Check if a Canada company is active
Free, official, source-cited — updated 2026-06.
Search Company Records in Canada
3 free lookups per day. No sign-up required.
How do I check whether a company is still active in Canada?
Search the company by name or registration number and read its status field. On Corporations Canada, an "active" or "registered" status means the entity is currently on the register; "dissolved", "struck off" or "liquidation" means it is not trading legally.
Step-by-step
- 1
Find the company
Search by name or registration number to open the correct record.
- 2
Read the status field
The status is the register's own verdict on whether the entity currently exists. Treat anything other than active/registered as a red flag before contracting.
- 3
Check the last filing date
An entity can be nominally active but years behind on filings. A long gap since the last filing is a warning sign even when the status reads active.
- 4
Confirm at the source
Status changes propagate from Corporations Canada at https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html. For a decision with money attached, confirm there.
https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a Canada company is still trading?
The register's status field is the authoritative answer. An active/registered status on Corporations Canada means the entity is currently on the register. It does not by itself prove the business is operating, so also check the most recent filing date.
What does "dissolved" or "struck off" mean?
The entity has been removed from the register and can no longer legally trade or enter into contracts. Any invoice or agreement issued under that name after removal should be treated as invalid.
Is checking company status in Canada free?
Yes — status is part of the free public record on Corporations Canada. No account is needed.
Should I search federal or provincial?
If you know the company incorporated federally, search Corporations Canada. Otherwise, most Canadian businesses register provincially. Ontario (ONBIS), BC (BC Registry), Alberta (CORES), and Quebec (REQ) each have separate searchable databases.
People also ask about check whether a company is still active in Canada
The exact questions searchers type into Google — answered from the primary source.
Is the Canada company register free to search?
Yes. Basic company lookups on the Corporations Canada / Provincial Registries are free — you can search by company name or registration number, view legal status, registered address and (usually) directors at no cost. Some jurisdictions charge a small fee only for downloading full filed documents.
What is the official Canada business registry?
The Corporations Canada / Provincial Registries is the official public register of companies incorporated in Canada. It is operated by the government and is the primary source cited on this page — https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html.
Related guides and tools
More Canada guides
- Search companies by name
Find any registered company from a partial name — free, no signup.
- Search the company register
What the official register holds, and how to search it free.
- Search the business registry
Match a trading name to the registered legal entity behind it.
- Find the right entity
Tell apart several entities registered under near-identical names.
Canada data
- Canada company search
Search every Corporations Canada / Provincial Registries record.
- Corporations Canada guide
Corporations Canada / ISED