How to Incorporate a Business in Nova Scotia

Ready to incorporate? Start your Nova Scotia incorporation — $699 all-in → · Memorandum + Articles drafted, filed with the RJSC, complete minute book delivered.

Incorporating in Nova Scotia costs a $200 government fee — the lowest incorporation fee in Canada — plus a name reservation fee of $60.52–$75.58, all filed through the Registry of Joint Stock Companies (RJSC). You can do it yourself at rjsc.novascotia.ca in about a week, or CRS can handle the entire filing for $699 all-in, including your Memorandum of Association, Articles of Association, and a complete minute book. This guide walks through every step, every fee, and the parts of Nova Scotia's Companies Act that trip people up.

How much does it cost to incorporate in Nova Scotia?

The government charges $200 to incorporate a limited company in Nova Scotia — the cheapest provincial incorporation fee in the country (Registry of Joint Stock Companies). Budget for these line items:

Item	Government fee
Name reservation (Atlantic region search)	$60.52
Name reservation (Canada-wide search)	$75.58
Name reservation (bring your own NUANS report)	$15.12
Incorporation (Certificate of Incorporation)	$200.00
Annual renewal (every year after)	$118.35

A numbered company (e.g. "1234567 Nova Scotia Limited") skips the name reservation fee entirely.

Those are just the filing fees. Doing it properly also means drafting a Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association, appointing a recognized agent, preparing organizational resolutions, and setting up a minute book — which is where most founders either spend lawyer money or cut corners. CRS's Nova Scotia incorporation service is $699 all-in + tax: name search, both founding documents drafted for your ownership structure, RJSC filing, share certificates, organizational resolutions, Business Number application, and the full minute book.

How do you incorporate in Nova Scotia step by step?

The whole process runs through the RJSC's online portal at rjsc.novascotia.ca. Here's the sequence:

1. Reserve your name. Apply online, by mail, or at Access Nova Scotia. Choose an Atlantic-region search ($60.52) or a Canada-wide search ($75.58) — a NUANS report is included with either. Results typically take 2 business days, and an approved name is held for 90 days, so don't reserve until you're ready to file.
2. Prepare your founding documents. Nova Scotia uses a Memorandum of Association (name, share capital, and purposes) plus Articles of Association (internal governance rules — the equivalent of by-laws elsewhere). This structure comes from Nova Scotia's Companies Act, which is older than the Business Corporations Acts used in Ontario, Alberta, and BC.
3. Line up the required roles and addresses. You need at least one director (18 or older — no residency requirement), a corporate secretary, a registered office in Nova Scotia, and a recognized agent who lives in the province.
4. File with the RJSC. Submit the incorporation form, Memorandum, Articles, statutory declaration, Notice of Directors and Officers, Appointment of Recognized Agent, and Notice of Registered Office, and pay the $200 fee. Online filings are paid by credit card.
5. Receive your certificates. The RJSC typically issues the Certificate of Incorporation, Certificate of Registration, and your Business Number within 3 business days, assuming the forms are clean. Errors or follow-up questions add time.

End to end, a do-it-yourself incorporation usually lands inside one to two weeks. CRS-filed incorporations run the same government track — names cleared on day 1–2, documents filed by day 2–3, certificate and minute book delivered within 5–10 business days.

Do directors need to be Canadian residents?

No. Nova Scotia has no Canadian-residency requirement for directors — every director simply has to be at least 18. That puts NS alongside British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec as one of the few Canadian jurisdictions fully open to non-resident founders and boards. By contrast, federal (CBCA) incorporation requires at least 25% of directors to be Canadian residents, so a US- or internationally-owned company incorporating federally must add a Canadian director.

The trade-off: while your directors can live anywhere, your corporation cannot. Nova Scotia requires a registered office inside the province (a real address where records are kept, not a PO box) and a recognized agent resident in Nova Scotia who can accept official communications. Non-resident founders usually satisfy both through a service provider.

If you're weighing jurisdictions, our guide to federal vs. provincial incorporation in Canada covers when the CBCA's name protection is worth its residency rule.

Do you need a NUANS report to incorporate in Nova Scotia?

