Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .....................................................................................................1
About this Document ...............................................................................................2
Part I – Law(s) Governing the eForm ....................................................................2
Section and Rule Number(s) ..................................................................................................................... 2
Purpose of the eForm ................................................................................................................................ 9
Part II – Instructions to provide details.................................................................9
Specific Instructions to enter details in the RUN service ........................................................................... 9
Part III - Important Points for Successful Submission ......................................10
Fee Rules................................................................................................................................................. 10
Processing Type ...................................................................................................................................... 11
SRN Generation ...................................................................................................................................... 11
Challan Generation ................................................................................................................................. 11
Email ....................................................................................................................................................... 11
Approval/ Rejection Letter ..................................................................................................................... 11
Page 1 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
About this Document
The Instruction Kit has been prepared to enable you to access the Name Reservation Service with
ease. This document provides references to law(s) governing the name reservation service and
general instructions to provide details therein. The document also includes important points to be
noted for successful submission.
This document is divided into following sections:
Part I – Laws Governing the Name Reservation Service
Part II – Instructions to provide details
Part III – Important Points for Successful Submission
Click on any section link to refer to the section.
Part I – Law(s) Governing the eForm
Section and Rule Number(s)
RUN service should be used pursuant to Section 4(4) of the Companies Act, 2013 and Rule 8 & 9
of Companies (Incorporation) Rules, 2014 which are reproduced for your reference:
Section 4:
(2) The name stated in the memorandum shall not:
(a) be identical with or resemble too nearly to the name of an existing company registered
under this Act or any previous company law; or
(b) be such that its use by the company—
(i) will constitute an offence under any law for the time being in force; or
(ii) is undesirable in the opinion of the Central Government.
(3) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (2), a company shall not be registered with
a name which contains—
(a) any word or expression which is likely to give the impression that the company is in
any way connected with, or having the patronage of, the Central Government, any State
Government, or any local authority, corporation or body constituted by the Central
Government or any State Government under any law for the time being in force; or
(b) such word or expression, as may be prescribed, unless the previous approval of the
Central Government has been obtained for the use of any such word or expression.
Page 2 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
(4) A person may make an application, in such form and manner and accompanied by such fee, as
may be prescribed, to the Registrar for the reservation of a name set out in the application as:
(a) the name of the proposed company; or
(b) the name to which the company proposes to change its name.
(5) (i) Upon receipt of an application under sub-section (4), the Registrar may, on the basis of
information and documents furnished along with the application, reserve the name for a
period of twenty days from the date of approval or such other period as may be prescribed:
Provided that in case of an application for reservation of name or for change of its name by
an existing company, the Registrar may reserve the name for a period of sixty days from the
date of approval.
(ii) Where after reservation of name under clause (i), it is found that name was applied by
furnishing wrong or incorrect information, then,—
(a) if the company has not been incorporated, the reserved name shall be cancelled and
the person making application under sub-section (4) shall be liable to a penalty which
may extend to one lakh rupees;
(b) if the company has been incorporated, the Registrar may, after giving the company an
opportunity of being heard:
(i) either direct the company to change its name within a period of three months, after
passing an ordinary resolution;
(ii) take action for striking off the name of the company from the register of
companies; or
(iii) make a petition for winding up of the company.
Rule 8:
(1) In determining whether a proposed name is identical with another, the differences on account
of the following shall be disregarded-
(a) words, Private, Pvt, Pvt., (P), Limited, Ltd, Ltd., LLP, Limited Liability
Partnership;
(b) words appearing at the end of the names – company, and company, co., co,
corporation, corp, corpn, corp.;
(c) plural version of any of the words appearing in the name;
(d) type and case of letters, spacing between letters and punctuation marks;
(e) joining words together or separating the words does not make a name
distinguishable from a name that uses the similar, separated or joined words;
(f) use of a different tense or number of the same word does not distinguish one
name from another;
Page 3 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
(g) using different phonetic spellings or spelling variations will not be considered
as distinguishing one name from another. Illustration (For example, P.Q.
