How to Incorporate a Non-Profit in Manitoba
Incorporate a non-profit in Manitoba under The Corporations Act: reserve the name for $45, file Articles of Incorporation without share capital for $120, and meet the three-director rule.
How to Register a Business in Manitoba: Companies Office Name Reservation and the $105 Total
Register a business in Manitoba through the Companies Office: the $45 name reservation that holds a name for 90 days, the $60 business name registration, the 3-year renewal, and when the $350 corporation route applies instead.
Applies in: Manitoba
The registration in one paragraph
Registering a business in Manitoba runs through the Companies Office, and like British Columbia and Nova Scotia it is a two-step filing: reserve the name first, then register it. The Request for Name Reservation costs $45 and holds the name for 90 days. The Business Name Registration costs $60. A typical named sole proprietorship pays $105 in government fees, and the registration renews every three years — a middle path between British Columbia's no-renewal system and Nova Scotia's annual one. Small businesses searching for how Manitoba registration works usually land here because there is no single provincial start-a-business portal; the Companies Office forms pages are the front door.
Step 1: Run the name test
Manitoba's Business Names Registration Act turns on the name you actually trade under:
- Sole proprietor under your surname alone — no business name registration. The Act's test is your family name or surname on its own; the moment you add a word — a trade, a location, a brand — register.
- Sole proprietor under a business name — reserve the name, then register it. This is the standard $105 route.
- A name that suggests more than one person — register, even if the name is built on your own surname; the Act treats a name indicating a plurality of persons as a registrable name.
- Partnership — all partnerships must register in Manitoba, and the filing covers the firm name and every partner. The Act's one carve-out is for regulated professionals practising alone or in partnership, who are exempt unless the partnership seeks limited liability partnership status.
- Corporation trading under another name — the corporation registers the operating name it uses publicly, on top of its incorporation.
- Out-of-province owners — an unincorporated business with no registrant living in Manitoba adds a Power of Attorney filing (Step 3).
Trading unregistered under your surname plus extra wording carries its own duty under the Act: you must display a sign, poster or advertisement showing your full name. Registering the name is the cleaner route.
A business name registration does not make the business a separate legal entity. A registered sole proprietor is still personally liable for the debts, and the partners in a registered partnership are liable for each other's business obligations. Registration is a record, not a shield.
Step 2: Reserve the name ($45)
File a Request for Name Reservation with the Companies Office. The form can be filed online, and online filing gives the fastest processing times. The fee is $45 at the regular pace; expedited service is $90.
The Companies Office checks the name against its records. Names that clash with an existing registration or break the naming rules come back refused, and the fee is spent either way, so it pays to search the Companies Office records yourself first and to have a second name ready.
An approved reservation lasts 90 days. That is your window to complete the registration. It applies to incorporations too: a named Manitoba corporation files its articles inside the same 90 days. Let the reservation lapse and the fix is a new request and another $45 — the clock is the part of Manitoba registration that costs people money twice.
Step 3: Register the business name ($60)
With the reservation approved, file the Business Name Registration before the 90 days run out. The fee is $60, or $120 expedited. The form covers sole proprietorships and partnerships, and it asks for:
- The reserved business name, as approved
- The proprietor's or partners' full legal names and residence addresses
- The business address and the main type of business
- The start date, which cannot be more than 30 days in the future
- Whether the registrant has a CRA business number, and its first nine digits if so
If none of the registrants lives in Manitoba, add the Power of Attorney filing — $40 regular, $80 expedited — appointing a person in Manitoba. Payment to the Companies Office is by Visa or Mastercard.
The fee ladder for the larger structures, all from the Companies Office's own Forms - Business Names fee page:
- Limited partnership registration: $350 regular, $550 expedited
- Limited liability partnership registration: $350 regular, $550 expedited
- Numbered Manitoba corporation: $350 regular, $550 expedited
- Named Manitoba corporation: $395 in total, being the $45 reservation plus $350 for the articles of incorporation
Corporations incorporated in Alberta, British Columbia or Saskatchewan should check the New West Partnership Trade Agreement rules before paying a Manitoba extra-provincial fee: for eligible corporations the Manitoba registration itself carries no fee, the Power of Attorney is also no-fee, and annual returns are filed in the home jurisdiction only. The one Manitoba fee that survives is the $45 name reservation. Manitoba corporations get the same treatment going the other way.
