Incorporate a Business in Vancouver for $35
Incorporate your Vancouver business in British Columbia for $35.00, HST included. BC Registries charges $350 for the Incorporation Application and $30 for a Name Request if you want a named company, both shown separately at cost. There is no Gondaliya CPA office in British Columbia: your file is handled remotely by our Toronto office, and a CPA checks your share structure before anything is filed. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.
British Columbia Incorporation for Vancouver Owners, Handled Remotely by a CPA
Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. We prepare and file your British Columbia incorporation for a professional fee of $35.00, HST included. BC Registries and Online Services charges $350 for the Incorporation Application, and a named company first needs a $30 Name Request, which is held for 56 days once approved. We show both at cost, separately. There is no Gondaliya CPA office in Vancouver or anywhere in British Columbia, so the work is done remotely by phone, email and secure file transfer from our Toronto office. Call 647-212-9559.
In BC the name is the critical path, not the filing. A standard Name Request is examined in about five business days, and the Incorporation Application can only go in once the name is approved, so a numbered company is the fastest route when timing matters.
Vancouver Business Statistics
Every figure below carries its source and year. The City of Vancouver publishes its licensing volumes, and Statistics Canada supplies the census counts.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Population, City of Vancouver | 662,248, up 4.9% from 2016 | Statistics Canada, 2021 Census |
| Population, Metro Vancouver Regional District | About 3,087,000 | BC Stats, July 2025 |
| Business licences issued by the City | About 50,000 a year, and nearly 53,000 in 2022 | City of Vancouver; Council report, May 2023 |
| Business licence types | Cut from about 570 to 88, in 22 categories | City of Vancouver, effective 6 May 2024 |
| Technology jobs, Metro Vancouver | 124,621, about 77% of BC’s technology employment | Invest Vancouver, 2021 |
| Digital media and entertainment jobs, Metro Vancouver | 20,509 | Invest Vancouver, 2021 |
| Cargo through the Port of Vancouver | A record 170.4 million tonnes, and 3.8 million containers (TEUs) | Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, 2025 |
| Jobs supported by the port | About 132,400 across Canada, over 103,000 of them in BC | Port economic impact study, August 2025 |
| Motion picture industry in BC | 41,999 jobs and $3.1 billion of GDP | Creative BC, 2024 estimate |
Why Vancouver Business Owners Incorporate
Vancouver licenses almost everyone. Under section 3(1) of the City’s License By-law No. 4450, no person may carry on any business, trade, profession or occupation in the city without a licence, and home-based businesses are included. The City issues about 50,000 business licences a year, so owners here meet the paperwork early and often decide to incorporate at the same time.
Technology is the largest driver of new corporations. Invest Vancouver counted 124,621 technology jobs in Metro Vancouver in 2021, about 77 percent of the province’s total, and founders who expect investors need share classes, an option pool and a transparency register built correctly from the start.
Film, television and digital media add a second group. Creative BC estimated the province’s motion picture industry at 41,999 jobs in 2024, and many of the crews, post-production houses and animators behind that work contract with productions through their own companies.
The port drives the third. The Port of Vancouver moved a record 170.4 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, and the customs brokers, freight forwarders, truckers and warehouse operators around it contract with shippers who prefer a corporate counterparty.
British Columbia’s tax position matters too. A Canadian-controlled private corporation pays 2 percent provincial tax on its first $500,000 of active business income, against a 12 percent general rate. Sales are a separate question: BC charges 7 percent PST on taxable goods and some services in addition to the 5 percent GST, and most businesses selling taxable goods must register unless they qualify as a small seller with $10,000 or less of taxable revenue.
BC has no director residency requirement. A private BC company needs at least one director, who must be an individual but may live anywhere. That makes BC workable for founders who have just arrived in Vancouver, or who are still abroad.
