Business names overview

Welcome to the ASIC business names homepage

This is the central point for the latest information about the new national business names register which began on 28 May 2012.

Our new national business names registration service replaces the previous state and territory services, so that businesses only need to register their name with a single national register. Generally, existing registered business names in the states and territories have now been automatically transferred to the new register. Existing business name holders do not need to do a thing - we will contact you when it is time to renew your business name.

You can now register your business name online with ASIC Connect. You can check if a business name is available using our online check name availability search.

Latest updates

11 April 2013

Business names service update

Here is a snapshot of our business names service statistics for the last month:

20,854 business names fully registered
5,771 business name renewal notices issued
12,566 updates to information on the register received
111,956 phone inquiries received
18,198 email and mail inquiries received
525,422 total business name searches
479,772 free business name searches
2,096 paid searches (1,189 were government portal 'paid' searches that have no fee)

Since the national business names register went live on 28 May 2012:

217,845 business names fully registered
377,539 business name renewal notices issued
104,808 updates to information on the register received
1,033,906 phone inquiries received
122,320 email and mail inquiries received
315,297 ASIC keys issued
5,874,648 total business name searches
5,472,022 free business name searches
32,534 paid searches (12,272 were government portal 'paid' searches that have no fee)

10 April 2013

Important notice

If you are experiencing issues with ASIC Connect using Internet Explorer (IE) version 10, we suggest that you try Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

See our accessibility page for more information of system compatibility.

More latest updates

What is a business name?

Find out more about what a business name is and when you need to register one.

Information points

See a list of information points available nationally.

Regulatory reform

The establishment of a new national business names register administered by ASIC is part of the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) regulatory reform agenda.

As well as a joint online registration process for Australian Business Numbers (ABNs) and business names, including trade mark searching, the program will also deliver improved online business information services – the Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS) and the Australian Business Account – to improve ongoing interactions between government and business.

ASIC has published Regulatory Guide 235 to help businesses understand the new laws and how ASIC will administer the new register.

ASIC business names reform update

Subscribe to our business name reform updates to keep up to date with the latest news, information sheets, user guides and new policy updates.

ASIC Website: Printed 05/25/2013

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