Dental Professional Corporation – CDSA-Compliant Incorporation in Alberta

The CDSA's own fees ($400 for a new professional corporation and $100 for the annual permit) are paid to the CDSA and are not included. 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.

CDSA requirements for a dental professional corporation in Alberta

• Regulator: the College of Dental Surgeons of Alberta. The Alberta Dental Association is the association and does not approve articles.
• Who may incorporate: only registered CDSA members.
• Signature: the articles must be signed by the incorporating dentist or dentists, not by counsel.
• Submission: by email to [email protected]; the CDSA reviews before the registry filing.
• Shares: voting shares held by registered CDSA members; family members may hold non-voting shares (Bill 53).
• Clauses: the articles must match the CDSA's current requirements, supported by an Alberta NUANS report less than 91 days old.
• Alberta corporation basics: at least one adult director (no Canadian-residency requirement since March 29, 2021), a registered office in Alberta, an agent for service located in Alberta, and the government fee (included in our price).
• After incorporation: an Alberta annual return every year in the anniversary month, and the CDSA annual permit.

CDSA professional corporation fees

These fees are paid to the CDSA. Our $1,494 + GST price covers the incorporation itself: the government fee, consultation, preparation and filing.

Who this is for

• Dentists buying into or opening a practice whose accountant has recommended incorporating before the purchase closes.
• Associates who bill through several clinics and want one corporation to contract through.
• Dentists with an older professional corporation whose articles still refer to the former Alberta Dental Association and College and need amending; the CDSA charges $300 for an amendment.
• Dental specialists who are registered CDSA members and want the sequence handled without a second submission.

How it works

1. Order online (about 10 minutes). Tell us your CDSA number, your name choice and who will hold shares. The total price is shown before you pay.
2. We draft, you sign (same business day for complete orders received before 3:00 pm MT). The CDSA requires the incorporating dentist's own signature on the articles, so we send them to you, not to counsel.
3. CDSA review. Your signed articles are emailed to [email protected]. The CDSA reviews them in about 4 business days and returns the approved articles.
4. Registry filing (same business day). We file the approved articles and the three notices through a licensed registry agent and email your Certificate of Incorporation.
5. Permit. We hand you the certificate and filed documents for the CDSA permit step. The annual permit fee is $100, paid to the CDSA.

Common mistakes we catch before filing

• Template articles that still refer to the former Alberta Dental Association and College instead of the CDSA.
• Articles unsigned, or signed by counsel or the office manager instead of the incorporating dentist.
• Articles dated on the day they were drafted rather than as the CDSA requires.
• Voting shares issued to a spouse or child; family members may hold non-voting shares only.
• A NUANS report that would be more than 90 days old at filing; we time the report around the CDSA's review.

What you need before you start

1. Your CDSA registration number and confirmation that your registration is current. Only registered CDSA members may incorporate a dental professional corporation.
2. The proposed corporate name, which we check and support with an Alberta NUANS report (a name search that reserves the name for 90 days and must be less than 91 days old when filed).
3. Shareholders: you and any dentist co-owners for voting shares, plus any family members for non-voting shares if your CPA advises.
4. Directors: full legal name and address for at least one adult.
5. A registered office (a physical Alberta address) and an agent for service (an individual located in Alberta who receives legal documents for the corporation; we can act as yours).
6. Valid ID for the incorporating dentist, and the CDSA's $400 fee, paid to the CDSA.

• Articles of Incorporation drafted to the CDSA's current requirements: the regulator named correctly, voting shares restricted to registered CDSA members, and non-voting classes for family members where you want them.
• The CDSA submission, assembled for email to [email protected] with your signed articles.
• Same-business-day filing of the approved articles, the Notice of Address, the Notice of Directors and the Notice of Agent for Service, through a licensed registry agent.
• Certificate of Incorporation and every filed document as PDFs, by email.
• Your permit package: the Certificate of Incorporation and filed documents, ready for the CDSA permit step.
• Optional: a minute book with bylaws, organizational resolutions, registers and share certificates that reflect the CDSA share restrictions, added to your order for $389 + GST.
• Reminders before your first Alberta annual return and your CDSA annual permit.