NUANS Name Search and Report, Ordered and Read by a CPA Firm

Have a CPA read your name before you pay for a report on it. A NUANS report lists the corporate names, business names and trademarks that look or sound like yours. It is valid for 90 days, Ontario accepts only an Ontario-biased report, and it is a search result, not permission to use the name. We order the Ontario-biased report for $25.00, HST included, and read it back to you in writing. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.

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What a NUANS Name Search and Report Costs

We order an Ontario-biased NUANS report for $25.00, HST included, and a CPA reads it against the name rules before anything is filed. With our $35.00 incorporation fee and the $300 Ontario government fee, a named Ontario corporation costs $360.00 in total. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.

The report itself is sold by private NUANS search houses at their own rates; it is not a government fee. The one NUANS price a government publishes is the standalone federal report from Corporations Canada, at $13.80, needed only for filings such as a revival or an amalgamation. A federal incorporation needs no separate report at all, and a numbered company skips the report entirely.

Start on the Intake Form See Pricing

Name Screened First

A CPA checks the name before you pay for a report.

Right Bias Ordered

Ontario-biased for Ontario, so you never buy it twice.

Read Back in Writing

Real conflicts separated from noise, with the expiry date.

With or Without Incorporation

Order the report with your incorporation, or on its own while you decide on a name.

Open Evenings and Weekends

9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday, from 13 Ontario offices and online.

Always Within Reach

Call 647-212-9559. We do not bill for calls while your search is open.

Book Your Free Consultation See Every Fee on One Page

What the NUANS Service Includes

A CPA reads your proposed name before any report is ordered and confirms in writing whether it has a distinctive element, a descriptive element and a legal element the statute allows.
Confirmation of which report you need, because Ontario requires an Ontario-biased or weighted report and will not accept a Canada or federal biased one.
A pre-screen against prohibited words and the restricted words that need written consent, so you do not pay for a report on a name that cannot be used.
The NUANS report ordered on your behalf from a NUANS member search house, in the correct bias for where you will file.
A written reading of the report, separating the entries that create a real conflict from the ones that are noise.
The exact expiry date of your report, in writing, because a NUANS search is valid for 90 days only.
A second name run through the same screen at no extra charge, so a refusal on the first name does not put you back at the start.
Confirmation of whether your province needs a NUANS report at all, since several run their own searches and British Columbia and Quebec use different systems.
A note of where the report belongs afterwards: Ontario asks you to keep the NUANS report at the corporation’s registered office.
Your questions answered by phone and email while the search is open. We do not bill for calls.

Start on the Intake Form Book Free Consultation

What a NUANS report actually is

A Government of Canada search tool

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada describes NUANS as the Government of Canada’s business name and trademark search tool. It uses a search algorithm, not an alphabetical lookup, so it returns names that sound or read alike as well as exact matches. See how a NUANS report is produced and how to read it.

Who sells the reports

Reports are ordered through NUANS member search houses. CGI, a service provider, grants NUANS membership to law firms, accounting firms and company service providers.

What reaches you

A dated report with a report number, listing the closest existing corporate names, business names and trademarks to the name you searched.

What NUANS searches, and what it does not

Corporate names and business names

Federal and provincial corporate names and registered business names on the participating registers.

Trademarks

Entries in the Canadian trademarks database that are similar or identical to your name.

What sits outside the search

Domain names, social media handles, Quebec’s own register, and any business that has never registered anything. A clear report says nothing about those.

Pre-search against reserved report

What a pre-search gives you

NUANS members can run pre-search and inquiry reports, a preliminary look at what is already out there before a report is reserved.

What a reserved report adds

A dated report with a report number that a registry accepts with your filing. Only the reserved report starts the 90-day clock.

When a pre-search is enough

While you are still choosing between names. Once you are ready to file, the registry needs the reserved report.

The 90-day rule

Where the 90 days comes from

Corporations Canada states that a NUANS search is valid for 90 days only, and Ontario requires the report to be dated no more than 90 days before the articles are filed.

Alberta counts to 91

Alberta requires the report to be less than 91 days old when the filing is submitted.

