How to find a company's registration number in Canada
Free, official, source-cited — updated 2026-06.
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How do I find a company's registration number in Canada?
Search the company's name on Corporations Canada at https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html. The result page shows its registration number — the same identifier that appears on invoices, contracts, and government filings.
Step-by-step
- 1
Open Corporations Canada
Navigate to https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html.
https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html - 2
Search by company name
Type the exact trading or legal name. Partial matches usually work; add the city if the name is common.
- 3
Copy the registration number
The registration number is displayed at the top of the entity profile. It is the authoritative ID for cross-referencing.
- 4
Confirm it's the right entity
Check the registered address and incorporation date to be sure you have the correct legal entity, especially for groups with similarly named subsidiaries.
Frequently asked questions
Where is a Canada company's registration number published?
It appears on the entity's public profile in Corporations Canada (https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html) and must be quoted on invoices, contracts, and official correspondence.
Is looking up a Canada registration number free?
Yes. Basic name-to-number lookup on Corporations Canada is free and does not require an account.
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 find a company's registration number 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.
Where do I find a Canada company's registration number?
Every registered Canada entity has a unique registration number issued at incorporation. It appears on invoices, contracts, the company's website footer (often in a "legal" section), and prominently on its Corporations Canada / Provincial Registries record.
Is a Canada registration number the same as a VAT number?
No. The registration number is the identifier issued by the Corporations Canada / Provincial Registries when the company was formed. The VAT number is a separate tax identifier issued (only if the company is VAT-registered) by the national tax authority. Many small companies have a registration number but no VAT number.
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