Industries limited is existing then P and Q Industries or Pee Que Industries or
P n Q Industries or P & Q Industries will not be allowed. Similarly, if a name
contains numeric character like 3, resemblance shall be checked with ‘Three’
also;)
(h) misspelled words, whether intentionally misspelled or not, do not conflict
with the similar, properly spelled words;
(i) the addition of an internet related designation, such as .com, .net, .edu, .gov,
.org, .in does not make a name distinguishable from another, even where (.)
is written as ‘dot’;
(j) the addition of words like New, Modern, Nav, Shri, Sri, Shree, Sree, Om, Jai,
Sai, The, etc. does not make a name distinguishable from an existing name.
Similarly, if it is different from the name of the existing company only to the
extent of adding the name of the place, the same shall not be allowed; Such
names may be allowed only if no objection from the existing company by way
of Board resolution is submitted;
(k) different combination of the same words does not make a name
distinguishable from an existing name, e.g., if there is a company in existence
by the name of “Builders and Contractors Limited”, the name “Contractors
and Builders Limited” will not be allowed unless it is change of name of
existing company;
(l) if the proposed name is the Hindi or English translation or transliteration of
the name of an existing company or limited liability partnership in English
or Hindi, as the case may be.
(2) (a) The name shall be considered undesirable, if-
(i) it attracts the provisions of section 3 of the Emblems and Names
(Prevention and Improper Use) Act, 1950 (12 of 1950);
(ii) it includes the name of a registered trade mark or a trade mark which
is subject of an application for registration, unless the consent of the
owner or applicant for registration, of the trade mark, as the case may
be, has been obtained and produced by the promoters;
(iii) it includes any word or words which are offensive to any section of
the people;
(b) The name shall also be considered undesirable, if-
(i) the proposed name is identical with or too nearly resembles the
name of a limited liability partnership;
(ii) it is not in consonance with the principal objects of the company as
set out in the memorandum of association:
Page 4 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
Provided that every name need not be necessarily indicative of the
objects of the company, but when there is some indication of objects
in the name, then it shall be in conformity with the objects
mentioned in the memorandum;
(iii) the Company’s main business is financing, leasing, chit fund,
investments, securities or combination thereof, such name shall not
be allowed unless the name is indicative of such related financial
activities, viz., Chit Fund/ Investment/ Loan, etc.;
(iv) it resembles closely the popular or abbreviated description of an
existing company or limited liability partnership;
(v) the proposed name is identical with or too nearly resembles the
name of a company or limited liability partnership incorporated
outside India and reserved by such company or limited liability
partnership with the Registrar:
Provided that if a foreign company is incorporating its subsidiary
company in India, then the original name of the holding company
as it is may be allowed with the addition of word India or name of
any Indian state or city, if otherwise available;
(vi) any part of the proposed name includes the words indicative of a
separate type of business constitution or legal person or any
connotation thereof e.g. co-operative, sehkari, trust, LLP,
partnership, society, proprietor, HUF, firm, Inc., PLC, GmbH, SA,
PTE, Sdn, AG etc.;
Explanation: Name including phrase ‘Electoral Trust’ may be
allowed for Registration of companies to be formed under section 8
of the Act, in accordance with the Electoral Trusts Scheme 2013
notified by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT):
Provided that name application is accompanied with an affidavit to
the effect that the name to be obtained shall be only for the purpose
of registration of companies under Electoral Trust Scheme as
notified by the CBDT.
(vii) the proposed name contains the words ‘British India’;
(viii) the proposed name implies association or connection with embassy
or consulate or a foreign government;
(ix) the proposed name includes or implies association or connection
with or patronage of a national hero or any person held in high
esteem or important personages who occupied or are occupying
important positions in Government;
(x) the proposed name is vague or an abbreviated name such as ‘ABC
limited’ or ‘23K limited’ or ‘DJMO’ Ltd: abbreviated name based
Page 5 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
on the name of the promoters will not be allowed. For example: -
BMCD Limited representing first alphabet of the name of the
promoter like Bharat, Mahesh, Chandan and David.
Provided that existing company may use its abbreviated name as
part of the name for formation of a new company as subsidiary or
joint venture or associate company but such joint venture or
associated company shall not have an abbreviated name only e.g.