Municipal Licence Requirements in Vancouver
Vancouver is stricter than most Canadian cities. License By-law No. 4450 requires a licence for nearly every business operating in the city, including home-based ones, and each premises and each activity needs its own.
| Business type | Municipal licence required | Issuing body | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office business, including consultants and professionals | Yes, Office | City of Vancouver | Every licence expires on 31 December, with the first year pro-rated |
| Home-based business | Yes | City of Vancouver | Remote employees of an employer are exempt; the business owner is not |
| Retail store, grocery or pharmacy | Yes, Retail Trade | City of Vancouver | One licence per premises |
| Restaurant | Yes, Restaurant Class 1 or Class 2 | City of Vancouver | With or without liquor |
| Bar or liquor-serving establishment | Yes | City of Vancouver | Alongside the provincial liquor licence |
| Cannabis retail | Yes | City of Vancouver | A separate licence type |
| Personal services, such as salons | Yes, Personal Services | City of Vancouver | Licensed under By-law 4450 |
| General or trade contractor | Yes, Construction | City of Vancouver | A Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence lets construction trades work across Burnaby, Delta, New Westminster, Richmond, Surrey and Vancouver for $300 a year, on top of the home licence |
| Business based outside Vancouver working in the city | Yes, Out-of-Town Business | City of Vancouver | Employees do not need their own licence |
| Short-term rental | Yes | City of Vancouver | Principal residence only, for stays under 90 consecutive nights, with the licence number shown in every listing |
A Vancouver business licence and a British Columbia corporation are separate things, and one never replaces the other. The corporation is created under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) through BC Registries and Online Services. The licence is the City’s permission to carry on business at a premises, issued under License By-law No. 4450.
If you already hold a licence as a sole proprietor and then incorporate, the corporation is a new legal person and needs its own licence. Since 6 May 2024 the City has used 88 licence types in 22 categories, down from about 570, so choosing the right type is simpler than it used to be.
Home-based businesses also face zoning rules. Under section 11.13.1 of the Zoning and Development By-law No. 3575, the operator must live in the dwelling, no more than two non-resident employees may work there, and the business may use the lesser of 33.3 percent of the floor area or 46 square metres. Customers come by appointment, 8 AM to 8 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 8 PM on weekends and holidays. Strata bylaws and leases can still prohibit a home business, so check yours.
There Is No Gondaliya CPA Office in Vancouver
Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.
Gondaliya CPA has no office in Vancouver or anywhere in British Columbia. Vancouver files are handled remotely by our Toronto office at 55 Queen St E, Suite 1205, Toronto, Ontario, by phone, email and secure file transfer. Phone 647-212-9559, 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday, Toronto time.
Because we have no BC premises, we cannot provide a British Columbia registered office. You supply a BC address for the registered and records offices, usually your business premises or your home in Vancouver.
Industries That Incorporate Most in Vancouver
These are the groups we see most often from Vancouver, and what each has to settle when it incorporates.
| Industry | Why it incorporates here | Our matching page |
|---|---|---|
| Technology and software | 124,621 Metro Vancouver technology jobs, and investors who expect settled share classes | IT consultants and software developers |
| Film, television and digital media | Many crews and studios contract with productions through their own companies | Incorporation by industry |
| Port, logistics and import-export | A record 170.4 million tonnes through the port in 2025, and shippers who contract with corporations | Import and export |
| Construction and trades | A City construction licence, and the $300 Metro West licence for work across six municipalities | Incorporation by industry |
| Restaurants and retail | A licence per premises, plus PST registration for taxable sales | Restaurants and food trucks |
| Newcomers and non-residents | BC has no director residency requirement | Non-residents incorporating in Canada |
Free Vancouver Incorporation Consultation
Case Studies: Vancouver Incorporations
Vancouver Developer – Name Before Funding
The problem: A Vancouver software founder had an investor meeting in three weeks and wanted the company’s brand name on the term sheet.
What we did: We filed the Name Request on day one, prepared the incorporation agreement and two share classes while it was examined, and filed the Incorporation Application the day the name was approved.
The result:
- Named BC company in place
- Two share classes
- Transparency register prepared
Mount Pleasant Studio – Licence in the Company’s Name
The problem: A post-production editor had a City office licence in their own name and wanted the corporation to take over the contracts.
What we did: We incorporated a numbered BC company to save the naming wait, and set out that the corporation needed its own City licence because a licence does not move between legal persons.
