The Alberta Nuans Name Search report has seven pages to it. The report is created from the Nuans name search system. The Nuans name search system will compare a proposed name for an Alberta company with the current database which contains all of the names that have been registered to date across Canada.

You must obtain an Alberta Name Search for the proposed name you intend to use for your company at the time you incorporate in the province of Alberta. This Nuans report allows the Alberta government to determine whether your name is available.

When registering an Alberta partnership or an Alberta trade name (sole proprietorship) it is not necessary to obtain an Alberta Nuans name search report. Anyone can register the same business name in Alberta respecting registration of Alberta sole proprietorships and partnerships. You need to still ensure that the name you are going to use is available and this can be done by doing a preliminary name search. A preliminary name search can let you know whether the business name you are thinking of registering is available for use without the need of ordering a full Alberta Name Search.

Prior to having the Alberta Nuans name search ordered for your proposed company name a preliminary name search must be performed. This is because it would not be a good idea to just order a name search without checking to see if the name is available because once the search is ordered there is a cost. If the Alberta Nuans report shows a conflict it will be too late and you will need to order another search after you pick another business name.

Most reputable search houses will perform a preliminary name search for your proposed Alberta name as part of the service when you buy an Alberta Nuans name search from them. Beware of companies that charge an extra fee for this. The only time there should be a fee for a preliminary name search is in the case where you are registering an Alberta trade name, Alberta partnership or an Alberta sole proprietorship and an Alberta Nuans is not required but you still want to determine the availability of the name.

The onus will be on you to ensure that any business name you register in Alberta does not conflict with another name on file even though you will not be asked to provide an Alberta name search report when registering. Therefore it is important that you do a preliminary name search.

You must have a legal element for the proposed name (explained below) but for registrations such as Alberta partnerships or Alberta trade names the legal element is not required or even allowed.

The information herein explains what to look for when using a name for a corporation however the principles can be applied to Alberta business names, partnerships and sole proprietorships as well with the exception of the legal element.

When deciding on a name for your corporation, you should consider three aspects of the name as follows: (1) the Distinctive Element (2) the Descriptive Element, and (3) the Legal Element.

If the name you choose to register is “Smith Carpentry Inc. , the distinctive element is the word “Smith”, which is distinctive because it is a person’s last name. Another type of a distinctive element in a name might be “Tobermory” as in “Tobermory Garden Supplies Ltd.” which is distinctive because it describes a location. “Starling Dental Services Corp.” has the distinctive word “Starling” in it to make it stand out from other dental service companies.

The descriptive element describes the type of business. In “Johnson Carpentry Inc.”, the descriptive element is “Carpentry” which describes the nature of business. In “Toronto Garden Supplies Ltd.” the descriptive element is “Garden Supplies” which describes the type of products this business sells. “Dental Services” is the descriptive element for “Treelight Dental Services Corp.”.

The Legal Element is the word “Inc.” which is a mandatory legal ending that signifies that the name is connected to registered company. In Canada you can have the following endings for your company name: “Inc.”, “Incorporated”, “Ltd.”, “Limited”, “Corp.”, “Corporation” and the French equivalents of “Ltee.” “Limitee”, “Inc.” (same in English and French) or “Incorporee”, The Legal Element distinguishes your name as a share corporation rather than a business name, sole proprietorship or non-share corporation.

Resources for Canadian Business Owners can assist you with an Alberta Corporate Registry Search and Alberta Business Name along with other government and legal registrations.

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