Google Business Profile, Amazon and KYC With a Virtual Address in Canada
Will a virtual or coworking address pass Google Business Profile, Amazon, Shopify, Stripe and Meta checks in Canada? Official rules, as of October 2026.
Almost every Canadian founder who rents a business address eventually asks the same question in slightly different words: will this address get my Google Business Profile verified, will Amazon accept it, will Shopify Payments or Stripe pass it, and what document will I actually get to prove it? The honest answer is that each platform is asking a different question about the address, and a single product rarely answers all of them. Google wants to know where customers meet you in person. Amazon wants to know who you are and where you live, and separately where your business is registered. Shopify and Stripe want the address that sits in the government registry, and they refuse a P.O. box. Meta wants your legal name and address to match an official record exactly. Apple and Google Play take your address from Dun & Bradstreet and, in some cases, publish it. This guide goes platform by platform through what each official help centre says, as of October 2026, about eligibility, accepted proof of address, video verification and suspension risk, then shows what a legitimate setup looks like and how to keep your name, address and phone number consistent with the Registraire des entreprises du Québec (REQ). Platform rules change often, so every statement below is dated and sourced to the platform's own pages, which we fetched in October 2026.
Executive Summary
Google Business Profile does not accept a mail-only address as a storefront. Google's guidelines say that if a business "rents a physical mailing address but doesn't operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office, that location isn't eligible for a Business Profile" [1]. The eligibility rule underneath is that a business "must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours" [2].
A coworking office can qualify, but only under three conditions. Google says businesses "can't list an office at a co-working space unless that office maintains clear signage, receives customers at the location during business hours, and is staffed during business hours by your business staff" [1].
Service-area businesses are the legitimate alternative. If you don't serve customers at your address, Google says to remove it from the profile and show a service area instead [3].
Google's video verification is a test of physical reality. A storefront video must show the location, permanent signage with the business name, and proof of management such as access to employee-only areas, in one unedited recording of at least 30 seconds [6].
Amazon.ca asks for your residential proof, not your business address proof, at identity verification. Its Canadian guide lists "Proof of residential address from the last 180 days, like a bank or credit card statement", and the registered business address is "the address that appears on your business license" [12].
Shopify Payments and Stripe both key on the government registry and refuse P.O. boxes. Shopify asks for "the official registered address of the business as shown in your government registry" [23]; Stripe checks the name and address "against information available with the provincial and/or federal registries of businesses" [30].
Meta requires an exact match with your legal entity. Its verification flow says to check that the details you enter "exactly match the details of your legal business entity", and it accepts a utility bill only for address and phone, never for the legal name [34][35].
Apple and Google Play may publish your address. Google Play says it "will display your legal name, legal address, developer email address, and developer phone number" for organization accounts [41], and Apple displays the D-U-N-S address of an organization on EU App Store pages [40].
Consistency with the REQ is the cheapest risk reduction available. Quebec gives you 30 days after any change to file a current updating declaration [45], and several platforms compare what you type against that public record.
2727 Coworking space, 2727 Saint-Patrick, Montreal
Four Different Questions Hiding Behind "Will My Address Pass?"
The single most useful thing to understand before reading any platform's rules is that "address verification" is not one test. Platforms ask at least four different questions, and the same address can pass one and fail another without any contradiction.
What the platform is asking
Typical wording
Who asks it most clearly
What usually satisfies it
Where is the business legally registered?
"Registered address", "address on your business license", "as shown in your government registry"
Amazon, Shopify Payments, Stripe, Meta
The address on your REQ or Corporations Canada record, matching character for character
Where do customers meet you in person?
"In-person contact with customers during stated hours"
Google Business Profile
A real, staffed, signed location, or no address at all (service area)
Where does the person behind the account live?
"Proof of residential address", "home address"
Amazon (identity step), Stripe and Shopify (individuals)
A bank or credit card statement or utility bill in the person's own name
What address will the public see?
"Public seller profile", "shown on Google Play", "trader information"
Amazon, Google Play, Apple (EU)
Whatever you registered; choose it knowing it will be published
A rented business address can be a perfectly good answer to the first and fourth questions, provided it is the address actually on your registry record and you have the right to use it. It is never an answer to the third question, because a commercial address service is not where anyone lives. And for Google's second question, a mail-only address is the wrong answer by Google's own definition. Keeping these four questions apart is what turns a confusing set of rejection emails into a predictable checklist. The existing 2727 guide on proof of business address documents covers the address roles in more depth; this guide focuses on how each platform applies them.
Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the listing that appears in Google Maps and in local search results. It is also the platform with the strictest and most explicit rules about virtual offices, because a profile is a public promise that customers can find you at a place.
The eligibility rule: in-person contact during stated hours
Google's eligibility page, as of October 2026, opens with the core test: "To qualify for a Business Profile, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours" [2]. Everything else follows from that sentence. A business that never meets customers, whether at its own premises or at the customer's location, is not the kind of business a Business Profile is designed for. Google's list of ineligible businesses makes the same point from the other direction: "Brands, organizations, artists, and other online-only businesses" are ineligible, as are "Lead generation agents or companies" and "Any business whose address is listed as a P.O. box or mailbox in a remote location" [2].
Google's policy overview repeats this in plainer terms: "Businesses with a P.O. Box address aren't permitted on Google Business Profile" and "A business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours" [9]. The same page warns that "Any content added to their Business Profile must accurately represent the location in question" and that when violations occur Google will "restrict access to the profile or merchant account" [9].
This matters for Canadian ecommerce sellers, SaaS founders and consultants who work entirely online. If you never meet a customer in person, the honest answer is that you are probably not eligible for a Business Profile at all, whatever address you have. That is not a judgment on your business; it is simply what the product is for. Your search visibility will come from your website, marketplace listings and other directories instead.
Virtual offices and mail-only addresses
Google names virtual offices explicitly. Its guidelines for representing your business state, as of October 2026: "If your business rents a physical mailing address but doesn't operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office, that location isn't eligible for a Business Profile" [1]. The same page adds that "P.O. boxes or mailboxes located at remote locations aren't acceptable" [1].
There is no grey zone in that wording. A virtual mailbox at a real civic address, with a unit number and a staffed front desk, is still a "physical mailing address" that the business "doesn't operate out of". The quality of the mail handling, the prestige of the building and the fact that the address is perfectly valid for the REQ do not change the analysis. Google is not asking whether the address is real; it is asking whether your business operates there and meets customers there.
It follows that a mail-only plan at any provider, including 2727 Coworking's virtual mailbox plans, should not be used to create a storefront Business Profile. Some marketing material on the internet still suggests otherwise. If a provider tells you its mailbox address "works for Google Business Profile" without mentioning signage, staff and customer visits, read Google's guidelines yourself before relying on it.
