How to Register a Sole Proprietorship in BC — The 2026 Steps

What a sole proprietorship in BC actually is

A sole proprietorship is you, doing business under a registered name. There's no separate legal entity: the business's income is your income, its debts are your debts, and you file one personal tax return with a business schedule. That's why it's the fastest, cheapest way to become a legal business in British Columbia — and why higher-risk or higher-ticket trades often incorporate instead. If you operate under your own exact legal name you don't need a name request at all; the moment you add anything ("Dhaliwal Cleaning", "Chen & Sons") you do.

Two honest limits worth knowing before you start. A sole proprietorship registration does not give you exclusive rights to the name — only a corporation, cooperative or society can. And it doesn't separate you from the business: if a job goes wrong and there's a claim, it's a claim against you. Liability insurance is how sole proprietors manage that, not the registration.

Step 1 — How to request a business name in BC

Before you pay anything, search. Use the free business search on the BC Registries site and search Google for the name plus your trade. Names get rejected for conflicts with existing corporations more often than people expect, and the name-request system lets you submit up to three choices in order of preference on one $30 request — so have two backups ready.

Submit the Name Request online through BC Registries (you can also mail or drop off a paper form at a Service BC office). Examiners review the request; approval commonly takes a few business days and longer during busy periods. Once approved, the name is reserved for you for a limited window — register the business before it lapses.

Step 2 — Set up your BC Registries account

Registration happens in the BC Business Registry, and you log in with a BC Services Card account (the app on your phone). If you don't already have the app set up, do this while you wait for name approval — it's the step that catches people who leave it to the last minute. You don't need to live in BC to register a BC business, but you do need a verified identity to log in.

Step 3 — Register the sole proprietorship ($40)

With an approved name request in hand, the registration itself is short: your name and contact details, the business's mailing address and the physical address where it operates, a plain-English description of what the business does, and your start date. Pay the $40 fee. For sole proprietorships and general partnerships, processing is typically same-day to a couple of business days. Save the registration statement and the Business Number — your bank, your city and your accountant will all ask for them.

Step 4 — Your Business Number, GST and WorkSafeBC

Registering in BC creates your nine-digit CRA Business Number. You use it for GST, payroll if you hire, and most business accounts. GST registration is optional until your revenue passes $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, then mandatory; some operators register early to recover GST on startup purchases. WorkSafeBC registration is mandatory the moment you hire a worker; a sole proprietor working alone isn't required to register but can buy Personal Coverage — our plain-English WorkSafeBC guide covers which side of the line you're on.

Step 5 — Municipal business licence

Provincial registration is not permission to operate. Every municipality in Metro Vancouver requires its own business licence, including for home-based businesses, and the fee, the form and the processing time vary by city. If you'll be working across several cities and you're in a construction or building-maintenance trade, look at the Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence before buying non-resident licences one city at a time. City-specific detail is in our guides for Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey and Coquitlam.

What it costs, in one table

Government fees are pass-through: if Prontco files for you, you pay exactly these amounts, at cost, and we quote your figure before anything is submitted.

Sole proprietorship vs. incorporation — the short version

Sole prop: ~$70 in government fees, one tax return, no annual corporate filings, but no liability separation and no name protection. Incorporation: ~$350 provincial fee plus the $30 name request, annual reports and a corporate tax return, but a separate legal entity that protects your personal assets and reads as more established for commercial and strata work. Our full BC startup guide walks through the decision; in Prontco terms, Starter registers a sole proprietorship and Launch includes BC incorporation.

Where Prontco fits

We prepare and submit the name request, the registration and your municipal licence application using the information you give us — then build the brand, website, booking and payments around it, in about 10 business days of build work. Approvals and processing times belong to BC Registries and your city; we file promptly and we don't promise dates we don't control. See what's included and the worked fee examples →

Sources

Province of BC — Sole proprietorships and partnerships (BC Registries) · CRA — When to register for GST/HST · WorkSafeBC — Insurance · City of Vancouver — business licences · City of Burnaby · City of Richmond · City of Surrey · City of Coquitlam. Government fees verified September 2026 and subject to change.

Frequently asked

Trade-specific launch guides

City guides