How do you check a British Columbia company?
BC registration, a tax Business Number and incorporation in another province answer different questions about a counterparty.
By Matthew Lee
British Columbia's starting-a-business guidance (opens in a new tab) points to BC Registries and Online Services (opens in a new tab) for provincial registration and to OrgBook BC for a business-name check. Start with the legal entity on the contract, not only the name used on an invoice.
Provincial record or federal company?
Ask where the corporation was incorporated and whether it is also registered to operate in BC. A federal or other provincial corporation can have a BC registration alongside its original incorporation record. Match the legal name and number in each authority's record. The government's guidance also describes a Business Number used for tax and other programme accounts; label that number separately from the incorporation or registry reference.
For example, a supplier may show a BC operating address and a federal incorporation certificate. Check the federal company record first, then request the BC registration evidence if the question concerns its provincial operation. Keep both sources and their dates instead of treating the BC record as a substitute for the incorporation record.
What else do you need?
The public name check and the particular filed or certified document have different evidential scope. Read the dated record for status, officers or other facts it actually contains. Request current company-held ownership evidence and a mandate if the record does not establish the owners or a signer's powers. The Canada registry guide explains the broader federal–provincial split.
Fill Easy's Canada catalogue lists specific federal and Ontario records, but not a BC-specific product. Use the official BC source for the search and contact Fill Easy to confirm support for a particular record before ordering.