Corporations Canada Business Registry API
ic.gc.ca · Government
API for searching the Corporations Canada federal business registry. Returns information on federally incorporated companies including corporate name, incorporation number, status, registered address, and directors. Used for KYC/AML compliance, insurance underwriting research, and commercial lending. Also integrates with the Canadian Business Number (BN) registry maintained by CRA.
Authentication
Parameter name: X-IC-API-Key (in header)
Sample Requests
Searches the federal corporate registry by company name. Returns matching corporations with corporation numbers and status.
Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does
| X-IC-API-Key auth | YOUR_API_KEY |
curl -X GET "https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/search?q=Maple%20Leaf%20Foods&status=Active&pageSize=10" \ -H "X-IC-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
import requests
params = {
"q": "Maple Leaf Foods",
"status": "Active",
"pageSize": "10"
}
headers = {
"X-IC-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
response = requests.get(
"https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/search",
params=params,
headers=headers,
)
print(response.json())const url = new URL('https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/search');
url.searchParams.set('q', 'Maple Leaf Foods');
url.searchParams.set('status', 'Active');
url.searchParams.set('pageSize', '10');
const response = await fetch(url, {
headers: {
'X-IC-API-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'
},
});
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
"net/url"
)
func main() {
baseURL, _ := url.Parse("https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/search")
q := baseURL.Query()
q.Set("q", "Maple Leaf Foods")
q.Set("status", "Active")
q.Set("pageSize", "10")
baseURL.RawQuery = q.Encode()
targetURL := baseURL.String()
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)
req.Header.Set("X-IC-API-Key", "YOUR_API_KEY")
client := &http.Client{}
resp, _ := client.Do(req)
defer resp.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))
}require "net/http"
require "json"
uri = URI("https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/search")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form({
"q" => "Maple Leaf Foods",
"status" => "Active",
"pageSize" => "10"
})
http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["X-IC-API-Key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"
res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)<?php
$url = "https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/search?" . http_build_query([
"q" => "Maple Leaf Foods",
"status" => "Active",
"pageSize" => "10"
]);
$opts = ["http" => [
"method" => "GET",
"header" => implode("\r\n", [
"X-IC-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
]),
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));Returns full details for a specific federal corporation including registered office, directors, and filing history.
Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does
| X-IC-API-Key auth | YOUR_API_KEY |
curl -X GET "https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/corporations/{corporationNumber}" \
-H "X-IC-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"import requests
headers = {
"X-IC-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
response = requests.get(
"https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/corporations/{corporationNumber}",
headers=headers,
)
print(response.json())const url = 'https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/corporations/{corporationNumber}';
const response = await fetch(url, {
headers: {
'X-IC-API-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'
},
});
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
)
func main() {
targetURL := "https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/corporations/{corporationNumber}"
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)
req.Header.Set("X-IC-API-Key", "YOUR_API_KEY")
client := &http.Client{}
resp, _ := client.Do(req)
defer resp.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))
}require "net/http"
require "json"
uri = URI("https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/corporations/{corporationNumber}")
http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["X-IC-API-Key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"
res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)<?php
$url = "https://api.ic.gc.ca/corporations/v1/corporations/{corporationNumber}";
$opts = ["http" => [
"method" => "GET",
"header" => implode("\r\n", [
"X-IC-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
]),
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));Postman Setup Guide
- Register for API access at api.ic.gc.ca — Government of Canada API portal
- Also available via the Open Government CKAN API: search for "Corporations Canada" dataset
- Federal registry covers Corporations Act companies — provincial companies have separate registries
- Business Number (BN) data requires CRA API access — separate registration at cra-arc.gc.ca
- NUANS name search (for new incorporations) available via NUANS API — separate system
- Data refreshed nightly — real-time changes may have up to 24-hour delay
What can you build with Corporations Canada Business Registry API?
Corporations Canada Business Registry API is a Government API. Developers commonly use government APIs for:
- surfacing public datasets in citizen-facing apps
- building transparency and civic engagement tools
- accessing legislation, court records, and official data
- powering research and journalism tools
- creating compliance and regulatory monitoring dashboards
API Key authentication. You'll receive a key after signing up. Send it with every request — in a header or query parameter. Keep it out of client-side code and never commit it to version control. Corporations Canada Business Registry API is free to use, making it a low-risk choice to experiment with.
New to APIs? Read our beginner's guide · Learn about API keys · What is REST?