Federal corporation status in Canada

What the search covers

Corporations Canada describes its database as the source to confirm the existence of a corporation created under a federal corporate law ¹. It does not include financial institutions, insurance companies or loan and trust companies, or corporations created under provincial, territorial or foreign laws ¹. For those, it points to Canada's Business Registries ¹.

After a transaction with Corporations Canada, the database may take several hours to show the update ¹. A status read on the same day as a filing can be out of date.

How a corporation is dissolved by the Director

Section 212 of the CBCA lets the Director issue a certificate of dissolution on set grounds ³.

• The corporation has not commenced business within three years after the date in its certificate of incorporation ².
• It has not carried on its business for three consecutive years ².
• It is in default for one year in sending the Director any required fee, notice or document ².
• Other grounds include having no directors and being designated a listed entity ³.

Notice and timing

Before dissolving, the Director must give 120 days' notice to the corporation and each director, and publish notice in a publication available to the public ³. The listed-entity ground is exempt from this notice ³. The Director may issue the certificate only after the notice period ends, and only if no cause to the contrary is shown ³.

The corporation ceases to exist on the date shown in the certificate of dissolution ². Every corporation must send the Director an annual return in the form and period the Director fixes ².

Not-for-profit corporations follow a parallel process. Corporations Canada publishes notices under paragraph 222(2) of the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, stating it will dissolve listed corporations if cause to the contrary is not shown within 120 days of the notice sent to them ⁴.

Revival after dissolution

Section 209 lets any interested person apply to the Director to revive a dissolved corporation, by sending articles of revival ². The Director issues a certificate of revival if the conditions the Director considers reasonable are met and there is no valid reason to refuse ². The corporation is revived on the date shown on that certificate ².

A revived corporation is restored to its previous position in law, as if it had not been dissolved, and is liable for the obligations it would have had ². Legal actions about its affairs taken between dissolution and revival are valid ². Property not disposed of at dissolution vests in the Crown, and property other than money is returned on revival if it has not been disposed of ².

Monthly transaction lists

Corporations Canada publishes Monthly Transactions, listing federal corporations issued certificates under the CBCA, the Canada Cooperatives Act or the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, with the transaction date and file number ⁵. Only the latest month is online, which was August 2026 when the page was last modified on 5 October 2026 ⁵. Archived months are available on request, processed within 10 business days ⁵.