NWT corporations

1. Overview

A corporation is a legal entity owned by its shareholders, whose liability is limited to the amount they have invested in the corporation. A corporation has a share structure, and can raise capital by selling shares.

To incorporate within the Northwest Territories, you must submit to Corporate Registries:

• a Northwest Territories Application for Name Search and Reservation form - except when requesting a numbered name
• Form 1: Articles of Incorporation
• Form 2: Notice of Registered Office
• Form 4: Notice of Directors
• applicable fees.

A lawyer is not necessary to incorporate, but if you do not have prior experience or if the proposed corporate structure is complicated, you may want to seek professional advice. You can also find practical information and advice in our How to Incorporate a Business package on the forms page.

Incorporating your company is only one of the steps involved in organizing your business within the Northwest Territories - it is your responsibility to identify and fulfill all other legal requirements for operating your business. If you are conducting business outside of the territories, you must register your corporation within the applicable jurisdictions. For your convenience we provide a list of resources for businesses which you may find useful.

What kinds of businesses can incorporate under the Business Corporations Act?

Almost any type of business may incorporate under the Business Corporations Act. However, railway, steamship, air transport, canal, telegraph, telephone, irrigation, mortgage, banking, insurance, loan and trust companies, and other financial institutions, cooperative, Chambers of Commerce as well as not-for-profit corporations are incorporated under different statutes. There are no restrictions, such as minimum company size, on the businesses that may incorporate under the Act.

What is the deadline for filing your Annual Return with the Corporate Registry?

Annual returns (Form 17) for all corporations are due by the end of the month following the anniversary date of incorporation/amalgamation.

You can search for business names (sole proprietorships) and partnerships, territorial and extra-territorial corporations, non-profit societies, co-operative associations, and other entities registered in the Northwest Territories online using the Corporate Registries Online System.

Basic information such as the legal name, status, and type of organization is available free of charge. A full entity profile including scanned copies of documents filed by the organization can be accessed for a fee.

Submissions that are not completed correctly are available for retrieval at the Corporate Registries Office. The Government of Northwest Territories does not provide free postage to return submissions for correction. If a submitter requests the documents be mailed back to them, staff will process the mail for the submitter if a prepaid, self-addressed and trackable envelope is provided.

Payment Information

Fees can be paid by cash, cheque, Visa or Mastercard.

• Payments can be made in-person during business hours.
• Cheques/money orders must be made payable to: "Government of the Northwest Territories."
• Credit card information can be included with a cover letter or submission sheet.
• Failure to provide payment information will delay the processing of filings until payment information is provided.