If you’re planning to incorporate a business in Canada, one of the key steps is completing a NUANS search. This process is essential to ensure that the name you’ve chosen for your business is available and does not conflict with any existing registered businesses.
NUANS stands for Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search. It’s an automated system that compares your proposed business name against a national database of existing corporate names, trademarks, and business names across Canada.
The primary purpose of a NUANS search is to prevent legal issues and protect both your business and others that are already registered. By running this search, you can:
Verify whether your desired business name is already in use or too similar to another.
Avoid having your incorporation application rejected.
Ensure your business name is unique and professional.
A NUANS search is mandatory when incorporating a business federally or in many provinces and territories, including Ontario. It is not required if you are incorporating a numbered company, as you won’t be choosing a business name in that case.
The NUANS report includes:
A list of similar or identical existing business names.
Information on active and inactive corporations with related names.
Warnings or suggestions if there are potential conflicts.
The report is valid for 90 days, which means you must complete your incorporation within that timeframe for the search to remain valid.
The NUANS report can be obtained through authorized providers, corporate lawyers, or accountants who offer incorporation services. At Toro Accounting, we include this report as part of our incorporation package.