CIDREQ is the tool used to search Quebec’s official business registry, the Registre des entreprises du Québec. A search is free, takes about two minutes, and returns a business’s legal name, status, NEQ, and directors enough to confirm a company is real before you sign anything or send a deposit.
What Is CIDREQ?
CIDREQ stands for Centre informatique du registre des entreprises du Québec, the computer system built decades ago so the public could look up registered businesses without mailing a request or standing in line at a government office. The name stuck, even though Quebec’s government now labels the service simply as the enterprise register search tool on its own site.
In practice, almost nobody uses that longer name. People say “run a CIDREQ search” or “check the registry,” the same way many still say “Kleenex” instead of tissue.
If an accountant or a lawyer asks for your “numéro CIDREQ,” they’re really asking for your NEQ, the ten-digit number every registered Quebec business carries. Other provinces run their own equivalents under different names, and a federal aggregator pulls several of them together for cross-country checks, but none of those tools carry that exact name; it belongs to Quebec alone.
We’ve pulled these files for clients more times than we can count, and the biggest surprise for first-timers is how sparse the record can be. A numbered corporation usually shows directors, an address, and a clear status. A one-person consulting business might show little beyond a name and a registration date.
Registered businesses also carry ongoing duties once they’re on file an annual update declaration, filed even in years with zero changes, and annual fees that come due every January. Skip two years of filings in a row, and the Registraire can strike the business off the registry entirely, which is one more reason lenders and landlords bother checking status before signing anything.
How Do You Run a CIDREQ Search for Free?
Searching costs nothing and needs no account. There are three distinct paths, and picking the right one saves a few minutes of guessing.
Search by business name or number
Type the exact legal name, a related keyword, or the identification number directly into the search field. If a name search comes back empty, switch to advanced criteria, older trade names and partial matches sometimes hide behind the default filters.
Search by a person’s name
This checks whether a specific individual is tied to one or more registered businesses in the province. It’s a common step before entering a partnership or hiring a contractor who claims to run their own shop.
Search a number to find a person
Enter the identification number, and the result shows the individual on file along with any businesses using a similar name. Less common, but useful when all you have is a number pulled off an old invoice.
Most results load instantly. A basic file is free. A certified statement, the kind sometimes required for a loan application, carries a small government fee.
Is the Registry Search the Same as the NEQ or the REQ?
No, and mixing these three up causes real headaches on tax and banking forms. The REQ is the database itself, the actual public record of every registered business in Quebec. The search portal is the tool used to query that database. The NEQ is the specific ten-digit number assigned to one business once it registers.
Picture it this way: the REQ is the library, the search portal is the terminal, and the NEQ is the call number for one particular book. The Registraire des enterprises, the government body behind all three, assigns those numbers, receives annual filings, and can strike a business off the register entirely for missing its paperwork.
What Information Shows Up in a Search?
A typical file includes the legal name, any trade names used in the province, the identification number, the legal form (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, non-profit, or cooperative), current status, registration date, declared address, economic activities, and the names of directors or officers where they apply.
Some details stay off the public record on purpose. Date of birth, identification documents, and a residential address are withheld once a business files a valid professional address instead. That protection matters most for home-based entrepreneurs who would rather not have their street address searchable by anyone with a browser.
What If a Business Doesn’t Show Up in the Registry?
A blank result doesn’t always mean the business is fake. A sole proprietor operating strictly under their own legal name isn’t required to register at all, so a search for “Marc Tremblay” returns nothing even if Marc runs a perfectly legitimate freelance practice.
New filings also take time to process standard requests generally clear in a few business days, priority filings faster so a company that just incorporated last week might not appear yet.
Typos matter more than people expect. A single word out of order, a missing accent, or a numbered name typed without the hyphens can miss the record entirely.
Before assuming a business doesn’t exist, try the advanced search fields, drop the legal suffix, and check whether the company operates under a numbered name instead of the trade name printed on its invoice. A dissolved or struck-off business will still show up, just with a status that flags the problem instead of hiding it.
Why Would You Run This Kind of Search?
People check the registry for reasons that go well beyond curiosity. A general contractor might confirm a subcontractor’s company is active before releasing a deposit cheque. A landlord might verify that a prospective commercial tenant’s numbered company genuinely exists.
A mortgage broker might pull a file before extending credit to a small business owner, just to confirm the borrower and the registered entity actually match. Someone naming a new business might search a proposed name first, since anything too close to an existing registration can be refused outright at the filing stage.
One caveat worth stating plainly: an active status confirms legal existence, not trustworthiness. A company can be fully registered, in good standing, and still owe money to half its suppliers. The registry tells you a business is real. It says nothing about whether that business pays its bills.
FAQ
CIDREQ Near Brampton, ON
There’s no physical CIDREQ office near Brampton; the registry only covers Quebec businesses and works entirely online, so location doesn’t matter for the search itself.
CIDREQ Near Mississauga, ON
The same answer for Mississauga CIDREQ is a Quebec-only database, but anyone anywhere, including Ontario, can run a free online search from home.
CIDREQ Search
A CIDREQ search looks up a registered business’s legal name, NEQ, and status in Quebec’s official registry completely free, no login needed.
REQ Mon Bureau
Mon bureau is the secure portal businesses use to file annual updates and manage their REQ account separate from the public search tool.
Québec Inc Company Search
Searching a Québec inc company shows its legal name, NEQ, directors, and current status is a quick way to confirm it’s a legitimate, active corporation.
Québec Business Registry Search by Name
Type the exact legal name or a related keyword into the REQ search tool to instantly pull up that business’s public file.
REQ Québec Registry
The REQ is Quebec’s official public database of registered businesses, maintained by the Registraire des entreprises.
How to Register a Business in Québec Online
Register online through Mon bureau by choosing your declaration type, entering your business details, and paying the filing fee you’ll get your NEQ shortly after.
