Company Name Search - Check if your company name is available to register

The following guide is designed to help you understand the importance of a company name and how to check the availability of that company name for a UK limited company.

When looking to start a new company it is recommended that you conduct a company name search to ensure that the name is available. Choosing a company name is often very important in the formation process. Many companies keep the same name through their existence. Therefore it is beneficial to check on the availability of the name before starting the formation to reduce the chance of the formation being rejected by Companies House.

If a company name already exists on the Companies House register with the exact name that you have chosen then you will not be able to use that name. For example a search for the company name Simple Formations Limited will return a result that shows the name is already in use.

However, if you were to conduct the same company name search with a slight variation in the name, for example Simple Formations UK Limited then the results would show that the name is available.

You can check the availability of your company name by using Simple Formations online company name search facility on our home page - company name search

Whilst names that are similar are still permitted to be registered by Companies House it must be stressed that if you do register a name that is very similar to an existing company the existing company can object. Typically they would object to Companies House and Companies House may then instruct you to change your company name or provide further information on your reason for using the name. For further guidance on this please contact a member of our client services team.

It is worth remembering that there are over 2 million registered limited companies in the UK, many of which are similarly named. In our experience it is extremely rare for one company to object to another being similarly named, just so long as your intention is not to pass your business off as someone else’s then you are unlikely to have a problem.

There are also a few words that are considered sensitive and require certain criteria to be met before they can be used. Our online company name check has been designed to highlight these words and provide further advice if your chosen company name contains a sensitive word.

In the unlikely event that you process a company formation with our system and your name does get rejected because it is already recorded at Companies House then we will resubmit your company with a new name of your choice at no extra cost to you.

Check the availability of a company name now - company name search

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