Coworking spaces: signage, customers and your own staff
Coworking is treated differently from a virtual office, but not more leniently. Google's rule is: "Businesses can't list an office at a co-working space unless that office maintains clear signage, receives customers at the location during business hours, and is staffed during business hours by your business staff" [1].
Read that as three cumulative conditions:
Clear signage. Google separately requires that businesses showing their address "should maintain permanent fixed signage of their business name at the address" [1]. A name on a shared lobby directory may or may not be enough; a laminated sheet taped to a desk on verification day is not "permanent fixed signage".
Customers received during business hours. The office must actually be where customers come. A coworking membership you use to work quietly while meeting clients elsewhere does not meet this condition.
Staffed by your business staff. The coworking operator's receptionist is not "your business staff". Someone from your business has to be there during the hours you publish.
A hot-desk or day-pass arrangement will rarely meet all three, because you have no fixed spot to sign and no guarantee of being at the same place during posted hours. A dedicated private office, used every business day by your team, where clients come to meet you, and where the operator permits permanent signage, can meet them. Whether a given coworking operator permits signage is a question for that operator; at 2727, signage is not something we can promise in a general guide, so ask us before you plan around it.
Google also asks that the business name on the profile be your "real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers" [1], and that addresses include "Suite numbers, floors, building numbers" where relevant [1]. For a coworking office, the suite or unit you actually occupy belongs in the address.
Service-area businesses that hide their address
The legitimate path for most home-based Canadian service businesses is the service-area profile. Google defines a service-area business as "A business that visits or delivers to customers directly but doesn't serve customers at their business address" [3]. The instruction that follows is direct: "If you don't serve customers at your business address, remove your address from your Business Profile" [3]. The guidelines page says the same thing: "If you're a service-area business, you should hide your business address from customers" [1].
Hiding the address does not mean you never give Google an address. Google's address page explains that "If you don't serve customers at your business address, such as for a service-area business, you can choose to not show your address and list your service area instead", after which "your Business Profile will only show your service area" [4]. The address you enter privately still has to be one "that Google can find" [4], and in practice it should be the place your business genuinely operates from, which for a home-based plumber, photographer, tutor or IT consultant is usually home. The point of the service-area model is that customers never see that address.
Some limits apply:
"Service-area businesses can only have one profile for the whole area that they serve" [3]. You cannot create one profile per city by renting addresses.
Businesses selling age-restricted products "like alcohol, cannabis, or weapons, need to have a storefront" [3].
If you serve customers at your address and also travel to them (a hybrid business), Google says "your business location should be staffed by your team and able to receive customers during its stated hours" [1].
The service-area model also answers a common privacy worry. Many founders want a rented address on Google precisely so that their home address is not published. The service-area profile achieves that without any rented address: the home address stays private, the public sees only the area you serve, and nothing on the profile misrepresents where you work.
How Google verifies a profile
Google's verification page lists the methods it may offer, as of October 2026: phone or text, email, live video call, and mail [5]. You do not choose freely among them; Google decides which options appear for your profile. The French version of the same page notes that live video verification "n'est pas forcément disponible pour tous les établissements" and that mailed verification codes expire after 30 days [58].
For mail, "we'll mail you a verification code. To confirm that your business is at the listed address, you must enter the code on your profile" [5]. Receiving a postcard at an address is not the same as being eligible to list it. A virtual mailbox can receive a postcard perfectly well; it does not make the location eligible, and a profile verified this way remains exposed to later suspension.
For a live video call, Google says "When a support representative is ready, they'll help you join a video call", and asks you to show three things: location proof ("Show outside signs, nearby businesses, or a street sign that confirms your business location"), business ownership ("Show your products, branded equipment, marketing materials, or tools you use to serve customers") and management access ("Show access to employee-only areas or items like a cash register, kitchen, storage room, or non-sensitive business documents") [5].
Video recording verification, in detail
When Google asks for a recorded video rather than a live call, the requirements are published in detail. As of October 2026, the recording must be "An unedited, unique, and complete recording with no breaks", "At least 30 seconds long" and "Recorded and uploaded from a mobile device through your Business Profile" [6]. What you must show depends on the type of business:
Element
Storefront or hybrid business
Service-area business
Location
"Include street signs, building numbers, nearby businesses, or familiar places around your business"
"Record street signs, nearby landmarks, or other identifiers"
Existence
"Include your storefront, showroom, or business signage", with the name "clearly printed on a permanent fixture, like a signboard, wall, or window"
"Show the professional tools, equipment, or products you use for work"
Management
"Record things only an employee can access, like opening a cash register, kitchen, storage room, or using a point-of-sale system"
"Record yourself performing a service", for example "unlocking a van that has your business branding"
Must not appear
"Sensitive info like bank account, tax, or ID numbers", "Private info about you or others", "Other people's faces"
Same
Source for every cell: Google's video verification page [6]. Google says the review "can take up to 5 business days", and if the video is "Not successful", you can "record a new one" [6].
Two consequences follow for coworking and virtual addresses. First, the storefront video requires a permanent fixture bearing your business name. A mailbox client has no such fixture, and filming the coworking operator's own sign proves the operator's existence, not yours. Second, the management element requires access "only an employee can access". Filming a shared lounge or another member's office demonstrates nothing about your business, and the "Other people's faces" rule makes filming a busy shared space awkward in any case. Some prospects ask whether they can come to a coworking centre simply to film a verification video. Even if an operator allowed it, a video of a place you do not operate from would be a misrepresentation of exactly the kind Google's policies prohibit. Google's prohibited content policy covers "Distorting or omitting facts to scam other users" and "Distorting or omitting information that could have an undue impact on user decision making" [11].
For a service-area business, by contrast, the video requirements are achievable from anywhere you actually work: the street where you operate, your tools or products, and you performing the service. No rented address is needed.
What documents Google asks for
Google's standard verification pages do not publish a list of address documents. Documents enter the picture mainly in appeals. On its suspended-profile page, Google lists the evidence that can support a reinstatement request: "Official business registration", "A business license", "Tax certificates" and utility bills for the business (electricity, phone, water, internet) [7]. The appeals page gives a similar list and adds a practical instruction: "check that the business name and address match the profile you want to make an appeal for" [8].
Notice what is on that list and what is not. An REQ registration showing your business at a coworking address may support the name and address, but it does not prove that you meet customers there. A mailbox service agreement is not on the list at all. A utility bill in your business's name for a mail-only address does not exist, because you do not pay the building's utilities. In other words, the evidence Google accepts is evidence of a real operating location.
