A public records search in Quebec can reveal a surprising amount about a person, but only through specific registers tied to a public role: running a business, owning property, appearing in a court file. There is no central directory of citizens, and every public records search stops where Quebec privacy law begins. Here are the legitimate sources, what they actually show and what remains confidential.
What a public records search in Quebec really covers
Many readers land here looking for a universal directory of Quebecers. Let us be clear: that directory does not exist, and that is by design. Personal information held by businesses is governed by the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector, tightened by Law 25, while information held by the state is protected by sector-specific rules covering health, taxation and SAAQ files.
What the law does make public is information attached to certain roles: directing a corporation, owning real estate, practising a regulated profession, being a party to a lawsuit. The point of these registers is economic and judicial transparency, not curiosity. A legitimate search almost always answers a business question: who am I about to sign with?
The Enterprise Registrar: the richest public source
Since July 31, 2024, the Registraire des entreprises has offered a free search by an individual's first and last name. The results list every Quebec entity the person is connected to, along with the role: director, officer, one of the three main shareholders (by voting rights) or ultimate beneficiary (as defined in the Act respecting the legal publicity of enterprises). Corporations, sole proprietorships, partnerships and non-profits are all covered. We explain the tool in detail in our article on searching the Registrar by first and last name.
Two caveats. First, spelling must be exact: a search by last name fails if an accent or a middle name is missing. Second, the register, kept under the Act respecting the legal publicity of enterprises, only covers business life.
There is no equivalent search by an individual's first and last name for federal corporations. That said, a federal corporation normally has to register with the Registraire des entreprises if it has a presence or activities in Quebec, so in that case the name search also covers corporations incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act.
To learn how to read a full company file (NEQ, status, head office, officers), see our guide to searching the Quebec enterprise register.
Court dockets, the land register and professional orders
Court files are public in principle. The plumitif, the computerized index of Quebec court files, can be consulted free of charge at courthouse terminals, or online through SOQUIJ for a fee. It shows civil suits, criminal and penal files and the status of a case. Exceptions protect certain matters: youth division files, adoption, publication bans.
The land register makes real estate transactions public. It is organized by lot number rather than by name, though: starting from an address, you find the lot, then the published deeds (sales, hypothecs, servitudes) that name the parties. Online consultation carries modest fees.
Professional orders keep a public roll under the Professional Code. You can verify at no charge that a lawyer, engineer or broker is a member in good standing, and disciplinary decisions are also accessible.
Finding an address from a name: what Law 25 allows
It is the most common request, and the answer is blunt: no Quebec public register hands out a citizen's home address on demand. SAAQ files, health records and tax information are confidential; disclosing them generally requires the person's consent or a specific legal exception.
As for private address-lookup websites promising instant results from a name, they recycle data that is often stale and sometimes collected in breach of Law 25, which has regulated how businesses collect and share personal information since September 2023. Be careful with them, whether the service is free or paid.
If you need to reach someone for a serious reason, such as serving legal proceedings or collecting a debt, use the proper channels: a bailiff, a lawyer, the court's own mechanisms. It is more reliable, and it is legal.
FAQ
Q: Is the name search at the Enterprise Registrar free?
A: Yes. The REQ's online tool is free and covers every entity registered in Quebec. Only certain documents, such as copies of filed instruments, carry a charge.
Q: Can I legally find a private individual's address in Quebec?
A: As a general rule, no. Residential addresses only appear incidentally in public registers, for example in a deed published in the land register or in an REQ file when the person has not declared a professional address.
Q: Are a person's court records public?
A: Court dockets are public, with exceptions such as youth division files. Consulting them is free at the courthouse and fee-based online through SOQUIJ.
Q: How do I remove my home address from the enterprise register?
A: In most cases you can declare a professional address to the REQ so it appears instead of your residential address. A lawyer can prepare the update. Note that this is not possible in the Corporations Canada registers, for federal corporations. At the federal level, in principle, the home address of a director or of an individual with significant control must be declared.
Checking out a future business partner, supplier or franchisor? Our firm runs this kind of due diligence and can tell you quickly what the registers reveal: get in touch.
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