Most businesses will need to apply for a registered business name with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC).
You can carry on a business in your own name without registering a business name if you don’t change or add anything to your name. For example, John Smith doesn’t have to register a name to trade as J Smith or John Smith, but he does to trade as John Smith Landscaping.
To apply for a registered business name you will need to have applied for or have an ABN.
By 31 October 2018 all businesses will need to register all trading names as a business name with ASIC in order to continue operating with it. ABN Lookup will only display business names registered with ASIC from this date.
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