When the window closes

The report cannot be reused. You order a new one, so we work backwards from your filing date before ordering.

Ontario-biased against federal-biased reports

What bias means

An Ontario-biased or weighted report ranks Ontario entries first. A Canada or federal biased report weights the search nationally.

Why Ontario refuses a federal report

The Ontario forms state that a Canada or federal biased NUANS report is not acceptable for an Ontario filing. See Ontario incorporation at a $300.00 government fee.

When a federal report is the one you need

For a federal revival, an amalgamation, a cooperative or a registered intermediary filing. A federal incorporation needs none, because the name search is built into the application. See federal incorporation with the name search included.

Ordering the wrong bias

Means buying the report twice. That is why we confirm the bias before ordering.

A NUANS report is a search result, not permission

What Corporations Canada says

Getting a NUANS name search report does not mean your name is preapproved or approved by Corporations Canada. An examiner reviews the name against the requirements before a certificate is issued.

The name rules still apply

A name that looks clear on the report can still be refused for being too general, descriptive only, or a prohibited or restricted word. See the full corporate name rules.

No monopoly on the name

Approval makes the name your corporation’s legal name in that jurisdiction. It does not stop others using similar words elsewhere.

Trademark clearance is a separate question

Listing is not clearing

NUANS lists trademarks; it does not tell you whether your name would infringe one.

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office

Trademarks are registered by CIPO under the Trademarks Act, for renewable 10-year terms. See why a corporate name is not a trademark.

Unregistered rights

A business can have rights in a name it has used for years without registering it anywhere, and no register shows you those.

Provinces with different systems

British Columbia

Uses a Name Request through BC Registries for $30, and an approved name is held for 56 days rather than 90.

Quebec

Uses its own name reservation through the Registraire des entreprises, $27 for 90 days, and the Charter of the French language governs the name.

Provinces that search for you

Manitoba ($45), Saskatchewan ($50), Prince Edward Island ($40 for a Level 1 search) and Newfoundland and Labrador run the search themselves. Nova Scotia runs it for $60.52, or charges $15.12 if you upload your own NUANS report dated within 90 days. New Brunswick needs a New Brunswick-based NUANS report.

Ordering a report through us

What we need from you

Your first name choice, a fallback, the province where you will file, and a line on what the business does. See incorporate with a word name.

What we send back

The report as a PDF, our written reading of it and the expiry date.

Where the report lives afterwards

In your minute book, at the corporation’s registered office, with the articles and by-laws.

Free Name Search Consultation

Case Studies: Name Searches

Toronto Founder – The Wrong Bias

The problem: A founder had already bought a Canada-biased NUANS report for an Ontario incorporation. The report looked clean, and they were ready to file that afternoon. The Ontario Business Registry would have refused it, because Ontario accepts only an Ontario-biased or weighted report.

What we did: We explained that Ontario would not accept it and screened the name against the name rules before anything else was bought. Then we ordered the Ontario-biased report, read it back in writing, and drafted the articles the same day. The filing went in well inside the 90-day window.

The result:

Correct report ordered
Name screened first
Articles filed inside 90 days

Mississauga Contractor – A Clear Report, a Weak Name

The problem: A contractor’s report showed no exact matches, but the name was two descriptive words only, along the lines of a trade and a service. A clean report does not make a name acceptable. A name with no distinctive element is likely to be refused, and the report fee would have been spent for nothing.

What we did: We flagged that the name lacked a distinctive element and suggested adding one, such as a place name or a coined word. The client chose their own, and the second name passed our screen at no extra charge. We ordered the report on the final name only, so the client paid for one report rather than two.

The result:

Refusal avoided
Second name screened free
Named corporation filed

Ottawa Consultant – No Report Needed

The problem: A consultant was about to buy a NUANS report for a federal incorporation, after reading online that every new corporation needs one. They had not yet decided between Ontario and federal incorporation.

What we did: We explained that Corporations Canada builds the name search into the online federal application, so no separate report is needed. Because the consultant expected to work with clients in several provinces, we checked the federal resident director rule and incorporated federally without a separate report. The total came to $35.00 plus the $200 government fee.

