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Business registration

Understanding which registrations and licenses you need

Registering your business

Making sure you have the right registrations is an essential part of setting up a business, and ensures you comply with Australian law.

Understanding registration requirements should be one of the first steps you take to start a business after you’ve tested your idea and decided on the structure or type of business it is. Your business might need a few different types of registrations depending on factors including its structure, size, industry and location. These might include business registrations, like an Australian Business Number (ABN) and tax registrations, like goods and services tax (GST).

Depending on your business, you might also need to apply for other registrations including licenses and permits.

You may wish to check with your business advisor or accountant that you have all requirements.

Protect your name or logo with a registered trade mark

Registering a trade mark, such as a business name or logo, offers these important benefits:

  • exclusive rights to use the trade mark in Australia for an initial period of 10 years
  • a legal avenue to stop others from using your trade mark for similar goods and services
  • the legal right to use the ® symbol next to your trade mark
  • the ability to sell your trade mark or license it to others for a fee.

You can useIP Australia’s free TM Checker tool to:

  • check if a word, phrase or logo is already a registered trade mark
  • get tips on what to look out for when choosing a trade mark
  • be guided through the process of applying for a registered trade mark.

Useful Tools

Use these tools to help you work out which registrations and licenses you need:

For more information about different kinds of registrations you might need to start your business, see the guide below.

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