Business Name Registration

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SMBIRE

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I am looking to operate a website as a sole trader business. Its a blog type website with ad revenue and affiliate links. Lets say the domain address is xyz123.com.

As I am not operating under my own name I have to register a business name with CRO.

I emailed the CRO asking if the business name I am required to register must be the same as the domain address of the website but they just sent me back a copy and paste of the text on their website that says I must register a business name if not trading under my own name.

As I can't get a straight answer from the CRO I'm hoping the good people at AAM can advise me on this.

Thanks.
 
What are you going to put on your invoices etc? That's what your business name should be

You cannot register a website as a business name

Your business name doesn't have to be the same as your website address
 
I will choose a different business name than the domain name. This is what I believed it to be but was hoping to have a clear answer provided by CRO as the domain address is pretty good for branding at a time when it's difficult to get a good .com but there are issues with using it as a business name due to CRO rules.

Where is the source of information that states where I have to display the business name on the website specifically? CRO / Companies Act, ect?

What is the correct format... "xzy123.com trading name ABC" on an about page on the website?

Thanks.
 
I am not a company secretary, but as I understand it, you should register xyz123.com as a business name.

And on the website, you should have smbire t/a xyz123.com

Brendan
 
Here is another approach for ferga.com

Liam D. Ferguson, t/a Ferguson and Associates is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

So maybe on your website, you must give the business name?

But the website address can be different from the business name.

Brendan
 
There's good information here on EU consumer rights regarding websites: https://www.eccireland.ie/shopping-online-consumer-rights/ - you have to provide your name/address/geographical location etc. on the website for eg returns of faulty goods or to allow for a contract entered into online to be cancelled.

I think there could be some historical confusion here in the query to the CRO, as in the past to have a .ie website you had to prove an Irish connection. Sadly, that is no longer the case. So on the one hand, you must state on the website who/where you are, on the other the domain name no longer has to indicate much. It never did for .com websites anyway.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
Hi DB

Where are you getting this.

I just checked 123.ie

123moneyltd t/a 123.ie



View attachment 5162

Do you mean that you can't use a domain name in the name of a limited company?

Brendan
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I was always my understanding that you can no longer register a website as a business name, even though some businesses have done this in the past.

When I was registering a business name less than a month ago the CORE website wouldn't accept my domain as a business name, explicitly stating that you can't register a website as a business name

Looking at the CRO website however it does say that it is "undesirable" as opposed to not allowed. You must present proof of website ownership

CRO - Business Name Registration (Irish Government Website)

Business Name Registration. How to register a Trading Name with the CRO in Ireland.
www.cro.ie
 
Brendan Burgess said:
I am not a company secretary, but as I understand it, you should register xyz123.com as a business name.

And on the website, you should have smbire t/a xyz123.com

Brendan
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Re: "And on the website, you should have smbire t/a xyz123.com"

would smbire in this case be the limited company trading as xyz123.com as I can see this would be the required format? As I will operate as a sole trader will I have to have my own name: "John Doe trading as xyz123.com" or can I avoid having my own name on the website itself but it will be available to anyone who wants to find it by a company search.
 
Hooverfish said:
There's good information here on EU consumer rights regarding websites: [ecc website - see original post by Hooverfish] - you have to provide your name/address/geographical location etc...
Click to expand...

Which name though?:)

Lets say my name is John Doe and I register the business name "Magic Carpet" and I have the website xyz123.com (and I operate as a sole trader).

The website viewer goes to xyz123.com and the advertiser receives the invoice from "Magic Carpet" or from "xyz123.com" or from John Doe?

My preference is to have the business name "Magic Carpet" however I am not clear if I have that option and the person I am in contact with in CRO has not come back to me on this.

I have been looking at websites to see if I can find someone operating the way I want to but I haven't come across one yet as they are all 'limited companies trading as ...'
 
My practical experience is that when we wanted to have certain domain names (such as ) we had to prove to the domain name provider that we had a legal entitlement to use that name = we had to register the trading name first.

