How to Select an Ideal Company Name for Your Singapore Business?
Choosing a unique and suitable name for your company can be both exciting and challenging. While some entrepreneurs take a practical approach by selecting a name aligned with their business identity, others consider personal beliefs such as numerology or auspicious factors. Regardless of your preference, it’s essential to comply with the regulatory guidelines governing company names in Singapore.
This guide outlines the standard format for company names in Singapore, highlights key naming restrictions, and provides insights into the process of changing a company name, equipping you with the knowledge to select the right name for your business.
Name Reservation and Approval by ACRA
Before you can Set up a Company in Singapore, you must get the company name reserved.
The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) will refuse a proposed Company name if it is similar, identical or phonetically the same as a company or business already registered in the Singapore company name list in ACRA.
There are some name restrictions, such as the use of certain words, such as “bank”, “insurance”, “university”, and “education”, which could be subject to control and regulation by Government authorities and will require permission before you can proceed to set up the Company. The appeal process typically takes between 14 and 60 days.
Following the implementation of the Companies (Amendment) Act 2002 and the Business Registration (Amendment) Act 2002, effective from 13 January 2003, the Registrar no longer evaluates whether a proposed company name closely resembles an existing one to the extent that it may confuse.
If your company is inadvertently registered with a name that is identical or too similar to another registered entity, the affected party may file a complaint and request the Registrar to direct your company to change its name. Therefore, it is essential to exercise due diligence and take appropriate steps to ensure that your proposed name is distinct and does not infringe upon existing business names.
If you would like to discuss your proposed company name, company name ideas, or company name restrictions in Singapore, please contacts us. Our specialists will be glad to assist you always in checking the Singapore company name list in ACRA and completing the Singapore company name reservation.
Consideration for Selection of Singapore Company Names
ACRA has highlighted the following matters you must consider when selecting a name for your company or business.
The Registrar will reject any proposed company or business name for purposes of incorporation, registration or change of name if that name is:
> Undesirable names
> Names which are identical to a business or company in Singapore
> Names which are identical to a name being reserved by a business or Company in Singapore
> Names that the Minister has directed the Registrar not to accept for registration, e.g. Temasek
Therefore, you are recommended to exercise caution and avoid selecting Singapore Company names that resemble the name of another for Singapore company name reservation, because the Registrar has the discretion to direct you to change your company name if anyone lodges a valid complaint within 12 months that your name resembles their company’s or business’s and/or is likely to be mistaken for it.
Additionally, the Companies (Identical Names) Rules and Business Registration (Identical Names) Rules were enacted in the news. 27(2D) of the Companies Act and s. 11(10) Business Registration Act and Guide on Singapore Company Name Format.
These rules set out what the registrar considers to be identical:
(a) In determining whether a Singapore Company name is identical to another, the following shall be disregarded:
(i) “The”, where it is the first word of the name;
(ii) “Private”, “Pte”, “Sendirian”, “Sdn”, “Limited”, “Ltd”, “Berhad” and “Bhd”;
(iii) The following words and expressions where they appear at the end of the name: “company”, “and company”, “corporation”, “Incorporated”, “Asia”, “Asia Pacific”, “International”, “Singapore”, “South Asia”, “South East Asia” and “Worldwide”;
(iv) Any word or expression which, in the opinion of the Registrar, is intended to represent any word or expression in sub-paragraph (iii);
(v) The plural version of the name;
(vi) The type and case of letters, spacing between letters and punctuation marks; and
(b) The symbol “&” is deemed to have the same meaning as the word “and”.
The Rules also allow for the Registrar to refer the parties in dispute over the use of a name to mediation before giving any direction for a Singapore company name change.
How to Check Your Company Name Availability
To reduce the risk of future complaints being made against your company name, you should conduct a preliminary search for identical or similar names using the ACRA system before submitting the name application for official approval. Besides, you can perform a Google search (Singapore company name generator) if you have concerns that someone in the world is using a similar name to yours.
How do you search for identical or similar company names?
- For company names with initials, key in the various combinations of the proposed name.
Eg. If the proposed name is “CD Trading”, the possible ways of checking are: CD, C D, C.D, C. D, C-D, C – D, C&D, C & D, CND, C N D, C ‘n’ D, The CD, The C.D, The C&D, etc.
2. Check for company names with similar pronunciations.
The possible ways of checking for similarly pronounced company names are:
E.g.. Guo, Gou, Kuo, Kou
E.g.. If the proposed name is “The Gold”, the possible ways of checking are: Gold, De Gold, De-Gold, De’ Gold, De. Gold, D. Gold, D-Gold, D Gold, D’ Gold, etc.
3. Check for similar company names, but in different sequences and Singapore company name format.
E.g.. If the proposed name is “Delivery Express”, please also check for “Express Delivery”. If the proposed name is “Best Service Provider”, please also check for “Service Provider Best” / “Service Best Provider”, etc.
4. Check for similar names in similar industries. Besides, check for words with similar meanings to the proposed company name.
E.g.. “Flower Transport” is similar to “Flower Transportation” / “Flower Forwarding”, etc. “
5. Besides, some of the common descriptive word is considered similar:
i) Trade; trading; marketing; enterprise
ii) Investment ; holding; investment holding
6. Graphical words like names of countries and places are not considered distinguishing
E.g.. “Super Travel” is similar to “Super Travel International” or “Super Travel Singapore”, etc.
7. Punctuation marks are not considered distinguishing as well.
E.g.. “Happy! Burger” is similar to “Happy Burger”
Feel confused? No worries at all. Email us your company name at [email protected], and we will check the availability of the Singapore company name and get back to you on the same working day.
Referral of Company Name Application
Your name application may be referred to the Relevant Regulatory Authorities for comments if the name application discloses information, which necessitates the referral (e.g., the type of business you have selected, which requires a license and/or permit to operate). For more information, please refer to the Referral Authority Table.
Last but not least, your Singapore company names may sometimes be referred to ACRA for no reason, and it will take a longer time to process. Therefore, we recommend that you reserve your Company name as soon as possible once Singapore company name ideas are generated by the Singapore company name generator and confirmed.
