> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.topograph.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Canada (Federal)

> Identifiers, data sources, and integration details for federally incorporated Canadian corporations

## Start here

This guide contains public integration notes for `CA-FED`, the federal register of Canada. Use it for identifier formats, search behavior, and register-specific caveats. The live source of truth for coverage, pricing, data sources, legal forms, roles, and status values is the pricing page.

<Card title="Canada (Federal) coverage, pricing, and sources" icon="arrow-up-right-from-square" href="https://topograph.co/pricing/ca-fed">
  Open the current catalog for supported datapoints, sources, identifiers, and availability.
</Card>

<Warning>
  Canada (Federal) is in beta. Check the live pricing page or contact support before relying on it in production.
</Warning>

<Info>
  **`CA-FED` covers corporations incorporated under a federal act only.** In Canada a company is incorporated either federally or in one province or territory, and each keeps its own register. A company incorporated in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia or any other province or territory is not in this register, even if it operates nationwide. Provinces and territories are separate jurisdictions (`CA-ON`, `CA-QC`, and so on), the same way US states are. Use `countryCode: "CA-FED"` on `/v2/company`; `CA` on its own is not a jurisdiction.
</Info>

## Table of Contents

* [Data Sources](#data-sources)
* [Company Identifiers](#company-identifiers)
* [Search Capabilities](#search-capabilities)
* [Supported Entity Types](#supported-entity-types)
* [Quirks & Gotchas](#quirks--gotchas)
* [Mappings](#mappings)
* [Data Availability](#data-availability)
* [Example API Responses](#example-api-responses)

## Data Sources

All `CA-FED` data comes from **Corporations Canada**, the federal corporate register run by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). It holds every corporation incorporated, continued or amalgamated under a federal act: the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA, 1975), the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (2009), the Canada Cooperatives Act (1998), and a few older or special acts.

| Source | Role | What it provides |
| - | - | - |
| Corporations Canada, federal corporation record | **Primary source** for company data, directors and beneficial owners | Names and name history, status, governing act, registered office, Business Number, annual filings, directors, individuals with significant control |
| Corporations Canada open data | **Search** | Every federal corporation, active and inactive, published by the register daily under the Open Government Licence - Canada |
| GLEIF | Supplementary | Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), when one matches the corporation number |

Company data, directors and beneficial owners are read live from the corporation's public record at Corporations Canada, so every request reflects the register as it stands. One read serves all three datapoints.

<Note>
  **Beneficial owners are filed by business corporations only.** Since 22 January 2024, corporations governed by the CBCA must file their individuals with significant control with Corporations Canada, which publishes part of that information. Not-for-profit corporations, cooperatives and the other federal forms have no such obligation.
</Note>

## Company Identifiers

### Query Identifiers

| Identifier Type | Format | Example | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| **Corporation number** | Digits only, no leading zero. 4 to 8 digits in the records we have seen | `8660115` | Assigned by Corporations Canada. The register displays it with a hyphen before the last digit (`866011-5`) and sometimes zero-padded (`059585-3`); `/v2/company` accepts both and returns the canonical form (`8660115`, `595853`). |

<Tip>
  The Business Number (BN) is **not** accepted by `/v2/company`, because several corporations can share one (an amalgamated corporation keeps one of its predecessors' BNs). Search by BN first and use the corporation number it returns.
</Tip>

### Identifiers in API Response

| Identifier | Format | Example | Found In |
| - | - | - | - |
| `corporationNumber` | Digits only, no leading zero (4 to 8 digits seen) | `8660115` | All corporations. Same value as `company.id` |
| `businessNumber` | 9 digits (the BN root) | `835752437` | Almost every active corporation. Issued by the Canada Revenue Agency; program account suffixes (`RC0001`) are dropped |
| `lei` | 20 letters and digits | | When GLEIF has a unique match (see below) |

<Note>
  A federal corporation that registers to do business in a province also gets a provincial registration number there. That number is not the corporation number and is not returned under `CA-FED`.
</Note>

### Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)

GLEIF is the supplementary data source for this identifier.

`company.identifiers.lei` is returned when the corporation number has a unique match against a GLEIF record registered with Corporations Canada.

An [LEI (Legal Entity Identifier)](https://www.gleif.org/en/about-lei/introducing-the-legal-entity-identifier-lei) has 20 uppercase letters and digits, ending in two check digits.

Coverage varies by entity. The field is omitted when no unambiguous match is available. Lapsed or retired LEIs may be returned; annulled records are excluded.