Conclusion: You will have to register the domain name as your trading name.

From a tax perspective, you might wish to register the domain name in your personal name, and "lease" it to an operating company etc If you do that the operating company will also need to register the same trading name.

Jim Stafford
 
Jim Stafford said:
My practical experience is that when we wanted to have certain domain names (such as [irish website]) we had to prove to the domain name provider that we had a legal entitlement to use that name = we had to register the trading name first.

Conclusion: You will have to register the domain name as your trading name.
Click to expand...

This is no longer the case to register a .ie domain. They have basically opened up the .ie domain to any and all who want one.

The requirements you mentioned to register the domain a few years ago were to keep the .ie domain extension exclusive and imply trustworthiness to the consumer.

I'm not sure that it works the other way where you have to register a trading name the same as the domain address now.

Jim Stafford said:
From a tax perspective, you might wish to register the domain name in your personal name, and "lease" it to an operating company etc If you do that the operating company will also need to register the same trading name.

Jim Stafford
Click to expand...

I want to operate as a sole trader for now.
 
Am I explaining my objective clearly on this thread?

The answer to us may not be clear but do you understand what my question/objective is?

I have explained this three times in three different way in an email chain to my contact in the CRO and still have not received a straight answer to what I assume is a simple question that they have encountered multiples times previously so I'm wondering if I am somehow not making myself clear or it is not as straightforward as I believe it to be?
 
Do you need to register as a sole trader with the CRO?
I thought Sole traders would simply register with Revenue and that was it.
Sole traders aren't companies, having said that you can set up a company with 1 director, but you are then expected to fulfil all legal requirements that a company has to do.( annual accounts etc) which adds costs.
Registering a website isn't a CRO job.

I'd simply register as a sole trader with revenue register your website and drive on, If you need to set up a company in the future simply use the website name without the .com, .ie or whatever
 
Paul O Mahoney said:
Do you need to register as a sole trader with the CRO?
Click to expand...

If you don't operate under your own name as a sole trader you need to register a business name with CRO.

The question is if this business name must be the same as the website address for a web based business.


Paul O Mahoney said:
I thought Sole traders would simply register with Revenue and that was it.
Sole traders aren't companies, having said that you can set up a company with 1 director, but you are then expected to fulfil all legal requirements that a company has to do.( annual accounts etc) which adds costs.
Registering a website isn't a CRO job.
Click to expand...

I don't want to register a company and have already registered the website address I intend to use.

Paul O Mahoney said:
I'd simply register as a sole trader with revenue register your website and drive on, If you need to set up a company in the future simply use the website name without the .com, .ie or whatever
Click to expand...

I have my reasons why I would want to register a different business name and possibly future company instead of the website address. I just need to know if there is any reason why I can't do so. I still haven't received a straight answer about this point from the CRO.
 
SMBIRE said:
If you don't operate under your own name as a sole trader you need to register a business name with CRO.

The question is if this business name must be the same as the website address for a web based business.




I don't want to register a company and have already registered the website address I intend to use.



I have my reasons why I would want to register a different business name and possibly future company instead of the website address. I just need to know if there is any reason why I can't do so. I still haven't received a straight answer about this point from the CRO.
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Its either a company ie Ltd, Clg, Dac or its not, the CRO only deal with companies not sole traders as they aren't companies.

Have you registered with Core.ie ? From memory there is a service there regarding business names but I'm honestly confused what you are trying to do.
 
Paul O Mahoney said:
Its either a company ie Ltd, Clg, Dac or its not, the CRO only deal with companies not sole traders as they aren't companies.

Have you registered with Core.ie ? From memory there is a service there regarding business names but I'm honestly confused what you are trying to do.
Click to expand...

I can't post links so you will have to edit it if you want to view the website by removing the () around the .

cro(.)ie/Registration/Business-Name

CORE is a service of CRO. Their address is core(.)cro(.)ie
 
Last edited:
Marie Hogarty from CRO has told me that if I want to operate a business from xyz123.com I must register the business name xyz123.com.
 
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