Alberta Corporate names

An Alberta corporation name consists of 3 elements:

distinctive
descriptive
legal

‘ABC Building Supplies Ltd.’ is an example of a corporation name that contains all 3 elements.

Distinctive element
A distinctive element is a unique word or location that makes your corporation name different from others.

In the example above, ‘ABC’ is the distinctive element.

Descriptive element
A descriptive element describes what the corporation does or what the corporation is.

In the example above, ‘Building Supplies’ is the descriptive element.

Legal element
All Alberta corporations are required to have a legal element at the end of their name.

In the example above, ‘Ltd.’ is the legal element.

Accepted legal elements
The following legal elements are permitted by the Business Corporations Act:

• Limited
• Limitee
• Ltee
• Ltd.
• Corp.
• Corporation
• Inc.
• Incorporated
• Incorporee
• ULC
• Unlimited Liability Corporation

The ‘Professional Corporation’ element can only be used for one of the following types of professions:

Chartered Professional Accountants
Chiropractor
Dentistry
Law
Medicine
Optometry

Your corporation can also use a ‘number’ name, such as ‘785843 Alberta Inc. The number portion of the name is assigned by Corporate Registry. ‘Alberta’ always forms the second part of the name. You may choose one of the standard legal elements above.

About Alberta Corporate Names

(1) Subject to section 15.4(1), the word “Limited”, “Limitée”, “Incorporated”, “Incorporée” or “Corporation” or the abbreviation “Ltd.”, “Ltée”, “Inc.” or “Corp.” shall be the last word of the name of every corporation, and a corporation may use and may be legally designated by either the full or the abbreviated form.

(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the words “Professional Corporation” shall be the last words of the name of every corporation whose incorporation is approved in accordance with section 7(2), but a professional corporation may add a professional descriptor to its name, and the professional descriptor may be inserted between the words “Professional” and “Corporation”. (2.1) For the purposes of subsection (2), a professional descriptor is a term that describes the profession or occupation of the professional corporation, including the terms “Legal”, “Law”, “Medical”, “Dental” or others descriptive of the profession or occupation.

(3) Subject to section 15.4(2), no person other than a body corporate shall carry on business within Alberta under any name or title that contains the word “Limited”, “Limitée”, “Incorporated”, “Incorporée” or “Corporation” or the abbreviation “Ltd.”, “Ltée”, “Inc.” or “Corp.” or the words “Professional Corporation”.

(4) A person carrying on business in contravention of subsection (3) or section 15.4(2) is guilty of an offense and liable to a fine of not more than $5000.

(5) A corporation may file a notice in the prescribed form with the Registrar designating an additional form or forms of its name in accordance with subsection (6).

(6) Subject to section 12(1), the name of the corporation or an additional form of its name in a notice filed under subsection (5) may be in an English form or a French form or in a combined English and French form and the corporation may use and may be legally designated by any of those forms.

(7) Subject to section 12(1), a corporation may, outside Canada, use and may be legally designated by a name in any language form.

(8) A corporation shall set out its name in legible characters in or on all contracts, invoices, negotiable instruments, and orders for goods or services, issued or made by or on behalf of the corporation.

(9) Subject to subsections (8) and

(10) and section 12(1) and to section 110 of the Partnership Act, a corporation may carry on business under or identify itself by a name other than its corporate name. (10) Where a corporation carries on business or identifies itself by a name other than its corporate name, the name shall not contain a word referred to in subsection (3) or section 15.4(2).

Alberta Online Incorporation Service. Fast, Easy, Online for Only $99

Ecompanies Canada offers fast & easy Alberta online incorporation and business registration services. At Ecompanies Canada we help you step-by-step and take care of the entire business registration process from start to finish. Incorporating a new business in Alberta with us is fast, easy and takes just minutes.

Alberta Incorporation Service for Canadian Residents
Register a foreign company in Alberta
Canada Company Registration for Non-Canadian residents