Company Name Reservation Process
Two Routes, One Set of Rules
A new company reserves its name through SPICe+ Part A on the MCA portal. An existing company changing its name uses the RUN service. Both are judged against the same tests under Section 4 of the Companies Act and Rules 8, 8A and 8B. For a new company, the approved name is reserved for 20 days, within which the incorporation filing must be completed. You can also file Part A and Part B together and skip the separate reservation stage entirely.
Which route applies to you
Situation | Route |
Registering a new company | SPICe+ Part A, on its own or together with Part B |
Existing company changing its name | RUN |
The process, for a new company
Screen your candidates first. Search the MCA company and LLP database and the trademark register, and check for restricted words. Our article on checking name availability covers this.
Open SPICe+ Part A under the incorporation services on the MCA portal, and enter your proposed name along with the business activity classification.
Propose your names in order of preference. Filed on its own, Part A allows up to two names. Filed together with Part B, only one name is entered, which concentrates the risk if it is rejected.
Explain the significance of the name, where the form invites it, and keep it consistent with the objects you will enter in the memorandum. A name that does not match the stated activity invites a query.
Attach any clearance a restricted word requires, such as a sector regulator’s declaration, or a no objection from a trademark proprietor where you are relying on consent.
Pay and submit. A Service Request Number is generated, and payment must be completed within the window the portal allows or the request lapses.
Track the SRN. Approval for a new company is typically issued in one to three working days.
If it comes back for resubmission
An application marked for resubmission can be corrected and refiled within the period allowed, which is limited and strict. The usual causes are a name resembling an existing one, a trademark conflict, a restricted word without clearance, or a mismatch between the name and the stated activity.
Resubmission opportunities are limited. If the name fails again, you apply afresh with new names, and pay again where a fee applies.
Validity and extension
A name approved for a new company is reserved for 20 days, within which SPICe+ Part B must be filed.
Extensions are available under the rules, in tiers, on payment of the prescribed fee, and must be applied for before the current period expires. If the reservation lapses, the name is released and you start again.
Twenty days sounds generous and is not, once you are waiting on an attested document or a director’s digital signature. Have your documents ready before you reserve, not after.
Should you file Part A separately or together with Part B?
Separately gives you two name options and confirms the name before you invest in preparing everything else. It also adds a stage, and may carry a fee.
Together removes a stage and is faster when you are confident, but allows only one name, so a rejection costs you more.
The rule of thumb: file together if your name is distinctive and you have screened it properly. File separately if you are uncertain, or if the name carries any resemblance or trademark risk.
After approval
Complete SPICe+ Part B and the linked forms within the reservation period. Our article on the registration process covers what follows.
How Northrop LLP helps
Northrop LLP screens and ranks your names, files the reservation with the right alternatives, handles any resubmission within the deadline, and moves straight into the incorporation filing.