Čeština
COMPANY NAME CHECK
Below you can easily check in advance whether the company name you have thought up is already being used by someone else. That would be a problem. And please note that this tool checks the ARES database – for a complete check we recommend consulting a notary.
TIP: How to come up with a unique and great name for your new company? Read about it in this article from the How to start a business series!
WHY CHECK A COMPANY NAME?
Checking name availability will save you time, money and nerves. If you choose a name that is too similar to an existing company, the registration court will reject your application. That means you will have to start the whole process again – including all the costs associated with the notarial deed, administrative fees and possibly already-printed materials or ordered advertising.
On top of that, it can delay the start of your business by several weeks. A simple name check (easily done via our handy tool above) before filing the registration application is therefore a basic step that no one who is serious about setting up a company should underestimate.
WHAT AFTER CHECKING THE COMPANY NAME?
Have you chosen and verified a company name that no one else has? Great! Then you are one step closer to setting up your company. Now only a few steps remain:
Preparing the documents: a memorandum of association, articles of association or founder's deed – depending on the type of company you are setting up.
Notarial deed: verification of the documents and signatures at a notary, who records the share capital.
Obtaining a trade licence: if your activity requires a trade licence, you arrange it at the trade licensing office or online.
Entry in the register: filing the application to register the s.r.o. with the relevant registration court – this is where your company is officially "born".
VAT and other tax registration: registering with the tax office, health insurance company and the social security administration.
A NEW COMPANY? WE'RE HAPPY TO HELP WITH EVERYTHING!
If you are dealing with setting up an s.r.o., we are happy to help – on your own it really is a lot of documents and visits to offices and the notary. And do not forget that right at the start it involves arranging a registered office, where you can readily use a virtual office. It is also good to have accounting thought through and to have a business partner you can turn to at any time during your business journey. And that is exactly what we are here for!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPANY NAMES
A company name must include a designation of its legal form (e.g. "s.r.o." or "a.s.") and must not be confusable with an existing company. This means it cannot be identical or too similar to the name of another company in the Commercial Register. It must also not be misleading, offensive or contrary to good morals. The law also prohibits names that could give the impression of a connection with state institutions or international organisations without authorisation.
Checking a name directly in our tool takes only a few seconds – you enter the name and immediately see the result from the current ARES database. If you were to check the name manually via the official register websites or wait for a statement from a notary or lawyer, it could take hours or days. Our system saves you time and shows the availability of the name on demand.
Courts today apply strict rules when assessing the confusability of names. A company name must not be identical or similar to an existing company – and the legal form, the case of the letters and minor differences are not taken into account. Names that differ by just one or two letters, diacritics, numerals, symbols or spaces will be rejected. Likewise, you must not use a name that differs only by adding a country abbreviation (CZ), a domain suffix (.cz), a geographical detail (Brno) or a generic addition (Group, Holding).
Beware of phonetic similarity too – if the names are pronounced similarly, your proposal may also be rejected. Besides confusability, it is prohibited to use misleading names (e.g. stating a field of business you do not carry out), names evoking state institutions or names containing a surname that does not belong to the managing director or a shareholder.
And do not forget to check trademarks too – infringing them can cause further complications.
If you find a company with a similar name, it depends on the degree of similarity. The registration court assesses whether there could be confusion between the companies – that is, whether the public might mistake your company for an existing one. Sometimes even minor differences are enough, sometimes they are not. In such a case we recommend choosing a different name or consulting an expert to avoid rejection of the registration and unnecessary costs.
You can try adjusting the name – add a supplementary word, change the word order or use a synonym. For example, instead of "Stavby Praha" try "Pražské stavby" or "Stavby Praha Plus". Another option is to add a geographical detail or a field of activity that sets the name apart. If you are not sure whether a variation is sufficiently distinct, we are happy to advise you in a consultation. The main thing is to choose a name that passes the registration court's check. You can read how to play with a name and come up with different variations in this article.
No, Czech law does not allow a company name to be reserved in advance. You "secure" the name only when the company is entered in the Commercial Register. That is why it is important to check the availability of the name just before filing the registration application and to complete the whole process as quickly as possible. The longer you wait between the check and the registration, the greater the risk that someone else will use the same or a similar name in the meantime.
Yes, they differ. Stricter rules apply to an s.r.o. and a.s. – the name must be entered in the Commercial Register, must not be confusable with another company and must include the legal form. For a self-employed person (OSVČ) the situation is looser – they usually do business under their own first name and surname and may add the designation "entrepreneur" or a trade name. The confusability check is milder for the self-employed, but here too the name must not be misleading or contrary to good morals.
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