Registration of a business name is obligatory if any individual or partnership (whether composed of individuals or bodies corporate or any combination of both) or any body corporate carries on business under a name other than their own true names. Its purpose is to make public the identities of those individual(s), partnerships or corporate bodies being the legal entity behind the business name.
Specifically registration of a business name is required if:
To register a business name, submit one of the following forms, along with the registration fee (€40 for paper filing/€20 for electronic filing), to the CRO within one month of adopting the business name:
Link to Business Names Forms Link to Fees Page
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Please note: It normally takes three weeks from the receipt of the paper form in the CRO/upload of the signature page for the registration of a business name and the issue of the certificate. Please also note that the certificate will issue by email. Remember that the email address supplied on the form for registration will receive the issued certificate. Please check in case the document is received into Spam or Junk folder and consider whitelisting the CRO email address for any future communication (if any).
Please note issues that may need clarification when an application is submitted:
In order to apply online for a business name (available at CORE), please see example in Filing a Business Name in CORE webpage.
Please remember that if your business name application is completed online, core.cro.ie, the signature page is required to be uploaded with the submission on CORE. The certificate cannot be created without the upload of the signature page document.
The CRO does not check proposed business names against names on the registers of companies or business names. It is advisable, therefore, to investigate the possibility of others having rights in the name which it is proposed to use before incurring expenditure on business stationery, etc. Applicants are advised to check those registers to ensure the proposed business name does not conflict with a company name or trade mark since any person claiming to have a right to that name could take an infringement action or a passing off action to defend his/her interest.
You can check the register of companies and register of business names free of charge using the Search Facility.
You can undertake a search of the trade mark register at the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland.
You should note that registration of a business name:
The registrar issues a certificate of registration for each business name registered. A copy of the certificate of registration must be exhibited in a conspicuous position:
The name(s) of the proprietor(s) of a business must be shown on all business letters, circulars etc. on which the business name appears. If the proprietor of the business name is a body corporate, the following additional information must be shown on business letters:
Please see also: Information Leaflet 14 regarding business name registration.