The first step in incorporation is to select a name and to be certain that the name you have selected is unique and not easily confused with that of another corporation. For advice on selecting names visit the Business Name page of the Service Alberta website. There are naming criteria for all types of corporate entities and it is important that you review the requirements for the type you have selected. All corporations in Alberta must be either named or numbered.

NUANS is a computerized search system that, for the purposes of corporate registry, compares a proposed corporate name to a database of existing corporate names. This comparison determines the similarity that exists between the proposed name and existing names in the database, and produces a listing of names that are found to be most similar. The NUANS report will reserve the proposed name, for a period of 90 days, for the person requesting the report. Business Name Search Reports are different in that, while they provide a list of similar names, there is no exclusive reservation of the name.
 

NUANS reports, whether they are sent to an authorized service provider or to the Corporate Registry office, must be less than 91 days old and must contain all 6 pages. Either the original or a carbon copy is acceptable.