Registering a business.

C

caryatnid

Guest
Hi.
I'm currently in full-time employment but want to set up my own business over the next year.

This business will be web-based, and I already know the name of the company and the website I want. I have been surfing the net the last few days, trying to find some info on business start up. However the first thing I want to do, is reserve my website address, with the intention of starting up the site in a few months.

I can reserve the .com version no problem. However I need to have a registered company in Ireland in order to reserve the .ie version.

Is it possible to register a company which has not started yet, will not start making money for at least a year, and of which I am the sole director? Is it possible to register simply a company name, without giving particular details?

Thanks for any help and advice. I've never done this before so anything you can say to me will help.

Caryatnid.
 
Hi Caryatnid.....I'm in the exact same boat as you ....My understanding is that you register the business name at www.cro.ie like gauloise says, they give you a reg number and then you give this number to someone like www.letshost.ie etc when you apply for .ie domain. When you register the business with www.cro.ie they will ask you the details of the business (e.g. web site design) and when the business is starting. Once the business name is registered I believe that's it, as a sole trader at least. If you really want to form a company (i.e. LTD.) rather than a sole trader things get more complex after registering (legal stuff re directors, shares etc).
 
squonk is on the mark..

Go to www.cro.ie and you can register your business name online - costs 20 notes (or maybe a wee but more). When the registration is processed, you will receive a Registered Business Number. You can use this RBN to get your .ie domain name - I'd recommed letshost.ie - excellent and prompt service..
 
I'm also in the same position and would be keen to book the .ie address now rather than when I actually intend to commence trading. Only query I have on whats been suggested above is are you obliged to keep accounts from time you register with cro for a business name?

If the answer to this is yes, this seems like too much hassle to me given that I dont actually intend trading until 1st Jan. 07 at the earliest. Doing paperwork for 06 tax year would be a nuisance if i havnt earned a cent on a self employed basis.
 
When you register a business name as a sole trader you can register that name with Revenue whenever you begin trading for PAYE and if appropriate VAT. I have several business names that are not trading and 2 that are..I receive tax forms etc.. only for those which I registered with revenue.
 
hey there, i am doing the same thing also...

I looked at the CRO website and couldnt see whether i should 'form a company' or 'register a business'

Whats the difference?
 
It depends on whether you want to be a sole trader, partnership or limited company. If you are unsure of which suits your needs best perhaps you should talk with an accountant as each has its own merits/downsides.
 
it would either be a sole trader or limited company...its just me on my own forming the company and going to be running it..
 
There are set up costs in forming a company (around 200-300euro) and a private company can do this for you. You should be aware that you will be required to submit annual audited accounts to the CRO if you set up a company. The only cost involved as a sole trader is that of applying for your business name (20euro online). As a sole trader you will submit returns to the revenue and these do not need to be audited so you may be able to do this yourself.
 
Forgot to mention that appart from the financial side of things you need to examine how exposed you would be as a sole trader as opposed to Limited Company to claims against you and your property.
 
I have a ltd comapny and set up a .ie a year or so after i set it up and i wasnt asked for any documentation. This year i tried to set up another .ie (it is basically another idea i had but intended running both as part of the same business) I was told i needed a registered company of teh same name to process my request. On talking to a few people its seems its possible to set it up with a letter stating what u intend the site to be used for and why u need it. This has not been clarified and I havnt had the time to look into it further. maybe could shed some light?
 
If your business is in your own name there is no need to register the business name. For eg I am a solicitor and I work under my own name, my website name is about my business e.g. [broken link removed] To set up that domain name I had to send a letter ( with business letterhead) to the hosters explaining that the reason I wanted that domain name was that I was a solicitor practising in Kerry. This was sufficient.
 
I have a company and a number of registered businesses. All of these businesses have their respective domains but only some of them have .ie domains. I have never needed to provide any documentation on any of the businesses to obtain a .ie domain name, the registered business name was sufficient. It may depend on the vendor who is supplying you with the .ie domain name.
 
Just bear in mind that if you register as a limited company in order to get the .ie domain, a non-trading company is under the same obligations as a trading company re filing requirements with the Companies Office. Yes, you will need to file accounts every year but you can avail of an audit exemption if you fall below a certain threshold, and so you could file the accounts yourself.... save you paying an accountant to do it.
 
Vanilla said:
If your business is in your own name there is no need to register the business name. For eg I am a solicitor and I work under my own name, my website name is about my business e.g. [broken link removed] To set up that domain name I had to send a letter ( with business letterhead) to the hosters explaining that the reason I wanted that domain name was that I was a solicitor practising in Kerry. This was sufficient.
Click to expand...

The incorporation rules covering solicitors are quite different from "normal" businesses, so the IEDR rules are more flexible at present.
 
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