The result:

No report bought
Name search included
$235.00 in total

Start on the Intake Form

Simple Process

How We Order and Read Your Report

Start Your Name Search See Pricing

We screen the name before you pay for a report on it.

Step 1

Screen

Your first and fallback names checked against the name rules.

Step 2

Order

The report ordered in the correct bias for where you will file.

Step 3

Read

A written reading of the report and its expiry date.

Step 4

File

Articles filed inside the 90 days, with the report kept for your minute book.

Why Choose Open Corporation for $35 for Your NUANS Report?

Accurate and Compliant Filing

Articles prepared under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) and checked against the registry rules before they are submitted.

Affordable, Fixed Pricing

Our fee quoted in writing first, and government fees at cost on their own lines. A 60-day fee-matching policy backs it.

Planned Around Your Tax

Your name screened and the right report ordered before you pay for it.

Support After Filing

The parent firm keeps the books, files HST and payroll, and prepares the T2 and annual return when you need it.

Our Official Partners

Transparent Pricing – No Hidden Fees

Our fees include HST, and government fees are passed through at cost on their own lines. See every fee, ours and the government’s, on one page.

Item	Amount	HST	Total	Who charges it
Ontario-biased NUANS report, ordered and read by a CPA	$25.00	Included	$25.00	Open Corporation for $35, from a NUANS search house
Incorporation prepared and filed, if you incorporate with us	$35.00	Included	$35.00	Open Corporation for $35
Alberta or New Brunswick NUANS report	Quoted on request	Included in the quote	Quoted on request	Ordered through us from a NUANS search house
Standalone federal NUANS report, for a revival, amalgamation, cooperative or registered intermediary filing	$13.80	Not applicable	$13.80	Corporations Canada
Federal name search inside an online incorporation application	$0.00	Not applicable	$0.00	Corporations Canada
Nova Scotia name reservation with your own NUANS report	$15.12	Not applicable	$15.12	Registry of Joint Stock Companies
Nova Scotia name reservation, Atlantic search run by the registry	$60.52	Included	$60.52	Registry of Joint Stock Companies
Manitoba Request for Name Reservation	$45.00	Not applicable	$45.00	Manitoba Companies Office
Saskatchewan name reservation	$50.00	Not applicable	$50.00	Information Services Corporation
Prince Edward Island Level 1 name search	$40.00	Not applicable	$40.00	Prince Edward Island Corporate Registry
British Columbia Name Request	$30.00	Not applicable	$30.00	BC Registries and Online Services
Quebec name reservation	$27.00	Not applicable	$27.00	Registraire des entreprises du Québec

A named Ontario corporation costs $360.00 in total: our $35.00 incorporation fee, the $25.00 NUANS report and the $300 Ontario government fee. A named federal corporation needs no report and costs $235.00. See every 2026 government registry fee in one table.

What Is Not Included

Any guarantee that the registry approves your name. An examiner makes the final decision.
A trademark search, opinion or application. NUANS lists trademarks; it does not clear them.
Legal advice on passing off, infringement or a name dispute. We are a CPA firm, not a law firm.
Consent letters where a surname, a university, a financial institution or a trademark owner must agree.
The government incorporation fee, charged at cost on its own line.
The minute book, by-laws, share certificates and significant control register, a separate engagement.
Domain names, social media handles and signage.
A search of unregistered names and marks that no register lists.

How Long Each Stage Takes

Stage	Who	Time
First and fallback names screened	Us	1 business day
NUANS report ordered in the correct bias	Us, through a NUANS search house	Same business day as your approval
Report read and written opinion sent	Us	1 business day
Federal name search inside an online incorporation	Corporations Canada	About 24 hours, or 4 business hours with $100 express (registry stated)
Ontario articles filed online with the report	Ontario Business Registry	Immediate (registry stated)
British Columbia Name Request, standard review	BC Registries	Set by BC Registries; check current wait times
Quebec name reservation	Registraire des entreprises	Set by the Registraire

Before Anything Is Filed

What a CPA Checks Before You Incorporate

Start Your Intake Form

The name and the structure are decided at the same moment, so we settle both while the search is fresh.

