Search your proposed business name against existing businesses and trademarks across Canada — before you commit to a NUANS report or business registration. Choose instant 24/7 self-serve, or have our team search and review the results for you.
Order yourself 24/7 with instant self-serve, or have our experienced team prepare the search results for you Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm, EST.
Pricing Varies.
Pay by credit card.
Instant orders deliver the search results right after payment. Agent-Assisted orders are emailed within 2-5 business hours, Mon-Fri, EST.
The Affordable First Step Before Ordering a NUANS Report
A Preliminary Name Search is a quick and cost-effective way to check whether your proposed business name appears available before you invest in a full NUANS report or business registration. The search compares your proposed name against registered businesses, corporations, and trademarks across Canada, helping you identify potential conflicts early. With the instant self-serve option, results are returned immediately, allowing you to test multiple name options before proceeding with incorporation or registration.
Search against registered business and corporate names available in the NUANS database, along with Canadian trademarks, to identify potentially similar names before filing.
Run as many searches as you like for only $12 each and receive results instantly. It's an inexpensive way to test several business name options before committing to a NUANS reservation report or registration.
Prefer a more thorough search? For $22, our experienced team conducts a detailed database search, identifies potential naming concerns, and emails the results directly to you for review.
Three Things Happen
You receive an email confirmation with your order details. Instant orders include a link to your results right on the confirmation page. Agent-Assisted orders are queued for our experienced team to review.
Instant orders display up to 200 similar names right away. Agent-Assisted orders are emailed within 2-5 hours when ordered between 9am and 3pm EST, Monday to Friday, with our team's review.
If the name appears available, you can order a NUANS reservation report or move forward with your business registration or incorporation, depending on the filing requirements for your jurisdiction.
A general guide to the level of concern for each type of similar result listed in your Preliminary Search.
A similar corporation or registered business in a different province than yours is generally not concerning - as long as you have no plans to operate in that jurisdiction.
Registered businesses don't carry the same name protection as corporations or trademarks, but a similar registered name in your province could still create marketplace confusion.
Federally incorporated businesses have the highest level of name protection in Canada outside of a trademark. Treat any similar federal corporation as very concerning, regardless of where you operate.
A similarly named corporation in the same province you want to operate within. Could create confusion with an existing business and may risk infringement claims.
Quick answers to the most common questions about preliminary name searches
OBC is a direct NUANS member, which means we query the NUANS database directly 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 search needs. We're also a Service Provider with the Ontario Business Registry, which allows us to file corporate and business documents on behalf of customers. Our team is available Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm, EST, to help with agent-assisted searches, and our instant search is available 24/7.
The NUANS preliminary database is a Canada-wide system that includes most registered and incorporated businesses across the country, alongside the trademark database. It draws results from Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, PEI, Saskatchewan, the Yukon, and federal corporations and trademarks.
Instant is fully automated and self-serve — you provide the proposed name and jurisdiction, the system returns the results right away, 24/7, for $12. Assisted is a hands-on service from our team Monday to Friday 9-5 EST for $22. We search the name on your behalf. Assisted is the safer option if you're unsure how to interpret the results.
$12 for an instant self-serve search, or $22 for an agent-assisted search where our team handles it for you. Both prices are plus HST. There's no limit on how many searches you can run — many people order several searches to test different business names before committing to one.
The NUANS system only allows one business name to be searched at a time for instant self-serve options. With an agent-assisted search, you can search for 3 names at a time. Many people run several searches in a row to test different name options before committing to a NUANS reservation report or registering a business.
The instant self-serve search is available 24/7 — any time of day or night, any day of the week. The agent-assisted search runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm EST, with results emailed within 2-5 hours when ordered between 9am and 3pm EST.
The search returns up to 200 similar names from the NUANS database. Each result shows the name, jurisdiction and registration number, creation date, status (registered, incorporated, cancelled, or transferred), and the status date.
It's not mandatory but strongly recommended. A NUANS report does not guarantee that a proposed name will be accepted. If the report identifies a potentially conflicting business name or trademark, you may need to choose another name or provide additional information before proceeding. Running a $12 preliminary search first is an inexpensive way to check whether the name appears available before you commit to the full $54.99 NUANS report.
Yes. Ontario has rules restricting certain words and expressions in corporate names. For example, some words related to government bodies, regulated professions, co-operatives, associations, and educational institutions may be prohibited or may require consent from the appropriate authority. Other restrictions can also apply depending on the proposed name and the type of business. A preliminary name search can help identify existing names and trademarks, but it does not determine whether a proposed name meets all of Ontario's naming requirements.
No. Do not include a legal ending (Inc., Ltd., Corp., etc.) when entering your business name for the preliminary search. Search the distinctive and descriptive elements of the name only — the system will return the most relevant matches that way.
Have a different question? Speak with an agent or call 1-800-280-1913
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