Delhi Paper Mills Limited can get a joint venture or associated
company as DPM Papers Limited and not as DPM Limited
However the companies well known in their respective field by
abbreviated names are allowed to change their names to
abbreviation of their existing name after following the requirements
of the Act;
(xi) the proposed name is identical to the name of a company dissolved
as a result of liquidation proceeding and a period of two years have
not elapsed from the date of such dissolution. Further, if the
proposed name is identical with the name of a company which is
struck off in pursuance of action under section 248 of the Act, then
the same shall not be allowed before the expiry of twenty years from
the publication in the Official Gazette being so struck off;
(xii) it is identical with or too nearly resembles the name of a limited
liability partnership in liquidation or the name of a limited liability
partnership which is struck off up to a period of five years;
(xiii) the proposed name include words such as ‘Insurance’, ‘Bank’,
‘Stock Exchange’, ‘Venture Capital’, ‘Asset Management’, ‘Nidhi’,
‘Mutual fund’ etc., unless a declaration is submitted by the applicant
that the requirements mandated by the respective regulator, such as
IRDA, RBI, SEBI, MCA etc. have been complied with by the
applicant;
(xiv) the proposed name includes the word “State”, the same shall be
allowed only in case the company is a government company.
(xv) the proposed name is containing only the name of a continent,
country, state, city such as Asia limited, Germany Limited, Haryana
Limited, Mysore Limited
(xvi) the name is only a general one, like Cotton Textile Mills Ltd. or Silk
Manufacturing Ltd., and not Lakshmi Silk Manufacturing Co. Ltd;
(xvii) it is intended or likely to produce a misleading impression regarding
the scope or scale of its activities which would be beyond the
resources at its disposal:
Page 6 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
(xviii) the proposed name includes name of any foreign country or any city
in a foreign country, the same shall be allowed if the applicant
produces any proof of significance of business relations with such
foreign country like MOU with a company of such country:
Provided further the name combining the name of a foreign country
with the use of India like India Japan or Japan India shall be allowed
if, there is a government to government participation or patronage.
No company shall be incorporated using the name of an enemy
country. (Enemy country means so declared by the Central
Government from time to time).
(3) If any company has changed its activities which are not reflected in its name, it shall
change its name in line with its activities within a period of six months from the change
of activities after complying with all the provisions as applicable to change of name.
(4) In case the key word used in the name proposed is the name of a person other than the
name(s) of the promoters or their close blood relatives, No objection from such other (s)
shall be attached with the application for name. In case the name includes the name of
relatives, the proof of relation shall be attached. It shall be mandatory to furnish the
significance and proof thereof for use of coined words made out of the name of the
promoters or their relatives.
(5) The applicant shall declare in affirmative or negative ( to affirm or deny ) whether they
are using or have been using in the last 5 years , the name applied for incorporation of
company or LLP in any other business constitution like Sole proprietor or Partnership
or any other incorporated or unincorporated entity and if, yes details thereof and NOC from
other partners and associates for use of such name by the proposed Company or LLP as
the case may be and also a declaration as to whether such other business shall be taken
over by the proposed company or LLP or not .
(6) For the purposes of clause (b) of sub-section (3) of section 4, the following words and
combinations thereof shall not be used in the name of a company in English or any of the
languages depicting the same meaning unless the previous approval of the Central
Government has been obtained for the use of any such word or expression:
(a) Board;
(b) Commission;
(c) Authority;
(d) Undertaking;
(e) National;
Page 7 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
(f) Union;
(g) Central;
(h) Federal;
(i) Republic;
(j) President;
(k) Rashtrapati;
(l) Small Scale Industries;
(m) Khadi and Village Industries Corporation;
(n) Financial, forest, Corporation and the like;
(o) Municipal;
(p) Panchayat;
(q) Development Authority;
(r) Prime Minister or Chief Minister;
(s) Minister;
(t) Nation;
(u) Forest corporation;
(v) Development Scheme;
(w) Statute or Statutory;
(x) Court or Judiciary;
(y) Governor;
(z) the use of word Scheme with the name of Government (s) , State , India, Bharat
or any government authority or in any manner resembling with the schemes
launched by Central, state or local Governments and authorities; and
(za) Bureau
(7) For the Companies under Section 8 of the Act, the name shall include the words foundation,
Forum, Association, Federation, Chambers, Confederation, council, Electoral trust and the like
etc. Every company incorporated as a “Nidhi” shall have the last word ‘Nidhi Limited’ as part
of its name.
