The Ontario Companies Branch of the Ministry of Government Services issues Certificates of Status for companies incorporated in Ontario. A Certificate of Status, Certificate of Good Standing or a Certificate of Compliance are different names for the same thing and the name depends on the province or territory in which you request it. Any company in the World can obtain a Certificate of Good Standing from its country, province or territory of origin.

There will be times when a company must prove to an institution of some sort that it is in good standing pursuant to the requirements under the Ontario statutes. A Certificate of Status provides this confirmation.

An Ontario Certificate of Status shows whether the company is in good standing or not, the exact and proper name of the company and the corporation number.

Revenue Canada Agency requires that every Ontario company file a tax return each year. If the company does not file Revenue Canada Agency will send notices and then eventually dissolve the company if it continues to not file. A dissolved company cannot obtain a clear Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Status.

An Ontario company has a statute requirement to file an annual return each year and it the return is not filed the company will end up being dissolved by the Companies Branch. A clear Certificate of Status cannot be obtained if a company is in default of not filing its annual returns.

The government does not refund the money if a clear Certificate of Status cannot be issued. Basically it will issue a Certificate of Status that indicates the Ontario company is not in compliance and you will then need to file any outstanding returns and order a new Certificate of Status. A Certificate of Status is not cheap so if you know in advance you have not made your filings you should at the least ensure all Ontario annual returns are filed before ordering your Certificate of Status. If you have some outstanding tax returns but have not been dissolved then you will still receive a favourable Certificate of Status as long as your Ontario annual returns have been filed with the Ontario Companies Branch.

In my experience sometimes individuals are not clear on the document they need to obtain. An individual may wish to determine who the directors and officers are of a company. In this case an Ontario Corporate Profile is required rather than a Certificate of Status.

Certificates of Status are sometimes required by banks, law firms, individuals on the other side of a corporate deals whereby the company might be sold, when the corporation registers a car, when a company buys property, or numerous other reasons. Any person or institution that an Ontario company is dealing with may ask the directors and officers to provide them with a Certificate of Status to ensure the company is in good standing with the Ontario government.

Resources for Canadian Business Owners provides information about Certificates of Good Standing for Ontario Companies and other legal products including Ontario Company Searches.