Health Profession Corporation BC: CPSBC Permit Guide 2026

If you are a physician planning to incorporate your BC practice — usually for the tax planning room a corporation creates — you are really planning two filings, not one. A health profession corporation in BC starts as an ordinary company incorporated with BC Registries under the Business Corporations Act, and only becomes able to provide health services once the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) issues it a health profession corporation permit. Both the incorporation and the permit must then be renewed every year, on two different calendars.

One point of currency matters more than any other in 2026: the governing statute is now the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA, SBC 2022, c. 43), which replaced the Health Professions Act on April 1, 2026. A great deal of online guidance — including recent posts from incorporation services — still cites the repealed HPA and old bylaw numbering. CPSBC's permit regime, from name approval to shareholder eligibility, now runs on the HPOA and CPSBC Bylaws Part 7, and your articles and application must match that framework.

Key facts at a glance

Fact	British Columbia (physicians)
Governing legislation	Health Professions and Occupations Act (SBC 2022, c. 43) and CPSBC Bylaws; Business Corporations Act for the company itself
Corporate registry	BC Registries — incorporation filed through Corporate Online
Regulator & required authorization	College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC — health profession corporation permit
Naming rule	Name must be pre-approved by CPSBC (Name Approval Request Form, Bylaws s. 7-6) before registry filing
Who may hold voting shares	Eligible licensees, in compliance with s. 59 of the HPOA
Family shareholders allowed?	Not as voting shareholders; check current CPSBC Bylaws Part 7 before issuing any non-voting class
Registry filing fee	$30 name request + $350 incorporation; $43.39 annual report
Regulator fee	C$350 per licensee (application); C$135 per corporation (annual permit)
Renewal cycle	Permit year March 1 – end of February; renew before March 1 (C$100 late penalty)

How to set up a medical professional corporation in BC

BC calls it a health profession corporation, and the order is unusual — the College sees your name before the registry does:

1. Get the corporate name approved by CPSBC first — submit the Name Approval Request Form to [email protected]; the College confirms it complies with the HPOA and section 7-6 of its bylaws.
2. Reserve the approved name with BC Registries.
3. Prepare articles and an incorporation agreement that satisfy the HPOA and CPSBC bylaws — a standard template company will not pass, because a solicitor must certify compliance.
4. File the incorporation through Corporate Online — $350 government fee — and receive your certificate of incorporation.
5. Assemble the permit package: application form with every licensee and CPSID, acknowledgements and attestations from each voting shareholder, the Certificate of Solicitor (Schedule A), and proof of good standing under the Business Corporations Act.
6. Pay C$350 per licensee plus the C$135 annual permit fee (not prorated).
7. Allow six to eight weeks for CPSBC review — longer during the annual renewal crunch.
8. Renew before March 1 each year. The permit expires on the last day of February regardless of when it was issued.

Skipping step 1 is the common error: reserve a name at BC Registries that CPSBC will not approve and you start over. The two sections below cover each track in full.

Step 1: Incorporate at the registry

Before anything goes to BC Registries, get the corporate name approved by CPSBC. You submit the college's Name Approval Request Form by email ([email protected]), and CPSBC confirms the name complies with the HPOA and section 7-6 of its bylaws. Only then should you reserve the name with BC Registries ($30, or $100 for one-to-two-day priority review) — the reservation holds for 56 days.

Next come the articles. A standard template company will not do: the corporation's share structure and restrictions must satisfy the HPOA and CPSBC bylaws, because the college reviews them when it issues the permit and a solicitor must certify compliance. With articles and an incorporation agreement signed, you file the incorporation application through Corporate Online for the $350 government fee and receive a certificate of incorporation, certified copies of the Notice of Articles, and your incorporation number.

Step 2: Get your CPSBC health profession corporation permit

With the certificate of incorporation issued, the permit application package goes to CPSBC by email. Per the college's Health Profession Corporation Permit Application, a complete application includes:

• the permit application form itself, identifying every licensee and their CPSID;
• an acknowledgement from each eligible licensee who will own voting shares;
• an attestation of compliance from each voting shareholder;
• a Certificate of Solicitor (Schedule A) in the college's approved form, confirming the corporate structure complies with the HPOA and bylaws;
• the certificate of incorporation and proof the company is in good standing under the Business Corporations Act — a current corporate profile report is the fastest way to evidence this; and
• payment of the application fee (C$350 per licensee) and the annual permit fee (C$135 per corporation), which is not prorated.

CPSBC reviews the name, the executed acknowledgements and attestations, and each licensee's disciplinary and capacity history under section 42 of the HPOA. Budget six to eight weeks for a complete application, longer during the annual renewal crunch.

