How Much Does Business Name Registration Cost in Ireland?

Business name registration prices at a glance

For a straightforward application, the electronic CRO fee is lower than the paper fee. The difference reflects the filing route, not stronger protection or a better class of business name. Choose a professional service if you need help identifying the correct applicant, preparing the information and managing the submission rather than simply paying a statutory filing charge.

The table separates published government fees from our professional service price. It is not a market-wide price survey. If you request additional work, ask for a written total covering that work before proceeding; do not construct your own checkout amount by adding every figure in a comparison table.

• CRO business name forms and fees
• Our business name registration service

What does registration actually provide?

A business name records who is behind a trading identity. It does not establish a new legal entity or turn a sole trader into a limited company. CRO registration also does not confer exclusive ownership of the words or establish that no one else has rights in them. This distinction matters more than the difference between the electronic and paper filing fee.

Imagine an individual launching a home-repair brand. The brand can be the name customers remember, but the individual still needs to understand who enters contracts, owns equipment and carries the business responsibilities. A company using a trading name likewise needs to keep its underlying company identity clear. Think of the registration as an administrative record, not a substitute for choosing the appropriate business structure.

Before spending on signage or a website, write down the legal owner and intended trading name separately. That simple exercise helps prevent a designer, payment provider or adviser from treating the public brand as if it were a newly incorporated company.

• CRO business name registration guidance
• CRO business name leaflet

Choose the correct applicant before paying

The registration route depends on the owner: RBN1 for an individual, RBN1A for a partnership and RBN1B for a body corporate. CRO guidance says the application should be submitted within one month of adopting the business name. A founder registering personally while intending the company to own the brand later should consider that ownership decision first.

For example, a company might want a short consumer-facing brand instead of its longer registered name. In that case, gather the company's details for the corporate route. Two individuals operating together need to identify their partnership rather than choosing the individual route only because one partner will handle the paperwork. If ownership is unclear, resolve it before treating registration as the next automatic step.

• Identify whether the proprietor is an individual, partnership or company.
• Confirm the exact spelling and intended use of the trading name.
• Prepare the owner's details and the Irish place-of-business information.
• Choose an email address that will reliably receive the certificate.
• Ask for help if ownership or the application category is uncertain.

• CRO registration requirements and applicant forms

Why pay for professional help when the filing fee is small?

The reason to buy support is the work around the filing, not a special ability to guarantee a brand. StartCompany.ie's published service includes a name availability check, CRO registration support and the certificate following successful registration. Read those inclusions as preparation and administration; they are not a trade mark opinion, legal dispute service or promise that a name is protected worldwide.

A founder unfamiliar with Irish forms may value having the applicant information checked and an identifiable contact for questions. Someone who understands the process and has a straightforward case may prefer to file directly. Both choices should be evaluated against the actual work required, rather than assuming the larger price buys a different government registration.

Ask who will prepare the submission, obtain the necessary approval or signature, deal with a returned filing and deliver the final certificate. Clear responsibilities are more useful than an unexplained promise of fast processing.

• Published registration service inclusions

Check the name before investing in the launch

A business-name certificate is not a clearance opinion. The CRO warns applicants to investigate possible conflicts with existing names and trade marks before incurring branding costs. An available domain or social handle does not answer that legal question. For a valuable brand or a close match to an established business, consider specialist advice before commissioning permanent signage.

A sensible sequence is to create a shortlist, check relevant registers, review your preferred domain and then decide how much protection and advice the project needs. Do not order a large print run while still debating the spelling. Keep a record of the checks and distinguish a search result from an approval or reservation.

Our company-name checker can help with company-register research, but it is not a comprehensive business-name or trade mark clearance tool. Use it for its stated purpose and carry out the other relevant checks separately.

• CRO cautions about name protection and searches

Business name, company name or new company?

A trading-name registration can suit an existing owner launching a public-facing brand. A registered company-name change alters the company's legal name and follows a different process. Incorporation creates the company itself. Start with which outcome you actually need, then compare the relevant service; these are not interchangeable versions of the same product.

An existing company adding a new product brand may not need to replace its legal name. A sole trader who wants a limited company should not assume a business-name certificate is enough. Equally, creating another company solely to obtain a new brand can introduce administration that was never part of the original plan. Discuss the operating structure with an appropriate adviser before purchasing overlapping registrations.

If you are buying formation support, tell the provider about the intended trading name during onboarding. That gives you a chance to agree the right order of work and avoid personally registering a name that you meant a future company to own.

Is there an annual renewal charge?

Business-name registration is not a routine yearly CRO renewal subscription. The ongoing CRO steps concern changes to registered particulars and cessation where relevant. Do not confuse an agent's optional support renewal, a domain renewal or a company's annual return with an annual government renewal of the business name.

For budgeting, separate the one-off registration from recurring products you actually order. A domain, hosting, bookkeeping arrangement or administrative support contract may have its own renewal date. Ask the supplier to identify the product and period on each invoice so you can tell which obligation or service it covers.

If you receive an unexpected renewal notice, compare it with the original engagement and check the sender. A letter mentioning a public business name does not by itself establish that a government fee is due. Review the current CRO guidance rather than paying because the notice looks formal.

• CRO post-registration business name obligations

What happens when the owner or address changes?

Changes to registered particulars should be notified within one month. A change of owner is not handled simply by editing the proprietor on RBN2: the CRO describes cessation by the old owner and registration by the new owner. Check the applicable new-registration fee rather than assuming a free change filing covers the whole transition.

This matters when a sole trader incorporates or sells a business. Prepare a transition list covering the registration, customer communications, payment accounts, contracts and website identity. Agree who handles each task and which date the new owner will start using the brand. The CRO form is only one part of the handover; it does not settle the commercial arrangements between the parties.

• CRO changes and ownership transitions

Make a realistic launch budget

Your name-registration budget can be a single filing line, but your launch budget usually contains other decisions. A domain, website, insurance assessment, accounting support and brand design are separate products. Get actual quotes for what you need rather than relying on an invented industry average that may bear little relation to your activity.

For a direct electronic registration, €20 is the current CRO filing line. For our professional route, use the €200 published total service price and confirm the agreed inclusions. Do not automatically add €20 to €200 or describe the difference as a guaranteed saving. Any extra work should be identified before you approve it.

Keep a small decision sheet with supplier, deliverable, price, payment date and renewal terms. It becomes much easier to compare offers when a one-off registration is not mixed with a year's hosting or an ongoing advisory subscription.

Before you order registration support

Send us the intended owner, the proposed trading name and whether an Irish company already exists. Explain any deadline and whether you need only a trading-name registration or wider formation help. That information lets the service discussion focus on the correct filing instead of starting with a guess about your structure.

Before authorising work, review the total payable, what the service covers and how queries or returned filings will be handled. Confirm who receives the certificate and keep a copy with your business records. Registration can be a useful administrative step, but the right result is an accurate record under the right owner, not merely a name that appears on a certificate.