A Notice of Change updates routine information already on file such as the registered office address (Form 3) or directors and officers (Form 6). Articles of Amendment make fundamental changes to the corporation itself, corporate name, share structure, or the minimum/maximum number of directors. If you're moving offices or replacing a director, file a Notice of Change. If you're rebranding the corporation or restructuring shares, file Articles of Amendment.
Yes. Effective February 1, 2025, all Ontario corporate filings; Annual Returns, Notices of Change, Articles of Amendment, Initial Notices, and Articles of Dissolution require a Company Key. Pre-October 2021 corporations weren't issued a Company Key automatically and must request one. Ontario Business Central can request the Company Key as part of your filing if you don't have one yet, bundling both into a single transaction.
Address and director changes must be filed within 15 days of the change. The Initial Notice must be filed within 60 days of incorporating. Annual Returns are required within 6 months of the corporation's fiscal year-end (Ontario) or 60 days after the anniversary of incorporation (federal). Failure to file Annual Returns can lead to dissolution by the Province or Corporations Canada.
If your Annual Return is overdue, your corporation will eventually be dissolved by the Province (Ontario) or Corporations Canada (federal). Once dissolved, you can no longer operate as a corporation, contracts may be voided, and bank accounts can be frozen. To restore an already-dissolved corporation, you'll need to file Articles of Revival, a separate, more expensive filing. We also offer for both Ontario and Canada (federal) Articles of Revival. The simplest path is to file Annual Returns on time. Ontario Business Central provides a free renewal reminder service to help you avoid this.
No. The Initial Notice is a one-time filing required within 60 days of incorporating that confirms officer positions, directors, and registered office address. The Annual Return is a yearly recurring filing that must be filed every year for the life of the corporation. Both are mandatory but distinct filings.
Yes. Registered businesses (sole proprietorships, general partnerships, and trade names registered under the Ontario Business Names Act) can update address, business activity, owner address, or other registration details through the Ontario Registered Business Change option. This is different from corporate filings, registered businesses don't have Notice of Change forms because they're not separate legal entities.
Yes, for both Ontario and federal corporate name changes (Articles of Amendment with a name change), a current NUANS report is required to confirm the new name is available and doesn't conflict with existing corporations or trademarks. The NUANS report must be dated within 90 days of the filing. Ontario Business Central can include the NUANS as part of your name change filing.
Yes. A federal corporation can have its registered office in any Canadian province. To change the registered office to a new province, file a Federal Notice of Change. Note that a federal corporation operating in Ontario also requires an Extra-Provincial Licence, that's a separate filing. If you're moving the entire business to Ontario from another province, consider Continuance Into Ontario instead of just changing addresses.
Most changes are processed by the Province within 1-3 business days for Ontario filings and 1-5 business days for federal filings, though Ontario Business Central submits filings the same business day they're received. Once processed, you'll receive confirmation directly from the Ministry along with any updated official documents.
If your corporation has already been dissolved by the Province for missed Annual Returns, you cannot simply file the missing returns to fix it, you'll need to file Articles of Revival to restore the corporation first, then catch up on Annual Returns. If the corporation was voluntarily cancelled or dissolved, the same Revival process applies. Ontario Business Central handles both Ontario and federal Articles of Revival.