Step 4: Know what the registration is and isn't
A Manitoba business name registration:
- Lets you trade and bank under the name — it is the document a bank asks for when you open a business account, and it puts the name and owners on the public record.
- Does not create a separate entity — no limited liability comes with it. That only arrives with incorporation.
- Does not protect the name as property — the reservation clears the name on Manitoba's records for your filing; it is not a trademark, and a similar name can still appear.
- Does not cover taxes or licences — your CRA business number and GST/HST account are federal steps, the GST/HST guide below covers the $30,000 threshold, and your city or town may require its own business licence on top.
Step 5: Calendar the three-year renewal
A Manitoba business name registration runs three years and renews at the $60 fee. Renewal notices go to the mailing or email address on record about three months before the due date, and the renewal can be filed within six months of expiry; after that window, the fix is a new name reservation and a new registration. The renewal is easy to forget precisely because three years feels permanent; it is not. A lapsed registration means filing fresh, and trading in the gap under an unregistered name.
Corporations keep a different calendar: an annual return at $65 for a share-capital corporation ($40 without share capital), every year. The return is sent to the address on record during the month of incorporation and is due by the end of the following month. The Companies Office is blunt about the stakes — a corporation that does not file its annual return for two consecutive years gets dissolved. Keep both the registration record and your address current with the Companies Office so the notices actually reach you.
Before you file: search the name, check the processing dates, and check Winnipeg
Search before you pay. The Companies Office runs its registry searches through Companies Online: create a Regular account, then use "Search by Name/Number" to check your exact name and close variants. The Companies Office itself recommends researching identical or confusingly similar names before submitting a name reservation, and the Companies Online, Corporations Canada and Canadian Trademarks Database searches it points to are all free. The basic search is free, and a detailed File Summary costs $5 per entity. A search does not reserve the name, and it does not guarantee approval, but it is the cheapest way to avoid paying $45 for a name the Companies Office then refuses.
Plan around the Companies Office's published processing dates, not a guess. Its Processing dates page is updated daily and shows the filing dates currently being reviewed: the regular service standard is 4 to 6 business days, expedited filings are processed within 5 business days when the filing is complete (delivery not included), and you should allow 1 to 2 business days after processing for the documents to come back — by email for online filings, by mail for paper. Online filing provides the fastest processing times, and the update filings the page marks with an asterisk are completed immediately when filed online. The 90-day clock runs from the reservation being approved: file the registration inside those 90 days.
Winnipeg is a separate check, not an automatic extra fee. The City of Winnipeg licenses 11 business activities under its Community Safety Business Licensing By-law, and the licence cost depends on the activity, so there is no single Winnipeg fee to quote. Working from home needs no Winnipeg business licence, but zoning requirements still apply. Outside Winnipeg, check your own municipality. BizPaL, the free federal-provincial-municipal tool, lists the permits and licences that may apply to a Manitoba business.
Startup checklist
Related guides
- How to Register a Business in Nova Scotia — the Nova Scotia companion: a 90-day reservation like Manitoba's, but a $68.55 fee and an annual renewal instead of three years.
- How to Register a Business in New Brunswick — the New Brunswick companion: a $112 Certificate of Business Name with the Royal Gazette fee built in, renewed every five years.
- How to Register a Business in Ontario — the Ontario companion: no reservation step at all, a $60 filing, and a five-year registration.
- How to Register a Business in British Columbia — the British Columbia companion: a $30 Name Request with a 56-day clock, and no renewal cycle afterwards.
- How to Get a Business Number in Canada — the federal identifier: what the 9-digit CRA business number is and which program accounts hang off it.
- How to Register a Sole Proprietorship and Get a GST/HST Number in Canada — the national walkthrough: provincial registration, CRA business number, and the $30,000 threshold.
