Obtaining status and annual certificates to operate as an international financial centre (IFC)

The corporation must fill out the following forms and provide the documents required therein:

• international financial centre (IFC) qualification certificate application;
• qualification certificate application for each eligible employee:
  • a minimum of six eligible employees is required.

Each qualification certificate application (IFC or employee) is completed only once.

At the end of each taxation year, the corporation operating as an IFC must complete the following forms and provide the documents required therein:

• annual certificate application for IFC activities;
• form related to each of the eligible activities carried out by the IFC;
• annual certificate application for each local employee already certified:
  • a minimum of six eligible employees is required,
  • if necessary, the corporation may include foreign specialists to achieve the required minimum of six employees;
• qualification certificate and annual certificate application for each new local employee who began employment during the taxation year.

Certificate applications are made only once per employee. Annual certificate applications (IFC and employees) must be made each year in order to get the tax benefits.

The corporation must submit the annual certificate application form and documents required therein for the personal tax credit, after the end of the calendar year, no later than the last day of February.

Signed forms and related documents may be submitted to the Ministère des Finances through its secure Biblio MFQ website. To find out how to access this site, send an email to the following address: dpif@finances.gouv.qc.ca.

To apply for IFC status or maintain such status, the corporation must complete the following forms and provide the documents required therein.

Applications related to the corporation

Select the English courtesy version to help you fill out forms for corporation-related applications. Please note that only the French forms will be accepted.

Demande de certificat à titre de CFI (DOCX 90 Kb)
IFC qualification certificate application (PDF 114 Kb)

Demande d’attestation annuelle à l’égard d’une société (DOCX 93 Kb)
Application for annual certificate regarding a corporation (PDF 126 Kb)

Applications related to employees

Select the English courtesy version to help you fill out forms for employee-related applications. Please note that only the French forms will be accepted.

Demande de certificat ou d’attestation annuelle à l’égard d’un employé local (DOCX 72 Kb)
Qualification certificate or annual certificate application regarding a local employee (PDF 69 Kb)

Demande d’attestation annuelle à l’égard d’un spécialiste étranger (DOCX 66 Kb)
Annual certificate application regarding a foreign specialist (PDF 63 Kb)

Forms by type of activity

Select the English courtesy version to help you fill out forms for each category of activity carried out by the IFC.  Please note that only the French forms will be accepted.

Activities arising from an outsourcing contract

Outsourcing contract (coming soon)

Back-office activities

Soutien administratif effectué pour le compte d’une tierce partie  (N° 22) (DOCX 53 Kb)
Back-office activities for a third party (No. 22) (PDF 181 Kb)

International financial transactions

Insurance

Courtage en assurance de dommages (N° 12) (DOCX 40 Kb)
Damage insurance brokerage (No. 12) (PDF 133 Kb)

Réassurance (N° 13) (DOCX 41 Kb)
Reinsurance (No. 13) (PDF 27 Kb)

Commercial banks and lending institutions

Dépôt d’argent (N° 4) (DOCX 41 Kb)
Deposits of money (No. 14) (PDF 86 Kb)

Opération de change (N° 9) (DOCX 42 Kb)
Foreign exchange transactions (No. 9) (PDF 125 Kb)

Prêt d’argent (N° 5) (DOCX 43 Kb)
Loans of money (No. 5) (PDF 88 Kb)

Prêt ou emprunt d’argent entre sociétés exploitant un CFI (N° 6) (DOCX 47 Kb)
Loans or deposits between corporations operating an IFC (No. 6) (PDF 124 Kb)

Services d’affacturage (N° 15) (DOCX 41 Kb)
Factoring services (No. 15) (PDF 98 Kb)

Services de crédit-bail (N° 16) (DOCX 40 Kb)
Leasing services (No. 16) (PDF 114 Kb)

Investment banks

Services de montage financier (N° 10) (DOCX 74 Kb)
Financial packaging services (No. 10) (PDF 167 Kb)

Services d’ingénierie financière (N °11) (DOCX 51 Kb)
Financial engineering services (No. 11) (PDF 148 Kb)

Brokerage and cash management

Gestion de trésorerie (N° 21) (DOCX 51 Kb)
Cash management (No. 21) (PDF 145 Kb)

Opération sur valeurs ou placement de valeurs (N° 1) (DOCX 57 Kb)
Trading in securities or securities distribution (No. 1) (PDF 144 Kb)

Brokerage and cash management

Encaissement documentaire (N° 23) (DOCX 41 Kb)
Documentary collection (No. 23) (PDF 86 Kb)

Lettre de crédit (N° 7) (DOCX 40 Kb)
Letter of credit (No. 7) (PDF 113 Kb)

Lettre de change (N° 8) (DOCX 42 Kb)
Bill of exchange (No. 8) (PDF 117 Kb)

Opération d’escompte (N° 25) (DOCX 47 Kb)
Discount operations (No. 25) (PDF 144 Kb)

Asset management

Administration des parts de fonds d’investissement admissibles (N° 18) (DOCX 44 Kb)
Administration of shares of a qualified investment fund (No. 18) (PDF 129 Kb)

Conseil en valeurs ou gestion d’un portefeuille de valeurs (N° 3) (DOCX 68 Kb)
Securities advising or portfolio management (No. 3) (PDF 138 Kb)

Distribution des parts de fonds d’investissement admissibles (N° 20) (DOCX 44 Kb)
Distribution of the shares of a qualified investment fund (No. 20) (PDF 153 Kb)

Gestion de fonds d’investissement admissibles (N° 19) (DOCX 43 Kb)
Management of a qualified investment fund (No. 19) (PDF 102 Kb)

Organisation de fonds d’investissement admissibles (N° 17) (DOCX 48 Kb)
Organization of a qualified investment fund (No. 17) (PDF 131 Kb)

Immigrant Investor Program

Activités menées dans le cadre du Programme des immigrants investisseurs du Québec (N° 24) (DOCX 43 Kb) 
Activities performed under the Québec Immigrant Investor Program (No. 24) (PDF 142 Kb)

Fiduciary and clearing house services

Opération d’une chambre de compensation (N° 2) (DOCX 46 Kb)
Clearing house services (No. 2) (PDF 86 Kb)

Services fiduciaires (N °14) (DOCX 45 Kb)
Fiduciary services (No. 14) (PDF 130 Kb)

The amount of fees payable is determined according to the date of reception of the application. By submitting an application, the corporation agrees to pay the related fees by bank transfer within 30 days of receiving the statement of account.

The annual contribution (the first contribution or a contribution for subsequent years) is due at the time the application for an annual certificate is submitted.

The fees for local employees and foreign specialists are the same.

Fees to obtain or maintain IFC status

Fees for other IFC-related requests

The sums collected are deposited in the fund of the Montréal financial centre and are used for the promotion and development of international financial activities in the region.

The corporation must advise us as soon as possible of any significant changes to the information provided.

It must submit a written request for any changes relating to:

• the address of the IFC (place where eligible activities are carried out);
• the name of the corporation operating the IFC;
• the eligible activities indicated in the corporation’s qualification certificate;
• any other information provided in the official documents issued by the Ministère des Finances.