Business Names Registration Act 2011
An entity that intends to carry on a business under a name may lodge with ASIC an application for the name to be registered to the entity as a business name.
Note:
Under section 18 , it is an offence to carry on a business under an unregistered business name.
[ CCH Note: S 23(1) will be amended by No 69 of 2020 (as amended by No 35 of 2022), s 3 and Sch 1 item 119, by substituting " apply to the Registrar " for " lodge with ASIC an application " , effective 1 July 2026 or a day or days to be fixed by Proclamation. For application and transitional provisions, see note under s 23(2) .]
23(2)
The application must: (a) include:
(i) details sufficient to identify the entity; and
(ii) the entity ' s ABN or, if an application for an ABN is pending, a statement to that effect and the reference number for the ABN application; and
(iii) the address of the entity ' s principal place of business in Australia; and
(iv) an address in Australia for service of documents; and
(b) specify the period for which registration is sought; and (c) specify whether the entity is disqualified.
(v) the business name to which the application relates; and
[ CCH Note: S 23(2) will be substituted by No 69 of 2020 (as amended by No 35 of 2022), s 3 and Sch 1 item 120, effective 1 July 2026 or a day or days to be fixed by Proclamation. S 23(2) will read:
23(2)
The application must meet any requirements of the data standards.
No 69 of 2020 (as amended by No 35 of 2022), s 3 and Sch 1 items 1465 - 1468 contain the following application and transitional provisions:
]Part 3 - Application and transitional provisions
1465 Definitions
(1)
In this Part:amending item
means:
(a) an item (other than item 103) of Part 2 of this Schedule that amends a provision of any of the following:
(i) the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999 ;
(ii) the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 ;
(iii) the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 ;
(iv) the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 ;
(v) the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 ;
(vi) the Taxation Administration Act 1953 ; or
(b) an item specified under subitem (2).application day
, for an amendment made by an amending item, as applying in relation to a matter, means the day on and after which the amendment applies in relation to that matter because of item 1467.commencement day
, for an amending item, means the day on which the item commences (taking into account Part 1 of Schedule 4 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Act 2022) .interim period
means the period:
(a) starting at the start of 22 June 2022; and
(b) ending at the end of the day before the day on which Part 2 of Schedule 4 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Act 2022 commences.postponed item
means any of the following that commenced on 22 June 2022 (disregarding Part 1 of Schedule 4 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Act 2022) :
(a) an item of Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Act 2020 ;
(b) an item of Part 3 of Schedule 1 to the Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response - Better Advice) Act 2021 ;
(c) an item of Part 4 of Schedule 2 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) Act 2021 .Note:
Item 103 of Schedule 1 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Act 2020 is not covered by paragraph (a) because that item commenced on 4 April 2021.
(2)
For the purposes of paragraph (b) of the definition of amending item in subitem (1), the Minister may, by legislative instrument, specify items that:
(a) are in a Schedule to any Act and amend a provision that:
(i) is a provision of an Act referred to in paragraph (a) of that definition; and
(ii) deals with a matter related to a government registry regime; and
(b) are to commence on a day after the end of the interim period but before 1 July 2026.
(3)
For the purposes of subparagraph 1467(1)(c)(i), the Minister may, by legislative instrument, specify a day for an item specified under subitem (2) of this item. The day must occur after the end of the interim period but before 1 July 2026.
1466 Validation of acts or things done during interim period
Object
(1)
The object of this item is to treat all situations during the interim period in every respect as if:
(a) the amendments made by Part 1 of Schedule 4 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Act 2022 had been made at the start of 21 June 2022; and
(b) the amendments made by the postponed items had not been made at the start of 22 June 2022 and had had no effect during the interim period.
Validation of acts and things done in interim period
(2)
An act or thing that was done at any time during the interim period is as valid, and is taken always to have been as valid, as it would have been if:
(a) the amendments made by Part 1 of Schedule 4 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Act 2022 had been made at the start of 21 June 2022; and
(b) in particular, the amendments made by the postponed items had not been made at the start of 22 June 2022 and had had no effect during the interim period.
Continuation of delegations
(3)
Without limiting subitem (2), if:
(a) a function or power conferred by any of the following Acts was delegated to a person:
(i) the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999 ;
(ii) the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 ;
(iii) the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 ;
(iv) the Commonwealth Registers Act 2020 ;
(v) the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 ;
(vi) the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 ;
(vii) the Taxation Administration Act 1953 ; and
(b) the delegation was in force immediately before 22 June 2022; and
(c) but for this subitem, the delegation would have ceased to have effect at the start of 22 June 2022 because of any of the amendments made by the postponed items;then:
(d) an act or thing done by the delegate in the interim period is, and is taken always to have been, as valid a performance or exercise of the function or power as it would have been if the delegation had continued in force throughout the interim period; and
(e) the delegation has effect, on and after the day section 1 of the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Act 2022 commences, as if it had been made at the time that section commences.
