ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION Definition
When a business is expanding or when the owners would like to limit their legal liability, a business may incorporate. As a legal corporation there are forms to file with the local registry office and at the end of the process a certificate of incorporation will be presented.
There are a number of forms that need to be filed with the local registry office, which differ depending on the jurisdiction(s) your company operates in.
If you are a director or an owner of a corporation, when applying for a mortgage you may be asked to provide a copy of the certificate of incorporation to verify the tenure of your self-employment.
The articles of incorporation are legal documents proving the ownership structure of a corporation.
Provincial Regulations
Here is a list of things you should know about incorporating in individual provinces.
British Columbia has outlined the process of incorporation in five broad steps outlined here: http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/registries/corppg/forms/reg50.pdf
Not to be bested, Saskatchewan has provided 4 steps to incorporating a business entity here: https://www.isc.ca/CorporateRegistry/FormingaCorporation/Pages/default.aspx
While Alberta has provided a seven item application form that can be filled out online here: http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/pdf/forms/reg3047.pdf
There is also the option of incorporating as a numbered Canada Ltd/Inc. business entity. Follow this link for more info: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cd-dgc.nsf/eng/cs02717.html
After completing the incorporation process you will then receive a certificate of incorporation that should be kept for your records.
Related Definitions
If you would like to know more about articles of incorporation or qualifying for a mortgage as a self-employed individual, contact us anytime!