Suspension and appeal
Google states plainly: "We may suspend or disable Business Profiles that don't follow our guidelines" [7]. A virtual-office listing is the textbook case, because it fails the eligibility test itself rather than a technical rule. Google's policy overview adds that a merchant can lose profile access for "a pattern of violating Google Business Profile policies" [9].
If you believe a suspension is wrong, "you can submit an appeal" [7]. Four procedural points from Google's pages, as of October 2026:
"Once you open the evidence form, you must submit it within 60 minutes or it won't be attached to your appeal" [7]. Have your documents scanned before you start.
Appeals can "take up to 5 business days" for a decision [8].
"Do not create a new Business Profile for the same business while your appeal is under review" [7], and "Do not submit multiple appeals for the same issue before receiving a decision" [8].
If an appeal succeeds, "We reinstate both the profile and its owner and managers" [7].
An appeal is a review of facts, not a negotiation. If the facts are that the business does not operate at the listed address, the correct fix is to convert the profile to a service-area profile (hiding the address) or to move the listing to the place where you really meet customers, not to look for more persuasive documents.
Moving, renaming and re-verification
Google's editing page warns that "If you move your business to a new address after it's verified, you must verify your business again", and "If you change your business name after it's verified, you might need to verify your business again" [10]. Address changes "usually take about 10 minutes to show up", but "In some cases, it can take up to 30 days" [4]. Plan a move so that your new office is genuinely operating, with signage, before you change the profile, because re-verification will test the new location the same way the first verification did.
2727 Coworking space, 2727 Saint-Patrick, Montreal
Amazon Seller Central (Canada)
Amazon is the other platform founders ask about most, usually as a variation of "will Seller Central accept this address for identity verification?" The short answer, as of October 2026, is that Amazon's identity step is mostly not about your business address at all.
A note on sources: Amazon's detailed Seller Central help pages are behind a login, and we could not load them publicly in October 2026. This section therefore relies on Amazon's public sell.amazon.ca pages and on posts by Amazon staff accounts in Amazon's own Seller Forums. Forum posts are official Amazon communications but not binding policy, and we flag them as such.
What Amazon asks for at registration
Amazon's Canadian beginner's guide lists what to have ready before registering: "Government-issued ID", an "Internationally chargeable credit card", "Business license or registration", "Proof of residential address from the last 180 days, like a bank or credit card statement" and "Tax information" [12]. Amazon's Canadian resource guide adds a phone number and "A bank account where Amazon can send you proceeds from your sales" [13].
For the business address, the guide asks for your "Registered business address", which it describes as "the address that appears on your business license" [12]. For a Quebec business, the equivalent of that document is your registration with the REQ (or, for a federal corporation, your Corporations Canada record). So the business address question at Amazon is mostly a registry question: if your REQ record shows a coworking or mailbox address that you are entitled to use, that is the address Amazon expects to see, and it should match.
Identity verification: your residential proof, not the company's
The residential proof is where many founders go wrong. Amazon asks for "Proof of residential address from the last 180 days", with examples such as "a bank or credit card statement" [12]. That is proof of where the individual lives. No business address product, virtual or coworking, can supply it, and it would be a misrepresentation to try. Amazon staff have explained on the forums, in the US context, that "The residential address collected during verification is used primarily for identity verification purposes and is not the address displayed publicly to consumers" [18].
Amazon also sets image standards: upload "high-quality color scans or photos that show all four corners and have legible text" [12]. An Amazon staff guide on the forums describes the document set as "at least two (2) documents": "A government-issued photo identity document", "A document that proves that your business is valid, such as a business license or equivalent business document" and "A proof of address document, such as bank statement or credit card statement" [16].
Business registration documents for Canadian sellers
An Amazon staff post in the Canadian Seller Forums sets out which Canadian registration documents Amazon expects. For corporations, a "Certificate of Compliance" or "Certificate of Status" from Corporations Canada; for sole proprietorships and partnerships, a "Master Business License" or "Certificate of Registration" from provincial business registry offices [15]. The required elements include "Legal business name", "Business address", "Date of registration/incorporation", "Registration/incorporation number" and a "Government-issued seal or watermark", in English or French with all pages [15]. The same post lists documents that are not accepted: "Municipal business licenses", "Business cards or letterhead" and "Bank statements", among others [15].
The post does not name Quebec's specific documents. A Quebec enterprise's closest equivalents are the REQ records, such as the statement of information (état des renseignements) for the enterprise. If you are unsure which Quebec document Amazon wants, ask Seller Support before uploading rather than guessing, and make sure the business address on that document is exactly the one you entered in Seller Central.
Note what is absent from Amazon's list: a mailbox or coworking agreement. A provider's signed agreement can be useful elsewhere (some banks and fintechs accept it in specific categories), but Amazon's published Canadian list is built around government registration documents and personal proof of address. Do not upload a provider agreement in place of either.
Amazon's video call verification
Amazon's Canadian guide offers two ways to complete identity verification: "Take a photo of your face and government-issued ID" or "Join or schedule a video call with an Amazon associate. You should bring your government-issued ID and proof of residential address to the call" [12]. This is very different from Google's video verification. Amazon's call verifies a person and documents; it does not tour a location.
An Amazon staff post in the Canadian forum describes the practical side: look for the email "requesting you to schedule a video call" in the Performance Notifications tab; use "a device that has 1) a front-facing camera, 2) a stable and reliable internet connection, 3) Safari browser or Google Chrome browser"; and have "a bank statement or a credit card statement. The statement must have been issued within the last 180 days" [14]. The same post says that if an account stays inactive after the call, you "may contact an Account Health specialist or Seller Support for assistance" [14].
So you do not need to be anywhere special for Amazon's call. You need your ID, a recent statement in your own name at your home address, and a stable connection. Prospects sometimes ask whether they should take the call from their coworking office to "match" the business address. Amazon's published materials do not ask for that, and nothing suggests it helps.
Your business address may be shown to customers
In the US store, Amazon announced in 2020 that "Business name and address to be displayed on the seller profile page", with the rationale of "a consistent baseline of seller information to help customers make informed shopping decisions" [17]. An Amazon staff reply in the forums later said that "for business accounts, the registered business address is typically what appears in the seller's public information" [18]. We did not find an equivalent public Amazon.ca statement, but many Canadian sellers also sell on Amazon.com through a unified account: Amazon says that "If you already sell on Amazon.com with a Professional selling account, you can use your existing North America and Brazil unified account to start selling in Canada" [22].
This is one of the strongest legitimate reasons home-based sellers use a business address: if your registered address will be published on a seller profile, a commercial address keeps your home off it. Your store name, by contrast, is something you choose; Amazon says your "Amazon store name needs to be unique and doesn't need to match your business name" [12].
