Government access to the business names register

Government agencies may be entitled to access the national business names register for free. See below for more information on how government agencies can request access.

Section 62 of the Business Names Registration Act 2011 (the Act) entitles eligible government bodies, intelligence and security agencies to access public and private data on the business names register through:

  • the government search portal, or
  • machine-to-machine (m2m) web service technology. This requires agencies to develop software and their own user interface. Contact us at access.request@asic.gov.au for more information on m2m services.

How to request access

You must send us a request for government access on your agency's letterhead. It must be signed by a person authorised by that agency. The request should be emailed to access.request@asic.gov.au and must include:

  • confirmation that the agency is an eligible government body under s11(3) of the Act
  • confirmation that access is requested for one or more of the purposes set out in s62(1)of the Act
  • the purpose for which access is requested under s62(1) of the Act
  • a statement that the information provided will only be used for one or more of the purpose/s outlined in s62(1)
  • confirmation that the agency agrees to be bound by our terms and conditions of use, and
  • agency administrator details

Creating and managing user accounts

Administrators

Administrators are responsible for managing users for their agency and making any changes.

If you need to apply for administrator access, see What is an agency administrator?

Our user guide provides step by step instructions on managing your administrator account.

Users

Your agency's nominated administrator will create accounts for individual users. You should contact them to arrange access for you.

Our user guide provides step by step instructions on managing your user account.

What is an agency administrator?

An agency must nominate one or more people (three at most) to act as an administrator for the agency. The administrator must be authorised to request and manage user access for the agency.  They will be the primary contact for ASIC communication about the agency's access.

You must provide the following details for each administrator:

  • administrator’s name
  • agency name
  • designation (role)
  • contact phone number/s (e.g. landline and mobile), and
  • email address.

If a change to an administrator is required, the agency must email us and we will update our records.

What information will you have access to?

Eligible government agencies will have access to:

  • business name reports, such as new registrations and cancellations
  • public information, and
  • private data that is not publicly available, such as details for a business name holder (confidential information).

Due to the confidential nature of the information , you must ensure that access  is used solely for one or more of the purposes outlined in s62(1) of the Act. 

What customised reports can you access?

We will provide several reports in CSV format. Your agency administrator can access reports from a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) location. We will send further information once access has been approved.

The customised reports include public information only:

  • business name registrations (business names registered in a given period)
  • business name cancellations (business names cancelled in a given period), and
  • business name updates (business names that have changed their details in a given period).

Data in each report includes:

  • business name
  • business name status
  • date registered
  • date cancelled
  • renewal date
  • former identifier
  • former state/territory of registration
  • ABN
  • business name holder name, and
  • principal place of business address.

More information

Email access.request@asic.gov.au for information about government access.

Web services terms and conditions of use (78kb)

What is an ASIC key?

Your ASIC key is a unique number used in ASIC Connect that helps us establish your identity and protects your business information by making sure only you and those you have authorised can access it.

Learn more about ASIC keys

What is a corporate key?

A corporate key is an 8-digit number uniquely associated with a company’s ACN. Your company needs only one corporate key.

Learn more about corporate keys

What is an invitation key?

An invitation key is a unique key to register for, or connect to an entity in, the ASIC Regulatory Portal.

Learn more about invitation keys 

What is an industry funding security key?

Your industry funding security key is a unique number used to launch an online transaction in the ASIC Regulatory Portal that will enable us to calculate your final industry funding invoice. You will be prompted to submit business activity metric information on the operation of your business in the previous financial year.

Learn more about industry funding security keys

Last updated: 22/11/2022 05:47