How To Register A Company Name In Nigeria So I Can Open A Bank Account With It.

How To Annals A Business Proper noun

To register a business concern name, y'all'll need to register your business with the country. You tin can class an LLC or corporation, or file for a "doing business every bit" name with your state's business division.

Our How to Register a Concern Name guide will walk y'all through each step of the process.

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How to Register a Business Name

Register a Business Name

Step ane: Make Sure The Business Name is Unique and Bachelor

The commencement stride in registering a new business name is to make sure it'due south unique, meaning that no one else in your state has formed a company with, or reserved, that proper noun. You can do this by searching the following things:

Concern Name Availability
Domain Name Search
Federal Trademark Records
Searching the Web

Business concern Name Search

The start search yous will need to perform is a business entity name search, which is typically on your State'due south Secretary of State website. This is the most important pace in the process considering if you try to file for a proper name that is already taken, your filing will be denied.

Search requirements tin vary depending on your concern needs. For example, a unique and available name is required for:

Filing for formal business structures similar LLCs and corporations
Filing a name reservation for an LLC or corporation before filing
Filing a DBA for an existing business, both formal or informal

In some states, a state-level name search is non required for informal business structures like sole proprietorships or general partnerships. Choose your country from the dropdown in a higher place to see its rules.

Domain Name Search

We recommend that y'all check to see if your business name is available as a web domain (URL) too. Fifty-fifty if you lot don't program to make a business website today, y'all may want to purchase the spider web address to prevent others from acquiring it. Information technology'south free to search.

Detect a Domain Now

Federal Trademark Search

Adjacent, a quick search on the U.S. Trademark Electronic Search System will tell you whether someone else has already trademarked your name. In one case you know the proper name is available, you tin can choose to apply for a trademark for your business organization, although the cost is sometimes too loftier for a startup or fledgling concern.

Regardless of whether you volition be registering a trademark, information technology's skillful to know if your name is already taken.

To learn more nearly trademarks and the steps you will demand to get 1, read our How to Trademark Your Business organization Name guide.

Search the Web

Finally, when doing your research, it's a good idea to cheque and run across what else comes up when you search your prospective business concern name online on sites similar Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more. Doing this will show you who else will show up on these platforms, whether they have a large online presence, and how tough they may be to compete with while y'all're edifice your make.

It's as well smart to meet if anyone else in your industry already has a similar proper name to the i you want to use. Y'all can practise this by looking up some search terms related to your industry and brand. Y'all may determine on a different business name to brand yourself stand out.

Step 2: Determine Your Business organisation Entity Naming Needs

Now that you know how to find a unique proper name, you lot'll need to know what to do with one. This will be different based on your chosen business entity.

If you haven't already called one, choosing the best business structure for your new venture is an important stride because dissimilar business structures accept different benefits, disadvantages, and naming rules.

Business structures tin be formal or breezy and are the mode that your business organisation is fix, operated, and taxed. We cover all the post-obit naming needs for the post-obit concern structures:

Limited Liability Companies
C Corporations
Sole Proprietorships
General Partnerships

Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)

An LLC, or Limited Liability Visitor, is the simplest way of structuring your business to protect your personal assets in example your business organization is sued. LLCs require unique names that must follow sure naming requirements, here are a few common ones:

Your name must include the phrase "limited liability company," or one of its abbreviations (LLC or 50.L.C.).
Your name cannot include words that could confuse your LLC with a regime agency (FBI, Treasury, Land Section, etc.).
Restricted words (due east.g. Banking concern, Attorney, University) may crave boosted paperwork and a licensed individual, such equally a doctor or lawyer, to be office of your LLC.

Choose your land from the dropdown above to see a full listing its LLC naming rules.

Common LLC Naming Scenarios:

What you will need to do with your LLC'due south name depends on if y'all are already in business or are forming a new LLC. For step-by-step instructions of common LLC naming scenarios, skip ahead to:

Name Reservation for Presentlyhoped-for-Opened LLCs
Forming a LLC
Filing a DBA For an Existing LLC
Submitting an Amendment to an LLC's Legal Name

Corporations

A corporation is a split legal entity from its owners with a basic operational structure consisting of shareholders, officers, directors, and employees. A C corp business structure will protect your personal avails. Corporations require a unique name and must meet sure naming requirements, here are a few common requirements:

Your proper name must incorporate the word "corporation," "company," "incorporated," "limited" or an abbreviation of one of these terms.
Your proper name must be distinguishable from any existing business organisation in your land.
Your name cannot include words that could confuse your corporation with a authorities agency (FBI, Treasury, Country Section, etc.).

Cull your state from the dropdown above to see a full list its corporation naming rules.

Mutual Corporation Naming Scenarios

What y'all volition need to practice with your corporation's proper name depends on if you lot are already in concern, or are forming only forming the business. For pace-by-footstep instructions of common corporation naming scenarios, skip ahead to:

Proper noun Reservation for a Soon-to-be-Opened Corporation
Forming a Corporation
Filing a DBA for an Existing Corporation
Submitting an Subpoena to the Corporation'southward Legal Proper name

Sole Proprietorships

A sole proprietorship is the simplest business blazon . A sole proprietorship is an informal business construction that doesn't provide personal asset protection and does not need to exist filed with the state.

