Order Your NUANS Report - Self Serve Or Agent Assisted

OBC is a direct NUANS member, which means your report is generated directly from the NUANS database rather than through a reseller. We've been operating since 1992 and have helped over 350,000 Canadian businesses through their incorporation, registration, and name reservation needs. We're also a Registry Consultant, which authorizes us to file corporate and business documents on behalf of customers. Our team is available Mon-Fri to assist with agent-reviewed NUANS reports, and our instant self-serve NUANS is available 24/7.

A NUANS report (Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search) is an official Canada-wide name search document used to reserve a business name for incorporation. It compares your proposed name against existing corporations, registered businesses, and trademarks across Canada and lists any similar names. The report reserves your name for 90 days and is required by the government to incorporate a named corporation federally, or in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick, and PEI.

A NUANS report is required when incorporating a named corporation federally or in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick, or PEI. It is not required if you're incorporating a numbered corporation, or if you're incorporating in a province that uses its own name reservation system (British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Quebec).

A NUANS report is valid for 90 days from the date of issue. Within that window, your proposed business name is reserved across Canada and cannot be claimed by another business. You must complete your incorporation within those 90 days, or the reservation expires and you'll need to order a new NUANS report.

Instant ($54.99) is fully automated and self-serve — you provide the proposed name and jurisdiction and the official NUANS report is delivered right after payment, 24/7. Agent-Assisted (from $27.50) is a hands-on service from our team Monday to Friday 9-5 EST. We prepare the report, review potential conflicts, and email you the completed report. Assisted is the safer option if the conflicts are complex or you're not confident interpreting the report.

$54.99 for an instant self-serve NUANS report, or $27.50 for an agent-assisted NUANS where our team prepares and reviews it for you. Both prices are plus HST. The NUANS report is non-refundable, which is why many customers run a $12 preliminary search first to confirm the name appears available before committing to the full report.

No. The NUANS report reserves your name and provides the government with a list of similar names already on record, but final approval rests with a government examiner. The examiner reviews the NUANS report and decides whether your proposed name is sufficiently distinct. Most names with clean NUANS reports are approved, but names that conflict with stronger marks (federal corporations, registered trademarks, or very similar names in the same industry) may still be rejected.

You'll provide your proposed business name (the distinctive and descriptive elements — legal ending like Inc., Ltd., or Corp.), the jurisdiction where you plan to incorporate, and your contact email for delivery. That's it.

Yes. Ontario's Business Corporations Act and the Canada Business Corporations Act prohibit or restrict certain words in corporate names, including obscene language; "co-op" or "co-operative" variations; "housing", "association"; anything that could be confused with a government institution; and "engineering" or "engineers" (without written consent from the relevant association). "College", "university", or "institute" require written consent from the Ministry of Education. The NUANS report will help flag some of these concerns, but the government examiner has the final say.