- How to Register for GST/HST in Canada — the federal tax registration that usually follows the provincial one.
- How to Incorporate: Federal vs Provincial in Canada — when the $350 Manitoba corporation beats a $105 name registration.
- How to Open a Business Bank Account in Canada — what comes after registration: the account your bank will not open without the registration document.
Registering a business in Manitoba, step by step
- Decide whether you must registerA sole proprietor trading under their surname alone does not register a business name; add any wording, take on a partner, or use a brand name and the Companies Office registration applies — all partnerships must register
- Reserve the name ($45)File a Request for Name Reservation with the Manitoba Companies Office; the reservation holds the name for 90 days, and expedited service costs $90
- Register the business name ($60)File the Business Name Registration online before the reservation expires; expedited filing costs $120, and online filing is the fastest route
- Keep the registration documentYour registered business name is the paper banks ask for when you open a business account; it does not create a separate legal entity or protect the name as a trademark
- Renew every 3 yearsA Manitoba business name registration is renewed every three years at the registration fee; corporations sit on a different clock, an annual return at $65 for a share-capital corporation
What Manitoba business registration costs
| Request for Name Reservation | $45 regular / $90 expedited |
|---|---|
| Business Name Registration (sole proprietorship or partnership) | $60 regular / $120 expedited |
| Typical named sole proprietorship, total government fees | $105 |
| Business name renewal (every 3 years) | $60 |
| Limited partnership or limited liability partnership registration | $350 regular / $550 expedited |
| Power of Attorney filing (required if no registrant lives in Manitoba) | $40 regular / $80 expedited |
| Manitoba corporation, numbered | $350, plus the $65 annual return |
| Manitoba corporation, named | $395 in total ($45 reservation plus $350 articles) |
Fees are the Manitoba Companies Office filing fees published on its Forms - Business Names page. The Companies Office charges the expedite fee for faster processing on the same filing; filing online is the fastest standard route. Registration agents and lawyers charge their own fee on top.
Questions people ask
Do I have to register my business name in Manitoba?
If you trade under anything other than your surname on its own, yes. Manitoba's Business Names Registration Act sets the test at your family name or surname alone: a sole proprietor trading as just 'Morgan' does not register a business name, while 'Alex Morgan Design' or any name that adds wording does. A name that suggests more than one person is in the business triggers registration too, even if it is built on your own surname. All partnerships must register, whether or not the firm name includes the partners' names. Register through the Manitoba Companies Office, online or on paper.
How much does it cost to register a business in Manitoba?
A typical named sole proprietorship costs $105 in government fees: $45 to reserve the name, then $60 to register it. Both filings have an expedited option at double the fee — $90 for the reservation, $120 for the registration — if you need the filing turned around faster. The registration then renews every three years at $60.
What is the Manitoba Companies Office?
It is Manitoba's business registry, part of Entrepreneurship Manitoba. It handles name reservations, business name registrations for sole proprietorships and partnerships, limited partnerships, and Manitoba incorporations, and it keeps the public record of all of them. Most filings can be done online through the Companies Office website, and online filing gives the fastest processing.
How does name reservation work in Manitoba?
You file a Request for Name Reservation, $45 at the regular pace or $90 expedited, and the Companies Office checks whether the name can be used. An approved reservation holds the name for 90 days. You must file the business name registration (or the articles of incorporation, for a company) inside that window — let it lapse and you file a new request and pay the $45 again.
How long does a Manitoba business name registration last?
Three years, then it renews for another three years at the $60 registration fee. Renewal notices go to the address on record about three months before the due date, and the renewal can be filed within six months of expiry; after that window you file a new name reservation and registration instead. That puts Manitoba between British Columbia, which has no renewal cycle for a sole proprietorship registration, and Nova Scotia, which renews every year. Corporations do not use this cycle at all: a Manitoba corporation files an annual return every year at $65 for a share-capital corporation, $40 without share capital.
Do I need a NUANS report in Manitoba?
