Business Registration Online – Eligibility

2. Eligibility

You can use Business Registration Online (BRO) if you are one of the following:

• a business owner
• a third party requester
• a representative with a RepID
• an individual that employs a caregiver, a babysitter, or a domestic worker

For more information, go to Representative authorization and Employing a caregiver, babysitter, or domestic worker.

Conditions you need to meet

You can use BRO if you have all of the following:

• valid social insurance number (SIN)
• income tax return filed with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

If you do not have a SIN, go to Social Insurance Number – Overview.

If you have a SIN that starts with a 9, you will not be able to use BRO. If you would like to register for a GST/HST account and have a SIN that starts with a 9, go to How to register for a business number or Canada Revenue Agency program accounts to use the "Non-Resident Business Number and Account Registration Web Form."

To determine if you have to file a tax return and learn how to get it done, go to Get ready to do your taxes.

Restrictions you need to know

You cannot use BRO if you have any of the following:

• invalid SIN
• SIN that starts with a 9
• income tax return was never filed with the CRA
• GST/HST program account to register for:
  • a business located in Quebec
  • a non-resident business
• bare trust to register

You cannot use BRO to register a business number for a business that was incorporated:

• federally with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
• provincially in:
  • Alberta
  • British Columbia
  • Manitoba
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Ontario
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Saskatchewan

Once you have the business number and RC program account, you can register for other CRA program accounts using BRO.

Other ways to register if you cannot use BRO

For more information on other methods for registering, go to How to register for a business number or Canada Revenue Agency program accounts.

For more information on other methods for registering in the province where your business operates, go to Canada Revenue Agency registration and provincial or other federal programs.