Canada Corporations Act Part II – Adding Bilingual Corporate Name

Policy Statement 13.5
May 1, 2007

• PDF Version - Policy Statement 13.5 (PDF Format, 232 KB — 1 page)

After a corporation is created, you may want to change the corporation's name to include the name in the other official language. An application for Supplementary Letters Patent must be filed to effect such a change. Use the "Application for Supplementary Letters Patent Change of Name Policy" to prepare the application.

A full application for Supplementary Letters Patent is required, including the relevant NUANS® search(es) for the new version of the name. However, there is no fee for an application for Supplementary Letters Patent if the purpose of the change is to add an English or French version to the corporation's name. Any fee for Corporations Canada to do the NUANS® name search(es) would still be applicable.

It is also possible for a corporation created by a Special Act of Parliament to change its corporate name to include the name in the other official language. Under section 216 of the Canada Corporations Act, the Minister has the authority to provide such a corporation with an English or French form of its name or to alter the English or French form of its corporate name.

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