How to Register a Business in BC (2026): Steps and Costs

Figuring out how to register a business in BC is mostly a matter of knowing which portal to use, in what order, and what each step actually costs. The whole thing runs through the BC Business Registry now (the old OneStop system is gone), and if you do it right, you can go from idea to registered business in one to three weeks for as little as $70. This guide walks you through every step, screen by screen, with 2026 numbers and the Okanagan-specific licences most guides skip.

Before You Register a Business in BC: Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, or Corporation

Your structure decision shapes everything downstream (fees, taxes, liability, and paperwork), so settle it first.

• Sole proprietorship: You and the business are the same legal entity. Income lands on your personal T1 return, setup is cheap ($40 registration plus a $30 name request), and there's no annual renewal filing. The trade-off is full personal liability: if the business owes money, you owe money.
• Partnership: Same idea with two or more people. Cheap to register, but each partner can be personally liable for the whole business.
• Corporation: A separate legal entity with limited liability, and access to BC's 11% small-business tax rate on the first $500,000 of active income. It costs more upfront ($351.50 to file) and more annually: expect roughly $2,750+/yr for corporate year-end accounting and a T2 return, versus around $500 for a sole-prop return.

The rule of thumb most accountants use: incorporate once you're consistently retaining $30K–$50K per year inside the business, or when your liability risk is high (think construction, food, anything with client premises). Otherwise, start as a sole prop; you can always incorporate later. We break the tax math down properly in our guide to sole proprietorship vs incorporation in Canada.

One myth to kill early: registering a trade name (a "DBA") does not protect that name. In BC, only incorporated companies, co-ops, and societies get name protection. If the brand matters, incorporate or trademark it.

Still torn? The BC Registry site has a free Business Structures Wizard at account.bcregistry.gov.bc.ca/decide-business.

Step 1: Run a BC Name Request (and When You Can Skip It)

Before you can register a business name in BC, the province has to approve it. You file a Name Request (NR) online at names.bcregistry.gov.bc.ca. This is the official business name search BC uses, and it's the first real gate in the process.

How it works:

1. Submit three name choices, ranked by preference.
2. Pay the fee: $30 for a sole proprietorship or partnership, $31.50 for an incorporation. This is non-refundable, even if all three names get rejected.
3. Wait 2–5 business days for standard examination (processing times are updated weekly on the gov.bc.ca processing times page). Need it faster? Priority service is +$100 and comes back in 1–2 business days.
4. Once approved, your NR number reserves the name for 56 days. Register before it expires or you're paying again.

Why names get rejected (and how to write one that passes)

The registry rejects names constantly, and every rejection burns your fee and a week. The most common failures:

• No distinctive element. "The Car Wash Ltd." fails because it's purely descriptive.
• Too close to an existing name. "John's Hotel" gets bounced if "John's Inn" already exists.
• Restricted or misleading words, like implying government affiliation.

The formula that passes: distinctive element + descriptive element + corporate designation. Something like "Okanagan [distinctive] Bookkeeping [descriptive] Ltd. [designation]". Corporations must include a designation: Ltd., Inc., or Corp.

The skip-it exception

If you're a sole proprietor operating under your exact legal name ("Jane Nguyen", nothing added), you don't need a name request, and you don't need to register with BC at all. You'll still need a municipal business licence and you're still on the hook with CRA, but the provincial registration step disappears entirely.

Step 2: Register Through BC Registries — Exact Steps and Screens

Quick warning for anyone Googling "BC OneStop business registry": OneStop is dead. The old onestop.gov.bc.ca site now literally says "Onestop is No Longer Available," and any guide still referencing it is out of date. Everything (sole props, partnerships, incorporations) now runs through the BC Business Registry at bcregistry.gov.bc.ca.

Here's the actual 2026 flow to register a company in BC online:

1. Create a BC Registries account at account.bcregistry.gov.bc.ca. You log in with the BC Services Card app — the province's required digital ID — so set that up first if you haven't.
2. Enter your NR number from Step 1 (or start a fresh registration if you're using your exact legal name as a sole prop).
3. Fill in the business details: start date, nature of business, business address, and the proprietor/partner information — or, for a corporation, your directors, registered office, and share structure.
4. Pay online. $40 for a sole prop or partnership; $351.50 for a BC incorporation ($350 statutory fee + $1.50 service fee; no GST on government fees).
5. Get your documents. Confirmation and your registration number arrive by email and in your Registry dashboard. Incorporations get their certificate issued electronically, effectively immediately on filing.

