Legal Endings for Ontario Corporations
Under subsection 10 (1) of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (OBCA), every for-profit corporate name must have a recognized legal element as its final word. This requirement alerts the public, financial institutions, and contracting parties that the owners and directors enjoy limited liability protection.
INC. / INCORPORATED
Most popular choice in Ontario & Canada
CORP. / CORPORATION
Common for medium & large enterprises
LTD. / LIMITED
Traditional Commonwealth legal element
Are There Legal Differences Between Inc., Corp., and Ltd.?
No. In the Province of Ontario and across Canada, the words Incorporated, Corporation, and Limited (along with their abbreviations Inc., Corp., and Ltd., and French statutory equivalents Incorporée, Limitée, Inc., Ltée) are completely identical in legal effect. Choosing between them is solely a matter of your aesthetic, branding, and marketing preference.
Not-For-Profit Corporations (ONCA)
Under the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 (ONCA), non-profit corporations are not required to have a legal ending word. If you are incorporating a registered charity, community association, religious body, or non-profit organization, select None – Non-Profit in the order form.
Regulatory Variations of Legal Endings in Ontario
In Ontario, specific professional and licensed industries are regulated by dedicated provincial statutes and administrative colleges. These governing bodies mandate or authorize customized corporate endings in place of standard business endings:
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"PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION" (PREC):
Under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 (TRESA) and Ontario Regulation 580/20, registered Ontario realtors and real estate brokers wishing to earn income through a corporate structure must incorporate a Personal Real Estate Corporation. The legal corporate name must conclude with the exact statutory ending "PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION".
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MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION / MEDICINE PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION:
Physicians and surgeons licensed with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) incorporating under the OBCA s. 3.2 and the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) must conclude their corporate name with "Medical Professional Corporation" or "Medicine Professional Corporation" (or French: « société professionnelle médicale »).
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PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION:
Registered psychologists and psychological associates registered with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) incorporate under the OBCA using the designated ending "Psychology Professional Corporation".
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SOCIAL WORK PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION:
Registered social workers and social service workers governed by the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) must include the legal ending "Social Work Professional Corporation".
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Other Regulated Professions:
The OBCA also authorizes specific regulatory variations for other accredited professions upon obtaining a Certificate of Authorization, including:
Dentistry Professional Corporation,
Chiropractic Professional Corporation,
Optometry Professional Corporation,
Law Professional Corporation (Law Society of Ontario), and
Chartered Professional Accounting (CPA) Professional Corporation.
Note: Regulated professional corporations generally require that all voting shares be owned exclusively by members of the governing professional college and that the corporation obtain a Certificate of Authorization before practicing.
Permitted Punctuation Marks and Characters
The Ontario Business Registry enforces strict rules regarding which symbols and punctuation marks can be registered as part of a corporate name. These rules are codified under Ontario Regulation 398/21 under the Business Corporations Act:
Ontario Regulation 398/21 — Section 13
13. (1) For the purposes of subsection 10 (3) of the Act, the following punctuation marks and other marks are the only ones permitted as part of the name of a corporation:
! “ ” « » # $ % & ’ ( ) * + , – . / \ : ; < = > ? [ ] ' ˄ ≤ ≥ @ ¸ ´ ` ^ ¨
(2) A corporate name shall not be primarily or only a combination of marks permitted under subsection (1).
(3) The following marks permitted under subsection (1) may be used only as part of a French character, and not separately:
¸ ´ ` ^ ¨
Key Practical Takeaways for Your Proposed Name:
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Prohibited Symbols: Any mark not specifically listed in subsection 13 (1) — such as the tilde (
~), underscore (_), curly braces ({ }), or vertical bar (|) — is prohibited and will cause the Ontario Business Registry to reject your filing.
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Punctuation Cannot Stand Alone: Subsection 13 (2) prohibits names composed primarily of punctuation marks (e.g.
!&? Inc.). A corporate name must contain distinctive letters or words.
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French Accents Rule: The accents listed in subsection 13 (3) (cedilla
¸, acute accent ´, grave accent `, circumflex ^, and diaeresis/umlaut ¨) can only be used as integral parts of French language letters (such as é, à, ç, ï, ô), never as standalone symbols.
Maximum Corporate Name Length
The length of a corporate name in Ontario is strictly governed by Section 14 of Ontario Regulation 398/21:
Ontario Regulation 398/21 — Section 14 (Length)
14. The name of a corporation shall not exceed 120 characters in length, including punctuation marks and spaces.
When counting the length of your proposed name, you must calculate:
Total Characters = [Distinctive Elements] + [Descriptive Words] + [Legal Ending] + [All Spaces & Punctuation] ≤ 120 characters.
Our order form above includes a real-time character counter that verifies your total length to ensure full compliance before your Nuans search is conducted.
Understanding the Nuans Report & Incorporation Process
What Does the Ontario Nuans Report Screen?
An Ontario Nuans report is a comprehensive 6-page computerized search document generated directly from the federal NUANS database. It compares your proposed name against:
- Active and dissolved Ontario corporations registered in the Ontario Business Registry.
- Federal corporations incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA).
- Corporate registries in other Canadian provinces and territories.
- Registered Ontario business names, sole proprietorships, general partnerships, and limited partnerships.
- Federal trademarks — both registered trademarks and pending trademark applications filed with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO).
The 90-Day Validity Window
Once issued, an Ontario Nuans report is valid for exactly 90 calendar days. Your Articles of Incorporation must be submitted to the Ontario Business Registry before this 90-day window expires. If the 90 days elapse before you complete your incorporation filing, a new Nuans report must be ordered.
How to Judge Name Availability
The Nuans system does not issue an automated "pass" or "fail" mark. Instead, it provides a ranked list of phonetically, visually, and conceptually similar names. The applicant (or their lawyer/agent) must evaluate whether your proposed name causes a risk of confusion under Ontario law.
To learn how to evaluate conflicting names, read our in-depth resource:
Evaluating a Nuans Search: A 4-Question Decision Guide & Risk Matrix →
Frequently Asked Questions — Ontario Nuans Reports
Do I need a Nuans report if I am incorporating a numbered company?
No. If you incorporate a numbered company (e.g. 12345678 Ontario Inc.), the Ontario Business Registry automatically assigns the next available sequential number. A Nuans report is only required when you incorporate under a chosen name.
Can I use an Ontario Nuans report for a Federal (CBCA) incorporation?
No. Corporations Canada requires a Federal Nuans Report, which specifically applies federal name clearance criteria. If you are incorporating federally, order our Nuans Search — Federal ($40) on the Shop page.
What if my proposed name has an identical match?
If your proposed name is identical to an active business or corporation in Ontario in the same or similar industry, the Ontario Business Registry will reject your incorporation unless the existing entity provides written consent and an undertaking to dissolve or change its name. If you are unsure, consider ordering a $20 Name Pre-Search first.
When and how will I receive my report?
Your official Ontario Nuans report is delivered as a PDF attachment by email within 1–2 hours after your payment is received during our daily operating hours (2pm–8pm Eastern Time). Payments received outside this window are fulfilled promptly the next business day.