What Amazon has, and has not, said about virtual addresses
We found no public Amazon policy page, Canadian or American, that addresses virtual offices or mail-forwarding addresses by name. The only Amazon-staff statement we found is a forum reply about a US limited liability company whose owner had registered with a Canadian address: "It's crucial to avoid using virtual addresses or trying to circumvent Amazon's verification process with misleading documentation" [19]. The same reply then lists options it considers acceptable, including a physical office, the company's registered agent address and a mailbox at a mail-rental store such as a UPS Store, which it distinguishes from a virtual address [19]. That reply concerns a US entity and US verification, it is not policy text, and the line it draws between a "virtual address" and a rented mailbox is not defined anywhere in Amazon's public rules. What it does make clear is where staff see the risk: misleading information or documents used to obscure who and where you are.
The practical reading for a Canadian seller, as of October 2026:
A commercial address that is genuinely your business's registered address on the REQ is the address Amazon asks for, and using it is consistent with Amazon's published Canadian requirements.
A commercial address used to hide that the person behind the account lives elsewhere, or to create the appearance of a separate business, is the kind of use Amazon staff warn against; misleading information can lead to suspension [19].
The residential proof must always be your own real one.
Do not use a mailbox address as your returns address unless the provider handles parcels. At 2727, for example, the mailbox service refuses parcels and items requiring a signature, so it is not a returns address.
Deactivation and appeals
Amazon's Canadian resource guide warns that neglecting your performance metrics and notifications "can lead to account deactivation and poor customer service experience" [13]. On accuracy, an Amazon forum moderator put the rule simply: "It is important to always provide accurate, true information in regards to your selling account as well as listings you create or edit" [21]. In a Canadian forum thread about a deactivation under section 3 of the Business Solutions Agreement, Amazon staff pointed to the Seller Code of Conduct and described reinstatement as requiring identity verification plus supply-chain verification with invoices; the deactivation notice quoted in that thread says listings were removed and funds held [20].
The practical lesson is that an Amazon deactivation is expensive, slow to reverse and freezes money. The cost of getting the address and identity story right on day one is trivial by comparison.
Shopify Payments (Canada)
Shopify Payments in Canada is processed by a financial partner, and Shopify's help centre is unusually specific about the address it wants.
The registry address, never a P.O. box
Shopify's Canadian requirements page asks for "The official registered address of the business as shown in your government registry" [23]. It adds: "Due to the requirements of Shopify's financial partner, you can't use a P.O. box as your business address", and "You can't verify your account using a PO box address or documents showing PO box addresses" [23]. Shopify's account setup page goes further: "You can't use PO Box or Private Mail Box addresses with Shopify Payments" [24].
"Private Mail Box" deserves attention. A PMB in the US sense is a mailbox at a commercial mail-receiving agency. A Canadian virtual mailbox at a civic address with a unit number is structurally similar. Shopify's Canadian page keys on the registry address, so if your REQ record shows the address, Shopify is asking for that address; but if the address is formatted or treated as a private mailbox, the account setup sentence may apply. When the stakes are high, ask Shopify Support in writing before relying on a mailbox address.
The same page also asks sole proprietors, partnerships, corporations and non-profits for "the business's identifier number, as shown in your government registry", noting it "can also be issued provincially, such as the Québec Enterprise Number (NEQ)" [23].
The US-only virtual-address rule, and why it matters anyway
Shopify's account setup page contains the most explicit virtual-address prohibition we found among payment platforms, but it applies to US businesses using Shopify Balance or Shopify Credit: "You're unable to use virtual addresses, mail forwarding services, co-working spaces, registering agent addresses, or similar addresses which your business might use on documentation, but doesn't physically occupy" [24]. As of October 2026, no equivalent sentence appears on the Canadian Shopify Payments requirements page. Do not read the US rule as Canadian policy, but do read it as a signal of direction: financial partners care about where a business physically operates, and rules tighten over time.
Documents Shopify accepts in Canada
Shopify's Canadian page lists, as of October 2026: identity documents (passport, driver's license, citizenship card, permanent resident card, provincial photo ID and others); personal address documents showing your full name and residential address (utility bill within 12 months, bank account statement within 6 months, property tax statement, investment account statement, insurance documents, driver's license, provincial photo ID); and business documents ("Valid letters or documents from a municipal, provincial, territorial or federal government. Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment or Re-Assessment. These documents must be dated within the past 12 months. Federally-issued Corporate Profile Reports. Partnership registration or agreements") [23]. Where the business address cannot be verified, Shopify asks you to "Provide a document showing a real physical business address, or contact Shopify Support for help" [23].
A mailbox or coworking agreement is not on that list. Government documents are. That is another reason to make sure the address on your REQ record is exactly the address you give Shopify. Shopify's business entities page is explicit: "The information that you add to your business entity in your Shopify admin must match your legal documentation and identification exactly" [29].
Your store address is public
Separately from payments verification, Shopify's business settings say "Your store address is the physical or customer-facing address of your business" and "Customers can view this address on your store and policy pages" [28]. This is where a commercial address has an obvious legitimate use for a home-based store: the public sees the commercial address, not your living room. Keep in mind that customers may try to return parcels to the address on your policy pages, so make sure the address you publish can deal with that or that your returns policy names a different returns address.
Holds, closures and prohibited businesses
Shopify explains that "Account holds are placed for a variety of reasons, and are account specific", that "you can't receive payouts through Shopify Payments until the reason for the hold is resolved", and that "The fastest way to resolve a hold on your Shopify Payments account and continue receiving payouts is to provide any information that's been requested" [26]. The Canadian Shopify Payments terms state: "We may terminate this Agreement and close your Shopify Payments Account at any time, for any reason, upon notice to you" [27]. Eligibility also excludes certain business types, such as products "that require regulatory approval or compliance, such as cannabis and related products" and gambling-related services [25].
2727 Coworking space, 2727 Saint-Patrick, Montreal
As of October 2026, Stripe's Canadian page says: "Stripe requires a valid physical Canada address and we cannot accept a P.O. Box as a valid business address" [30]. It verifies by checking "the business name and business address on your account against information available with the provincial and/or federal registries of businesses", and if automation fails, "You'll need to submit a document that contains the business name and business address which matches the name and address on the Stripe account" [30]. Stripe's 2024 FAQ on the Canadian requirements gives the reason for the P.O. box rule: "Due to our financial partner rule, we cannot accept a P.O. Box as a valid address" [31].
If Stripe closes an account, "you will be notified via email" and "The email will state the reason your account was closed"; if you believe Stripe "misunderstood or miscategorized your business", you can ask for another review [32].
The key point for this guide: Stripe, like Shopify, tests your registry record. A civic address with a unit that matches your REQ record exactly is the kind of address Stripe's Canadian page describes; a P.O. box never is. Whether a specific mailbox arrangement satisfies a later operating-address review is a separate question that our PayPal and Stripe guide discusses in detail.