How long does it take to register a business in BC? Sole prop registrations complete same day to 1–2 business days after name approval; incorporation is essentially instant once you file. End to end (name approval, registration, CRA accounts), budget 1–3 weeks.

Step 3: Get Your CRA Business Number, GST, and Payroll Accounts

Here's a piece of good news most guides miss: BC automatically shares your registration data with CRA, so new BC registrations and incorporations automatically get a 9-digit Business Number (BN). You don't apply separately for the BN itself.

What you do need to open are the program accounts that hang off your BN:

• RT — GST/HST
• RP — Payroll
• RC — Corporate income tax (corporations)
• RM — Import/export

Open these through CRA's Business Registration Online (BRO) — accounts are typically issued within minutes. Heads up for 2026: as of July 14, 2026, BRO is only accessible through a CRA account sign-in: CRA credentials, a Sign-In Partner, or the BC provincial login. If you registered businesses before and remember a different flow, it changed this month.

Two things founders get wrong here:

• You do not need a GST number to register your business. GST registration is only mandatory once your taxable worldwide revenue passes $30,000 in a single quarter or four consecutive quarters, and then you have 29 days to register after the triggering sale. That said, registering voluntarily early lets you claim input tax credits on startup costs, which is often worth it if you're spending on equipment or software.
• Open your RP payroll account before your first remittance is due, not after you hire. For 2026, CPP's year's maximum pensionable earnings is $74,600 at 5.95% each for employer and employee.

Provincial vs Federal Incorporation: Which One Do You Actually Need?

If you've decided to incorporate, you have one more fork: BC or federal. Here's the honest comparison for federal vs provincial incorporation in Canada:

Federal (Corporations Canada) costs $200 online (or $250 on paper), takes 1–2 business days, bakes the NUANS name search into the online flow, and gives you Canada-wide name protection. The catches: at least 25% of directors must be Canadian residents, and (the part that surprises people) a federal corporation operating in BC must also register extra-provincially in BC. Real-world first-year math: BC-only incorporation runs about $380 versus roughly $594 for federal plus BC extra-provincial, which is about $214 more, plus two sets of annual filings forever ($12/yr federal annual return plus BC extra-provincial filings, versus a single ~$43.39/yr BC annual report).

The verdict for most Okanagan founders: if you operate only in BC, incorporate provincially. Go federal only if you're genuinely planning multi-province operations or need national name protection from day one. BC also has no director residency requirement, which matters if you have foreign co-founders or investors.

What It Costs to Register a Business in BC in 2026

Nobody publishes the all-in number, so here it is (all figures in CAD). BC incorporation cost, sole prop fees, and the municipal layer, in one table:

Bottom line: a sole prop gets registered for about $70 in provincial fees; a DIY BC incorporation lands around $380–$480 all-in. Municipal licences across BC typically run $50–$500/yr depending on your category.

After Registration: Municipal Licences, PST, and WorkSafeBC

Provincial registration isn't the finish line. Three more layers apply, and the municipal one is where Okanagan founders most often get caught.

Your municipal business licence

Every Okanagan municipality requires a licence, including home-based and online businesses:

• Kelowna: required for all businesses inside city limits. $50 non-refundable application fee plus a category fee, roughly two-week processing, apply online at billing.kelowna.ca. Renew by January 15 each year or eat a $25 late fee. Home-based businesses are classed "minor" or "major" under Bylaw 12585. Questions: 250-469-8617. The city issued 12,390 licences in 2025; this is not an obscure requirement they won't notice you skipping.
• West Kelowna: four-tier fee structure under Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 0028; new licences are applied for in person at Municipal Hall, 3731 Old Okanagan Highway. Check westkelownacity.ca for current tier amounts.
• Vernon: application fees run $25–$100, and Vernon offers an Inter-Community Licence that lets mobile businesses (trades, mobile services) operate across participating Okanagan municipalities (Kelowna is a participant). If you serve clients across the valley, this one licence can replace several.
• Penticton: licence required; the city directs applicants to its licensing clerk for the applicable 2026 fee.