You don't need to order one separately — a NUANS report is bundled into Nova Scotia's name reservation. Both the Atlantic-region search and the Canada-wide search include it, which is why NS name reservation costs more than in provinces that search only their own registry. If you already hold a NUANS report less than 90 days old, you can submit it and pay just $15.12 to reserve.

Choose the Canada-wide search if you plan to operate beyond Atlantic Canada or want earlier warning of federal name conflicts. For how NUANS searching actually works — and why a "clear" report isn't a legal guarantee — see our NUANS name search guide.

What makes Nova Scotia's Companies Act different?

Three things stand out against the Business Corporations Act provinces:

• Memorandum + Articles instead of Articles of Incorporation + by-laws. Same commercial effect, different paperwork. The Memorandum sets out name, share capital, and purposes; the Articles govern meetings, share transfers, and director powers. Get the share capital clauses right the first time — amending a Memorandum later is a shareholder-resolution exercise.
• A corporate secretary is mandatory. The role can be held by a director or a separate person, but it must be filled and recorded.
• The NSULC. Nova Scotia is one of the only Canadian jurisdictions offering an Unlimited Liability Company — a vehicle US tax planners use for pass-through ("check-the-box") treatment in cross-border structures. It's a specialist tool, not a default choice; if your business has US shareholders or a US parent, book a free consultation before deciding.

What happens after you incorporate?

Incorporation is day one, not the finish line. Your Nova Scotia corporation must:

• File an annual renewal with the RJSC every year — the government fee is $118.35, and the registry sends a notice about a month before your renewal date. Nova Scotia's window is one of the tightest in Canada, and missing it starts the road to administrative dissolution. Our guide to filing your Nova Scotia annual return covers the deadline mechanics, or CRS can file it for you — we track the deadline every year.
• Keep a minute book. Directors' and shareholders' registers, share certificates, organizational resolutions, and every filing you make. Lenders and buyers will ask for it; see what belongs in a corporate minute book.
• Keep the registry current. Director changes, registered-office moves, and recognized-agent changes all get filed with the RJSC as they happen.

Should you file it yourself or use a service?

If you're comfortable drafting a Memorandum and Articles from templates and your share structure is one founder, one share class, the DIY route through rjsc.novascotia.ca works and costs roughly $260–$276 in government fees.

Where founders come unstuck is everything around the form: share capital clauses that don't fit how they actually want to split equity, no organizational resolutions, no share certificates ever issued, no minute book — gaps that surface later during a financing, a CRA review, or a sale. CRS's $699 all-in Nova Scotia incorporation covers the name search, custom-drafted Memorandum and Articles, RJSC filing, organizational resolutions, share certificates, BN application, and a complete minute book — with your annual renewal deadline tracked for free afterward.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to incorporate in Nova Scotia?

The government fee is $200 — the lowest in Canada — plus a name reservation of $60.52 (Atlantic search) or $75.58 (Canada-wide search), unless you incorporate as a numbered company. Every year after, the RJSC charges a $118.35 annual renewal fee.

How long does it take to incorporate in Nova Scotia?

Name reservation results take about 2 business days, and the RJSC typically issues the Certificate of Incorporation and Business Number within 3 business days of a clean filing. Most incorporations complete inside one to two weeks end to end.

Do I need a lawyer to incorporate in Nova Scotia?

No — incorporation is a registry filing, not a court process. A lawyer adds value for complex share structures or shareholder agreements. For standard incorporations, a registry service like CRS drafts the Memorandum, Articles, and minute book for a flat $699 all-in.

Can a non-resident incorporate a company in Nova Scotia?

Yes. Nova Scotia imposes no Canadian-residency requirement on directors or shareholders. You will, however, need a registered office in Nova Scotia and a recognized agent who lives in the province — both commonly provided by a registry service.

---

Ready to incorporate in Nova Scotia? Start your NS incorporation → — Memorandum + Articles drafted, filed directly with the RJSC, full minute book included.

Turnaround: names cleared in 1–2 days; certificate and minute book in 5–10 business days. Price: $699 all-in + tax — includes the $200 government fee, name search, and Business Number application.

Fees verified against the Registry of Joint Stock Companies and name reservation pages, August 2026.