Do you need a lawyer to incorporate a medical corporation in BC?

Yes. Unlike most professional service corporations, incorporation with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) requires a lawyer to sign a certificate as part of the process. Your lawyer also prepares and submits the applications and supporting documents needed to secure your permit to incorporate.

How long does it take to incorporate a medical professional corporation in BC?

The CPSBC may take up to three weeks to approve a medical corporation permit. Once the permit is issued, the incorporation itself can typically be completed within 48 business hours. The College approval is the part that sets the timeline.

What happens if a BC physician does not incorporate?

Without incorporating, physicians often pay significantly more tax than necessary, because all practice income is taxed at personal rates. Access to financing and credit can also be more limited. Whether incorporation pays off depends on how much income you can leave inside the corporation — confirm the math with your accountant.

Can all doctors incorporate in BC?

Generally yes — any physician with a valid medical licence in BC should be able to incorporate a medical professional corporation, subject to meeting CPSBC's requirements on name, share ownership, and the lawyer's certificate.

How do you transfer an existing medical practice into a new corporation?

Physicians practising as sole proprietors or in partnership should consult their accountant about transferring business assets into the new corporation. This often involves a Section 85 rollover (a tax-deferred transfer of property) along with assigning leases, contracts, and other obligations to the corporation. We handle the corporate name, the CPSBC permit application, and the incorporation; your accountant handles the tax side of the rollover.

How to Incorporate a Medical Professional Corporation in BC

In British Columbia, many physicians incorporate their practices as medical professional corporations (MPCs). The structure offers liability protection, tax efficiency, and professional credibility — but incorporating an MPC means working through CPSBC requirements that ordinary companies do not face. Here is how it works.

Physicians, as high-income earners, often carry a substantial personal tax burden. Incorporating can defer and reduce personal income tax — helping with goals like repaying medical school debt or buying a home — and can improve access to financing. It also adds cost and administration: on top of your personal return, the corporation files its own corporate tax return, so we recommend an accounting team experienced in medical corporations. (If you are still weighing whether to incorporate at all, start with sole proprietorship vs incorporation.)

Step-by-step: incorporating a medical professional corporation in BC

Step 1: Confirm eligibility and licensing

Ensure each shareholder or director is properly licensed by the relevant regulatory body.

Step 2: Reserve a unique corporate name

Choose a unique name, confirm its availability, and work with a lawyer to get approval from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC).

Once the name is approved by the CPSBC, pay any related fees payable to the College.

Define who owns what — including common vs. preferred shares and the restrictions required by law. See our guide to corporate share structure for how the classes work.

Step 5: Establish corporate bylaws

These rules set out how the corporation operates: director roles, voting rights, and meeting procedures.

Step 6: Appoint directors and officers

Assign the decision-makers responsible for corporate compliance and management.

Step 7: Register with the BC Corporate Registry

File the documents, obtain your certificate of incorporation, and provide it to the CPSBC.

Step 8: Tax planning and CRA setup

Post-incorporation considerations

Once incorporation is complete, several matters follow. Open a corporate bank account, issue shares, and organise the corporate records — your lawyer can handle these formalities for proper compliance and record-keeping. You will receive a CRA Business Number on incorporation, which lets you register for and access your CRA Business Account.

To maintain good standing, ongoing compliance with the CPSBC is essential — regular reporting and timely renewal of both your medical licence and the corporation’s registration. You will also need to file an annual report with the BC Registry each year to keep the company in good standing.

How Lime Law supports medical professionals in BC

We assist healthcare providers with corporate structuring end to end — from incorporation through ongoing compliance — and sign the lawyer’s certificate the CPSBC requires. See our professional incorporation service, or talk to our corporate team to get started.