Starting a new corporation
Processing timeline
The estimated processing time is approximately two weeks from the date of the receipt of the application. This is subject to change depending on the volume of applications.
How it works
An eligible registrant must be a practising registrant registered in the full, special, osteopathic, provisional, academic, administrative, conditional or restricted class of registration.
Email the medical corporation permit application and other necessary supporting documents to pmcapp@cpsbc.ca.
Once the application and fees are processed, the College will email the written consent to facilitate incorporation.
Apply to incorporate on the Government of BC website with legal counsel’s instruction.
Once the incorporation with the Government of BC is complete, email all relevant post-incorporation documents and supporting application information to pmcapp@cpsbc.ca.
The permit is issued when all the documentation (outlined in Next Steps on the application form) is received in full and meet the requirements under the HPA and Bylaws.
The medical corporation permit authorizes the corporation to operate as a health profession corporation. This is effective on the date the permit issued.
Note: As of April 26, 2023, hard copies of the permit are no longer available.
Digital copies of the permit are emailed to the registrant (primary shareholder) and the associated legal counsel when:
- a new corporation is formed
- an existing corporation is renamed
- a voting shareholder joins an existing corporation
Primary shareholders can log in to download receipts.
Medical corporation names
College Bylaw corporate name requirements
Section 6-4 of the College Bylaws requires necessary punctuation for abbreviations in corporation names. Potential name formats are:
- Dr. John Smith Inc.
- Dr. John Smith MD Corp.
- Dr. John Smith MB ChB Corporation
- Dr. John Mark Smith Incorporated
- Dr. J. Smith Professional Corporation
- Dr. J.M. Smith Professional Medical Corporation
- Dr. J. Mark Smith ULC
- John Smith MD Unlimited Liability Company
- Dr. John Smith and Dr. Kelly Smith Inc.
- Drs. John and Kelly Smith Corporation
Reserve your name on BC Registries
Submit a request to BC Registries and Online Services to reserve the name of your medical corporation.
This request will be valid for 56 days. We recommend you make the name approval request shortly before submitting your application to the College.
Applying for the permit
Pursuant to section 6-3(1)(c) of the College Bylaws, a lawyer (legal counsel) who is licensed and practising in Canada must represent a registrant during the medical corporation permit application process.
Email the completed application form
Email with all required signatures (electronic signatures are acceptable) to pmcapp@cpsbc.ca.
Do not mail or fax applications. The College does not process applications received by mail or fax, or accept payment by cheque or money order.
Fees
The permit is valid for one fiscal year.
The fees are based on the College's fiscal year, which starts on March 1 and ends on the last day of February the following year.
The fees (non-taxable) applicable to medical corporations are set out in Schedule A of the Bylaws. Fees are not prorated.
- Application processing fee: C$350 per registrant
- Annual permit fee: C$135 per corporation
Pay online
Once the application is processed, we email instructions to the primary shareholder and the associated legal counsel. The email contains the unique corporation account number and instructions on how to pay online.
The College does not accept cheque or money order. Any received cheque or money order will be mailed back.