberta where Corporate Registry can send notices; a P.O. box on its own is not enough.
3. Directors. Full legal name and address for at least one adult (18 or older). Directors do not need to live in Canada.
4. An agent for service. An individual located in Alberta, with an Alberta address, who will receive legal documents for the corporation. Choose ours if you have nobody in Alberta.
5. Shareholders and shares. Who receives shares and how many. If your CPA has planned share classes, send us their instructions and we draft the articles to match.
6. Valid ID for the incorporator, the person who signs the articles.

Requirements to incorporate in Alberta

• Name: distinctive + descriptive + legal element, supported by an Alberta NUANS report less than 91 days old; or a numbered name with no report.
• Directors: at least one adult. Alberta removed the Canadian-residency requirement for directors on March 29, 2021.
• Agent for service: mandatory for every Alberta corporation since the 2021 amendments; an individual located in Alberta with an Alberta address, not necessarily a lawyer.
• Registered office: a physical Alberta address, not a P.O. box alone.
• Government fee: paid on your behalf and included in the price.
• Filing route: through a licensed registry agent into CORES; owners cannot file themselves.
• After incorporation: an Alberta annual return is due every year in your anniversary month (none in the year you incorporate). Your business number, GST account and T2 corporate tax return are handled with CRA, not Corporate Registry.

• Articles of Incorporation, the document that creates your corporation and sets out its shares, drafted from your answers and reviewed by a trained agent before filing.
• Notice of Address, Notice of Directors and Notice of Agent for Service, prepared and filed with the articles.
• Certificate of Incorporation and every filed document as PDFs, by email.
• A name check: we read your Alberta NUANS report before we file, or set you up as a numbered company.
• Share structure: standard common shares, or the share classes your CPA specifies.
• Optional extras, priced separately: a minute book with bylaws, organizational resolutions, registers and share certificates, added to your order for $389 + GST, and an agent for service in Alberta if nobody on your team lives here.
• A reminder before your first Alberta annual return, which is due in your anniversary month next year.

Orders received after 3:00 pm MT, or with missing information, are filed the next business day once complete.