How To Get A Copy Of My Ontario Articles Of Incorporation
Originally posted Aug 17, 2023
The Articles of Incorporation, which file articles under the Business Corporations Act (BCA) or the Not-For-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA), are the legal document that is the formation documents to start a corporation in Ontario. The Business Corporations Act BCA creates a limited liability company within Ontario and the Not-For-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) creates non profit corporations. These are the beginning incorporation documents for any corporation in Ontario and are available as part of the public record for anyone who wishes to obtain a copy.
If you have misplaced or you are doing due diligence and want to see the original documents forming a corporation, you might wonder where and how to find the Articles of Incorporation. Fortunately, these documents can be retrieved from the Province of Ontario, from where you can easily obtain a copy of the original Articles of Incorporation. The documents are now available electronically, and we make the process simple for any Ontario business by offering you the ability to order with us online, whether the corporation is a profit or not for profit corporation.
Because everything is now available electronically, the ordering process can be completed much more expediently. Whereas previously, any requests for copies of Articles of Incorporation in Ontario needed to be made in person at the Service Ontario manual filings office on University Avenue, we are now able to access these documents faster through electronic requests. Once received, we are able to quickly get these sent to you by email from where you can easily download the required Articles of Incorporation in Ontario.
You can also request related documents for your limited partnership or corporation, such as any Articles of Amendment (corporate business name change or structure change) or Notices of Change (directors, officer and address changes) prior to 1995 on the corporate record. These would all be included as part of the archived documents for the corporation. For Articles of Amendment filed after October 2021, a separate request for copies would need to be made, as these are not included in the corporation’s archived documents.
When you place an order for the Articles of Incorporation in Ontario with our office, you can specify what document retrieval you would like. Most commonly, most individuals simply request a copy of the Articles of Incorporation. If you believe the corporation may have changed the corporate business name or structure, including any specific rights attaching to each class of shares after October 2021, also order the Articles of Amendment.
Please be aware that the original Articles of Incorporation never change, even if there are changes to the corporation over time. As examples, if the corporation has had updates, such as director or registered office address changes, structure of the ownership of shares, or a corporate name amendment, the original Articles of Incorporation never change. Each change is a separate filing for the corporation with a separate document filing. If you wish to see what was filed when the corporation was originally established, this document retrieval will provide you the original details.
The fees to obtain the Articles of Incorporation with us, the fees are $128.43 all inclusive. This fee is the same for both Certified Ontario Articles and non-certified documents, however requesting the documents to be certified can add several days to the turnaround time to receive them back.
What is Required to Order a Copy of the Articles of Incorporation?
Here’s how to get a copy of the articles of incorporation in Ontario. The process is very simple:
- Click on the link below
- Select ‘Articles of Incorporation’ from the dropdown menu
- Provide the name of the corporation
- Choose the province/jurisdiction, and the regular or certified option
- You can also select to add a copy of Articles of Amendment/Supplementary Letters Patent.
- Provide billing name and address along with credit card details to place your order.
Order the Articles of Incorporation
What If We Don’t Find the Exact Same Corporate Name You Have Provided?
When your order is received, the first thing we do is to search the Provincial database for the proposed name you have provided. If we are unable to find the exact existing corporate name, we will email you a listing of similar corporate names for your review. We will only search a different corporate name with your confirmation to do so.
If you, at some point owned the corporation, Revenue Canada will have the name of the corporation attached to your personal name and tax account. If you are having issues identifying the exact business name, you may contact Revenue Canada’s or Canada’s Revenue Agency under the business accounts and gain the exact corporate business name.
What If I Want Current Information About This Corporation?
As already noted, the Articles of Incorporation are a static document, meaning they always remain the same, regardless of what changes take place. If you are looking for current information on file for an existing corporate entity, we can order a corporate search or profile report. This search will provide the current names and addresses of the directors and officers, along with the current registered office address, any active or expired trade names, a list of documents previously filed for the corporation, and whether the corporation is active. This document retrieval provides the current information regarding the corporation but does not provide details unless unchanged for the original corporate directors and officers or the details about the structure of this corporation, including any details regarding issue transfer or ownership.
If you wish to obtain the current details of the corporation, please go to the corporate search link again and provide the same details when ordering the corporate search (profile report) the corporation.
Often individuals misunderstand that any restriction on business activities or other changes are automatically reflected in the original Articles of Incorporation, which is not the case. The Articles of Incorporation remain exactly as provided when the original documents were filed throughout the duration of the time the corporation is active.
If you are looking to incorporate an Ontario business, we can also assist you to do this. With step by step instructions to complete the Ontario Incorporation with step by step instructions.
To order a copy of the original Articles of Incorporation, simply click the link below, and forget your hassles of figuring out “how to obtain Articles of Incorporation in Ontario?”
Order the Articles of Incorporation
If you are unsure as to which corporate search to order to get the information you are looking for, please feel free to contact our staff for additional information and assistance.
inquiries@ontariobusinesscentral.ca
Toll-Free: 1-800-280-1913
Local: 1-416-599-9009
Fax: 1-866-294-4363
Office Hours: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Monday – Friday E.S.T.
Ontario Business Central Inc. is not a law firm and cannot provide a legal opinion or advice. This information is to assist you in understanding the requirements of registration within the chosen jurisdiction. It is always recommended, when you have legal or accounting questions that you speak to a qualified professional.
