Company Name Reservation explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Name rejection is the single most common cause of delay in incorporating a company in India.
It's also the most avoidable, because the rules are published and the databases are free and searchable. Almost every rejection comes from someone not doing three searches that take twenty minutes.
SPICe+ Part A for a new company (20 days validity), RUN for renaming an existing one (60 days). Rule 8 ignores plurals, spacing, punctuation, joining words, phonetic spellings and place names when comparing names — so "Sun Tech" and "SunTech Solutions" are the same name. And a purely descriptive name is always rejected.
Two routes
| SPICe+ Part A | RUN | |
|---|---|---|
| Used for | Reserving a name for a new company | Changing the name of an existing company |
| Names proposed | Up to 2 | Up to 2 |
| Resubmission | 1 | 1 |
| Validity | 20 days | 60 days |
| Fee | ₹1,000 | ₹1,000 |
RUN-LLP does the same job for a proposed LLP.
The two statutory tests
Section 4(2) — similarity. The name must not be identical with or too nearly resemble the name of an existing company, must not constitute an offence under any law, and must not be undesirable in the Central Government's opinion.
Section 4(3) — regulated words. The name must not give the impression of being connected with or having the patronage of the Central or State Government, a local authority, or a body constituted under any law — nor contain a prescribed word — without prior Central Government approval.
Rule 8: the differences that get ignored
This is the part people miss. Rule 8 lists differences that are disregarded when comparing two names. If the only thing separating your name from an existing one is on this list, the names are treated as the same:
- Singular and plural — "Solution" vs "Solutions"
- Case, spacing and punctuation — "SunTech" vs "Sun Tech" vs "Sun-Tech"
- Joining words — "and", "&", "the", "of", "for"
- A different tense or number of the same word
- Phonetically identical spellings — "Infosys" vs "Infosis", "Zylo" vs "Xylo"
- Internet designations — ".com", ".net", "online", "web"
- Adding or dropping a place name — "Delhi Steel Ltd" vs "Steel Ltd"
- Translation or transliteration into another language
- Adding common words where the rest of the name is the same
- Rearranging the same words — "Ram Sons Ltd" vs "Sons Ram Ltd"
So changing the spelling to make a name "different" almost never works. Phonetic identity is expressly caught.
Rule 8A — undesirable names. A name is undesirable if it, among other things:
- is identical to a registered trade mark, or one with a pending application, without the owner's consent;
- includes a trade mark owner's name without consent;
- implies government patronage;
- is offensive to any section of the people;
- matches a company dissolved on liquidation within two years, or struck off within twenty years;
- includes "British India";
- suggests a connection with an embassy, consulate or foreign government without a certificate;
- is vague or an abbreviation without meaning;
- includes financial words — Bank, Insurance, Stock Exchange, Mutual Fund, Venture Capital, Asset Management, Nidhi, Chit Fund — without the regulator's approval;
- is only a general or descriptive word, a continent, country, State, city, or a common business term.
Rule 8B — words needing Central Government approval: Board, Commission, Authority, Undertaking, National, Union, Central, Federal, Republic, President, Rashtrapati, Small Scale Industries, Khadi and Village Industries Corporation, Financial Corporation, Municipal, Panchayat, Development Authority, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Minister, Nation, Forest Corporation, Development Scheme, Statute, Statutory, Court, Judiciary, Governor.
How a registrable name is built
+ +
- Distinctive — a coined or arbitrary word. This is what makes the name registrable. Zomato. Nykaa. Freshworks.
- Descriptive — the activity. "Technologies", "Retail", "Logistics", "Consultancy". This must match your objects clause and NIC code.
- Suffix — "Private Limited", "Limited", or "(OPC) Private Limited".
A name that is only descriptive will be rejected. "Software Solutions Private Limited" has no distinctive element. "Aravali Software Solutions Private Limited" does.
And the descriptive element has to match the objects. "XYZ Pharma Private Limited" with software development objects will be queried — and that query costs you a cycle.
The five checks that prevent rejection
1. MCA name search. Search the exact name and every Rule 8 variant — singular, plural, without spaces, phonetic alternatives. Not just the name as you'd write it.
2. IP India trade mark search. Search the distinctive element across all classes, not only the class you'd file in. Rule 8A treats a name identical to a registered trade mark as undesirable regardless of class.
3. Domain availability. Not a legal requirement — but if the .com or .in belongs to an operating business with a similar name, expect a dispute later even if the ROC approves.
4. Regulated words. Anything from the Rule 8B list or a financial-sector word needs the regulator's NOC before filing.
5. Struck-off and dissolved companies. Search among them. Twenty years since strike-off, two years since dissolution on liquidation.
The rejection reasons, and the fix
| Rejection reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| Resembles an existing company's name | Search MCA for all Rule 8 variants first |
| Similar to a registered trade mark | Search IP India across all classes; get the owner's NOC |
| Purely descriptive, no distinctive element | Add a coined or arbitrary word |
| Descriptive element doesn't match the objects or NIC code | Align name, objects and NIC code |
| Regulated word without an NOC | Get the regulator's approval first |
| Suggests government patronage | Drop the word or get CG approval |
| Name of a company struck off within 20 years | Choose a different name |
| Vague or a meaningless abbreviation | Use a name with discernible sense |
Key takeaways
- 20 days for a new company's name, 60 for a rename.
- Rule 8 ignores plurals, spacing, punctuation and phonetics. Respelling doesn't create a new name.
- A purely descriptive name is always rejected.
- Trade mark similarity is judged across all classes.
- Regulated words need an NOC before you file, not after the query.
- ROC approval is not trade mark clearance. They're separate systems.
Read next
- Private Limited Company Registration: SPICe+ Step-by-Step
- SPICe+ Part A vs Part B: What Goes Where
- MOA and AOA: What They Are and How to Alter Them
Disclaimer: Positions stated as on 4 September 2026. Rules 8, 8A and 8B are amended periodically — verify on mca.gov.in before filing.