## Search Capabilities

| Search Type | Example | Match Type | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| By name | `MINDANGLER CAPITAL` | Name | Full-text match on the name in either official language |
| By corporation number | `8660115`, `866011-5`, or the zero-padded `059585-3` | `id` | Exact match |
| By Business Number | `835752437` | `id` | Returns every corporation that shares the BN |
| By BN program account | `835752437RC0001` | `id` | Resolved to the 9-digit BN |

<Note>
  **Search runs on the register's daily open data.** A corporation incorporated since the latest daily publication is found by search the next day. Its corporation number can usually be passed to `/v2/company` before then, since company data is read live from the register, but the register itself can take a short while to publish a brand new record.
</Note>

<Tip>
  Search is free. Only company data retrieval is charged.
</Tip>

### Active companies only

Search returns inactive and dissolved corporations too. Each result carries the register's status, so [`activeOnly=true`](/essentials/search#active-companies-only) removes the inactive ones.

## Supported Entity Types

| Entity type | Supported | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Business corporations (CBCA) | Yes | The large majority of the register. Directors and beneficial owners |
| Not-for-profit corporations | Yes | Directors. No beneficial owners (not filed under this act) |
| Cooperatives | Yes | Directors. No beneficial owners |
| Boards of trade, special act corporations, pension fund societies | Yes | Directors. No beneficial owners |
| Inactive, amalgamated and dissolved corporations | Yes | Reported as closed, with the date and, for an amalgamation, the successor |
| Provincially incorporated companies | No | Not on the federal register. Covered by the provincial jurisdictions as they ship |
| Sole proprietorships and partnerships | No | Registered with the provinces, not with Corporations Canada |

## Quirks & Gotchas

| Quirk | Details |
| - | - |
| **Federal only** | A company incorporated in a province is not in this register. Ontario and Quebec companies are not found under `CA-FED` unless they were incorporated federally. |
| **Two official-language names** | A corporation can have an English and a French form of its name. The first is `legalName`; the other form is returned in `commercialNames`. Name search matches either. |
| **Name history** | Former names are returned in `legacyLegalNames`. |
| **Two dates** | `incorporationDate` is the date of the certificate of incorporation or amalgamation. `registrationDate` is the date the corporation came under its current act, which differs for a corporation that was continued from another jurisdiction or amalgamated. |
| **Business Number is shared after amalgamations** | An amalgamated corporation keeps one of its predecessors' BNs, so a BN search can return the inactive predecessor and the active successor. Pick by status. |
| **Directors only, no officers** | Corporations Canada records directors (name and address). Officers such as the president or secretary are not filed with the register. |
| **Director addresses** | The register publishes the address a director filed. Many directors file the corporation's own address ("c/o"), so the address is not always residential. |
| **No shareholders** | Corporations keep their securities register at their own records office; the federal register does not publish shareholders. Beneficial owners are the ownership answer. |
| **Beneficial owners: current only** | Individuals who have ceased to have significant control are not returned. |
| **Beneficial owners: ranges, not exact percentages** | The register publishes a band (for example "more than 75% of the shares"), returned as `percentageRange`. |
| **Beneficial owners: empty lists are answers** | `ultimateBeneficialOwners` succeeds with `[]` when the corporation has not filed yet, when it is a public corporation listed on a designated stock exchange or its wholly-owned subsidiary (excluded by law), or when its act has no beneficial-ownership filing (not-for-profits, cooperatives, other federal forms). Individuals under 18 are not made public by the register. |
| **Annual filings** | The register states whether each of the last annual returns was filed, overdue or not yet due. That is returned in `statutoryFilings.annualFiling` as years, without a due date, because the register gives the filing window as a month and day only. |
| **Dissolution pending is still active** | A corporation the register intends to dissolve for non-compliance stays `active: true`, with the standardized status `PENDING_DISSOLUTION`. |
| **No activity codes** | The federal register records no industry classification. |
| **No documents yet** | Certificates and filed documents are ordered from Corporations Canada and delivered by email. They are not offered yet. |

## Mappings

### Company Status

The register publishes a status and, for most cases, a status detail. `status.localName` is the detail when there is one, else the status. Extra wording the register prints (such as the section of the act) and the successor of an amalgamation go to `status.statusDetails.additionalInfo`; the date of a closure goes to `closureDate`.