Manitoba runs its own name reservation system through the Companies Office, so the Request for Name Reservation is the name check that counts for a Manitoba business name or a Manitoba corporation. A federal NUANS report belongs to federal incorporations and some other provinces' filings. If you plan to operate across Canada under one brand, a trademark search still makes sense — the Manitoba reservation only clears the name on Manitoba's records.
I live outside Manitoba. Can I still register a business there?
Yes, but an unincorporated business with no registrant living in Manitoba must also file a Power of Attorney with the Companies Office, appointing someone in the province. That filing costs $40 at the regular pace, or $80 expedited. Corporations from Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan get special treatment under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement, including relief from the usual extra-provincial registration fee.
Does registering a business name in Manitoba protect the name?
No. The registration records that you trade under the name and gives you the document banks want, but it does not create exclusive rights and it does not stop a similar name being registered later. It also does not create a separate legal entity: a registered sole proprietor or partner is personally liable for business debts. A federal trademark is the separate filing that protects a name as property.
What is the difference between registering a name and incorporating in Manitoba?
Registering a business name ($105 all-in for most sole proprietors) records a name for a business that is still legally you. Incorporating creates a separate Manitoba corporation: $350 for a numbered company, or $395 in total for a named one once the $45 reservation is counted, plus a $65 annual return every year for a share-capital corporation ($40 without share capital) and a corporate tax return. Incorporate when the liability separation or tax planning is worth the ongoing paperwork, not by default.
What comes after the Manitoba registration?
Keep the registration current and renewed every three years, and set up the layers the Companies Office does not handle: a CRA business number and GST/HST account (registration is mandatory once your taxable sales pass $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive calendar quarters), any City of Winnipeg or municipal business licence your work needs, Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba registration if your business is in a mandatory industry and you employ workers in Manitoba, and a business bank account.
Sources
- Manitoba Companies Office, Forms - Business Names — the fee schedule for the name reservation, business name registration, renewal, limited partnerships and the Power of Attorney, and the Visa and Mastercard payment options
- Manitoba Companies Office, Business Names — the surname test, "all partnerships must be registered," the $45 reservation and $60 registration steps, and online filing as the fastest route
- Manitoba Companies Office, Name Reservations — the 90-day reservation, a rejected name requiring a new filing and fee, and the pre-search recommendation with its free databases
- Manitoba Companies Office, Processing dates — the 4-to-6-business-day regular standard, the 5-business-day expedited standard, and the daily-updated processing dates
- Manitoba Companies Office, Business Names — Updating — the three-year renewal, the notice about three months ahead, and the six-month renewal window
- Manitoba Companies Office, Forms - Manitoba corporations — the $350 articles fee with its $550 expedited option, and the $65 / $40 annual return fees
- Manitoba Companies Office, Starting a Manitoba Corporation — the named-corporation sequence: $45 reservation, then $350 articles
- Manitoba Companies Office, Business Corporations — Updating — the annual return timing and dissolution after two consecutive unfiled years
- Manitoba Companies Office, Business Corporations NWPTA — no-fee extra-provincial registration, home-jurisdiction annual returns, and the surviving $45 name reservation
- Manitoba Laws, The Business Names Registration Act, C.C.S.M. c. B110 — section 2: who must register, the surname and plurality tests, the sign duty, and the professional exemption
- Manitoba Companies Office, Searches and File Summaries — free registry searches and the $5 File Summary
- Canada Revenue Agency, Business number and CRA program accounts — the 9-digit business number a business gets when it registers
- Canada Revenue Agency, When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — the $30,000 single-quarter and four-consecutive-quarter tests
- City of Winnipeg, Business Licences — the 11 licensed activities, fees set by activity, and the working-from-home rule
- Government of Manitoba, Licences and Permits — BizPaL as the free all-levels-of-government permits tool for Manitoba businesses
- Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba, Register a business for WCB coverage — the mandatory-industry registration duty for businesses employing workers in Manitoba
- Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Trademarks guide — the sole right to use a registered mark across Canada and the 10-year renewable term