Check 1

Share classes

Voting common, non-voting common and preferred cost nothing to include now and need an amendment to add later.

Check 2

A holding company

Two similarly named corporations under common control usually share one $500,000 small business limit.

Check 3

Who holds the shares

Dividends to a spouse or adult child are tested against the tax on split income rules before any share is issued.

Check 4

Year end and HST

A first year end within 53 weeks, and HST registration at the $30,000 threshold or earlier.

Check 5

Professional corporations

College naming rules often require your surname, which changes the search itself.

Check 6

An existing trade name

A section 85 rollover moves the name’s goodwill into the corporation without tax.

Choosing a Corporate Name?

Send us your first choice and a fallback. We screen both before you pay for a report.

Start on the Intake Form Book Your Consultation

NUANS Reports Across Canada

Reports are ordered and read online, so you never need to visit. When you want to meet, our offices are open 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday, on 647-212-9559.

Toronto (ON)

55 Queen St E Ste 1205, Toronto, ON M5C 1R6

Mississauga (ON)

2100 Camilla Rd #716, Mississauga, ON L5A 2J8

Brampton (ON)

4 Starhill Crescent, Brampton, ON L6R 2P9

Scarborough (ON)

24 Clementine Square, Scarborough, ON M1G 2V7

Vaughan (ON)

19 Cabinet Crescent, Woodbridge, ON L4L 6H9

Oshawa (ON)

210 Durham St, Oshawa, ON L1J 5R3

Ottawa (ON)

2090 Neepawa Ave a314, Ottawa, ON K2A 3L6

Etobicoke (ON)

60 Stevenson Rd #1601, Etobicoke, ON M9V 2B4

Hamilton (ON)

70 Starling Dr, Hamilton, ON L9A 0C5

Guelph (ON)

1155 Gordon St, Guelph, ON N1L 1S8

Windsor (ON)

4387 Guppy Ct, Windsor, ON N9G 2N8

North York (ON)

150 Graydon Hall Dr #912, North York, ON M3A 3B2

Cities we serve remotely

Remote incorporation inCalgary Remote incorporation inVancouver Remote incorporation inEdmonton Remote incorporation inMontreal Remote incorporation inWinnipeg Remote incorporation inLondon Remote incorporation inKitchener-Waterloo Remote incorporation inBarrie Remote incorporation inKingston Remote incorporation inHalifax Remote incorporation inRegina Remote incorporation inSaskatoon Remote incorporation inSurrey

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Industries We Work With

Physicians

Dentists

Real Estate Agents (PREC)

IT Consultants

Restaurants and Food Trucks

Franchise Owners

E-commerce and Amazon Sellers

Manufacturing

Grocery and Convenience Stores

Import and Export

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NUANS Report FAQs

What is a NUANS report?

A NUANS report is a search result listing Canadian corporate names, business names and trademarks similar or identical to a name you propose. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada describes NUANS as the Government of Canada’s business name and trademark search tool. Reports are ordered through NUANS member search houses, and a report is valid for 90 days.

What does a NUANS report search?

Canadian corporate names, registered business names and the Canadian trademarks database. It does not search domain names, social media handles, Quebec’s own name register, or businesses that have never registered anything, and it does not tell you who has the better claim to a name.

What is the difference between a NUANS pre-search and a reserved report?

A pre-search is a preliminary look at what already exists, available to NUANS members. A reserved report is the dated document with a report number that a registry accepts with your filing, and only the reserved report starts the 90-day clock.

How long is a NUANS report valid?

90 days. Corporations Canada states that a NUANS search is valid for 90 days only, and Ontario requires the report to be dated no more than 90 days before the articles are filed. Alberta requires the report to be less than 91 days old when the filing is submitted.

Does a NUANS report mean I can use the name?

No. Corporations Canada states that getting a NUANS name search report does not mean your name is preapproved or approved. An examiner reviews the name against the requirements, and the name becomes your corporation’s legal name only when the certificate is issued.

What is the difference between an Ontario-biased report and a federal report?

An Ontario-biased or weighted report ranks Ontario entries first and is the only version Ontario accepts for a named corporation. A Canada or federal biased report weights the search nationally, and Ontario will not accept it. Ordering the wrong bias means buying the report twice.

