NUANS (New Upgraded Automated Name Search) is a Canada-wide corporate and business name registry.
A NUANS search is a business name search intended to discover how many, if any, other businesses have the same or similar name to the business name a person has chosen for his or her new Canadian business.
Generally, in Canada, a NUANS search is required for incorporation to confirm that no one else has a business or registered trade mark with the same name or similar to the name you've chosen for your corporation; you will need to submit a current NUANS search report with your incorporation application (assuming that you are creating a named, rather than numbered, corporation).
A NUANS search is not necessary if you are registering a sole proprietorship or partnership. You might choose to get a standard business name search (one that searches only for identical or similar business names within the province) or none at all.
The Business Names Act doesn't prohibit the registration of identical names, so you could register a business name that another company is already using. However, if you do, or if you register a name that's confusingly similar, a lawsuit could result so it's a good idea to conduct a name search to see if anyone else is using the business name you want.
Prices of business name searches and NUANS searches vary from province to province so you will want to check with your provincial registry (see my Business Registration section for a list of the websites of provincial registrars) or provincial registration service provider.