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Business Verification
Meta business verification is required for some advertising and developer features. As of October 2026, Meta says verification is "required to obtain Advanced Access for any permission on Meta for Developers" [33].
What Meta checks
Meta's overview sets two requirements: "Ensure your business is a legal entity. Your business needs to be registered with local authorities and you'll need an official phone number or mailing address for your business", and "Demonstrate you're an authorized representation of your business" by receiving a code by phone or email or by verifying your domain [33]. Note the wording "mailing address": Meta is not asking where customers visit you, which is why Meta's test is closer to the registry test used by payment platforms than to Google's in-person test.
The verification flow asks you to provide "the legal business name, address, phone number and website" and to "Check that the details you enter exactly match the details of your legal business entity", with a website that "loads and is HTTPS compliant" [34]. If Meta finds no matching record, "you may be asked to upload official documents, such as a business license or articles of incorporation" [34]. A decision "may take up to 14 business days", and "If you edit your business details, then you need to complete the verification process again" [34].
Documents Meta accepts
Meta's document page says uploads "should validate the legal name of your business and your business's official mailing address or phone number" [35]. Accepted types include "Certificate/Articles of Incorporation", "Business Registration or License Document", a "Government Issued Business Tax Document" ("Self-filed tax documents are not accepted") and a "Business Bank Statement" [35]. The utility bill rule is precise: "A utility bill is accepted only for Business Address and Phone number. The Legal Business Name must be on the utility bill. A utility bill is not an acceptable document for Legal Business Name verification" [35]. English and French documents are accepted.
For a Quebec business using a rented address, the strongest single document is usually the REQ record itself, because it validates both the legal name and the address in one government document, provided the address you typed into Meta is identical to the one on the register. A business bank statement addressed to the same address is a useful second document.
Rejection and restriction
Meta lists rejection reasons including "Submitting, or being suspected of submitting, false or misleading information", "Attempting to claim or verify a business portfolio you don't own or have authorization to represent", "Trying to circumvent Meta's verification review system" and "Having a website that fails to load, is not HTTPS compliant" [36]. It also notes that business verification "is different from Meta Verified for businesses and won't give you a verified badge" [36]. The overview warns that false or misleading information can lead Meta to "prevent your business from being verified", "remove your business's verification status or take additional action on the account" [33]. For disabled ad accounts, Meta may ask you to "Confirm your identity", "Complete verification" or "Request a review", and an ad account disabled for a policy violation that stays ineligible for reinstatement for six months can lose unused prepaid services where the law allows [37].
The most common address-related cause of a Meta rejection in practice is not the type of address but a mismatch: "Suite 109" on one record and "#109" on another, a trade name instead of the legal name, or an old address left on the register.
2727 Coworking space, 2727 Saint-Patrick, Montreal
Apple Developer Program and Google Play Console
These two matter only if you publish apps, but for a Canadian software company they can be the most public use of its address.
The D-U-N-S number is the address source
Apple requires that "Companies and educational institutions must provide a D-U-N-S Number registered to their legal entity" and states that "DBAs, fictitious businesses, trade names, and branches are not accepted" [39]. The lookup asks for "Legal entity name; Headquarters address; Mailing address; Your work contact information", and "To update your D&B profile, email D&B. Please note that it takes up to two business days for D&B to provide updated information to Apple" [39]. Apple's enrollment page adds that "you must have the legal authority to bind your organization to legal agreements" and that the organization's website "must be publicly available and functional" [38]. A Quebec sole proprietor is not a separate legal entity; Apple says that if "your legal status is a sole proprietorship/single person business, enroll as an individual" [39].
Google Play requires a D-U-N-S number for organization accounts too, and is explicit about matching: "you must ensure that the legal name and address in your Google payments profile match those in your Dun & Bradstreet profile" [41]. If Google detects a mismatch, you will see "Your organization name or address is no longer verified" and "must fix this by the deadline provided to avoid your developer account being restricted, which would remove all of your apps from Google Play" [41]. Google also notes that a D-U-N-S number is free from Dun & Bradstreet and warns about "third-party services that may attempt to charge high administrative fees" [41].
Public display of the address
Google Play states: "To help improve transparency and user safety on Google Play, Google will display your legal name, legal address, developer email address, and developer phone number on Google Play" for organizations, and for personal accounts, "If you decide to monetize on Google Play then Google will display your full address" [41]. Organizations "must provide and verify a developer phone number that will be shown on Google Play" [42]. For older accounts, Google warns: "If you are unable to complete verifications by your chosen deadline, your developer profile and apps will be removed from Google Play" [44]. Play's general requirements say "Provide accurate legal and contact information for your developer account" and "Don't provide inaccurate or unverifiable details" [43].
Apple publishes trader information on EU App Store pages under the Digital Services Act. For organizations, "The address associated with your D-U-N-S Number will automatically display", and Apple asks for "a current document that verifies your business name and address"; if you display "an alternate address, such as a P.O. Box, you'll also need to provide documentation that reflects your association with this alternate address (for example, a receipt or bill)" [40]. Even developers who do not distribute in the EU must declare a trader status [40].
For a home-based Canadian developer, these rules are a strong reason to have a business address on the registry, on the D-U-N-S profile and on the payments profile, all identical. Neither Apple nor Google, on the pages we read in October 2026, prohibits a coworking or mailbox address for this purpose; both test legal-entity status and consistency.
Comparison Table: Five Platforms, One Address
All entries reflect the platforms' own help pages as of October 2026. "Mail-only address" means a commercial address used for mail and registration, where no one from the business works.
Google Business Profile
Amazon Seller Central (CA)
Shopify Payments (CA)
Stripe (CA)
Meta business verification
Apple / Google Play
What the address test is about
In-person customer contact at the location
Registered business address; personal residential proof
Registry address
Registry address
Legal entity's official address or phone
D-U-N-S and payments profile address
Mail-only address
Not eligible for a storefront ("virtual office" excluded) [1]
Not addressed in public policy; usable only if it is your real registry address [12]
Yes for organizations on Play; EU pages on the App Store [40]
Main suspension risk
Suspension for ineligible location; appeal within 5 business days
Deactivation, funds held
Payout holds, closure
Closure with emailed reason
Verification removed, account restricted
Apps removed for mismatch or unverified info
The pattern is clear. Google is the only platform in this group that asks whether customers meet you at the address, and it is the only one where a mail-only address is excluded outright. The others ask whether the address is your real, registered, consistent address, and refuse P.O. boxes where they mention them.
2727 Coworking space, 2727 Saint-Patrick, Montreal
What a Legitimate Setup Looks Like
Most verification problems come from trying to make one address do every job. The legitimate setups below each match the address to the role it can truthfully play.