This business organisation structure must operate under the surname of the possessor. To employ a different name, the business owner must file for a DBA (Doing Business As).

Choose your state from the dropdown higher up to see a total list its sole proprietorship rules.

Full general Partnerships

Full general partnerships are like to sole proprietorships. The departure is that a partnership consists of two or more people. A full general partnership is an informal business organization structure that doesn't provide personal nugget protection.

General partnerships must include the surnames of the partners. To utilize a unlike name, business owners must file for a DBA (Doing Business concern As), known as an assumed name.

Choose your state from the dropdown above to see a full listing its rules for partnerships.

Footstep 3: Annals the Business Name

Now that you lot know your business organization proper name is unique, and what you want to do, here'due south how to go the post-obit actions done:

Filing a Name Reservation
Class a LLC
Form a Corporation
File a DBA for Existing Businesses
Submitting an Subpoena to the Legal Proper noun of an Entity

Cull your state from the dropdown to a higher place to see the state-specific things you will need to do to annals your business name.

Name Reservation

A proper noun reservation is not required to be filed, in nearly states, to open a new company or file for a DBA.

Nonetheless, at that place are benefits to filing a name reservation, like if you find a unique proper name for your business organisation, merely do not desire to form your LLC or Corporation right away.

The procedures to reserve a business name vary state to state.

How to Grade an LLC

Registering a business concern proper noun is function of the LLC filing process: once your LLC is filed in the state, your name is registered. While the name can be reserved beforehand, this is typically not necessary to file for an LLC.

Forming an LLC is easy and merely requires five simple steps:

Naming Your LLC (If you've gotten this far, y'all should already be prepare!)
Choosing a Registered Agent
Filing the Articles of Organization
Creating an Operating Agreement
Getting an EIN

How to Form a Corporation

Registering a business name is part of the corporation filing process: once your corporation is filed, your proper noun is registered. While the name can exist reserved beforehand, this is not typically necessary to file.

Forming a Corporation is easy, and only requires a few steps:

Naming Your Corporation (If you've gotten this far, you should already be gear up!)
Choosing a Registered Agent
Choosing your Corporation'southward Initial Directors and Share Structure
Filing the Formation Documents
Getting an EIN

How to File a DBA

Filing a DBA (Doing Business As) allows your existing or new business organisation to do business organization as a name other than your legal business name. This tin be helpful for getting a brand proper name established, or to change the proper noun of a business without having to file an amendment to an original filing.

A DBA can be filed by all business concern structures covered in this article; notwithstanding, LLC and corporation filing tin sometimes be different than filing for sole proprietorships and full general partnerships in some states.

Submit an Amendment to the Legal Name of an Existing Business

To modify the legal name of your business, you will need to file your state's Certificate of Subpoena, or a similarly named certificate, along with the correct filing fee for your business entity.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do you legally name a business?

To legally name a business, you volition demand to form a company with the desired proper noun, file a DBA, or file an subpoena to change its legal name.

How can I make my business proper noun official?

Making a business organization name official requires forming a company with it, filing a DBA for an existing visitor, or submitting an amendment to the legal name of an existing business organisation.

See how to practice this in a higher place in footstep 3 of this guide.

What is a business concern legal name?

A business organization's legal name is the official proper noun of a concern entity listed on the formation documents submitted and filed with the state. A legal name can exist changed past filing an amendment to the business organization'due south formation documents.

A business organization tin can choose to operate under other names by filing for a DBA, too known as a trade name, fictitious name, or assumed proper noun. Filing for a DBA does not change a business's legal name.

What is the first step to starting a business?

The first pace in starting a business concern is to cull the right business idea, followed by planning and forming your business concern. Learn how to offset a business by reading our full, in-depth guide that discusses these subjects and more than.

How much does registering a business name cost?

The price of registering a business organisation proper noun is dissimilar depending on your needs and your state's filing fees for reserving a business concern name, forming a company, filing a DBA, or filing a legal amendment to your business's name.

Find your state in the dropdown above for more specific information.

How do you pay for a business name?

Paying for a business concern proper noun is done when filing paperwork such as name reservations, formation documents, DBA filings, and legal amendments with the Secretarial assistant of State or responsible section in the state the business volition be formed or exists in.

Does LLC take to be in a business proper name?

If a business is formed as an LLC, information technology is required to take some form of "limited liability company" in its legal name. This includes abbreviations such as "LLC," "llc," or "50.l.c."

For more information on your state'south specific naming requirements, find your state in the dropdown higher up.

What happens if you don't renew your business concern proper name?

The result of non renewing your business proper noun depends on how you registered the business organization name in the get-go place. If you reserved your name and didn't renew the reservation, the name will go available for anyone in that state to utilise.

If the business is either dissolved willingly or by going out of good standing, the name will also become available to apply past others depending on state laws, unless reinstated.

Can I register a business concern name for complimentary?

No. At that place are filing fee requirements for reserving a concern name, forming a visitor with ane, getting a DBA, and filing an amendment.

These fees vary by land. Detect out more by selecting your state in the dropdown above.