Australia Business Name Search

In the world of business, Australia is a sought after location. From small businesses adding a substantial profit to the nation’s economy to a convenient tax environment, there are many benefits to choosing Australia as the home for your business.

So, if you want to start your Australian business name search, this is the guide for you! Below, we will cover the details of finding and registering a business name, with a run-through of the costs and procedures of business name registration in Australia. 


Generate Business Name Ideas


The inevitable first step of your Australian business name search is preparing yourself and gathering everything you need to devise an exciting name. We have listed viable preparation steps for you here; 

  • List all the positive attributes of your business, using a thesaurus to find alternatives for any words you feel are overused.
  • Find wordings that exude the feeling you want your customers to feel when hearing your business name. You can gain an understanding of this by looking into phonaesthetics. 

Once you have keywords that you’d love to include in your business name, you can input them into our Business Name Generator for instant results! 

How To Search Available Names In Australia

Before filing for your Australia business name registration, an important step is to check that your business name isn’t currently used by anyone else. 

To do this, visit the Australian Securities & Investments Commission website. You will see various options for businesses, but you will first want to click ‘Registering A Business Name’

This page will run you through registration, but before we proceed with that, you need to choose the option to search for business names on the register. 

You will be taken to the Australian Securities & Investments Commission Connect server, where you can search for information on registered businesses. In the drop-down list, make sure you set the search tool to ‘Check Business Name Availability’ and proceed to input your business name. 

How You Register Your Business Name In Australia

Now that you know your Australian business name isn’t taken, you need to check that there is also a domain available in the title. This is to ensure your public business assets fall under the same name so that you are easy to find online! 

To quickly find out if your domain is available, you can use our Instant Domain Check

You can register your business name by using the Australian Government’s Business Registration Service when you are ready. This service is useful for start-up businesses, as you can do all your filings in the same place. 

To commence registration, click ‘Register Your Business’. 

Australia Business Name Registration Policies And Procedures

As you are now on track to register your Australia business name, it is fundamental that you read through the government guidelines to understand how business name registration occurs and what happens upon signing. 

Below, we have clarified some of these policies that will be useful for you to make a note of; 

  • Registering a business name in Australia does not mean that you own it, but it will prevent others from using the same name as you.
  • You can either register your business name for 1 or 3 years, and you must make this decision in your registration form.
  • You will be reimbursed if your registration is rejected – this would happen if ASIC finds a business name on record that is too similar to your proposed business name. 
  • You will need an Australian Business Number to register your business name. Find out how to do so on ASIC.

Australia Business Registration Office

Website:asic.gov.au/for-business/
Phone:1300 300 630
Email:online contact form
Hours:8:30am – 5pm, Monday – Friday

How To Use An Online Portal To Register Business Names In Australia

The Australian government has made it simple to register an Australian business name with their easy to use Business Registration Service. 

The first step is to select your registration, which in this case, is a business name.

Once you have selected this, you will be given a brief rundown of the registration fees and the information you will need to provide when registering. If you are happy to proceed, you will then be asked to make a business.gov.au account.

To create an account, you will need your email address and name.

When your account is set up, you will be able to complete your registration form, or you can save your application and complete it over a period of time. 

How Costly Is It To Register Business Name In Australia

The cost of registering your Australian business name varies depending on your business name registration duration.

The fees are as follows;

  • $37 for one year
  • $88 for three years (saving $23)

If your registration is declined, your money will be reimbursed, and you will not be charged for name registration. 

Your registration doesn’t officially count until you pay the fee, so make sure to do this as soon as possible within the ten business day period disclosed in your application. 

Why Should I Register A Business Name In Australia

In most cases, registering your Australian business name is required when transacting business within the country, so you should register your business name regardless. 

However, if you are still on the fence, here are some benefits you will gain when registering; 

  • You will have access to business support. The Australian government updates their website continuously to keep up with resources that will be useful to small business owners. This includes training and events, which vary from workshops to help you with online elements of your business to webinar training classes for subjects such as cash flow. You can find these events on their website.  
  • There are funding programs available if you need help financing elements of your business. You can find the best funding options for yourself by filling out the questionnaire at the top of the Grants and Program page
  • You will be able to use the Australian government’s official business site to file documents and keep them all saved in the exact location.

Support When Registering A Business Name In Australia

There is ample support for those registering an Australian business name or just getting started in their business journey.

The best place to find official sources for support is on the Australian government’s website. Here, you can use their ‘Adviser Finder’ to source an expert that is educated in the right field to advise you on your business. The majority of these services are free, so make use of them! 

Conclusion

Now that we have gone over all the resources you need when registering your Australian business name, you are ready to go forth and do this! Remember to use all the services made available to you by the Australian government to get the most out of your first step. 

To compare your Australian business name search to the registration process in other parts of the world, check our articles for business name searches in different locations! 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

You can register your business name online at the Australia Securities and Investments Commissions (ASIC).

The ASIC has a lot of helpful tools that will guide you through making decisions such as what type of business entity to register as. It can also tell you what other types of business related forms you will need to complete.

After you run a search, you'll be able to immediately register your business name - if available - and apply for a trade mark.

To register your business name, you'll need an Australian Business Number (ABN).

You can apply for an ABN on its own before registering a business name or you can apply for a ABN at the same time you register your business name.

Either way, having an ABN is essential to opening and running a business in Australia.

Registering a business name at ASIC costs $36 for one year or $84 for three years.

In the case that the name you want for your business is unavailable, either because it is the same or similar to an existing name in the Australian business name database, you will have to get back to the drawing board and come up with another name option.

For more details on what makes a name unique and distinguishable along with business naming regulations in Australia, see this page.

You can find the full Australian Government legislation on the Business Names Registration Act here.

If you're still unable to find a business name that suits you, try using our business name generator to get unique name ideas (click here to find our business name generator).

You can trade mark the business name you choose so no one else can use it. That means you have full legal rights to build your business brand on the name you select.

Similarly, before you finalize your business name choice, run a trade mark search.

By running a search of trade marked names, you can avoid potential legal charges that can come from having a similar name.

Author

Matija Kolaric

Matija Kolaric

Amazing content is the core of what we do. With more than 5 years of experience in branding, name development, and business, Matija helps create and manage content production.

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