Model 1: Service-area business, home address hidden, business address on the registry
This is the right model for a large share of Quebec freelancers and small service businesses: consultants who meet clients at the client's office or online, trades, mobile services, photographers, tutors.
Google Business Profile: service-area profile, address hidden, service area set to the cities you really serve [3]. The private address given to Google is where you actually operate. Verification, if by video, shows your street, your tools and you working [6].
REQ, invoices, website, marketplace profiles: a commercial business address, so your home is not on the public register or on your seller profile. For a sole proprietor, Quebec's professional address mechanism is relevant here; our guide to registering a business address with the REQ explains it.
Amazon, Shopify, Stripe, Meta, Apple, Google Play: the same business address that is on the registry, entered identically everywhere, plus your own residential proof wherever a platform asks about you as an individual.
Nothing in this model asks any platform to believe something untrue. The business address is your registered address; your home address is your home; Google sees where you work and the public sees only your service area.
Model 2: Staffed office or coworking membership that meets Google's three conditions
This is the model for businesses that genuinely receive clients: an accountant whose clients come in to sign documents, a clinic-style practice, an agency that hosts client meetings in its own office.
The business rents a dedicated office (not a hot desk), is staffed there by its own people during published hours, receives customers there, and has permanent signage with its name, if the building permits it [1].
The Google Business Profile lists that office with its suite number, and video verification can show the building, the signage, and access to the office that only the team has [6].
The same address goes on the REQ as the head office or establishment, and on every platform.
Before committing, confirm in writing with the operator that permanent signage is allowed, and check that your published opening hours are hours when someone from your team is really there.
Model 3: Mail-only address for registry and correspondence
This is what a virtual mailbox is for: a stable civic address for the REQ, Revenu Québec, the CRA, banks, suppliers and customers' invoices, with mail received and logged.
Works well for: the registry address used by Amazon, Shopify Payments, Stripe and Meta, provided the registry record matches exactly; the public address on a Shopify store or seller profile; the address on a D-U-N-S profile.
Does not work for: a Google Business Profile storefront [1]; anything asking where you live; any category that a specific platform reserves for the place the business "physically occupies", such as the US Shopify Balance rule [24]; parcel returns, where the provider refuses parcels.
Pairing Model 3 with Model 1 is common and coherent: mail-only address on the registry and public channels, service-area profile on Google.
Matching model to platform
Platform
Model 1 (service area, address hidden)
Model 2 (staffed office)
Model 3 (mail-only)
Google Business Profile
Yes, the intended path
Yes, if signage, customers and own staff
No storefront
Amazon Seller Central
Yes, with registry address
Yes
Yes, if it is the registry address
Shopify Payments
Yes, with registry address
Yes
Registry address only; ask Shopify if formatted as a private mailbox
Stripe
Yes, with registry address
Yes
Registry address only; see our Stripe guide
Meta
Yes
Yes
Yes, if it matches the legal entity record
Apple / Google Play
Yes, published if registered
Yes
Yes, published as legal address
Lines not to cross
Do not list a mailbox or another business's coworking space as your Google storefront.
Do not film a verification video at a place you do not operate from, or show someone else's signage, staff or back office as your own.
Do not create a second Google profile while an appeal is pending [7], or a second profile per city for a service-area business [3].
Do not submit a business address document where a residential one is requested, or relabel a service agreement as a lease or utility bill.
Do not let the registry, the platforms and your website drift apart. Every platform in this guide treats an unexplained mismatch as a reason to look harder.
When the business model is unusual (regulated products, money services, non-resident owners, multiple entities), a lawyer or accountant familiar with Quebec enterprise law is worth an hour before you apply, not after a rejection. Our non-resident guide covers the extra steps when owners live outside Canada.
Keeping Name, Address and Phone Consistent With the REQ
Local search specialists call it NAP consistency (name, address, phone). For verification purposes it is simpler than that: several platforms compare what you type with a government record, and several others publish what you type. Both reward a single canonical version.
Why the REQ is the master record
The Quebec enterprise register is "a public information bank available to the public", consultation is "quick and easy, free of charge", and "The information held in the enterprise register is public, and enterprises are responsible for the accuracy" of it [49]. Anyone can "Find information about an enterprise and the persons involved in the administration and operation of an enterprise" [50], which includes Stripe's automated registry check and a human reviewer at any platform.
Quebec's rules also make the link between address, phone and the obligation to register explicit. Among other criteria, an enterprise carries on activities in Quebec if "It possesses a Québec address", if it or its representative "possesses an establishment or post office box in Québec", or "has a telephone line in Québec" [56]. Once registered, the register's address section shows the domicile, which for a legal person is "the address of the head office", for sole proprietors "their home address" (unless a professional address is declared), and for partnerships "the address of the principal establishment" [48].
The name: legal name, other names and French
Quebec distinguishes the legal (constitutive) name from other names. The REQ's guide says: "Le nom constitutif de l'entreprise est le nom légal d'une entreprise. Une entreprise ne peut avoir qu'un seul nom constitutif à la fois", and an other name "doit être déclaré au registre dès que l'entreprise l'utilise pour s'identifier au Québec dans le cadre de ses activités" [51]. The English rules page confirms: "You must declare in the enterprise register any other name if the enterprise uses it or plans to use to identify itself when carrying on its activities in Québec", and "An enterprise's name must respect the Charter of the French Language and therefore be in French" [47]. Since June 1, 2025, new rules also govern how business names and trademarks appear on public signs and in commercial advertising, which "doivent se faire en français" [55].
How this maps onto platforms:
Legal name goes wherever a platform asks for the legal entity: Stripe, Shopify business entity, Meta, Apple (which rejects "DBAs, fictitious businesses, trade names" [39]), Google Play.
The name customers know goes on Google Business Profile, which wants your "real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery" [1]. If that differs from your legal name, it should be a name declared on the REQ as an other name.
Store names on Amazon are free-form and "doesn't need to match your business name" [12], but the business information behind the store must match the registry.
The address: one canonical string
Canada Post's addressing guidelines settle the formatting question. "If a unit number is assigned, it's an integral part of the address. You must include it." The unit can go "Before the civic number with a hyphen in between" (in which case "Don't include a unit identifier (for example, APT)"), "After the street type, using an acceptable unit identifier", or "On the line above the street information" [53]. A basic Canadian address puts the addressee on the first line, the civic address on the second, and "Municipality name, province or territory, and postal code" on the third [54].
Pick one of those formats, use it on the REQ, and copy it character for character everywhere else. "Suite 109", "109-2727" and "#109" are all understandable to a letter carrier, but an automated registry match at Stripe or a Meta reviewer comparing documents may treat them as different. Google also asks you to include "Suite numbers, floors, building numbers" and to avoid putting anything in address lines "that doesn't pertain to your business's physical location, like URLs or keywords" [1].
