BC Registries modernization updates

December 8, 2023: Launching a new Digital Business Card credential

Aligning with digital innovation, BC Registries launched a new digital credential on December 7, 2023 that is available to qualifying sole proprietors, helping them to prove ownership of their business to participating parties.

The new BC Registries Digital Business Card is optional, self-managed and available first to qualifying sole proprietors who registered their business in the BC Registry application using a BC Services Card. 

In this first phase, the digital credential can be used with the City of Vancouver to obtain services provided by the City that require proof of business ownership. In the future, more participating parties will accept this credential.

Learn how to get the new credential through our user guide.

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December 5, 2023: Additional way to link a business to your My Business Registry

You can now link a business to your My Business Registry dashboard by requesting access from another account that manages that business. This is an additional method of linking a business to the following existing options:

• Entering a business passcode or proprietor/partner name.
• Sending a link to the registered office email address that is on file.

For instructions on using this feature, view our How to add a business to the My Business Registry user guide.

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November 30, 2023: New self-serve special resolution filing for cooperative associations

The cooperative association special resolution filing is now available online in the Business Registry application. 

For help on filing special resolutions, view our How to file a cooperative special resolution user guide.

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October 17, 2023: Improved way of navigating the Business Registry application

BC Registries has improved the way people navigate through requesting a business name and once approved, registering or incorporating their business. 

Enhancements include:

• Easier to request a name for the right business type and action. For example, a person can request a new name for an incorporation or amalgamation by selecting it from an easy-to-understand dropdown menu
• Next steps are defined clearly once a business name is requested
• On-screen prompts for navigating through a business name request once it’s approved

To view the quick guides, please visit our Resources page

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September 12, 2023: Changes to Corporate Online application replacement - status update

In 2024, the BC OnLine and the Corporate Online application will no longer be used to access Corporate Search and filings for B.C. companies.  Read more here.

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September 6, 2023: Wills Registry available now in the new BC Registry application

The newly upgraded Wills Registry is now available in the BC Registry application. This means you will no longer have access to Wills Registry through BC OnLine and must use the new BC Registry application to search or file a Wills Notice with the Registry.

Account Administrators and Coordinators:

• If your organization needs to set up a new BC Registry account, refer to these training resources to set up a Basic or Premium account and add the Wills Registry product/service
• If you wish to pay for the Wills registry through credit card, please set up a Basic Account.  If you wish to pay for the Wills registry through pre-authorized debit or your BC OnLine deposit account, please set up a Premium account.
• Add the Wills Registry Product/Services to your organization’s account so that all team members on the account have access to the new and improved eWills application

For more information on Wills Registry, refer to this Vital Statistics webpage.

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June 15, 2023: Domain name changes 

BC Registries recently updated its product URL addresses to follow the structure of the BC Registry application homepage address.  We recommend that you bookmark bcregistry.gov.bc.ca to login and access all BC Registry Online services. 

If you have bookmarked specific sub-sites prior to this update and are experiencing issues accessing our products, please clear your browser cache and login from the homepage.

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March 29, 2023: Manufactured Home Search now available

You can now complete Manufactured Home Registry Searches including a combined Manufactured Home and lien search through the Personal Property Registry Search in the new BC Registry application.

Please continue to use BC OnLine for all other manufactured home registry functions including new manufactured home registrations, transfers and transport permits.  The basic manufactured home search is also still available to BC OnLine users.

Learn more about accessing the Manufactured Home Search in the BC Registry application here.

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March 08, 2023: Manufactured Home Search coming soon to the new BC Registry application

Beginning March 29, 2023, you will be able to access the Manufactured Home Search with a combined Manufactured Home and Personal Property Registry Search through the new BC Registry application.  

You can still continue to use BC OnLine for all manufactured home registry functions including manufactured home search, new MH registrations, transfers and transport permits.

Learn more about accessing the Manufactured Home Search in the BC Registry application here.

November 23, 2022: Attention all BC companies - Corporate Online application replacement coming - SPRING 2023!

Next spring, the Corporate Online application that you use today to file annual reports and keep your business up to date will be replaced with a new application.

Learn more about the upcoming changes here.

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November 7, 2022 - Site Registry now available

A new Site Registry is available in the new BC Registry application.  If you have a Premium account, you can add the Site Registry product/service to access the Site Registry.

Refer to Site Registry services for more information.

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October 24, 2022 - New Business Search and Business Registry filings are now available

Effective October 24, a new Business Search, sole proprietorship and general partnership registration and maintenance filings are now available in the new BC Registry application. Learn more about these new services.

