If you are a self-employed individual running your business under your own name or alias and claiming taxes as a self-employed individual, you do not need to register for a business license.

However, if you are running a business with its own name (ex: The Naked Truth Entertainment), you are first required to apply for name approval (costs about $40 in BC). Once the name is approved, you must register the business within three months (also costs about $40 in BC).

You are also required to purchase a business license from your municipal licensing office to run a business in your community.

In some cities across Canada, escorts and/or exotic dancers are required to purchase licenses. Call the city you work in to ask if they are one of these cities. Licenses are often declined for people with prior criminal convictions. (See Chapter 4 – Our Work – for more information on licensing for dancers and escorts.)