National Business Names Registration Process

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Jenny

Just thought it might be of interest to be reminded that from next Monday the 28th of May it has become much easier for any small business to register their name here in Australia. In an effort to cut red tape and reduce costs to SME’s the Government has implemented a new national business names registration process.
Prior to the change it was necessary to register the name of a business separately for each state in which it was trading. This was a headache for most small businesses – leading to fees that could sometimes reach over $1,000 and paperwork overload like you wouldn’t believe. Common sense has prevailed and under the new system businesses pay just one fee of $70 to register a business name nationally for a period of 3 years. You access the new system online – it allows you to search for the availability of the business name you are seeking to register as well as renew existing names. The good news – in most cases you will receive a confirmation of your new business name registration within a few hours.
All existing business names will automatically transfer to the new system, so if you currently have a business name registered at this point in time you do not need to take any action.