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October 21, 2022 - Site Registry will be moving to the new BC Registry application

A new Site Registry will be launching in the BC Registries & Online Services application beginning November 2, 2022.
Account Administrators and Coordinators:

•  Set up a Premium account
• Add the Site Registry Product/Services
• Add any additional users as team members

For more information on Site Registry services 

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October 18 - New Business Search and Business Registry filings launching on October 24, 2022

On Monday, October 24, 8:30 am PT, a new Business Search and sole proprietorship and general partnership registration and maintenance filings will launch in the new BC Registry application. Learn more about these new services.

Next spring, the Corporate Online application that you use today to file annual reports and keep your business up to date will be replaced with a new application.

Learn more about the upcoming changes here.

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August 31, 2022 - Court Services Online (CSO) - moving to the new BC Registry application, September 19, 2022 

On September 19, CSO must be accessed using the new BC Registry application.

Account Administrators and Coordinators, please follow these steps:

• set up your account, 
• add Court Services Online as a product/service, 
• and add any additional team members to your account. 
• If you have completed these steps, then no further action is required.

Note: You will no longer be able to access CSO on BC OnLine, after September 16, 2022.

Other BC OnLine applications, including: Site Registry, BC Assessment reports and Wills Registry, will move to the new BC Registries & Online Services application soon. Subscribe here to stay up to date.

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July 21, 2022 – Getting set up in the new BC Registry application

Over the coming months, BC Registries and Online Services will be launching new services in the BC Registry application. Setting your account up early ensures that you are ready for the launch of these services. It will also provide the time our team needs to offer support and ensure the readiness of clients, users, interested parties and staff across government.

If you are already set up with an account in the new BC Registry application, no further action is required at this time. If you do not yet have an account, please take immediate action to get set up now. Resources to help get you started are located on our Modernization Initiative page.

BC OnLine clients: Set up a Premium account in the new application now.

Small B.C. business owners: If you would like to start and maintain your sole proprietorship or general partnership through the new self-serve Business Registry, create a Basic account in the new application now. If you do not need to update your existing small business (e.g., change business contact information or partner information), no action is required at this time.

Note: paper filings continue to be available through Service BC.

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June 22, 2022 - Rural Property Tax Search can now be accessed through the new BC Registry 

As previously announced, Rural Property Tax Search Services has now moved from BC OnLine to the new BC Registry application.  Wills Registry can continue to be accessed through BC OnLine.

Account Administrators can add the new Products/Services and add any additional users as team members for these registry services. All users must log in to the new BC Registry application to access these services.

Wills, Courts Services Online, BC Assessment Reports and Sites Registry will also be moving from BC OnLine to the new BC Registry application soon.  If your organization does not have an account in the new BC Registry application, please set up your new BC Registry premium account now.

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May 30, 2022 - Rural Property Tax Search and Wills Registry will be moving to the new BC Registry on June 22, 2022. 

The Rural Property Tax Search Services and Wills Registry services currently available in BC OnLine will be moving to the new BC Registry application on June 22, 2022.

Account Administrators: please set up your account,  add the new Products/Services and add any additional users as team members for these registry services. You will no longer be able to access these services on BC Online after June 21, 2022.

Courts Services Online, BC Assessment Reports and Sites Registry will also be moving to the new BC Registry application soon. Subscribe to this Modernization News webpage for future updates.

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April 28, 2022 - Personal Property Registry (PPR) Search Results Guide is now available. 

PPR Search Results Guide has been created to help and understand how to read and interpret a report after completing a search from the PPR application.
This guide contains descriptions of all the fields displayed in the report including registration details and historical information on registration amendments.

For further Personal Property Registry training, visit  PPR Training Resources page ( training videos and user guides)

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April 21, 2022 – Services coming soon to the BC Registry Application: new Business Registry features and a new Wills Registry

Over the coming months, BC Registries and Online Services will be launching the following new services to the new BC Registry Application. You will need a BC Registry account* to use these services when they launch.

Business Registry

• A new Business Search that will provide access to business information, filings and outputs, will be released in phases:
  • Cooperative Associations, Benefit Companies, Sole Proprietorships and General Partnerships - coming early summer.
  • Other entities, including Corporations – coming later this year.
  • BC OnLine users can continue to search in BCOL but once the entity has been moved, you will need to use the new Search in the Business Registry for the entity types noted above.
• Registration and Maintenance filings for Sole Proprietorship (SP) and General Partnerships (GP) - coming early summer.
  • OneStop Business Registry currently used to register SP and GP and the function of updating addresses for SP and GP in Address Change BC will be decommissioned at the same time. 

Wills Registry

• A new Wills Registry, which provides access to search and file wills notices - coming June 2022.
  • Wills Registry can continue to be used in BC OnLine until it is available in the new BC Registry Application. Once available in the new application, you will no longer be able to access it on BC OnLine.

*You will need a BC Registry Application account to access the new services; if you already have an account, make sure you are subscribed to the Business Registry or Wills Registry. Set up your new account with the help of our BC Registry User Guide.  

