Singapore City, Singapore, October 31, 2023 – While incorporating a business in Singapore, choosing a “good” name for your business has significant benefits. You won’t be able to rely on the value of your company’s branding efforts and the subsequent goodwill deriving from years of operation if you don’t have a solid reputation. The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) approves names and will reject a proposed name if it sounds alike, is the same as a registered firm, or is similar in some other way.
Before you can proceed with incorporation, you will need authorization to use specific phrases like “bank,” “insurance,” and “education,” which may be subject to control and regulation by other Government bodies.
When choosing a name for your corporation or organization, you should take into account the following factors.
- Select a name that is easy to remember
Even if it could seem naturally important to be original and stand out, it won’t be helpful if no one can remember your company name, if it’s difficult to spell, or if it’s too long to accurately remember.
This is particularly true if people are looking for your business online; if they constantly come across dead links or websites for other businesses, they will become annoyed and stop trying to learn more about you. The business will consequently lose customers.
- Make it global
You will at times need to strike a balance between having a name that is sufficiently “local” and “universal.” A name in French or with French connotations is appropriate if your 15-year plan for the business is to remain exclusively in a particular geographic or linguistic area (for example, the French-speaking regions of Canada). It all depends on your target market and your future plans. However, this could occasionally prove to be a problem if the business expands to Singapore or other parts of Asia because Asians would not have much of a connection with the French name and/or branding. Choosing a name that sounds harmless in its native tongue but translates to something unpleasant or objectionable in another language is another mistake you must avoid.
- Make sure its not identical
In order to incorporate, register, or alter a company’s name, the Registrar will not accept a proposed company name if it is:
a) the same as another;
b) undesirable;
c) of a type that the Minister has ordered the Registrar not to accept.
You must therefore avoid choosing names that are similar to those of others because the Registrar has the authority to order you to change your business’s name if another company files a valid complaint within 12 months alleging that your name is similar to and/or likely to be confused with that of their company.
The following shall not be taken into consideration when determining whether a name is the same as another:
- “The,” when the name’s initial word is “the”;
- the terms “Private”, “Pte”, “Sendirian”, “Sdn”, “Limited”, “Ltd”, “Berhad” and “Bhd”;
- the following phrases and words wherever 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”;
- any term or phrase that, in the Registrar’s opinion, is meant to symbolize any word or phrase in subparagraph (iii); (v) the name in its plural form; (vi) letter spacing, case of letters, type of letters, and punctuation; and
- The word “and” and the symbol “&” are considered to mean the same thing.
- Select a name whose domain(s) are pleasant and accessible
The global marketplace is getting smaller as a result of technology and increasing globalization. After coming up with a great name, you could occasionally discover that someone else has already registered the domain name for it someplace else in the world. Even worse if that other business and/or website engages in activities that are wholly at odds with your own or if it has ties to questionable activities like pornographic websites, extremist websites, remarks that are politically incorrect, frauds, etc.
It is wise to conduct due diligence and look not only regionally in Singapore but also globally for organizations or websites whose existence would prevent the use of your preferred company name.
- How to make sure the Selected name is not already registered?
It is essential to conduct a search on ACRA’s Bizfile+ or just conduct a Google search to ensure that the name you have selected is not already taken or reserved. Once the search has been conducted, a long list of names that are the same as or similar to the one you have selected will be displayed.
Media Info:
Name: Joshua
Organisation: Relin Consultants
Website: https://relinconsultants.com/
Email: [Protected Email]
Phone: +65 8756 2027
Address: 2 Venture #14, Vision Exchange, Singapore – 608526