Shareholders, directors and restrictions

Share ownership is the heart of the regime. Voting shares must be legally and beneficially owned in compliance with section 59 of the HPOA, which restricts them to eligible licensees, and directors must themselves be eligible licensees. Spouses and children cannot hold voting shares, and any non-voting arrangement should be confirmed against the current CPSBC Bylaws Part 7 before shares are issued — this is an area where pre-HPOA advice ages badly.

Two more restrictions deserve attention. The corporation exists to provide health services through CPSBC licensees; it is not a general-purpose business vehicle. And incorporation changes nothing about professional accountability: section 80 of the HPOA expressly provides that a licensee's professional liability is unaffected by practising through a corporation. Your college obligations, complaints exposure and insurance requirements all continue as if you were unincorporated.

Keeping it alive: annual renewals

Two renewal tracks, two deadlines. At the registry, the corporation must file a BC annual report ($43.39) within two months of each incorporation anniversary; miss it for two consecutive years and the company can be dissolved. At the college, the permit expires on the last day of February every year and must be renewed before March 1 with fresh attestations of HPOA and bylaw compliance, disclosure of any changes, and the C$135 annual fee. Renew late and a C$100 penalty applies; let it slide past May 1 and the permit must be reinstated as if it were a brand-new application — during which time the corporation cannot provide health services at all. Our renewals guide shows how to run both calendars off one plan.

Why physicians incorporate

The corporation's appeal is almost entirely tax mechanics. Active practice income earned inside a Canadian-controlled private corporation can qualify for the small business deduction, taxed at a much lower combined rate than top personal marginal rates. Income you do not need personally can stay in the corporation, deferring personal tax until you draw it as salary or dividends in a lower-income year — a powerful smoothing tool across parental leaves, sabbaticals and retirement. Incorporation also cleanly separates practice expenses and can support individual pension plans. None of this is automatic: payroll costs, passive-income rules and your own spending pattern can erase the advantage, so confirm the numbers with your accountant before incorporating.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a health profession corporation cost in BC?

Government and college fees total roughly $865 in year one for a single physician: $30 name request and $350 incorporation at BC Registries, then C$350 per licensee to apply for the CPSBC permit plus the C$135 annual permit fee. Ongoing years cost C$135 plus the $43.39 BC annual report. CRS's setup service is $499 + GST on top of those fees, which are passed through at cost.

Do I need CPSBC approval before incorporating?

For the name, yes. CPSBC asks you to submit its Name Approval Request Form and receive approval under bylaw section 7-6 before filing with BC Registries. The permit itself comes after incorporation — you submit the certificate of incorporation with the application — but incorporating with a non-compliant name or articles means redoing registry filings.

Can my spouse own shares in my BC medical corporation?

Not voting shares. Voting shares must comply with section 59 of the HPOA, which limits them to eligible licensees, and directors must be eligible licensees too. Before issuing non-voting shares to a spouse or family trust, confirm what the current CPSBC Bylaws Part 7 permits — older HPA-era advice is no longer reliable.

How long does a CPSBC corporation permit take?

CPSBC quotes approximately six to eight weeks for a complete application, measured from when the college has the forms, acknowledgements, attestations, Certificate of Solicitor, certificate of incorporation and full fee payment. Incomplete packages and the January–February renewal season add time, so start name approval well before you need to bill through the corporation.

When does a BC health profession corporation permit expire?

Every permit runs on the college's fiscal year and expires on the last day of February, regardless of when it was issued — fees are not prorated. Renew before March 1 to avoid the C$100 late penalty; after May 1 an expired permit requires full reinstatement, and the corporation cannot provide health services until it is reissued.

Is the Health Professions Act still the law for BC medical corporations?

No. The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) replaced the Health Professions Act on April 1, 2026. CPSBC permits, shareholder eligibility (HPOA s. 59), licensee reviews (s. 42) and liability rules (s. 80) all now operate under the HPOA and CPSBC bylaws. Treat any guide citing the HPA as outdated.

Incorporate your medicine professional corporation — free consultation

Two filings, one deadline-proof plan. In a free consultation, a Corporate Registry Services specialist maps both steps for your British Columbia practice — the registry incorporation with regulator-compliant articles and naming, and the CPSBC authorization that lets you practise through it — plus the annual renewals that keep both alive.

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Related guides

• Professional Corporations in Canada: The Complete Guide
• Professional Corporations in British Columbia
• Professional Corporation Renewals and Compliance
• Medicine Professional Corporation in Ontario