Questions? Email us at BCREG.engagement@gov.bc.ca

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April 13, 2022 -  Invitation to all BC OnLine users: Info sessions on how to set up an account in the new BC Registry

All applications in BC OnLine are moving to BC Registries’ new modernized application in phases. Today, the new BC Registry supports the Business Registry, Name Requests, and the Personal Property Registry, with other services such as the Manufactured Homes Registry, and Wills Registry being modernized soon.

 All BC OnLine users will need to set up an account in this new system. You are invited to attend one of the upcoming Information Sessions. These sessions will cover how to create a Premium account (for frequent users), set up payment methods and add team members.

 Please note: If you already have a Premium account in the new BC Registry application, there is no need to attend.

 Available sessions:

1. BC OnLine clients
   (All clients not part of any government agency)
  3 dates available, click here to RSVP

• June 27, 2022, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Pacific
• July 4, 2022, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Pacific

2. Non-Ministry government users
    (Government users employed by agencies that are not part of the Province of British Columbia, for example CRA, ICBC, municipalities) 

• no sessions are scheduled at this time, please email BCREG.Engagement@gov.bc.ca if you need assistance setting up your account in the new BC Registry

3. Ministry government users 
(Government users that are part of the Province of British Columbia with email addresses ending in @gov.bc.ca)

• ​​no additional sessions are scheduled at this time, click on the ministry government user session link to view a recent ministry government account user information session recording. Email BCREG.Engagement@gov.bc.ca if you need assistance setting up your account in the new BC Registry.

If you have questions or require more information, please contact: BCREG.Engagement@gov.bc.ca.

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March 21, 2022 – High-volume BC OnLine Users: APIs and upcoming Info Session

The BC Registries and Online Services modernization initiative is under way in replacing applications in BC OnLine with modernized services in the new BC Registry Application. If your organization uses automation tools like robotics or screen scraping to process high-volume transactions in BC OnLine, please note that these processes will be disrupted when registry services are decommissioned in BC OnLine and modernized in the new application. Your organization will need to connect to our services via APIs to process high volume transactions in the new system.

Join us on April 7, 2022, 10:00-11:00 AM Pacific Time for an information session to learn more about API Services. To RSVP, please email bcreg.engagement@gov.bc.ca with your organization, role and name.

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March 1, 2022 - BCeID Users can now be on multiple accounts

BCeID Administrators, Coordinators and Team Members can be added to more than 1 account if necessary now.  If needed, please refer to the  BC Registry Application User Guide for specific steps on how to create additional accounts and how to switch between multiple accounts.

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January 25, 2022 - BC OnLine PPR Users: Access to the Personal Property Registry

The Personal Property Registry (PPR) and Combined MH/PPR Search in BC OnLine was decommissioned on January 25, 2022 and users must now use the new PPR in the modernized BC Registry Application.

To access the new PPR, users must have a new Premium account in the modernized BC Registry Application. For more information, please visit our Resources page, which includes a User Guide on how to set up a Premium account as well as videos and guides on how to use PPR.

Learn more about current issues and updates for the modernized PPR application.

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January 25, 2022 - Personal Property Registry API is now available

The Personal Property Registry (PPR) API is launching on January 25 and users who have completed sandbox testing and have received their Production Keys will be able to connect to the PPR API. See the latest updates, testing info and discussion on the new API Discourse forum.

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January 18, 2022 - FINAL reminder to BC OnLine PPR Users: Get set up now to have new PPR access on January 25, 2022

The Personal Property Registry (PPR) in BC OnLine will be deactivated and replaced with a new online platform in BC Registries' modernized application on January 25th, 2022.  Any draft PPR work in BC OnLine must be completed and submitted prior to 5:00 PM (PST) on January 24, 2022.

All PPR users must set up a Premium account in the new BC Registries application. Users who are already set up with a Premium account in the new application are encouraged to add PPR as a service to their existing accounts now.

For help with creating a Premium account in the new BC Registries application, view our User Guide or contact us at BCREG.Engagement@gov.bc.ca. 

Dec 20 2021 - BCeID Account Administrators can now add additional Administrator

BCeID account administrators can now share responsibility and provide backup coverage. It is recommended to set up two (2) Administrators for each team. Please refer to the BC Registry Application User Guide for further details

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Attention BC OnLine users: Users must now use the new Name Request application in the new Business Registry.

The Names Request Online (NRO) in BC OnLine was decommissioned on August 31, 2021 and users must now use the new Name Request application. Learn more about these changes and resources available to you.  

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June 01, 2021 - Deadline to set-up account in the Business Registry extended. Additional resources added.

The June deadline to set-up a new account in the Business Registry has been extended. A new deadline will be announced soon. In the meantime, please use this time to review the videos and resources, and get your account setup and users added. Contact us at BCREG.Engagement@gov.bc.ca if you need support.

