Name
Searches
Proprietorship/Trade Name, Partnership, Corporation
and Society name searches are conducted in Alberta
by authorized users on the NUANS database. A Proprietorship/Trade
Name and Partnership do not require a full NUANS
name report for registration but it is recommended.
Instead, a basic Pre Screen search is conducted to
give an indication of other businesses operating
with that name in Alberta.
Corporations and Societies are required to have
a detailed 6-page Alberta Name Reservation report
completed before registration. The report looks for
similar names that are already registered as corporations
in Alberta, Federally, and for Trade Marks and holds
that name for 90 days from the date the report is
requested. For a Corporation, a NUANS is often ordered
at the same time the incorporation service is requested.
You will receive that search and the full results
when you pick up your corporation. For a society,
your group can pick up your completed NUANS the next
business day for submission, with all other required
documents, to the Alberta government for registration.
In general, name searches give the best results
when business names contain three elements:
| |
Distinctive Element
|
Descriptive
Element
|
Legal
Element
|
Example: |
A-Plus
|
Registry Services
|
Ltd.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
How you will distinguish yourself
from other businesses. |
Describes the type of business
the corporation or Trade Name will be doing,
services offered, or goods for sale. |
Choose ONE of 6 Legal elements:
Limited ; Ltd. Incorporated ; Inc., Corporation
; Corp., (These all mean the same thing, it is
a matter of personal preference.) |
A Trade Name or Partnership will have two of these:
| |
Distinctive
Element
|
Descriptive
Element
|
| |
|
|
| Example: |
Leaky’s
|
Faucet Repair Service
|
| |
|
|
Using family names or initials are popular choices
for the distinctive element, however a NUANS is often
required to determine the availability of the business
name, even for a Trade Name.
A society name does not have a legal element and
will usually end with the word “society” or “association”.
A Trade Name or Partnership CANNOT have a legal
element but the use of such words as company, business,
etc. is not restricted.
We recommend that you provide your top three name
choices for your business in case your first-choice
name is already taken or could easily be confused
with a similar name or Trade Mark. We also ask that
you provide a type of business that you are intending
on doing so that we may do the best search possible.
Click here to Request
a NUANS
