Like all provinces and territories, business registration is required for most businesses in Quebec. The only businesses that don’t need to be registered are joint ventures and sole proprietorships that operate under the business owner’s first and last name. So for instance, if I was starting a business called Susan Ward’s Dog Grooming Services, I wouldn’t have to register the business, but if I called my new business Susan’s Dog Grooming, I would.
(Note that Quebec allows additions to the business owner’s first and last name; other provinces do not. If you are registering a sole proprietorship in another province, be sure to check that province’s business registration requirements.)
Also note that just because you don’t have to register such a sole proprietorship or joint venture in Quebec, you can if you want to. Registered businesses are automatically included in the business register maintained by the Registraire des entreprises (REQ), making the existence of these businesses a matter of public record.
So let’s assume that you are starting a business that either has to be registered or that you want to register your business. What is the procedure? Because the process differs depending on the form of business you have chosen, I’ll outline the business registration procedure for sole proprietorships and partnerships and corporations separately.
Registering a Sole Proprietorship or Partnership in Quebec
In Quebec, if you are starting a sole proprietorship whose name does not include the owner's first and last names or a partnership, you must register your business within 60 days after beginning operations.
The basic business registration procedure is simple; you file a Declaration of Registration form (along with the applicable fee) at an office of the Registraire des entreprises (REQ) in Montréal or Québec City.
There are two catches to be aware of, however. First, although English translations of the form are available, you must fill out and file the French version of the form to register your business. Second, while you can fill out the form online at the Registraire des entreprises Québec website, currently the Declaration of Registration cannot be filed electronically. You must fill them out, sign them, and take them to an REQ service counter in Montréal or Québec City or mail them to:
Registraire des entreprises
Direction des entreprises
P.O. Box 1364
Québec City, Québec
G1K 9B3
At time of writing, the fee for submitting a Declaration of Registration for a Natural Person (registering a sole proprietorship) is $32.00; the fee for submitting a Declaration of Registration for a partnership is $43.00.
Once you have registered your business, you will also have to file an Annual Declaration (re-registering your business, in a sense, each year). For a sole proprietorship, the regular fee for filing an Annual Declaration is $32.00; for a partnership, $48.00. In both cases, you may pay a higher priority fee to expedite the process if you wish.
The next page of this article explains how to create and register a corporation in Quebec. Click to continue reading.