The CRA keeps its own address records. It asks businesses to inform it "as soon as possible" of an address change, distinguishes physical, mailing and books-and-records addresses, and says a physical address cannot be a rural route number or P.O. box [52]. Platforms that ask for a CRA notice of assessment (Shopify does [23]) will see the CRA's version of your address, so the CRA needs updating too. The CRA's physical address is where day-to-day activities take place, which may differ from a mail-only address; the mailing address is the field for the latter.
The phone: under your direct control
Google requires that "The phone number must be under the direct control of the business" and warns against numbers that "redirect or 'refer' users to landing pages or phone numbers other than those of the actual business" [1]. Google may verify by phone or text, so the number must be able to receive a call or SMS [5]. Meta and Apple can also verify by phone or code, and Google Play requires organizations to "provide and verify a developer phone number that will be shown on Google Play" [42]. Use one business number, controlled by you, everywhere.
Deadlines and re-verification triggers
Change
Where
Rule as of October 2026
Any change to registered information, including address
REQ
30 days to file a current updating declaration [45]; no fee for regular processing [57]
Annual confirmation
REQ
Annual updating declaration during the prescribed period [45]
Quebec treats the register seriously. Filing false, incomplete or misleading declarations, or failing to file a required updating declaration, can lead to fines of "$500 to $5,000" for natural persons and "$1,000 to $10,000" in other cases (failing to register at all carries higher fines), "Fines can be doubled for repeat offences", and an enterprise that fails to register when required "risks the suspension of its right to take legal action" [46].
The order of operations when you move or add an address
Sign the new address arrangement and get the provider's document in hand.
File the current updating declaration with the REQ (within 30 days of the change) [45].
Update the CRA and Revenu Québec.
Update the D&B profile if you have one, then Apple and Google Play.
Update Stripe, Shopify, Amazon and Meta, using exactly the REQ string, and expect re-verification at Meta.
Update Google Business Profile last, and only to an address that meets Google's rules; otherwise keep it as a service-area profile.
Update your website footer, invoices, email signature and policy pages.
A one-page "NAP master" kept in your files (legal name, other declared names, the exact address string, the phone number, NEQ, BN) saves time at every step and makes appeals easier.
2727 Coworking space, 2727 Saint-Patrick, Montreal
Proof of Address: What Each Platform Names
A common question is what proof of address you will get from a provider, and whether it will be enough. The answer depends on which proof the platform names. As of October 2026:
Platform
Business address proof named in official pages
Personal address proof
Provider agreement named?
Google Business Profile
Appeals: business registration, licence, tax certificate, business utility bills [7]
Not applicable
No
Amazon.ca
Business licence or registration showing business address [12][15]
Bank or credit card statement within 180 days
No
Shopify Payments
Government letters, CRA notice of assessment, corporate profile, within 12 months [23]
Utility bill, bank statement and others
No
Stripe
Document with matching business name and address [30]
Separate home-address documents
See our Stripe guide
Meta
Incorporation, registration, tax document, bank statement, utility bill (address and phone only) [35]
Not applicable
No
Apple (EU trader)
"Business or legal records"; for an alternate address, a receipt or bill showing association [40]
Not applicable
Possibly, as evidence of association with an alternate address
The government record does most of the work. A provider's signed agreement is useful as evidence that you are entitled to use the address (which is what you need before filing with the REQ, and what some banks and fintechs ask for, as discussed in our Wise guide). It is not, on any of these platforms' published lists, a substitute for the registry record or for personal proof of address.
Where 2727 Coworking Fits
2727 Coworking is at 2727 Rue Saint-Patrick, Suite 109, Montréal, QC H3K 0A8, in Griffintown. Here is what we can say, as of October 2026, without overpromising:
Virtual mailbox plans give you a real civic address with a mailbox number (not a P.O. box), from $35 per month before taxes (as of October 2026). The address may be used on REQ and incorporation filings; which role it plays depends on your situation. The proof document is a signed agreement naming your company, the full civic address with unit, and the start date. See /virtual-mailboxes/.
A mailbox plan is Model 3. It suits the registry address that Amazon, Shopify, Stripe and Meta compare against, and it helps keep your home address off your business's public records. It does not qualify for a Google Business Profile storefront, and we will not tell you otherwise. Mail is letter mail only: parcels and items requiring a signature are refused, so it is not a returns address.
Private offices and dedicated desks are workspace. Private office list prices range from $600 to $4,000 per month and dedicated desks from $400 per month, before taxes (as of October 2026); see booking.2727coworking.com for what is open. Whether an office arrangement can meet Google's signage condition is something to ask us about before you plan a listing.
Platforms make their own decisions. Banks and platforms apply their own verification, and 2727 does not guarantee approval by Google, Amazon, Shopify, Stripe, Meta, Apple or anyone else.
If you are not sure which model fits, book a tour (Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 11:30) or call (438) 796-0017.
2727 Coworking space, 2727 Saint-Patrick, Montreal
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a virtual office address for my Google Business Profile in Canada?
Not as a storefront. As of October 2026, Google's guidelines say a business that "rents a physical mailing address but doesn't operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office" is not eligible for a Business Profile at that address [1]. If you serve customers at their locations, create a service-area profile and hide your address instead.
Can I list my coworking space address on Google Maps?
Only if the office has clear signage, receives customers during business hours, and is staffed during those hours by your own business staff [1]. A hot desk or day pass rarely meets all three conditions. A dedicated office used daily by your team, where clients visit, can.
How do I hide my home address on Google Business Profile?
Set your profile up as a service-area business, remove the address from the public profile and list the areas you serve. Google says "If you don't serve customers at your business address, remove your address from your Business Profile" [3]. The profile then shows only your service area [4].
Can I film my Google verification video at a coworking space?
Only if that is genuinely where your business operates and meets Google's storefront conditions. The video must show the location, a permanent fixture with your business name, and proof of management such as access to areas "only an employee can access" [6]. Filming a space you do not operate from would misrepresent your business.
What does Google's verification video need to show?
One unedited recording, at least 30 seconds, made from a mobile device through your profile, showing your location, proof your business exists and proof of management. Service-area businesses show their tools or products and themselves performing a service. Avoid ID numbers, private information and other people's faces [6].
Will receiving Google's postcard at my mailbox make my listing valid?
No. A mailed code confirms that mail reaches the address [5]; it does not make a virtual office eligible. A profile verified this way can still be suspended under the guidelines [7].
What documents does Google accept to reinstate a suspended profile?
