Nonprofit Law Resource Library
Canada Initial Compliance - British Columbia
Initial Filings for British Columbia Nonprofit Organizations
To Incorporate in British Columbia
a. Submit the Name Approval Request Form to:
Names Unit, Registrar of Companies
PO Box 9431 Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9V3 Information: (250) 356-2893
Web Site: www.fin.gov.bc.ca/registries/corppg
Filing Fee: $30 CNDNote: Once the corporate name is approved it is valid for 56 calendar days. For more information refer to the publication, Information on Reserving your Corporate Name. b. Within 56 calendar days of the name approval, submit two (2) copies of the constitution and bylaws (one original signed and one copy), the notice of address, and list of first directors to:
Registrar of Companies
PO Box 9431 Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9V3 Information: (250) 356-8609
Web Site: www.fin.gov.bc.ca/registries/corppg
Filing Fee: $100 CNDNotes: Priority processing may be requested for an additional $100 CND.
For more information about incorporation, please refer to the publication Information for Incorporation of a British Columbia Society.To Register as a Charity with the Charities Directorate
Submit Form T2050, Application to Register a Charity under the Income Tax Act, to:
Charities Directorate
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
Ottawa, ON K1A 0L5 Information: (800) 267-2384
Forms: (800) 959-2221
Web Site: www.cra-arc.gc.ca
Filing Fee: $0To Register for the Goods and Services Tax and the Harmonized Sales Tax
Submit the Request for a Business Number (BN), Form RC1, to a Tax Services Office nearest you. To find such a location, refer to the Canada Revenue Agency, or call the toll free number listed below.
Information: (800) 959-5525
Web Site: www.cra-arc.gc.ca
Filing Fee: $0Notes: Organizations located in Quebec should contact Revenu Quebec which administers GST/HST. For more information, contact Revenu Quebec at (800) 567-4692 or refer to their publication, General Information Concerning the QST and the GST/HST.
Charities meeting any one of the following conditions do not have to register for GST/HST:- The organization is in its first fiscal year;
- The organization's gross revenue is $250,000 or less in either of its two previous years;
- The organization's gross revenue is more than $250,000 but its sales of taxable goods and services (not including sales of capital property) are not greater than $50,000 in the current fiscal quarter or over the four previous quarters.
Most goods and services provided by charities are exempt from GST/HST. For a list of qualified exemptions and a thorough discussion of GST/HST as they relate to charities, please refer to the Canada Revenue Agency's publication, GST/HST Information for Charities.
