Register your business name
A business name is the name your business operates under.
Your business name identifies you to your customers and allows you to differentiate yourself from your competitors. A business name helps your customers to make an emotional connection to your business and brand.
Register your business name
You can apply for a business name and other key business registrations through the Business Registration Service. Before you register, make sure you have:
- identified your business structure
- an Australian business number (ABN) or ready to apply for one
- checked your business name is available
To find out if your business name is available, go to the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) business names register.
It’s also a good idea to check that the name isn’t already a trade mark or website name.
When you register for a business name, you’ll need to select your business structure, for example an individual or partnership. You can learn more on our business structures page.
The fees to register your business name with ASIC are:
- $42 for 1 year
- $98 for 3 years
See ASIC’s business name fees and payment options page when registering or renewing a business name.
A business name application should take you around 12 minutes to complete online. If you have an ABN, have provided all the required documents, and paid the fee, you should get confirmation in:
- 2 business days for payments by credit card
- up to 5 business days for payment made by BPay, EFT or bank transfer
Business names are registered nationally, so you don’t need to register again with your state or territory.
Businesses are not required to display their certificate of registration. However, if your business is open to the public, you'll need to display your business name somewhere visible at every place where you carry on the business that is open to the public.
You should also have your business name and ABN on official correspondence such as quotes, invoices and receipts.
You can learn more about displaying your business name on ASIC's website.
You’ll receive a renewal notice by email at least 30 days before your renewal date.
Once you receive your renewal notice from ASIC, you can renew your business name through ASIC Connect or ASIC’s ‘Pay now’ service. If you don't renew your business name, on time, the name may be cancelled.
If you haven’t received a renewal notice, find out what to do.
If you have multiple business names, or also have a registered company, you can ask ASIC to align the renewal dates for those registrations.
You can check your business name details by searching ASIC's registers.
Registering a business name doesn’t protect your Intellectual Property (IP) and brand. If you want exclusive rights to your business name, you’ll need to trade mark it. Understand the differences between a business name and a trade mark.