Preliminary Searches
The Preliminary NUANS name search is the starting point of virtually every business name registration. All provincial and federal incorporations, all provincial proprietorships and partnerships, all not-for-profit and charitable registrations and even all trademarks should begin with a preliminary name search.
The Preliminary NUANS name search is a quick and inexpensive way to search across Canada to determine if there are any companies that exactly match your proposed name. You will be able to search up to three names at once. Often, it is advisable to conduct one of these three searches on only the distinctive portion of your name to see which businesses, outside of your industry, are using names similar to your own.
You will be provided with an unofficial report, usually within two to three hours, which will list the businesses that exactly match each of the names you provided. It is important to note that unlike the Official NUANS report the Preliminary search does not reserve your name in any way. As the search ages, it becomes increasingly less accurate so if a period of time elapses between when you do your business name search and when you wish to use your search it is advisable to prepare a new Preliminary search.
It is important to remember that there are a huge number of businesses starting up every day across the country and literally thousands of people trying to decide on names for their businesses. With this in mind, it is not surprising that even the most unique names can sometimes find that there is an existing business with a conflicting name. This is why if you are planning on registering a business, be it proprietorship or incorporation, you should begin your process with a Preliminary NUANS name search.