Rectifying or Changing a Company’s Name

A company's name can change two ways — voluntarily, by the members' own choice, or by direction from the registrar when the name was wrongly registered in the first place. Both routes end the same way: a fresh certificate of incorporation reflecting the new name.

Steps

  1. Check the proposed new name against SECP's prohibited/reserved-name rules before applying — a name that is identical, deceptively similar, inappropriate, undesirable, or suggests a government or foreign connection without prior approval will be refused.
  2. File an application for reservation of the proposed name (App-1) with the registrar and obtain a name-availability confirmation (Annexure-A) before proceeding.
  3. For a voluntary change: pass a special resolution approving the new name, then file it with the registrar for approval.
  4. For a rectification: if the registrar directs a name change because the original name violated the naming rules or was obtained on false or incorrect information, comply within 30 days of the direction — the registrar must first give the company a chance to object. If the company does not comply, the registrar may itself assign a new name and issue the certificate.
  5. Once approved, the registrar enters the new name on the register and issues a fresh certificate of incorporation reflecting the change (Annexure-D).
  6. For 90 days after the new certificate issues, display both the former and new name together on the outside of every office and on every document or notice the company issues.
  7. Remember: a change of name does not affect the company's existing rights, obligations, or pending legal proceedings — these continue seamlessly under the new name.

Sections involved

§10 Section 10 — Prohibition of certain names §11 Section 11 — Rectification of name of a company §12 Section 12 — Change of name by a company §13 Section 13 — Registration of change of name and effect thereof

Forms you'll need

App-1 App-1 — Application for Reservation of Name for New Incorporation or Change of Name Annexure-A Annexure-A — Availability of Name Annexure-B Annexure-B — Refusal of Name Annexure-D Annexure-D — Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Company Name

How to file a form

New to SECP's eZfile / LEAP portal? See the step-by-step filing guide →

See Important Definitions

Key terms from Section 2 (Definitions) of the Companies Act, 2017 (and, where noted, the LLP Act, 2017) that matter for this task.

§2(57) registrar §2(66) special resolution §2(17) company
Scroll to Top