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How to Onboard

Step 1: Choosing a good name

Step 1: Choosing a good name
How to choose a good name.

Choosing a great name is the first step of any entrepreneurial journey. While the legal name of your company will not necessarily have anything to do with your brand, and can be anything, it's often easier for clients to recognize you if your name is representative and close to the brand name you use.

When you wish to establish a company, certain aspects regarding the selection and reservation of the company name must be considered. The company name is the designation under which a professional conducts business and signs. Before reservation, the name undergoes verification to ensure it fulfills general and specific legal conditions, including availability and distinction from names already registered or reserved.

The company name must:

  • Be written in Latin characters, primarily in Romanian. (e.g., without Korean symbols)
  • Not cause confusion with previously registered names. (eg: Metro S.R.L.)
  • Not be related to a registered brand (eg: PepsiCo S.R.L.)
  • A name is available if it doesn't already belong to another professional due to prior registration.

Furthermore, a name is distinctive if:

  • It isn't generic, usual, or necessary.
  • It's not identical or similar to previously registered names in the commercial registry.
  • Distinctiveness is evaluated both graphically and by the wording. Elements that are NOT considered distinctive include:
    • Word order inversion from an already registered or reserved name.
    • Doubling of letters or numbers from a registered or reserved name.
    • Adding or removing adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, numbers, punctuation, and other vague significances.
    • Using different words semantically but identical phonetically.
    • Using abbreviations of words from a registered or reserved name.
    • Using symbols equivalent to letters and words, e.g., @, #, %.
    • The use or non-use of diacritics.
    • Adding, removing, or replacing a part of a registered or reserved name that doesn’t change its meaning.Adding the word "Romania" regardless of the language.

Certain terms are restricted and cannot be included in a company name:

  • The inclusion of words such as "scientific", "academy", "academic", "university", and "school", and their derivatives is prohibited.
  • Terms denoting public authority professions, such as "notary," "executor," "lawyer," "legal advisor," and "legal consultancy," are prohibited, along with any associated words.
  • Lastly, the use of terms such as "national," "Romanian," and "institute," along with their derivatives, and words or phrases associated with central public authorities and institutions, is restricted. This measure aims to prevent any potential confusion with the names of central or local public authorities or institutions.