Acts and things to which this item applies
(4)
This item applies to an act or thing, regardless of the basis on which, or capacity in which, the act or thing was done or purported to be done.
1467 Application of amendments
(1)
An amendment of a provision of an Act that is made by an amending item applies, in relation to a matter (the relevant matter ), on and after the earliest of the following days:
(a) if the amending item is covered by a notifiable instrument in force under paragraph (2)(a) of this item - the day the instrument specifies for the item;
(b) if the amending item is covered by a notifiable instrument in force under paragraph (2)(b) of this item that specifies matters for the item that include the relevant matter - the day the instrument specifies for the item in relation to those matters;
(c) whichever of the following is applicable:
(i) if a day is specified for the amending item under subitem 1465(3) - that day;
(ii) otherwise - 1 July 2026.Note:
The provision, as in force immediately before the commencement day for the amending item, will continue to apply in relation to the relevant matter until the day that applies under this subitem.
(2)
The Minister:
(a) may by notifiable instrument specify days for amending items for the purposes of paragraph (1)(a); and
(b) may by notifiable instrument specify days and matters for amending items for the purposes of paragraph (1)(b).Note:
For specification by class, see subsection 13(3) of the Legislation Act 2003 .
(3)
A day specified for an amending item in a notifiable instrument made under subitem (2) must be:
(a) on or after the day that the instrument is made; and
(b) on or after the commencement day for the amending item.
(4)
Without limiting subsection 13(3) of the Legislation Act 2003 , an instrument made under subitem (2) of this item may specify all amending items as a class of amending items.
1468 Things started but not finished by ASIC
1468
If:
(a) an amending item amends a provision of an Act; and
(b) before the application day for the amendment made by the amending item, as applying in relation to a matter, ASIC started doing a thing that relates to that matter under the provision as in force immediately before the commencement day for the amending item; and
(c) immediately before that application day, ASIC had not finished doing that thing; and
(d) on and after that application day, doing that thing is within the powers or functions of the Registrar;then, on and after that application day:
(e) ASIC may finish doing that thing as if that thing were being done by the Registrar in performing or exercising the Registrar ' s functions or powers; and
(f) to the extent that ASIC does not finish doing that thing under paragraph (e), the Registrar may finish doing that thing in performing and exercising the Registrar ' s functions and powers.
23(3)
The application: (a) must be in the prescribed form; and (b) must be lodged in the prescribed manner.
[ CCH Note: S 23(3) will be repealed by No 69 of 2020 (as amended by No 35 of 2022), s 3 and Sch 1 item 120, effective 1 July 2026 or a day or days to be fixed by Proclamation. For application and transitional provisions, see note under s 23(2) .]
23(4)
The applicant must pay the registration fee.
23(5)
If an application for registration of a business name is lodged with ASIC by post, it is taken to have been lodged with ASIC immediately after the end of the period of 5 business days beginning on the day on which it is received by ASIC.
[ CCH Note: S 23(5) will be repealed by No 69 of 2020 (as amended by No 35 of 2022), s 3 and Sch 1 item 121, effective 1 July 2026 or a day or days to be fixed by Proclamation. For application and transitional provisions, see note under s 23(2) .]
23(6)
The prescribed form for an application for registration of a business name must require the applicant to provide details of a person ' s date and place of birth if it is necessary for or directly related to the purposes of: (a) identifying the entity to whom the business name is to be registered; or (b) determining whether the entity is disqualified.
[ CCH Note: S 23(6) will be repealed by No 69 of 2020 (as amended by No 35 of 2022), s 3 and Sch 1 item 121, effective 1 July 2026 or a day or days to be fixed by Proclamation. For application and transitional provisions, see note under s 23(2) .]
Disclaimer and notice of copyright applicable to materials provided by CCH Australia Limited
CCH Australia Limited ("CCH") believes that all information which it has provided in this site is accurate and reliable, but gives no warranty of accuracy or reliability of such information to the reader or any third party. The information provided by CCH is not legal or professional advice. To the extent permitted by law, no responsibility for damages or loss arising in any way out of or in connection with or incidental to any errors or omissions in any information provided is accepted by CCH or by persons involved in the preparation and provision of the information, whether arising from negligence or otherwise, from the use of or results obtained from information supplied by CCH.
The information provided by CCH includes history notes and other value-added features which are subject to CCH copyright. No CCH material may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way, except that you may download one copy for your personal use only, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices. In particular, the reproduction of any part of the information for sale or incorporation in any product intended for sale is prohibited without CCH's prior consent.