| Local Status | Meaning | `active` | Standardized Status |
| - | - | - | - |
| Active | Active | `true` | `ACTIVE` |
| Active - Dissolution Pending (non-compliance) | The register has started dissolving it for failing to file | `true` | `PENDING_DISSOLUTION` |
| Active - Intent to Dissolve Filed | The corporation has filed to dissolve itself | `true` | `PENDING_DISSOLUTION` |
| Active - Discontinuance Pending | Moving to another jurisdiction | `true` | `ACTIVE` |
| Inactive | Inactive | `false` | `CLOSED` |
| Inactive - Amalgamated | Merged into another corporation | `false` | `CLOSED` (merger) |
| Inactive - Discontinued | Continued under the law of another jurisdiction | `false` | `CLOSED` |
| Dissolved | Dissolved | `false` | `CLOSED` |
| Dissolved for non-compliance | Dissolved by the register for failing to file | `false` | `CLOSED` (administrative dissolution) |
| Dissolved by the corporation | Voluntary dissolution | `false` | `CLOSED` (voluntary dissolution) |
| Dissolved by court order | Court-ordered dissolution | `false` | `CLOSED` (court order) |
| Dissolved by Corporations Canada | Dissolved by the register | `false` | `CLOSED` (administrative dissolution) |
| Dissolved – Part II of CCA | Dissolved under the former Canada Corporations Act; the value alone does not say how | `false` | `CLOSED` (voluntary dissolution when the corporation filed its own dissolution, otherwise no reason) |

### Legal Forms

The federal register records no legal form as such: a corporation's form is the act it is governed by. `legalForm.localName` is that act.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="All federal governing acts">
    | Local Name (governing act) | English Translation | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
    | - | - | - | - |
    | Canada Business Corporations Act | Business corporation (CBCA) | Corporation | `UDLA` |
    | Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act | Not-for-profit corporation | Nonprofit Organization | `D90J` |
    | Canada Cooperatives Act | Cooperative | Cooperative | `MGE0` |
    | Boards of Trade Act - Part I | Board of trade | Nonprofit Organization | `59T2` |
    | Boards of Trade Act - Part II | Board of trade | Nonprofit Organization | `59T2` |
    | Special Act of Parliament | Corporation created by a special Act of Parliament | Other | `6TRA` |
    | Pension Fund Societies Act | Pension fund society | Other | `M4IF` |
    | Other | Other federal act | Other | - |
    | Canada Corporations Act - Part II (discontinued) | Corporation without share capital (former act) | Nonprofit Organization | `D90J` |
    | Canada Corporations Act Part I - Private (discontinued) | Private company (former act) | Corporation | - |
    | Canada Corporations Act Part I - Public (discontinued) | Public company (former act) | Corporation | - |
    | Canada Cooperative Associations Act (discontinued) | Cooperative association (former act) | Cooperative | `MGE0` |
    | More than 1 Act Applicable (discontinued) | Governed by more than one act | Other | - |
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Legal Representatives

| Local Role Name | English Translation | Standardized |
| - | - | - |
| Director | Director | `Director` |

Directors are always individuals under federal law. Each is returned with `type: "individual"`, `corporateBody: "board"`, and the address the director filed in `individual.residenceAddress`. The register publishes no appointment dates for directors.

### Ultimate Beneficial Owners

Corporations Canada calls beneficial owners **individuals with significant control** (ISC). An ISC owns, controls or directs 25% or more of the shares (by votes or by value), alone or jointly, or has control in fact over the corporation.

| What the register states | How it is returned |
| - | - |
| Owns, controls or directs 25% or more of the shares | `control.types: ["ownership-of-shares"]`, with the band in `control.details[].percentageRange` |
| Has control in fact without owning shares | `control.types: ["significant-influence-or-control"]`, no band |
| Held directly / indirectly | `control.details[].nature`: `direct` / `indirect` (`null` when the register says both) |
| Band, such as "More than 75% of the shares" | `percentageRange: { "lower": 75, "upper": 100 }` |
| Address for service, else residential address | `residenceAddress` |

The register's own wording (type of interest, how the shares are held, individually or jointly, the band, the start date) is kept in `control.description`.

### Addresses

`legalAddress` is the registered office. The province or territory code is in `state` (on search results too), Newfoundland and Labrador is returned as `NL`, postal codes read `A1A 1A1`, and `countryCode` is `CA`. When the registered office is in someone's care, that party is in `careOf`, not in the street lines. Directors and beneficial owners living abroad are returned with their own country and no province.

### Activity Code Mapping

Not applicable. The federal register records no industry classification, so `activities` is not returned.

