How do I find a business's real legal name to sue it?
Short answer
In Quebec, you check a business’s official name in the enterprise register: a business may not be registered under the same name as the one on its sign, and misidentifying the defendant can result in the application being dismissed.
In detail
The Gouvernement du Québec calls this step essential. The enterprise register gives the legal name, the legal form, the address of the head office and the names of the directors — everything you need to name the defendant correctly.
The distinction also matters for knowing whom to sue: depending on the legal form, the party concerned may be a business corporation, a sole proprietorship operated by an individual, or a partnership. That is not the same party, and it changes who will have to pay.
If the defendant still cannot be found, the clerk may suggest searches with professional orders, construction registers or court records. As a last resort, the clerk must have a public notice published, in newspapers or online, inviting the defendant to appear before the court.
What to document
A dated screenshot or extract of the entry in the enterprise register, with the Québec enterprise number (NEQ). Also note the defendant’s last known address and your attempts to reach them: those matter if you have to show that the person cannot be found.
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
Open the application Up to 3 files, no card · see the plans
Official sources
- Identifying the defendant — Gouvernement du Québec
- Accessing the enterprise register — Gouvernement du Québec
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What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.