Steps to register a company

New ID requirement for directors

Company directors are now required by law to apply for a director identification number. Find out more about director identification number.

This is Information Sheet 61 (INFO 161). It details how to register a company with us and the things you need to keep in mind.

Step 1 - Is a company right for you?
Step 2 - Choosing a company name
Step 3 - How will your company operate?
Step 4 - Understand your obligations as a company officeholder
Step 5 - Get consent from officeholders, members and occupiers
Step 6 - Registering your company
Step 7 - After your company is registered...

Step 1 - Is a company right for you?

You need to decide if a company suits your needs or if you should use a different business structure. Business.gov.au has a great 'Help me decide' tool that can help you work out the business structure that will best suit your needs and what registrations you should consider.

A company is its own legal entity and lets you conduct business throughout Australia. You can also make use of other privileges, such as corporate tax rates or limited liability.

Registering a company is different to registering a business name. For more information, see your business structure.

You can also register different types of companies, including:

Step 2 - Choosing a company name

There are a few things you should consider when choosing a company name.

A company's name cannot be identical to an existing name

You can only use a name that is not identical to an existing company or business name. Use our check name availability search to see if the name you want is available.

If you are the holder of an identical name, you may be able to register the name for the company in some cases:

Where the business name holder is...	the name is only available to the proposed company if...
an individual	that individual is a proposed company director or member
a company	that same company is a proposed member, or for a CCIV, the same company is the corporate director
a partnership or joint venture	each of the partners is a proposed company director or member
a trust	each of the trustees is a proposed company director or member, and you have provided ASIC with a copy of the trust deed

Before May 2012, it was possible for multiple businesses with the same name to exist as long as they were registered in different states and territories. This is no longer possible under ASIC's national register. You won't be able to register a company name if an identical name already exists.

You can only use certain characters in a company's name

The following characters are accepted:

Characters	Characters	Characters	Characters
0-9	$	space	:
A-Z	%	.	;
a-z	*	,	" "
@	&	?	'
#	=	!	/
\	_	-	\|
()	{}

Some terms are restricted

Some words and phrases cannot be used without the approval of a government minister. Some examples include:

'bank'
'trust'
'Royal'
'Incorporated'

You can't use words that could mislead people about a company's activities. This includes associations with Australian government, the Royal Family, or any ex-servicemen's organisations.

We may also refuse a name if it's considered offensive or suggests illegal activity. See company name availability to learn more about company names and restricted words.

Reserving a company name

If you aren't ready to register your company but want to make sure a name is available, you can apply to reserve it (Form 410).

If we approve your application, we will reserve the name for two months. If you wish to extend this period, you'll need to apply to reserve the name again.

We will not reserve a name for a long period as this prevents other people from using the name to conduct business.

Check existing trademarks or names

Even if we reserve or register a name for you, a company with a similar trademark or name may take action against you. It is your responsibility to be aware of any similar names or trademarks that may affect your name. Visit the IP Australia website to search for existing trademarks.

A company's name must show its legal status

A company must show the liability of its members and status in its name. For example:

if a company's members' liability is limited to the amount unpaid on their shares, the name must end with 'Proprietary Limited'
if the members' liability is unlimited, the company name must end with 'Proprietary'.

Below is a list of approved abbreviations that can be used in a company's name:

Full word	Abbreviation
and	&
Australian Business Number	ABN
Company	Co Coy
No Liability	NL
Australian	Aust
Australian Company Number	ACN
Limited	Ltd
Number	No
Proprietary	Pty

To display a different name, you can register it as a business name. For example, Apples Pty Ltd. can register 'The Apple Fruit Store' as a business name. This means it can trade as 'The Apple Fruit Store' and display it on all its signage.

Step 3 - How will your company operate?

Before registering, you will need to decide how your company will be governed. Your company can be governed by:

replaceable rules
its own constitution, or
a combination of both.

Replaceable rules

Replaceable rules are in the Corporations Act and are a basic set of rules for managing your company. If a company doesn't want to have a constitution, they can use the replaceable rules instead.

Using replaceable rules means your company does not need a written constitution. This means you don't have the expense of keeping it updated as the law changes.

