Do I Need to Register a Business Name?

Quick answer

Yes, if you carry on business in Ireland under a name other than your own true surname (with or without your first names or initials), or, for a company, its registered name. You register it with the CRO within one month of adopting it.

2 min read · Prepared by the BusinessNameRegistration.ie team and reviewed by a qualified accountant (FCCA or ACCA)

When registration is needed

The Registration of Business Names Act 1963 requires registration when a business is carried on under a name that isn't the owner's true surname (with or without forenames or initials). So "J. Byrne" or "Mary Byrne" needs no registration, but "Mary Byrne Design" or "Byrne's Bakery" does. Partnerships are exempt only if the name is made up of all the partners' true surnames.

  • Sole traders trading under anything other than their own full name, for example Mary Byrne trading as "Byrne's Bakery" or even "Mary Byrne Design".
  • Partnerships not trading under all the partners' own names.
  • Companies trading under a name other than their registered company name, for example Example Ltd trading as "QuickFix".

The forms

  • RBN1 for an individual, RBN1A for a partnership, RBN1B for a company. The CRO fee is €20 online (€40 on paper).
  • RBN2, RBN2A or RBN2B to change the registered details, free online.
  • RBN3 to cease the name when you stop using it.
Register a business name: €49.99 + VAT

CRO fee included. We check the name and file the right form for you.

Register a name

Deadlines

  • Register within one month of starting to trade under the name.
  • Notify changes to the registered details, such as an address, within one month. A change of legal owner needs the existing owner to cease the name and the new owner to register it afresh.
  • Cease the registration within three months of stopping.

After registration

The CRO issues a certificate, which must be displayed at your main place of business. Your business letters and similar documents must also show the owner's true name. Banks usually ask for the certificate before opening an account in the business name.

Sources

Last checked 14 November 2026 against the Registration of Business Names Act 1963 and Companies Registration Office (CRO) guidance. This is general information, not legal or tax advice for your company.