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You file Articles of Revival to bring a dissolved corporation back to legal existence. Revival is common when a corporation was administratively dissolved for missed filings and you suddenly need it, to keep a bank account, sign a contract, or defend a lawsuit. You usually must bring outstanding filings current too. CorpStart prepares and files the revival.
You file Articles of Revival to bring a dissolved corporation back to legal existence. Revival is common when a corporation was administratively dissolved for missed filings and you suddenly need it, to keep a bank account, sign a contract, or defend a lawsuit. You usually must bring outstanding filings current too. CorpStart prepares and files the revival.
Corporations get dissolved in two ways: voluntarily (you filed to close it) or administratively (the government cancelled it for failing to file annual returns or other required filings). By far the most common revival scenario is the second one: an owner who stopped filing, often without realizing it since Ontario's annual return moved off the T2 in 2021, and only discovers the corporation was dissolved when something forces the issue.
And something usually does force it. A bank freezes or closes the account because a corporate search shows the company dissolved. A contract or lease can't be signed because the counterparty's lawyer checks status and finds no live corporation. A sale of the business stalls in due diligence. Someone needs to sue (or the corporation needs to defend a lawsuit) and can't, because a dissolved corporation has no legal standing. Suddenly the paperwork you ignored for years becomes urgent.
Revival exists precisely for these moments: it restores the corporation to the position it was in before dissolution, as if it had never been dissolved, so its bank accounts, contracts, and rights are live again.
When a corporation is revived, it's generally treated as having continued in existence as if it had never been dissolved. That retroactive quality is the whole value: property that reverted to the Crown on dissolution can come back, contracts entered in the corporation's name are validated, and the corporation regains the standing to sue, be sued, and carry on business under its own name.
There are limits worth being honest about. The corporation's name may have been taken by someone else while it was dissolved (names of dissolved corporations become available for others to register), in which case you might have to revive under a different name or resolve the conflict. Property that passed to the Crown isn't always recoverable in full, and third parties who acquired rights in the meantime may have protections. These are edge cases, but they're real, and they're a reason not to leave a dissolution unaddressed for years.
For most owners, though, revival cleanly puts the corporation back to work: the common case is a company that was dissolved for non-filing, revived, and back in good standing within a reasonable window.
Revival is rarely just the revival filing on its own. Because the typical dissolution was triggered by missed filings, the registry generally wants those brought current as part of, or alongside, the revival: the outstanding annual returns, and any notices of change that were never filed. In effect, you're paying to undo the neglect that caused the dissolution, plus the revival itself.
This is why revival costs more and takes longer than simply staying current would have. It's the recurring lesson of the annual return: a filing that costs little when done on time becomes a multi-part cleanup when it's ignored. None of it is catastrophic (it's all fixable), but it's more work and more cost than the on-time path.
The practical upside is that once you're through it, you come out the other side fully current: revived and caught up, with the corporation in good standing rather than one missed filing away from dissolution again.
In Ontario, a corporation dissolved under the OBCA can be revived by filing Articles of Revival through the Ontario Business Registry, and there's a generous window: Ontario allows revival for a long period after dissolution, so even a company dissolved years ago can often be brought back. There is a government fee for the revival filing, on top of catching up any outstanding annual returns.
Federal corporations are revived by filing with Corporations Canada, and the process similarly restores the corporation and expects outstanding annual filings to be brought current. In both cases, if the corporation's name was taken by another company during dissolution, the name question has to be sorted out as part of the revival.
The details vary enough by jurisdiction and by how long the corporation has been dissolved that it's worth having us confirm the exact steps and fees for your specific situation before you start, which we do before you pay.
Tell us the corporation's name or number and what you need it back for. We check its status and dissolution details on the registry, confirm the corporation is eligible for revival, and identify what has to be brought current alongside it: outstanding annual returns and any notices of change.
We prepare and file the Articles of Revival (Ontario Business Registry or Corporations Canada), handle the catch-up filings, and address the name if it's become an issue. You get the corporation back in good standing, with the confirmation and documents for your records, so the bank account, contract, or lawsuit that prompted all this can finally move forward.
Three steps from dissolved to back in good standing.
We check your status
Give us the corporation's name or number. We confirm it's dissolved, whether it's eligible for revival, and what filings are outstanding.
We revive and catch up
CorpStart files the Articles of Revival and brings your outstanding annual returns and notices current, and sorts out the name if it was taken.
Back in good standing
The corporation is restored as if it had never been dissolved, with confirmation for your records, so your bank account or contract can proceed.
Why do I suddenly need to revive my corporation?
Usually because something forced the issue: a bank froze the account, a contract or lease can't be signed, a sale stalled in due diligence, or you need to sue or defend a lawsuit, and a corporate search revealed the company was administratively dissolved for missed filings. A dissolved corporation has no legal standing, so revival restores it so those things can move forward.
Does revival really put the corporation back as if it was never dissolved?
Largely, yes. A revived corporation is generally treated as having continued in existence throughout, so its contracts, bank accounts, and standing to sue or be sued are restored. There are limits: its name may have been taken while dissolved, and property that passed to the Crown isn't always fully recoverable. For most non-filing dissolutions, though, revival cleanly puts the company back to work.
Do I have to catch up all my missed filings to revive?
Generally, yes. Because most dissolutions are triggered by missed filings, the registry expects the outstanding annual returns and notices of change to be brought current as part of the revival. That's why revival costs more and takes longer than staying current would have: you're undoing the neglect plus filing the revival. CorpStart handles both together.
My corporation was dissolved years ago: is it too late to revive it?
Often not. Ontario allows revival for a long period after dissolution, so even a corporation dissolved years ago can frequently be brought back. Federal corporations can also be revived. The main complications with older dissolutions are a name that was taken by someone else and property that reverted to the Crown. We'll check your specific situation before you commit.
What if someone else registered my corporation's name while it was dissolved?
It happens: names of dissolved corporations become available for others to register. If your name was taken, you may need to revive under a different name or resolve the conflict as part of the revival. We identify this early by checking the name's availability before filing, so it's addressed up front rather than as a surprise mid-process.
Get your corporation back
We file the Articles of Revival, bring your outstanding filings current, and sort out the name if needed, so your dissolved corporation is back in good standing.
Start my corporationCorpStart is a document preparation service, not a law firm. The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute legal or tax advice. For advice specific to your situation, consult a licensed lawyer or accountant.