Constitution

A company can also have a written constitution instead of using replaceable rules. Companies must keep a copy of their constitution with their company's records. See constitution and replaceable rules for more information.

Special rules for sole director/member proprietary companies

If a proprietary company has just one officeholder, they don't need to follow replaceable rules or have a constitution. If another director/member is appointed, then replaceable rules automatically apply to the company. This can be changed to a constitution at a later date.

Share structure

A proprietary company must have no more than 50 non-employee shareholders and be either:

limited by shares, or
be an unlimited company that has share capital.

A proprietary company must not conduct any activity that requires disclosure to investors. They may only offer shares to members of the company or employees/subsidiaries of the company.

Step 4 - Understand your obligations as an officeholder

If you're an officeholder of a company, you must follow the requirements in the Corporations Act. This includes meeting your legal obligations , which includes:

ensuring company details are kept up to date
maintaining company records and details on the register
paying the appropriate lodgement fees and annual review fees as required.

Officeholders are ultimately responsible for a company's adherence to the Corporations Act.

See your company and the law for more information.

Company directors are required by law to apply for a director identification number (director ID). Once you have a director ID, it will be unique to you forever.

Find out more at our Director identification number page.

Step 5 - Get consent from officeholders, members and occupiers

You must get written consent from the people that will fill these roles:

Director (must be over 18)
Secretary (must be over 18)
Member (every company must have at least one member).

At least one director and secretary of a proprietary company must ordinarily reside in Australia.

At least two directors of a public company must ordinarily reside in Australia.

Get the consent of the owner of your registered office address

If your registered office does not belong to the company (e.g. it's your accountant's office), you must get their written permission to use the address.

You don't have to send copies of your written consent to us, but you do need to keep these with your records. You must also set up a register to record details of the members of your company.

Step 6 - Registering your company

Australian Government Business Registration Service

You can register a company using the Australian Government's Business Registration Service (BRS). BRS combines several business and tax registrations in one place, making it even easier to start a business.

Contact a private service provider (PSP)

You can choose to register a company through a private service provider (PSP). This could be your accountant, your solicitor, or another business that provides online services with ASIC. They will usually charge a fee for their services above what ASIC would charge.

Find out more about private service providers.

Online exceptions

Some company types are unavailable to register online, including:

a company with unlimited liability,
a company with the individual share value more than four decimal places (e.g. 0.00042),
a company limited by shares that is registering as a CCIV,
a company that requires lodgement of a Form 207Z Certification of compliance with stamp duty law, 208 Notification of details of shares issued other than for cash or 379 Request to suppress residential address or change residential and/or alternative address,
a public company, with the Australian Company Number (ACN) as the company name and where the company is ruled by a constitution,
where a company officeholder place of birth causes an error,
where a company address is not accepted by ASIC, and/or
where an applicant is facing other extenuating circumstances.

If you wish to register one of the above company types, you need to request to register via paper.

How to submit a request to register via paper

If you believe you meet the above criteria, please send us an online enquiry and include the following details:

your proposed company name and type,
the exception applicable to your registration,
your transaction reference number (if known), and
any error message you received (if known).

We'll consider your request and where appropriate, send you a copy of the form.

Once we've processed your application

Once we've processed your application, we will:

give the company an ACN (which you can use to apply for an ABN)
register the company, and
send you a certificate of registration.

We'll also send you a corporate key, which is a unique number for your company. You will need your corporate key to create an account online and update your details.

Step 7 - After your company is registered...

After your company is registered, make sure:

the company's name is on display wherever the company conducts business and is open to the public
the company's ACN/ABN is displayed on any documents the company publishes
the company's details are kept up to date

Important notice

Please note that this information sheet is a summary giving you basic information about a particular topic. It does not cover the whole of the relevant law regarding that topic, and it is not a substitute for professional advice. We encourage you to seek your own professional advice to find out how the applicable laws apply to you, as it is your responsibility to determine your obligations.

You should also note that because this information sheet avoids legal language wherever possible, it might include some generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases, your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.

Information sheets provide concise guidance on a specific process or compliance issue or an overview of detailed guidance.

ASIC