The Companies Registry deals with the name under which an individual or firm carries on a trade or activity for profit. A platform username does not itself register that business name.
Separate your online account from your registered name
Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and marketplace accounts are ways to communicate or sell. The name displayed on those platforms is not automatically a Companies Registry-approved business name.
If you trade as an individual under a business name, check the Registry's official business-name process. If you plan to form a company, evaluate the separate incorporation route before committing to company-style branding.
Define what you actually sell
An online seller can supply clothing, baked goods, digital products, consulting or many other services. The business activity entered in the application should describe the real operation accurately.
Do not copy an activity description from an unrelated enterprise merely because it was previously approved. Some activities also require health, trade, importation or other sector-specific permissions beyond name registration.
Check the name before ordering branding
The Registry's business-name route includes an official name-reservation step. A preliminary CROS search can help screen an idea, but it does not guarantee the name will be approved.
Plan the process before paying for packaging or promoting a proposed name as final. A name can be queried or rejected, and approved reservations remain valid only for the Registry's prescribed period.
Prepare the documents for the registration route
The Registry describes CRA access, the name reservation, the application and the post-payment signed-document step needed to collect the certificate. Keep each stage in the correct order.
Record the proprietor's identity information, address, business activity and proposed trading name accurately. If more than one person owns the operation, evaluate whether a firm/partnership or company structure is appropriate.
Plan the practical side of the online business
Registration is not the same as having suitable payment, delivery, refund, privacy and recordkeeping arrangements. Work out how customers pay, how orders are fulfilled and how returns or disputes will be handled.
BizReg Consulting can help with the administrative business-registration process. Additional licensing, tax, consumer, professional and payment-provider requirements should be checked separately for the type of trade.
Questions business owners ask
Does an Instagram business account register my business name?
No. Platform accounts are different from the Companies Registry's formal registration process.
Does operating from home change the business-name process?
Home operation does not by itself replace the applicable business-name registration rules.
Can I use a name before the Registry approves it?
The Registry advises against using a proposed business name before receiving the certificate of registration.
Official references
Check the current source before making an application, as requirements and procedures can change.