How to register a business name if the holder is a joint venture

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You can lodge an application for a business name online from your ASIC Connect account.

This guide explains how to apply for a business name if the holder is a joint venture. Other business name holder types will result in different screens and questions being asked.

You must have an ABN or an ABN application reference number to apply for a business name (unless an exemption applies).

Please note: if you are in the process of reinstating a cancelled ABN you will need to wait for this to be finalised with the Australian Business Register before you apply for a business name with ASIC.

We have different payment methods you can use to pay your registration fee. These include paying online by credit card or later by BPAY or invoice.

Further assistance using ASIC Connect can be accessed via the Help button at the top right-hand side of the screen.

Get started

To get started, visit the ASIC website at www.asic.gov.au.

Click on the blue ASIC Connect box. This will take you to ASIC Connect.

Go to ASIC Connect and select 'Log in'.

If you do not have an ASIC Connect account select 'Sign up'.

You can refer to our user guide How to sign up for an ASIC Connect account.

Log in

If you do not have an ASIC Conect select 'Sign up'. Your password must be a minimum of nine characters long and contain at least three of the following:

an uppercase letter (A-Z) or a lowercase letter (a-z)
a number (0-9)
a symbol (!, $, #, %).

Home

Once you have logged in, the home screen will be visible.

'myTransactions' displays your most recent transactions. The following information may be visible under Transaction status, depending on what transactions you have started recently:

Incomplete - The transactions has not been completed and must be resumed and submitted in order for ASIC to process it.
Validated - The transaction has not been completed and must be resumed and submitted in order for ASIC to process it.
In Progress - The transaction has been submitted and is currently being processed, it cannot be resumed.
Completed - The transaction has been fully submitted and processed, it cannot be resumed.

Select the 'Licenses & Registrations' tab to begin registering a business name.

Register a business name

Select 'Business names registration' from the drop-down box.

Select 'Go' to continue.

Read the information about applying for a business name.

Tick the boxes under 'Things to be aware of' after you have read and understood the information.
Select 'Get Started' to start your application.

ABN options

To apply for a business name as a joint venture, each partner in the venture must have:

an ABN or
an ABN application reference number.

Select the third radio button to indicate you are applying as a joint venture.

Select 'Next' to continue.

Business name availability

Enter your proposed business name in the field provided. Select 'Check name availability'.

The name you have entered will be highlighted in either of the following colours:

green - the name is available for registration
amber - manual decision is required by ASIC or
red - the name is unavailable. You will need to enter another business name.

Review the existing business names similar to the one you have proposed.

Select your preferred registration period (1 year or 3 years).
Select 'Next' to continue.

Note: If you select 'Save & Exit' this will save the application for resuming at a later date. This does not completed the transaction.

Business name holder details

Enter the 'Name of the joint venture' in the field provided.

You must now enter the details of each joint venture partner. Select 'Add partner'.
Select the relevant 'ABN option' for the joint venture partner you are adding.
Select 'Confirm' to continue.

Enter the 'ABN' or 'ABN reference number' of the joint venture partner you are adding.

Select 'Confirm'.
Select 'Next' to continue.

Provide additional information about the joint venture partner you are adding. If the partner is:

an individual (sole trader), you will need to provide their full name, birth details, residential address and email address.
a company or registered body, you will need to provide wither the ACN or the ARBN of the company.
an incorporated entity without an ACN or ARBN, you will need to appoint an organisational representative for that partner.

Note: Some of this information will be publicly available. Select 'How we use your information' for more details.

Once you have completed the required fields, select 'Save Partner'.

Continue to add the details for each joint venture partner.

Select 'Add partner' and follow the information on pages 11 to 13 to add each additional partner.
Once all partners have been added, select 'Next' to continue.

Addresses

You must provide an address for service of documents, a principal place of business address and an email address. These addresses are mandatory. An SMS address (mobile number) is optional.

Under the Actions column select '+Add' to add the relevant information.

Select whether the address is a street or postal address from the drop-down box and
Enter the address details in the fields provided.
Select 'Save address'.

Repeat the above steps to add the required addresses.

Select 'Next' to continue.

Eligibility

Read the eligibility requirements for each person involved in the management of the applicant entity.

Tick the box to confirm you have read and understood the information.
Select 'Next' to continue.

Review

Review the business name details. Ensure you check that the business name is spelt correctly. You cannot go back to change this information once the application is complete.

Select 'Edit' to change any details that are incorrect.
Select 'Submit' to continue.

Declare

Read the declaration to ensure you agree with the conditions of the transaction.

Tick both boxes to confirm you agree.
Tick you authority for submitting the transaction.
- If you are lodging on behalf of the applicant, you can select to add the business name to your ASIC Connect account.
Select 'Next' to continue.

Payment

You can choose to pay for your registration using a credit card or BPAY. Alternatively, you can request an invoice to be sent to you and pay later.

Select the 'Pay now' option.
Select 'Pay now' to proceed.

Enter your credit card details.

Select 'Submit' to process the payment.

If you want to pay at a later date, you can do so by using BPAY or requesting an invoice to be sent to you.

Select the 'Pay later' option.
Select the 'Invoice' or 'BPAY' option.
- If you select 'Invoice', it will be sent to your email address that was added in the transaction.
- If you select 'BPAY' you will need to print or make note of the BPAY details and process your payment with your financial institution.
Select 'Pay Later'.

Confirmation

If you selected 'Pay Now', a confirmation of your transaction will be displayed.

Select 'Print the transaction' to download a printable PDF version of the transaction.
Select one of the links under What else can I do for more information about other services or
Select 'Home' to return to the ASIC Connect home page.

If you selected 'Pay Later', a yellow screen will appear to state 'Pay Later - You have successfully applied to register a business name'.

This invoice will be emailed to your email address that was added in this transaction, not the email address associated with your ASIC Connect account. Payment must be made within 10 business days.

ASIC