Important Information For Those Needing an Alberta Nuans Name Search Report

The report that is generated from the Nuans name search system is called an Alberta Nuans name search report. This program’s purpose is to compare a proposed company name to all of the names in its database which are the names of all companies registered as of that date across Canada.

You will not be able to incorporate a company in Alberta without providing a copy of an Alberta Nuans Name Search Report. When you go to incorporate the Alberta government will compare the name of your company to all the names on the Alberta name search report and this will let them know the name is available for use.

If you are registering an Alberta business name or an Alberta trade name (also called an Alberta sole proprietorship) or an Alberta partnership you will not be required to obtain an Alberta Nuans Name Search Report. There is no protection for these names in Alberta. However it is advisable to at least do a preliminary name search regardless. A preliminary name search will give you an idea whether the name has been taken and what competition you have for the name.

It is advisable to perform a preliminary name search for a proposed name to incorporate an Alberta company before you order a full Alberta Nuans name search report. Without first checking to see if the name is available and ordering an Alberta name search without a preliminary name search, this could result in your obtaining an Alberta name search for a name that has too many conflicts to be used. You will then need to pick a new name and order again.

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 creating company name for new corporation, you should consider three parts to the name as follows: (a) the Distinctive Element (b) the Descriptive Element, and (c) 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 “Gandhi Carpentry Inc.”, the descriptive element is “Carpentry” which describes the nature of business. In “Grandville 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 “Starlight Dental Services Corp.”.

The Legal Element is the word “Inc.” which is a mandatory ending which recognizes the name as the name of a company. Any company in Canada must have one 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 Company Search and Alberta Business Name along with other government and legal registrations.