Do I need a NUANS report to incorporate federally?

No. Corporations Canada builds the name search into the online incorporation application, so no separate report is needed. A standalone federal NUANS report, at $13.80, is still required for filings such as a revival, an amalgamation, a cooperative or a registered intermediary filing.

How much does a NUANS report cost?

We order an Ontario-biased NUANS report for $25.00, HST included. The report is not a government fee: each private search house sets its own rate. The only NUANS price a government publishes is the standalone federal report from Corporations Canada, at $13.80.

Do British Columbia and Quebec use NUANS?

No. British Columbia uses a Name Request through BC Registries for $30, and an approved name is held for 56 days. Quebec uses its own name reservation through the Registraire des entreprises, $27 for 90 days, and the Charter of the French language governs the name.

Which provinces run the name search themselves?

Manitoba runs it within its $45 Request for Name Reservation, Saskatchewan within its $50 reservation, and Prince Edward Island charges $40 for a Level 1 search. Newfoundland and Labrador also searches its own register. Nova Scotia runs an Atlantic search for $60.52, or accepts your own NUANS report dated within 90 days for $15.12.

Does a NUANS report clear a trademark?

No. NUANS lists trademarks; it does not clear them. Trademarks are registered by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office under the Trademarks Act, for renewable 10-year terms, and a corporate name approval gives you no trademark rights.

Do I need to keep the NUANS report after I incorporate?

Yes. Ontario asks you to keep the NUANS report at the corporation’s registered office rather than send it with the articles. It belongs in your minute book with the articles and by-laws, and we send it to you as a PDF.

Meet Your Name Search Team

A Chartered Professional Accountant reads your name and your report before anything is filed.

Sharad Gondaliya, CPA

Principal

Bio

647-212-9559

Vandana Goel, CPA

Accounting Specialist

Bio

647-250-0242

What Our Clients Say

These Google reviews belong to Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation and cover every service the firm provides. See all reviews.

Insights on Corporate Names

NUANS name search guide

How a report is produced and read.

Corporate name rules

Prohibited and restricted words.

Named company incorporation

Incorporate with a word name.

Numbered company incorporation

Skip the report with a number name.

See More Guides

10 Smart Name Search Tips That Save You Money

Screen before you buy

A report on an unusable name is wasted.

Order the right bias

Ontario-biased for Ontario.

Watch the 90 days

Order close to your filing date.

Pick a fallback

Have a second name ready.

Add a distinctive word

Descriptive-only names are refused.

Skip it federally

The search is in the application.

Consider a number

A numbered company needs no report.

Check trademarks separately

NUANS does not clear them.

Check the domain

A clear name says nothing about it.

Keep the report

It belongs at the registered office.

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Incorporation

Name and Address

After Incorporation

Verified Corporate Filings CPA Firm

Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation is registered with CPA Ontario under firm registration number 61330051. Our clients have left us 1,300+ five-star Google reviews, and we work from 13 Ontario offices, open 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday. We back every filing with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 60-day fee-matching policy, and we are a Xero Partner Award Winner 2026. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. See incorporation services at Gondaliya CPA.

CPA Ontario Membership Number

61040184

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CPA Firm Registration Number

61330051

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Send Us Your Name and a Fallback

Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. We will tell you which report your province needs, order it in the correct bias, and read it back to you in writing before anything is filed. A NUANS report is valid for 90 days, so we work backwards from your filing date. Our incorporation fee is $35.00 and the Ontario-biased report is $25.00, both with HST included. Send payment by Interac e-Transfer to info@gondaliyacpa.ca with the security question set to “Not Applicable”, as auto-deposit is enabled. Card is also accepted. We answer 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday, on 647-212-9559.

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No legal advice

Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation is a firm of Chartered Professional Accountants licensed by CPA Ontario, firm registration number 61330051. It is not a law firm. We prepare and file corporate documents and we provide accounting and tax advice. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and reading it creates no solicitor and client relationship. For legal advice, including advice on a shareholder agreement before you sign it, consult a lawyer licensed in the province where your corporation carries on business.

Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.