Reserving a company name

The Registrar of Companies is responsible for the approval and reservation of company names.

This is the first step to incorporating your company. If you wish to change the name of your company, you also need to apply to reserve the new company name.

The key steps

Check the name is available

Begin by checking that your name is capable of being reserved. For example, the name you choose cannot be identical or almost identical to another company name. It cannot be offensive or contain certain words that are restricted or protected by other legislation.

Apply for your name online

Whether you are applying for a name to incorporate a company or to change a name for an existing company, the process is the same. It costs NZ$10.22 to reserve a name online.

How we process your application

We process company name applications received during normal business hours within two hours. You will receive an email confirming whether your application was approved.

What happens next?

You must use the name to incorporate a new company or change the name of an existing company within 20 working days.

Extending your name reservation

If you find you are running out of time to use your reserved name – from the 18th to the 20th working day you can extend your name reservation. This will give you another 20 working days in which to complete the incorporation.

Transferring a name reservation

If you reserve a company name and decide that another person or organisation will complete the process of incorporating the company, you can provide them with the name reservation details and they can transfer the name reservation to their logon.