Trinidad and Tobago 2012 - invesTT

A GUIDE TO INVESTING IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO (2012)
Section 6
STEPS FOR REGISTERING A BUSINESS
IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Business Name Reservation
The first step in registering a business (whether a Sole Proprietorship,
Partnership or Limited Liability Company), in Trinidad and Tobago,
is to reserve the business name.
This can be done by completing and submitting a Name Reservation
form online through the TTBizLink website – www.ttbizlink.gov.tt.
The submitted form is then automatically routed to the Companies
Registry. Applicants receive responses online via e-mail and are able
to also pay online if they have a subscription account. Alternatively,
forms can be manually completed and the relevant application
for Name Approval/Name Reservation delivered to Companies
Registry. The manual process entails inserting required details into
Form 25 of the Companies Act with respect to a company and an
equivalent form under the Registration of Business Names Act with
respect to a sole proprietorship or a partnership.
The Registration of Business Names Act, Chapter 82:85 prohibits
the registration of a business name identical to that of another
registered or existing business in Trinidad and Tobago. Similarly,
the Companies Act, 1995 prohibits the registration of a company
name that is the same as, or similar to, the name of any other
business or any registered or well-known trade mark or, a name
reserved for another company or an intended company.
It may be prudent to conduct a search against a proposed business
name prior to application for name reservation. The search would
reveal whether a business name has already been registered and
where the registered business is located.
There are various search options. The applicant may use the
TTBizLink online facility for Name Search which is free of charge.
Alternatively, the Business Names Register at the Companies
Registry can be searched. Business names are public records.
Once the search results are revealed the next step would be to
submit the completed form to have the name of the business
approved and reserved. This Name Reservation form can be
submitted online via TTBizLink or it can be completed manually
at the Companies Registry. The application fee for reserving a
business name is twenty dollars, Trinidad and Tobago currency
(TT$20.00).
After the application for the Name Approval/Reservation has been
submitted, the applicant is able to check the status of his/her
application online, if the application was submitted via TTBizLink.
If approval is granted, the applicant can continue the registration
process online.
If the applicant has opted to manually complete and submit the
application, he/she is required to collect the stamped document
signifying name approval and reservation from the Companies
Registry at the given date.
The registration process must be completed within three (3) months
of the date of approval, failing which the approved name will expire
and the process would have to be restarted. The name reservation
may be extended on application to the Registrar before the threemonth
expiration.
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