Not sure which permits apply to your specific activity? BizPaL is a free federal tool that lists every permit and licence by municipality and business type, and the province itself recommends it.

PST and WorkSafeBC

If you sell taxable goods or services in BC, register for PST (7%) through eTaxBC (small sellers under $10K may be exempt). And before your first hire, register with WorkSafeBC; the Employer Health Tax doesn't kick in until payroll passes $1M, but WorkSafeBC coverage starts with employee number one.

Common Registration Mistakes BC Founders Make

We see these constantly at our events. Save yourself the fee and the week:

1. Filing a weak name request. All-descriptive names with no distinctive element get rejected, and the $30 is gone either way.
2. Letting the 56-day NR window lapse before registering, then paying for a second name request.
3. Following OneStop instructions. The system was decommissioned; anything referencing it will walk you into a dead end.
4. Assuming a registered trade name is protected. Sole props get zero name protection in BC.
5. Incorporating federally for a BC-only business. That costs about $214 extra in year one plus dual annual filings, for name protection you may never use.
6. Skipping the municipal licence because the business is home-based or online. Kelowna, West Kelowna, Vernon, and Penticton all require one regardless.

Registration is also the moment to make sure the business itself is thought through. If you haven't yet, our guide on how to write a business plan pairs well with this one, and if you're earlier in the journey, start with how to start a business in Kelowna.

Key takeaways

• All BC business registration now runs through bcregistry.gov.bc.ca with a BC Services Card login; OneStop no longer exists.
• A sole prop costs about $70 to register ($30 name request + $40 registration); a BC incorporation is $351.50 plus a $31.50 name request.
• Submit three ranked name choices built as distinctive + descriptive + designation; approval takes 2–5 business days and holds for 56 days.
• Operating under your exact legal name as a sole prop? You can skip provincial registration entirely, but not the municipal licence or CRA.
• Your CRA Business Number is issued automatically with BC registration; open GST/payroll accounts via BRO (CRA sign-in required as of July 14, 2026).
• BC-only business → incorporate provincially. Federal incorporation adds ~$214 in year one plus dual filings.
• Every Okanagan municipality (Kelowna, West Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton) requires a business licence, including home-based and online businesses.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to register a business in BC?

Name approval takes 2–5 business days (1–2 with the $100 priority service), and the registration itself completes same day to two business days after that; incorporations are effectively instant on filing. Budget 1–3 weeks end to end including CRA program accounts.

Do I need to register if I operate under my own name?

No. A sole proprietor using their exact legal name (nothing added) is exempt from BC registration entirely. You still need a municipal business licence and still have normal CRA obligations.

How much does it cost to incorporate in BC?

The filing fee is $351.50 plus a $31.50 name request, so figure $380–$480 all-in for a DIY incorporation. Ongoing, expect a ~$43.39 annual report and roughly $2,750+/yr for corporate accounting.

Do I need a GST number to register my business?

No. GST registration only becomes mandatory once taxable revenue passes $30,000 in a quarter or four consecutive quarters. Registering voluntarily before that lets you claim input tax credits on startup costs, which often makes sense.

Do I need a business licence for a home-based or online business in Kelowna?

Yes. Kelowna requires a licence for all businesses within city limits, including home-based ones ($50 application fee, classed minor or major under Bylaw 12585). West Kelowna, Vernon, and Penticton have the same requirement.

Should I incorporate federally or provincially?

If you operate only in BC, provincial incorporation is cheaper and simpler. Federal costs about $214 more in year one because you must also register extra-provincially in BC, and you file two sets of annual paperwork. Go federal only for multi-province operations or Canada-wide name protection.

What happened to the BC OneStop business registry?

It was decommissioned. Sole proprietorship and partnership registrations moved to the BC Business Registry at bcregistry.gov.bc.ca, and onestop.gov.bc.ca now just displays a shutdown notice. Ignore any guide that still references it.

Registering the business is the easy part; building it is where the real work starts, and it's a lot faster with people who've done it before. Join the Kelowna Founders Club free and get in the room with Okanagan founders who've already been through the registry, the CRA calls, and everything after.