New materials have now been added to the Resources page, including:

• Presentation material from the Info Session, May 26, 2021
• Videos and how-to guides (identity verification, account set-up and management)
• Specific information for BCOL users to assist in the transition

A number of additional sessions will be scheduled over the coming weeks and updates will continue to be added. Session details will be emailed soon and posted to this page. Subscribe to updates to stay connected.

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February 22, 2021: New payment methods launched 

The Business Registry has expanded payment methods to include online banking and pre-authorized debit (PAD).

Clients with basic accounts (pay-as-you-go account for people who file on behalf of their own businesses) can continue to pay with credit card or may pay with online banking through certain financial institutions.

Clients with premium accounts (pre-authorized account for firms and companies who file for a large number of businesses) can continue to pay with BC OnLine draw-down accounts or pay with PAD. When paying with PAD, fees will be automatically deducted from your bank account two days after a filing is completed.

Learn more about the Business Registry

February 16, 2021: New name request (NR) application for BC OnLine users coming spring 2021

A new and contemporary name request application was recently launched by BC Registries and Online Services. BC OnLine users will need to use the new Name Request on the Business Registry to submit and look up name requests soon. Users are now able to login  using BC Services Card / Mobile Card or a notary, set up new payment types and manage account access on a self-serve basis!

BC OnLine access to Name Request Online (NRO) will not be shut down for a few months but, to ensure a smooth transition, users are encouraged to set up new accounts today.

1. Access the Name Request through the link below and click “Create Account” at the top right of the page
2. Login using the BC Services Card / Mobile Card or use a notary to verify your identity
3. Select account type (Premium is recommended for BC OnLine users)
4. Setup payment methods
5. Add team members

Set up a new account for Name Request.

December 15, 2020: New name request (NR) application available for credit card users

As part of the ongoing BC Registries and Online Services Modernization Initiative, a new Names Request application for clients paying with credit cards is now available. This is the first major release for Name Request with subsequent releases to follow. 

In addition to having a more contemporary and modern design, this new application will make picking a name for a business or legal entity faster and easier because it advises if a name request is likely to be approved or not. This is the first major release for Name Request with subsequent releases to follow. More details will be made available in the near future.

We have put together some Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 179KB) to give you more information about the new Name Request application. 

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June 30, 2020: Benefit companies in effect

The Business Corporations Act has been amended as of June 30th, 2020 to include a new type of corporation: benefit companies. This new type of corporation is a for-profit company that commits to conducting its business in a responsible and sustainable way. Learn more about benefit companies.

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June 29, 2020: If you're not a resident of B.C. or not able to use a BC Services Card, a new login option to access the Business Registry is now available

The BC Services Card is the preferred option to login for B.C. residents; however, if you are not a resident of B.C. or not able to use a BC Services Card, you can follow these steps to create an account.

1. Select the account option for non-residents here
2. Visit a local notary to notarize an affidavit that verifies your identity. You can download the affidavit and find more information on what to bring to the notary here
3. If you already have a BCeID, login with your existing BCeID. Otherwise register a Basic BCeID account and follow the steps to login  on the BC Registries website
4. To secure your account, download an authenticator app like Google or Microsoft Authenticator or FreeOTP for your mobile device
5. Follow the steps in the Registries website to link the authenticator app on your mobile device with your account
6. A one-time code will be sent to your mobile authenticator app. Enter the code in the BC Registries website to complete login
7. Complete the steps to setup your account, including uploading the notarized affidavit and entering the contact information of the notary
8. Once complete, submit your request for an account to BC Registries staff for review
9. BC Registries staff will review your account request which can take 3-5 business days

Once your request has been reviewed, you will be notified by email

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May 20, 2020: Introducing a new payment method for the Business Registry filings

BC OnLine prime contact users can add the BC OnLine deposit account payment information to pay for the Business Registry filings.

This is an alternative payment method to using a credit card and a convenient way to pay for a high-volume of filings for multiple businesses.

BC Online prime contact users have the system access to set up this payment method and manage user access for the account. Click here for more information on how to invite users to an account and manage user access.

How do I change my account so I can pay using my BC OnLine deposit account?

1. Login to the Business Registry
2. Click on your name, located on the top right-hand menu
3. Click Account Info
4. Click Change account type
5. Click on the Premium Account option - I make more than 10 transaction per month
6. The BC Online Prime Contact will then proceed to enter the Prime contact User ID and password

BC OnLine pre-funded accounts take 3-5 days to set-up and can be funded with a variety of payment methods, including pre-authorized debit and online banking.

Find out how to set up a BC OnLine account

Additional payment types will continue to be added to the Business Registry over time.

More information for BC OnLine users moving to the Business Registry