Can I incorporate a numbered corporation federally, or is that only an Ontario option?

Both federal and Ontario provincial incorporations can result in a numbered corporation. If you file Articles of Incorporation without specifying a corporate name in either jurisdiction, the corporation is assigned its number as its name.

For federal incorporations, the format is typically "1234567 Canada Inc." — the number followed by "Canada" and a legal ending. For Ontario provincial incorporations, the format is "1234567 Ontario Inc." The legal endings allowed differ slightly by jurisdiction but both "Inc." (Incorporated) and "Ltd." (Limited) are recognized.

The practical considerations are the same as for named corporations: if your business will operate solely in Ontario, a provincial numbered corporation is simpler and avoids dual filing. If you want national operations or national name protection from the outset, a federal numbered corporation is available.

In both cases, you can register a trade name separately to operate under a recognizable business name while keeping the numbered corporation as the legal entity. The trade name does not change the legal name of the corporation — it is just the name under which it does business with customers.

A numbered federal corporation doing business in Ontario still needs Ontario extra-provincial registration, same as a named federal corporation.