Google names official business registration, a business licence, tax certificates and business utility bills such as electricity, phone, water or internet [7]. The name and address must match the profile, and you have 60 minutes to submit evidence once you open the form [8].
Is my mailbox address accepted by Amazon Seller Central for identity verification?
Amazon's identity step asks for your government ID and "Proof of residential address from the last 180 days" [12]. A business address cannot serve as residential proof. For the business address field, Amazon asks for the address on your business registration, which can be a commercial address if that is what your REQ record shows.
What happens on an Amazon seller video call?
You join or schedule a call with an Amazon associate and show your government-issued ID and proof of residential address [12]. Amazon staff say you need a device with a front-facing camera, a stable connection and Chrome or Safari, and a bank or credit card statement issued within the last 180 days [14]. It is not a tour of your office.
Which Canadian business documents does Amazon accept?
An Amazon staff post lists Corporations Canada certificates of compliance or status for corporations and provincial certificates of registration for sole proprietorships and partnerships, showing the legal name, business address, date and registration number. Municipal licences, letterhead and bank statements are not accepted as registration documents [15]. For a Quebec-specific document, confirm with Seller Support.
Does Amazon show my business address to customers?
In the US store, Amazon announced in 2020 that it displays business name and address on the seller profile, and a staff forum reply says the registered business address is typically what appears [17][18]. If you sell through a unified North American account, plan on your registered address being public.
Does Amazon ban virtual addresses?
We found no public Amazon policy page that names virtual offices. An Amazon staff forum reply, about a US company, advised to "avoid using virtual addresses or trying to circumvent Amazon's verification process with misleading documentation", while listing a mailbox at a mail-rental store such as a UPS Store among acceptable options [19]. Forum replies are not binding policy. The safe approach is to use your genuine registered address and your own residential proof.
Can I use a virtual address for Shopify Payments in Canada?
Shopify Payments Canada asks for "The official registered address of the business as shown in your government registry" and refuses P.O. boxes [23]. Its setup page also refuses "Private Mail Box addresses" [24]. If your address could be read as a private mailbox, ask Shopify Support before relying on it.
Does Stripe accept a coworking or mailbox address in Canada?
Stripe requires "a valid physical Canada address" and cannot accept a P.O. box; it checks your name and address against provincial and federal registries [30]. Our PayPal and Stripe guide covers the later operating-address review in detail.
What documents does Meta accept for business verification?
Articles or certificate of incorporation, business registration or licence, government-issued business tax documents (not self-filed) and business bank statements. A utility bill is accepted for address and phone only, and must show the legal name [35].
Why was my Meta business verification rejected?
Meta cites false or misleading information, claiming a business you are not authorized to represent, trying to circumvent review, and a website that fails to load or is not HTTPS [36]. In practice, check that your name and address match your REQ record exactly [34].
Will Apple or Google Play publish my business address?
Google Play displays an organization's legal name, legal address, email and phone, and a monetizing personal account's full address [41]. Apple displays an organization's D-U-N-S address on EU App Store pages [40]. Choose that address deliberately.
Can I get a D-U-N-S number with a coworking address?
Apple and Google pages do not prohibit it; they require the D-U-N-S record to be registered to your legal entity and to match your other records [39][41]. Use the same address as your REQ record. A D-U-N-S number is free from Dun & Bradstreet.
Can my sole proprietorship enroll as an organization with Apple?
No. A sole proprietorship is not a separate legal entity, and Apple says that if "your legal status is a sole proprietorship/single person business, enroll as an individual"; DBAs, fictitious businesses and trade names are not accepted as organizations [39]. A corporation, by contrast, enrolls as an organization with its own D-U-N-S number.
What proof of address will I get from a virtual mailbox provider?
At 2727, a signed agreement naming your company, the full civic address with unit, and the start date. That document shows your right to use the address. The platforms in this guide mostly ask for government records instead, so file the address with the REQ and use your registry record as the main proof.
How should I write a suite number so platforms match it?
Follow Canada Post: the unit is "an integral part of the address", written before the civic number with a hyphen, after the street type with a unit identifier, or on the line above [53]. Choose one format, use it on the REQ, and copy it exactly everywhere.
How long do I have to update my address with the REQ?
Thirty days after the change, by filing a current updating declaration [45]. The regular declaration has no fee [57].
Does my Google business name have to match my REQ name?
Google wants the real-world name customers know [1]. If that is not your legal name, Quebec requires you to declare it on the register as an other name once you use it in Quebec [47].
Can a Canada Post P.O. box replace a business address for these platforms?
No. Google excludes P.O. boxes [9], Stripe "cannot accept a P.O. Box as a valid business address" [30], Shopify refuses P.O. boxes [23], and the CRA says a physical address cannot be a P.O. box [52]. Quebec does treat a post office box in Quebec as one of the criteria that can trigger the obligation to register [56], but that does not make it an acceptable address for payment platforms.
Will 2727 guarantee my Google, Amazon or KYC approval?
No. Banks and platforms apply their own verification, and no address provider can guarantee a third party's decision. What we provide is the signed agreement described above and a real civic address.
Conclusion
The question "will this address pass verification?" has a clear answer once you ask which question each platform is really asking. Google Business Profile tests whether customers meet you at the address, and a mail-only address fails that test by design; the legitimate alternatives are a service-area profile with the address hidden, or a genuinely staffed office with signage where customers come. Amazon tests who you are and where you live, and separately reads your registered business address from your registration document. Shopify Payments and Stripe test your registry record and refuse P.O. boxes. Meta tests whether your details exactly match your legal entity. Apple and Google Play test your D-U-N-S record and may publish the address.
Across all of them, the same three habits prevent most problems: use the address in the role it truthfully plays, keep the REQ as the single master record and copy it exactly, and never submit a business document where a personal one is asked for. When in doubt about a specific case, ask the platform in writing before you apply, and talk to a lawyer or accountant when the structure is unusual. All rules above are as published in October 2026; check the linked help pages again before you rely on them, because they change.
2727 Coworking space, 2727 Saint-Patrick, Montreal
References
[1] Guidelines for representing your business on Google, Google Business Profile Help
[2] Business eligibility and ownership guidelines, Google Business Profile Help
[3] Manage your service areas for service-area and hybrid businesses, Google Business Profile Help
[4] Manage your business address, Google Business Profile Help
[5] Verify your business on Google, Google Business Profile Help
[6] Verify your business with a video recording, Google Business Profile Help
[7] Fix suspended or disabled profiles, Google Business Profile Help
[8] Appeal Business Profile content and profile restrictions, Google Business Profile Help
[9] Overview of Google Business Profile policies, Google Business Profile Help
[10] Edit your Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help
[11] Prohibited and restricted content, Google Business Profile Help
[12] Beginner's Guide to Selling on Amazon, Amazon (Canada)
