Corporations Canada

ARCHIVED — Notice from the Director – Changes to the Policy Related to the Certificate of Existence and to the Certificate of Compliance

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July 09, 2010

We wish to inform you that changes have been made to Policy 11.2: Policy Related to the Certificate of Existence and to the Certificate of Compliance.

The changes are as follows:

  • Changes were made regarding the date of the certificate. The date on the certificate of compliance or certificate of existence is the date on which the request was processed and the certificate was issued by Corporations Canada. The issuance date is not necessarily the same as the date that the request for the certificate is received by Corporations Canada. It is not possible to request that a certificate bear a date prior to the issuance date even if the requested date is the date that the request for the certificate was received by Corporations Canada.


  • The policy reflects changes in Corporations Canada service standards regarding requests for a certificate of compliance or certificate of existence:


    • Online request: one day
    • Request submitted by email, regular mail, fax or in person: 5 days

  • The section “On what grounds may Corporations Canada refuse to issue a certificate of compliance or a certificate of existence?” has been modified to clarify the reasons why Corporations Canada may refuse to issue a certificate.


  • The section “How do I obtain a certificate of compliance or a certificate of existence” has been modified to clarify current procedures for making a request online or for making a request by email, regular mail, fax or in person.

You can obtain the revised policy on the Corporations Canada Web site (corporationscanada@ic.gc.ca) or by contacting us directly.

Corporations Canada
Jean Edmonds Towers South
9th Floor
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C8
Telephone: 613-941-9042
Toll free: 1-866-333-5556
Email: corporationscanada@ic.gc.ca
Web Site: www.corporationscanada.ic.gc.ca

Aissa Aomari
A/Director General

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