Product Info

Businesses need to register a trade name or ‘doing business as name’ if they intend to do business with a name different from the company name.
The process is same as registering a sole proprietorship with the only difference that the name is owned by a company instead of an individual.

A BC Trade name is registered with BC OneStop and is owned by one owner company or corporation.

After the registration process you will receive a Statement of registration issues by the BC Registries which will be sufficient to acquire City/Municipality permits & licenses, setup a bank account and to operate the business under this name.

A trade name can generally conduct most types of businesses as well as the actions necessary to conduct the business, like entering into contracts and setting up a bank account to receive cheques and other types of payments & transactions necessary for running a business.

It is the right choice if you have multiple lines of businesses and requires separate documentation and bank accounts.

Checklist

Who can register:

  • Anyone can register a Trade Name.
  • Currently there is no citizenship or residency requirement for people who can register it.

What is required to register a Sole Proprietorship:

  • A name approval number from BC Registries for the Trade Name.
  • A physical address or street address in the Province of British Columbia where the business is to be carried on.
  • Name and address of the business owner. This can be an individual or a corporation.

What you get

After registering the Trade Name, you will receive the following as pdf documents by email:

Articles Sample Docs
Statement of registration
Sample Document
Business Number
Sample Document
Business seal (if included)
Sample Document
CRA Accounts: GST, Payroll, Import-export (if included)
Sample Document
PST Program Account
Sample Document
The Workers’ Compensation Board of BC (WorkSafeBC) registration (if included)
Sample Document

Timeline

We offer 3 Service Queues. Processing time varies based on the availability of the business name approval at the time of placing this order.

Option 1. We submit the name approval to B.C.

  • Regular Queue: Trade name registration in 4 weeks.
  • Express Queue: Trade name registration in 2 weeks.
  • Super-Express Queue: Trade name registration in 1 business day.

Option 2. You already have a Name approved from B.C.

  • Regular Queue: Trade name registration in 10 business days.
  • Express Queue: Trade name registration in 2 business days.
  • Super-Express Queue: Trade name registration in 2 business HOURS.

FAQs

Is Trade Name registration right for you?
  • It depends on the purpose of the registration and needs of the individual involved
  • It the best option for a Self-Employed person operating a business in a small scale.
  • If you are self-employed and there is no need to separate personal assets from the business, then it the right form of registration.
What are the advantages of registering a BC Trade Name?
  • A Trade Name is a business that is owned by one person.
  • Easy to setup and start, least expensive to operate.
  • Easy tax filing process.
Can I enter into job contracts, sub-contracts and open a business bank account with this registration?

Yes.