How to Incorporate a Non-Profit in Quebec
Incorporate a non-profit in Quebec under Part III of the Companies Act: three applicants, letters patent from the enterprise registrar, the $145 filing fee, and the separate CRA charity step.
How to Incorporate a Non-Profit in British Columbia
Incorporate a non-profit society in British Columbia under the Societies Act: the constitution and bylaws, the three-director minimum, the name request, and the BC Societies Online filing.
Applies in: British Columbia
The short answer
In British Columbia, a non-profit organization is called a society, and you incorporate it under the Societies Act through BC Societies Online. The steps are: set up a BCeID account, draft a constitution that states the society's name and purposes, draft bylaws or adopt the model bylaws, line up at least three directors and a registered office address, reserve the name, and file the incorporation application online. The filing fee is $100, plus a $30 name approval fee, for a total of $130.
This guide covers the British Columbia process only. It does not walk the Ontario incorporation path under the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010, or the federal path under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. If your organization will operate mainly in Ontario, see How to Incorporate a Non-Profit in Ontario; if you are weighing the federal route against a provincial one, see How to Incorporate Federally vs Provincially in Canada. This guide gives process steps only, not legal advice.
Before you start: confirm a society is the right form
A society is a not-for-profit corporation created and run in British Columbia. Societies are independent, democratic organizations that must follow the Societies Act and their own constitution and bylaws, and they do not earn profits for their members. The Act that governs them is the Societies Act, SBC 2015, c. 18.
Incorporating creates the legal entity. It does not, on its own, make the organization a registered charity, and it does not give the organization the right to issue donation tax receipts. That is a separate application to the Canada Revenue Agency, described in the step on what happens after incorporation below.
Step 1: Set up a BCeID account
Societies Online is the online portal BC Registries uses for societies. All non-profits in British Columbia are incorporated and managed through it. A BCeID account is required to use it.
BCeID is the province's online account for government services. Directors can use a basic BCeID account to access Societies Online. Sign up for one at the BCeID site, or go to Societies Online and choose the option to register for a basic BCeID account. Before a director can reach the society dashboard, that director must create or sign in to their own BCeID account.
Step 2: Draft the constitution
The constitution is one of the two foundational documents you must submit to incorporate. It sets out exactly two things: the name of the non-profit and its purposes.
Nothing else goes in the constitution. Provisions such as winding-up and dissolution clauses, limits on membership, or the office location belong in the bylaws, not the constitution. Keep the purposes clear and lawful: the purposes are what the society exists to do, and the registrar checks that the constitution complies with the Societies Act.
Step 3: Draft the bylaws
The bylaws are the second foundational document. They are the rules by which the non-profit operates, covering matters such as meeting rules, borrowing money, elections, and director remuneration. At a minimum, the bylaws must contain the matters the Societies Act requires.
You have two options. You can adopt the model bylaws without any changes — the province publishes a set of model bylaws that give new societies a framework of basic procedural rules. Or you can create your own bylaws, using the model bylaws as a guide or starting from scratch. If you write your own, they must comply with the Societies Act, be written in English, and be in a format that can be uploaded, copied, and compared, such as DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF, TXT, or WPS.
Step 4: Line up the directors and the registered office
Every society needs a constitution, bylaws, at least three directors, and a registered office address. The directors are the people who manage the society.
The rules for directors are:
- An ordinary society must have at least three directors.
- At least one director must be ordinarily resident in British Columbia.
- Each director must be qualified under the Societies Act and the society's bylaws.
- A director's full address must be a physical address. A post office box alone is not accepted.
The registered office address is the society's official address in British Columbia. You need it before you file, because the incorporation application asks for it.
Step 5: Request and reserve the name
A society's name must be approved before it can be incorporated, and it must not conflict with a name already in use by another corporation. The name must include either the word "association" or the word "society".
Submit the name request through Societies Online. Sign in, choose "Incorporate a New Society", then choose "Request a Name". The name approval fee is $30. Once the name is approved, the registrar sends an email with a name request number, which you use when you file the incorporation application.
BC Registry Services states that names and searches take 5 business days under its resumed priority service. If you want a filing reviewed sooner, priority service is available for a further $100 on top of the filing fee.
A society may only use "BC" or "British Columbia" in its name if it gets written consent to do so.
Step 6: File the incorporation application
Once the name is reserved, complete the incorporation application online through Societies Online. The process is online-only: do not mail or fax the application.
Have the prepared material on hand before you start: the constitution, the bylaws, and the names and addresses of the directors. You also need a credit card to pay the filing fee. The filing fee for incorporation is $100, which with the $30 name approval fee brings the total to $130.
After filing, the society receives its certificate of incorporation. BC Registry Services states that all filings other than names and searches take 10 business days under its resumed priority service.
What it costs
The fees below come from the BC Registry Services fee table, last updated September 17, 2026:
- Name approval: $30.
