Can i start a self-employed business without SIN

[elancesteve]

I am a Canadian permanent resident but never stayed in Canada nor applied for SIN card. I was planning on making my move to Canada soon. Before that can i start a self-employed business without SIN. So that i can market myself. As soon as i land there, i will apply for SIN.

Please advise.

 

[NetMecca]

No reason why it should not be possible. As long has you have some proof of identity (even a passport should do) and PR status, should not be a problem.

 

[elancesteve]

Would you please guide me on how to get that process started? What all documents, paperwork is needed. Also how much time does this take to setup.

Thanks in advance

 

[NetMecca]

Getting things set up usually does not take very long. Can have a business registered in a few days. Name search then register. I would suggest that you talk to a lawyer to help you since there are many legal and other aspects that you will need to consider when you start a business. Things like ownership structure, levels of risk you want, succession & family planning, type of business that you want to start. The lawyer may also expect you to talk to an accountant to make sure that your tax planning requirements are best addressed in your ownership structure.

Like a said. Best to get a lawyer to help you for a start. From there is should be fairly simple.

 

[elancesteve]

Thanks you

 

[stuthibalaji]

I am in a similar situation. I will be moving to Toronto on March 5th and have my employer in the US. I will work for them from Canada, but as an independent contractor. Due to covid, I will have to wait for 15 days until I can go in person to get my SIN. Can I start working before getting a SIN? Thank you in advance.

 

[jclarke99]

If you're planning to work as an independent contractor for a U.S. company, you should be aware of the following...

https://dev.to/canosielabs/canadians-beware-the-personal-service-business-4kbk

 

[BC4life]

I am in a similar situation. I will be moving to Toronto on March 5th and have my employer in the US. I will work for them from Canada, but as an independent contractor. Due to covid, I will have to wait for 15 days until I can go in person to get my SIN. Can I start working before getting a SIN? Thank you in advance.

My advice would be to wait until you arrive here and obtain the SIN to register your sole proprietorship. Registering a sole proprietorship in Ontario can be done online in one day (if you do it during business hours).

 

[Copingwithlife]

In Ontario for a sole proprietor you’d either register for a Master Business License with the Province, register for a HST BN with the CRA, or both