The result:
- Numbered company filed
- New licence application ready
- PST and GST positions in writing
Ontario Corporation Expanding to Vancouver
The problem: A Toronto client’s Ontario corporation was opening a Vancouver sales office.
What we did: We registered it in BC as an extraprovincial company within two months of starting business there, rather than forming a second corporation.
The result:
- Extraprovincial registration filed
- BC annual report diarised
- WorkSafeBC set up before the first hire
What It Costs to Incorporate in Vancouver
Our fee is the same everywhere. BC government fees are charged by BC Registries and Online Services and shown on separate lines at cost. See the full fee table or every 2026 government registry fee.
| Item | Amount | HST | Total | Who charges it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incorporation prepared and filed | $35.00 | Included | $35.00 | Open Corporation for $35, a department of Gondaliya CPA |
| Name Request, named companies only | $30.00 | None | $30.00 | BC Registries and Online Services |
| Priority Name Request, optional | $100.00 more | None | $100.00 | BC Registries and Online Services |
| Incorporation Application | $350.00 | None | $350.00 | BC Registries and Online Services |
| Annual report, each year | $43.39 | None | $43.39 | BC Registries and Online Services |
A numbered BC company costs $385.00 in total and a named one $415.00, each including our $35.00 fee with HST. The annual report is due within two months after each anniversary of incorporation. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.
The same checks run on every file. In Vancouver the answers usually turn on the name timing, investors and the PST.
BC or federal
A federal corporation still registers extraprovincially in BC, at $350 plus a $30 name approval, so a business based in Vancouver usually incorporates in BC.
Named or numbered
A Name Request is examined in about five business days and held for 56 days. A numbered company skips the wait.
Share structure
Every incorporator signs an incorporation agreement setting out the shares each takes, so the classes are decided before filing.
Transparency register
Since 1 October 2020 a private BC company must keep a register of anyone holding 25 percent or more of the shares or votes.
PST and GST
PST at 7 percent applies to taxable goods and some services unless you are a small seller with $10,000 or less of taxable revenue. GST registration follows at $30,000.
Employees
You must register with WorkSafeBC before hiring a worker, and WorkSafeBC suggests applying about four weeks ahead.
A Vancouver example. A Vancouver animator moving from contract work to their own studio wanted a named company the same week. The chosen name needed a Name Request, which would have pushed the filing past the first client’s start date. We incorporated a numbered BC company immediately and registered the studio name to it afterwards, so the contract could be signed on time.
Why Choose Open Corporation for $35 in Vancouver?
Our Official Partners
Vancouver Incorporation FAQs
Do I need a City of Vancouver business licence if I incorporate?
How long does it take to incorporate in BC from Vancouver?
Can I run my BC company from my Vancouver home?
My trade works across Metro Vancouver. Do I need a licence in every city?
My Ontario corporation is opening in Vancouver. Do I need a new company?
Is there a Gondaliya CPA office in Vancouver?
Meet the CPAs Behind Your Vancouver Incorporation
A Chartered Professional Accountant reviews your shares, name and registered office before anything is filed.
What Our Clients Say
These Google reviews belong to Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation and cover every service the firm provides. See all reviews. These reviews come from clients across the firm, not from a Vancouver office.
Why Owners Trust Us
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. The platform is operated by WealthBamboo Inc., a federal corporation. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. See incorporation services at Gondaliya CPA.
Start Your BC Incorporation From Vancouver
Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. Complete the intake form with your Vancouver registered office address and the name you want, and a CPA will confirm whether a Name Request or a numbered company suits your timing. Our fee is $35.00 with HST included, and BC Registries fees are shown separately at cost. 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. Questions first? Call 647-212-9559, 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday.
Where to Go Next
Incorporate in British Columbia
The BCBCA filing, the Name Request and the annual report.
Register of individuals with significant control
What BC’s transparency register requires.
Gondaliya CPA online incorporation services
The parent firm’s remote incorporation and accounting services.
Calgary incorporation services
Alberta incorporation, also handled remotely.
Toronto incorporation services
Our Toronto office, which handles Vancouver files.
Share structure for a new corporation
Classes, voting rights and planning for investors.
All service areas · All incorporation and corporate filing services
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.