- Incorporation of a British Columbia society: $100 basic fee, $130 total with the name approval.
- Annual report: $40.
- Constitution or bylaw alteration application: $50.
- Priority service: a further $100 on top of the filing fee.
No GST is charged on registry fees. All payments to BC Registry Services are made in Canadian dollars.
After incorporation: the annual report and charity registration
Incorporation is the start, not the end. Every society must file an annual report with BC Registry Services. The report updates the society's information, including the current directors' names and addresses, the registered office address, and confirmation that the society is still active. The annual report fee is $40, and it can be filed online through Societies Online.
If the society wants to become a registered charity so it can issue donation tax receipts, that is a separate step with the Canada Revenue Agency's Charities Directorate. The society applies after incorporation; see How to Register a Charity in Canada for the process. The GST/HST treatment of charities and non-profits is also separate from incorporation — see GST/HST for Charities and Non-Profit Organizations in Canada.
The BC Registries help desk can answer questions about filings, Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at 1-877-526-1526. The registry does not provide business or legal advice.
Member-funded societies
A member-funded society is a society funded primarily by its members to carry on activities for the benefit of its members. On liquidation or dissolution, it may distribute its money and other property to its members.
The main practical difference at incorporation is the director rule: a member-funded society needs only one director, and that director does not need to be a resident of British Columbia. The constitution of a member-funded society states that it is member-funded. If your group exists mainly for its members rather than for the public, check whether the member-funded category fits before you file.
What the official pages do not state
The official pages do not state how long the registrar takes to review an incorporation application beyond the general 10-business-day standard for filings other than names and searches. They do not state a direct download link for the model bylaws, so this guide does not link to one: find the model bylaws through the BC Registry Services societies pages. They do not state whether a member-funded society's name must still include "association" or "society", so this guide does not claim an exception for member-funded societies. Figures that were not confirmed on an official page were left out.
Related guides
Incorporating a non-profit society in British Columbia, in six steps
- Set up a BCeID accountA basic BCeID account is required to use Societies Online.
- Draft the constitutionThe constitution holds the society's name and its purposes, and nothing else.
- Draft or adopt the bylawsWrite your own bylaws or adopt the model bylaws without change.
- Line up the directors and the registered officeAt least three directors, at least one ordinarily resident in British Columbia, plus a registered office address in the province.
- Request and reserve the nameThe name request costs $30. Names take about 5 business days under the registry's priority service.
- File the incorporation applicationFile online through Societies Online. The filing fee is $100, for a $130 total with the name approval.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to incorporate a non-profit society in British Columbia?
The total is $130: a $30 name approval fee plus a $100 basic incorporation fee, as set out in the BC Registry Services fee table. Priority service costs a further $100 on top of the filing fee if you need the filing reviewed sooner.
How many directors does a British Columbia society need?
An ordinary society needs at least three directors, and at least one of them must be ordinarily resident in British Columbia. A member-funded society needs only one director, and that director does not need to be a British Columbia resident.
What goes in the constitution?
Only two things: the name of the society and its purposes. Anything else, such as winding-up and dissolution clauses, limits on membership, or the office location, belongs in the bylaws.
Can I use the model bylaws instead of writing my own?
Yes. You can adopt the model bylaws without any changes, or use them as a starting point and write your own. Whichever route you take, the bylaws must comply with the Societies Act and contain the matters the Act requires.
How long does incorporation take in British Columbia?
BC Registry Services states that names and searches take 5 business days and all other filings take 10 business days under its resumed priority service. Societies Online accepts filings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Sundays.
Does incorporating a society make it a charity?
No. Incorporation under the Societies Act creates the society; charitable status is a separate step with the Canada Revenue Agency. A society that wants to issue donation tax receipts must apply to the CRA's Charities Directorate after it is incorporated. See [How to Register a Charity in Canada](/guides/how-to-register-a-charity-in-canada/) for that process.
Sources
- Province of British Columbia, BC Registry Services — societies as the British Columbia form of not-for-profit organization, Societies Online as the filing portal, priority service times of 5 business days for names and 10 business days for other filings, and the help desk contact details.
- Province of British Columbia, Forms, fees and information packages — the society fee table: $100 basic incorporation fee, $30 name approval fee, $130 total, $40 annual report, $50 constitution or bylaw alteration, and $100 priority service.
- BC Registry Services, Societies Online — online filings accepted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Sundays, and the Service BC help desk contact details.
- BC Registry Services, Incorporation Application — Societies Act, section 13 — the online-only incorporation process, the $100 filing fee, the requirement for a constitution, bylaws, at least three directors and a registered office address, at least one director ordinarily resident in British Columbia, and physical addresses for directors.
- Clicklaw, Societies Act FAQs — the Societies Act as the governing statute, the BCeID requirement, the name rules, the constitution holding name and purposes only, the bylaws as the second foundational document, the model bylaws option, and the member-funded society rules.