Page 8 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
(8) The names released on change of name by any company shall remain in data base and shall
not be allowed to be taken by any other company including the group company of the company
who has changed the name for a period of three years from the date of change subject to specific
direction from the competent authority in the course of compromise, arrangement and
amalgamation.
Rule 9: Reservation of name- An application for reservation of name shall be made through
the web service available at www.mca.gov.in by using RUN (Reserve Unique Name) along
with fee as provided in the Companies (Registration offices and fees) Rules, 2014, which may
either be approved or rejected, as the case may be, by the Registrar, Central Registration
Centre.
Purpose of the eForm
An applicant seeking reservation of name for a proposed company or an existing company seeking
to change its name shall apply for reservation through the RUN service which shall then be
processed by the Central Registration Centre (CRC).
The proposed name applied should not be undesirable as per the relevant provisions of the Act and
rules dealt with in this matter.
The Central Registration Centre (CRC) may on the basis of information and documents provided,
reserve the name as a follows:
20 days from the date of approval (in case name is being reserved for a new company)
60 days from the date of approval (in case of change of name of existing company)
Part II – Instructions to provide details
Specific Instructions to enter details in the RUN service
Instructions to enter details in the RUN service are tabulated below.
S. No. Field Name Instructions
1 Entity Type Select the appropriate ‘Entity Type’ in case name is being reserved
for incorporating a new company. The following suffixes shall be
allowed/ not allowed based on the type of entity selected:
Entity Type Suffix allowed
Producer Company Producer company limited
Unlimited Company Unlimited
Private (OPC) (OPC) Private Limited
Page 9 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
IFSC Company (IFSC) Limited/ (IFSC) Private Limited/ IFSC
Limited /IFSC Private Limited
Section 8 company Other than ‘Limited/ Private Limited/ (OPC)
Private Limited’
Nidhi Company Nidhi Limited
New Company Limited/ Private Limited
(Others)
Part I Section 8 Other than ‘Limited/ Private Limited/ (OPC)
Company Private Limited’
Part I LLP to Company Limited/ Private Limited
Part I Firm to Limited/ Private Limited/Unlimited
Company
Part I Others N/A
2 CIN Enter the CIN of the company in case name is being reserved for
change of name of an existing company.
3 LLPIN Enter LLPIN only if you are reserving the name to convert LLP into
company.
3 Proposed Name Please enter the proposed name. In case of conversion of LLP into
company, the proposed name shall be same as existing name of LLP
except the change in suffix ‘LLP/ Limited Liability Partnership’
used in the name.
4 Auto Check Click on the ‘Auto check’ button after entering the proposed name.
Ensure that any change in the proposed name shall also be validated
by clicking the Auto check button.
5 Comments Ensure that the objects of the proposed company and/or any other
relevant comments are entered here.
6 Attachment Attach the relevant document supporting the proposed name.
Please note that only one file is allowed to be uploaded as an
attachment and the size of the file should not exceed 6MB.
In case of multiple attachments, please scan all documents as a
single file and then upload.
7 Submit Click on the ‘Submit’ button to proceed for payment.
Part III - Important Points for Successful Submission
Fee Rules
Page 10 of 11
Instruction Kit for RUN (Reserve Unique Name) Service
S. Purpose Normal Additional Logic for Additional Remarks
No Fee Fee (Delay Fees
Fee)
Event Date Time limit(days)
for filing
1. Reservation Rupees #N/A #N/A #N/A
of name 1,000
Fees payable is subject to changes in pursuance of the Act or any rule or regulation made or
notification issued thereunder.
Processing Type
Processing will be in Non-STP mode.
SRN Generation
On successful submission of the proposed name in RUN service, SRN will be generated and
shown to you which will be used for future correspondence with MCA.
Challan Generation
On successful submission of the proposed name in RUN service, Challan will be generated
depicting the details of the fees paid by the user to MCA.
Email
When a proposed name is approved/ rejected by the authority concerned, an acknowledgement of
approval/rejection with related documents, if any is sent to the email id of the applicant.
Approval/ Rejection Letter
When an eForm is approved/rejected, name approval/ rejection letter is generated, digitally signed
by the Registrar and shall be sent to the email id of the applicant. Rejection letter is generated on
the basis of rejection codes defined by MCA.
***
Page 11 of 11
