A name reservation holds a proposed company name at CIPC for six months, during which nobody else can register a company under that name. It can be extended before it expires. It is not a trade mark and confers no exclusive right to use the name commercially — someone else can trade under it, own the domain, and hold the trade mark, all while your reservation sits at CIPC.
Understanding what a reservation is not is worth more than understanding what it is.
How it works
Apply to CIPC, through BizPortal or e-Services, listing your proposed names in order of preference — you may submit several in one application, and CIPC works through them in order.
CIPC checks the register for names that are the same as, or confusingly similar to, existing registered names, and applies the statutory restrictions.
If approved, the name is reserved for six months. During that period the name is held for you.
You then either use it to register a company or to change an existing company's name, or extend it before it expires, or let it lapse, in which case it becomes available to anyone.
Extension must happen before expiry. A lapsed reservation is not renewed — it is reapplied for, and in the meantime somebody else may have taken it.
Why names get rejected
It is the same as, or confusingly similar to, an existing registered name. The most common reason. "Confusingly similar" is broader than identical — adding "SA", swapping "and" for "&", or a minor spelling variation will not save a name that is substantially the same as one already registered.
It is misleading about the nature of the business — implying you are a bank, an insurer or a regulated entity when you are not.
It falsely implies association with the state, a government department, an international organisation or a foreign government.
It would constitute propaganda for war, incitement to violence, or advocacy of hatred on prohibited grounds.
It infringes a registered trade mark or is the subject of an objection.
Practical advice: submit several genuinely different alternatives rather than four variations of the same word. Four near-identical options fail together for the same reason, and you have lost the time.
What a reservation does not do
This is the part that costs people money, so it is worth being blunt.
It is not a trade mark. A name reservation prevents another company registration under that name. It does not stop anyone from trading under the name, advertising with it, or building a brand around it.
It does not give you the right to stop someone else using it. That right comes from trade mark registration, or from common law rights built through use — neither of which a CIPC reservation provides.
It does not secure the domain name. Domains are first come, first served and entirely separate. Check and register the domain before you become attached to a name, because a reservation with no available domain is a problem you have paid to create.
It does not secure social media handles.
It does not check the trade mark register for you. CIPC's examination is not a trade mark clearance. A name can be approved by CIPC and still infringe someone's registered trade mark, and finding that out after you have printed signage, branded vehicles and built a website is expensive.
The order of operations that avoids all of this:
| Step | Why first |
|---|---|
| 1. Search the trade mark register | The most expensive problem to discover late |
| 2. Check domain availability | Cannot be reserved through CIPC and cannot be forced |
| 3. Check social handles | Cheap to check, annoying to work around |
| 4. Search the CIPC register | Free, and rules out the obvious conflicts |
| 5. Reserve the name at CIPC | Now that you know it is actually usable |
| 6. Register the domain immediately | Before someone notices your interest |
| 7. Register the company | |
| 8. Consider trade mark registration | If the brand matters commercially |
The timing mistake
Six months sounds generous. It is not, if you reserve too early.
The common pattern: someone reserves a name while still deciding whether to start the business. Four months pass in deliberation. By the time they are ready to register, financing questions, a co-founder discussion and a change of plan have consumed the window, and the reservation lapses unused.
Reserve when you are ready to register, not when you first have the idea. There is nothing to gain from an early reservation, because it grants no commercial rights in the meantime.
Where you genuinely need to hold a name long term — a planned launch, a brand you are protecting — a trade mark registration is the right instrument, not a series of renewed CIPC reservations.
Do you even need one?
Not always. You can register a company with a registration number as its name — the number followed by "(Pty) Ltd" — and file a name change later, or simply trade under a business name.
When that makes sense:
You need the company registered urgently and the name is still being decided
The company is a holding or dormant entity where the name is irrelevant
You will trade under a different name anyway
Bear in mind that changing the name later is a full process — reservation, special resolution, MOI amendment, amended certificate, then updating every downstream record. See how to change your registered company name at CIPC.
And remember you may trade under a name different from the registered name. Your tax invoices, contracts and statutory documents must carry the registered name and registration number, but your marketing can use the trading name. For many businesses this removes the urgency entirely.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a CIPC name reservation last? Six months. It can be extended, but the extension must be applied for before the reservation expires — a lapsed reservation is not renewed and the name becomes available to anyone.
Is a company name reservation the same as a trade mark? No. A reservation prevents another company registration under that name. It does not stop anyone trading under the name, advertising with it or building a brand around it, and it gives you no right to stop them. That right comes from trade mark registration.
Can I extend a company name reservation? Yes, provided you apply before it expires. Where you need to hold a name for the long term, a trade mark registration is the appropriate instrument rather than repeatedly renewing a CIPC reservation.
Why did CIPC reject my company name? Most commonly because it is the same as or confusingly similar to an existing registered name. Names are also refused for being misleading about the nature of the business, falsely implying association with the state or an official body, or conflicting with a registered trade mark.
Does a name reservation secure the domain name? No. Domains are entirely separate and first come, first served. Check and register the domain before committing to a name, because CIPC approval does not help you if the domain is taken.
Do I need a name reservation to register a company? No. You can register a company using its registration number as its name and change it later, or trade under a business name. Changing the registered name later is a full process, so this suits holding companies and situations where the name genuinely does not matter.
Can I register a company with a name someone else is trading under? CIPC may approve it if that name is not on the companies register, but doing so can expose you to a trade mark infringement or passing-off claim. Search the trade mark register before you commit.
How many names can I submit in one application? CIPC allows several proposed names in one application, worked through in order of preference. Submit genuinely different alternatives rather than variations of the same word, which tend to fail together.
Check the trade mark register first
The reservation itself is a small administrative step. The expensive mistake is treating it as protection it does not provide, and discovering the conflict after the vehicles are branded.
Smartbook handles name reservations and company registrations, and flags the checks worth doing first so you are not reserving a name you cannot actually use.
Last reviewed: 29 July 2026. Written by the Smartbook team — SAIPA and SAICA accredited, SARS registered tax practitioners. Trade mark clearance and infringement are legal matters requiring specialist advice — CIPC approval of a name is not a trade mark clearance. CIPC processes and fees change from time to time; confirm current requirements at cipc.co.za. General guidance, not legal advice.
Primary sources: CIPC · BizPortal · Companies Act 71 of 2008 · CIPC — Trade Marks