## Data Availability

| Data Point | Available | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Company profile (`company`) | Yes | Legal name, other-language name, former names, status, governing act, incorporation date, registered office, Business Number, annual filings |
| Legal representatives (`legalRepresentatives`) | Yes | Directors, with the address they filed. Every federal act |
| Ultimate beneficial owners (`ultimateBeneficialOwners`) | Business corporations (CBCA) | Current individuals with significant control. In a random sample of 120 federal corporations checked in August 2026, 90% had them on record. Empty for listed corporations and for forms that do not file them |
| Other key persons | No | Officers are not filed with the register |
| Shareholders | No | Not published by the register |
| Establishments | No | Not recorded by the federal register |
| Activity codes | No | Not recorded by the federal register |
| Statutory filings | Yes | `statutoryFilings.annualFiling`: last filed year, next year and whether it is overdue |
| Documents | No | Not offered yet |

## Example API Responses

All examples use placeholder data.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Search by Business Number">
    ```bash theme={null}
    curl "https://api.topograph.co/v2/search?country=CA-FED&query=700000001" \
      -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
    ```

    ```json theme={null}
    [
      {
        "id": "7654321",
        "legalName": "EXAMPLE HOLDINGS INC.",
        "countryCode": "CA-FED",
        "matchReason": { "matchType": "id" },
        "address": { "city": "Toronto", "state": "ON", "countryCode": "CA" }
      }
    ]
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Active business corporation: company and directors">
    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -X POST "https://api.topograph.co/v2/company" \
      -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{"countryCode": "CA-FED", "id": "765432-1", "dataPoints": ["company", "legalRepresentatives"]}'
    ```

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "company": {
        "id": "7654321",
        "countryCode": "CA-FED",
        "identifiers": { "corporationNumber": "7654321", "businessNumber": "700000001" },
        "legalName": "EXAMPLE HOLDINGS INC.",
        "commercialNames": ["PLACEMENTS EXEMPLE INC."],
        "legacyLegalNames": ["7654321 CANADA INC."],
        "status": { "localName": "Active", "active": true, "statusDetails": { "status": "ACTIVE" } },
        "legalForm": {
          "localName": "Canada Business Corporations Act",
          "englishTranslation": "Business corporation (CBCA)",
          "standardized": "Corporation",
          "iso20275Code": "UDLA"
        },
        "incorporationDate": "2010-05-12",
        "registrationDate": "2010-05-12",
        "legalAddress": { "addressLine1": "100 Example Street", "addressLine2": "Suite 200", "city": "Toronto", "state": "ON", "postalCode": "M5V 0A1", "countryCode": "CA" },
        "statutoryFilings": {
          "annualFiling": {
            "cadence": "annual",
            "lastFiled": { "year": 2025 },
            "next": { "year": 2026, "overdue": false },
            "source": "corporations_canada"
          }
        }
      },
      "legalRepresentatives": [
        {
          "type": "individual",
          "role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" },
          "corporateBody": "board",
          "individual": {
            "name": { "fullName": "Jane Example" },
            "residenceAddress": { "addressLine1": "1 Sample Avenue", "city": "Toronto", "state": "ON", "postalCode": "M4W 1A1", "countryCode": "CA" }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Ultimate beneficial owners">
    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -X POST "https://api.topograph.co/v2/company" \
      -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{"countryCode": "CA-FED", "id": "7654321", "dataPoints": ["ultimateBeneficialOwners"]}'
    ```

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "ultimateBeneficialOwners": [
        {
          "name": { "fullName": "Jane Example" },
          "residenceAddress": { "addressLine1": "1 Sample Avenue", "city": "Toronto", "state": "ON", "postalCode": "M4W 1A1", "countryCode": "CA" },
          "control": {
            "types": ["ownership-of-shares"],
            "details": [{ "type": "shares", "percentageRange": { "lower": 75, "upper": 100 }, "nature": "direct" }],
            "description": "Individual with significant control (Type of interest or control: Owns, controls or directs 25% or more of shares; Holds the shares: Directly; Significant control held: Individually; Holds: More than 75% of the shares; Since 2010-05-12)."
          }
        }
      ]
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Amalgamated corporation">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "company": {
        "id": "7000002",
        "countryCode": "CA-FED",
        "identifiers": { "corporationNumber": "7000002", "businessNumber": "700000001" },
        "legalName": "EXAMPLE OPERATIONS LTD.",
        "status": {
          "localName": "Inactive - Amalgamated",
          "active": false,
          "statusDetails": {
            "status": "CLOSED",
            "closureReason": "MERGER",
            "closureDate": "2024-06-05",
            "additionalInfo": "Amalgamated into EXAMPLE HOLDINGS INC. (corporation number 7654321)"
          }
        }
      }
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>


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