Registered Office and Records Office in Vancouver, BC
Short answer
One downtown Vancouver address covers both your BC registered office and your records office, from $30 a month.
Most clients incorporating a new company take Smart Mailbox at $57.50 a month, because it adds mail scanning and a physical office membership on top of the address.
Every company incorporated in British Columbia must have a registered office and a records office in the province. This is not optional, it is set out in the BC Business Corporations Act, and BC Registries checks for both addresses before it will approve an incorporation application. If you are starting a company, converting a sole proprietorship, or registering an extraprovincial company in BC, here is what each office actually is, what the law requires, and how our downtown Vancouver address can serve as both from just $30 a month.
What is a registered office in BC
A registered office is the legal address BC Registries and the courts use to serve your company with official notices. Under the Business Corporations Act, every BC company must maintain one in the province, and it must be a real street address, not a post office box. It has to be open to the public between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on business days so that documents can actually be delivered there, and it is also the mailing address BC Registries uses to send your annual report reminder and any dissolution notice.
You give both a mailing address and a delivery address for your registered office when you file your Incorporation Application, and you have to keep that filing current. If you move, you file a notice of change of address with the registrar rather than just updating it informally.
What is a records office in BC
A records office is a BC specific requirement. Section 42 of the Business Corporations Act lists exactly what has to be kept there, including your certificate of incorporation, your articles, your central securities register, your register of directors, and your minute book. Like the registered office, the records office needs a real delivery address in BC that is open to the public 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on business days, not a PO box.
Shareholders, and in some cases members of the public, have the right to inspect these records at your records office during business hours. Because of that, many small BC companies prefer to use a professional address rather than a home address for this purpose.
Can my registered office and records office be the same address
Can my registered office and records office be the same address
Yes. The Business Corporations Act specifically allows the registered office and the records office to be located at the same place, and most small and medium BC companies do exactly that to keep things simple. One address on your Incorporation Application, one address to keep updated, one place for BC Registries, the CRA, and anyone with the right to inspect your records to reach you.
Our registered office and records office plans work this way by design. You get one downtown Vancouver address at Suite 250, 997 Seymour St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 3M1, a Vancouver address that BC Registries and the City of Vancouver accept, and it covers both requirements from the day you incorporate.
At a glance:
✅ Real Vancouver street address at Suite 250, 997 Seymour St.
✅ Meets BC Registries requirements for both registered office and records office
✅ Live front desk during business hours, so deliveries and legal documents are actually signed for
✅ Plans start at just $30 a month
Do I need a separate agent for service in BC
Not if you are incorporating directly under the BC Business Corporations Act. BC does not use a separate agent for service concept the way some other jurisdictions do, your registered office itself is where the company can be legally served, so a valid registered office already covers this.
The one exception is an extraprovincial company. If your business was incorporated somewhere else and now carries on business in BC, BC Registries requires you to appoint an attorney for service with a physical address in the province, which functions much like an agent for service. See the next section for how that registration works.
Registering an extraprovincial company in BC
If your company was incorporated federally, in another province, or in another country, and you want to carry on business in BC, you typically need to register as an extraprovincial company with BC Registries rather than incorporating a new BC company from scratch. Part of that registration is appointing an attorney for service, someone with a real BC address who can accept legal documents on the company’s behalf, similar in practice to the registered office requirement for a BC company.
Our address can serve this purpose too. If you already have a company registered elsewhere and just need a compliant BC presence for extraprovincial registration, the same virtual office plans below cover it.
How VanCubers can be your registered office and records office
How VanCubers can be your registered office and records office
Our address at Suite 250, 997 Seymour St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 3M1 is a registered office address in downtown Vancouver that BC Registries and the City of Vancouver accept. It is a genuine commercial location with a live front desk during business hours, so deliveries and legal documents are actually signed for, not left unattended.
Plans start at $30 a month for mail handling and use of the address as your registered office and records office. If you also want to walk in and work from a desk, our Smart and Premium tiers add physical office membership on top of the same address, and most incorporation clients upgrade to that within their first few months once they see the coworking space in person.
Have more questions about incorporating in BC with a virtual office address? Check our FAQ page for answers on business licences, GST and CRA registration, and non-resident directors.