How to Register Your Business Name in the Irish Companies Register!

The law requires anyone who is not trading in his true name to register the business name with the Irish companies register. The law wants to ensure that the identity of the trader is not hidden. The regulations requiring you to register the name are contained in the Business Names Act of 1963. But why is it important to register this name?

• Sole proprietors are required to register the name because it is the only way your business can be registered or recognized by the government. 
• Legal entities have to follow another lengthy process. These legal entities include LLCs, partnerships and corporations. In the process of registration, the name is incorporated. This process does not come with an extra cost if you had registered the business name. By the time you will be filing the Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation, the registry will inform you whether the name has been taken or not. 
•  Beyond the legal requirements to register for identification purposes, it gives your clients confidence that they are dealing with a legal entity. If a client counterchecks the name and does not find you in the legal registry during due diligence, such a client is unlikely to give you business. 
• `Business names are unique to your business. Without registering, you are likely to be summoned for impersonating another brand. This will come with serious legal consequences and financial implications. Your reputation will also be at stake.

While registering your business name is important, there are important considerations to make. The considerations regard right to ownership of the name and how you can use it in business transactions. Here are expert tips on what to consider when registering a business name.

• Only a limited company owns monopoly over a name. As such, the fact that you have registered a name does not stop other people or businesses from using it. Consult a specialist on how to ensure that your name remains exclusive to your brand.
• The fact that your name has been accepted as a business name does not mean that it will be carried forth when you will be registering a limited company. Someone could have taken it as a limited company name before you. It is therefore advisable to act fast.
• The name is never yours until it has been approved by the Company Registration Office. In the process of scrutiny during registration of a limited company, the CRO may discover anomalies or inconsistencies that may cause your name to be rejected. Be ready to listen to the concerns of the CRO and make corrections if you still wish to retain the name.

Remember that the law only allows residents of Republic of Ireland to register and use business names when operating as sole traders. Anyone who is not a resident of Ireland has to get a Letter of Business Permission form that is issued by the Department of Justice. The letter must be accompanied by Stamp 4. The registration and use of business names differs from one business model to the other. Consult a specialist on Irish businesses register to ensure that you are operating within the law.