• By Daniel Smith
• Published 07/23/2012

Whether you are planning to carry on business as an individual, in a partnership or as a corporate body, registration of the business name may be essential in Ireland. The purpose of business name registration is to make public the identities of the individuals, partnerships or corporate bodies that are the legal entity that has the business name.

When is registration of the business name a requirement? The Companies Registration Office (CRO) offers specifications regarding these. The following circumstances make it necessary to register a business name:

• An individual uses a name other than his/her own name for his/her business
• A firm uses a name other than the names of the partners (individuals) and the corporate names of the partners (bodies corporate)
• A company uses a name other than its full corporate name
• An individual, who has a place of business in Ireland, conducts the business of newspaper publishing

You need to submit the application to register a business name within a month of adopting it. For this, you need to complete the right form and submit it along with the registration fee to the CRO. Form RBN1 is for registering a business name for an individual, Form RBN1A is for a partnership, and Form RBN1B is for a corporate body.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you submit an application for the registration of the business name.

It is not permissible to use the words “company”, “teoranta”, “teo”, “limited”, “ltd”, “incorporated”, “inc.” in the business name.

It is not permissible to use the words “Group” or “Associates” for an individual application.

It is undesirable to use business names with domain name prefix, e.g., “www”, or suffix, e.g., “.com”. If you do use such prefixes or suffixes, you need to submit proof of domain name ownership for application processing.

It is not possible to transfer the ownership of a business name. For this, the present owner must cease using the name for trading by filling up Form RBN3. Next, the new owner needs to complete the RBN1 to obtain this business name.

If you are using your residential address for business name registration, this may initiate a query by the CRO. This is because certain businesses are not suitable for carrying from a residential place. It is better to attach a note illustrating the reasons your residence is suitable for conducting your business.

Whether you are planning to set up as a sole trader or a limited liability company in Ireland, it is a good idea to check whether any other entities have rights over the business name you propose to use. The CRO does not check this. It is, therefore, your responsibility to complete the checking of the name.

Registering the business name in Ireland involves a number of steps. If you do not have knowledge or experience regarding this, it is better to choose a professional service for this task. Company formation and registration services would be of help in ensuring that your application adheres to all guidelines.

Author Bio

Daniel Smith has experience in working as a consultant providing advice and guidance for individuals and entities planning to register business name in Ireland. If you are looking for more information regarding Ireland company formation and registration, he suggests you visit http://www.cadima.ie/ for further details.