Limited company names are subject to certain company name restrictions and requirements under the Companies Act 2006 and the Company and Business Names (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2009. The secondary legislation that specifically governs the use of sensitive words and expressions is the Company, Limited Liability Partnerships and Business Names (Sensitive Words and Expressions) Regulations 2014.
These statutory regulations are in place to uphold legal and social standards, maintain fair business practices, and avoid causing offences or confusion among the general public. You will be required to carry out a number of checks prior to company registration to ensure your chosen name is available and permissible.
What are sensitive words and expressions?
Certain words and phrases are considered ‘sensitive’ because of their potential to mislead, confuse, or cause offence to the general public by suggesting a specific function, affiliation, status, or business pre-eminence. Therefore, using any such words in a company name requires approval from the Secretary of State or other relevant authority before it can be registered at Companies House.
If the appropriate body has no objection to using the word(s), you must provide Companies House with supporting documentation to prove this is the case.
You can access the full list of sensitive words and expressions online. This legislative document also contains details of the government departments and regulatory bodies whose permission must be sought. Some of the most popular sensitive words include:
- Association
- England/English/British
- Foundation/Fund/Society/Trust
- Fund
- Government/Parliament
- His Majesty, or any other term or name connected with the Royal family
- Insurance
- The name of a profession you are not qualified to perform.
Using the word ‘Royal’ in a company name
The use of the word ‘Royal’ is prohibited, as is the use of the following associated words: King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Duke, Duchess, His/Her Majesty, and Windsor. The inclusion of such words could mislead the public by falsely suggesting an association with the Royal family. This could unfairly boost the image and status of a business.
Should you wish to include any of the aforementioned words, you usually will need to seek permission from the Cabinet Office in London, the Scottish Government in Edinburgh, or the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff, depending in which UK jurisdiction your business is registered. In some cases, permission will need to be sought from elsewhere (for example, the word ‘Fund’ requires permission to be provided from the Financial Conduct Authority).
You will have to include relevant information to support your case, such as:
- the history of your business and/or future plans
- a relevant association with the Government or Royal family
- the relation of the sensitive word to a street name or surname
- evidence that your business is an established public house (or similar) that has been using a particular business name for a considerable time.
Similarly, using Royal names, residences and emblems on company products and promotional materials is prohibited because it suggests the company supplies goods to, or is endorsed by, the Royal family. These rules will only vary in exceptional circumstances, and permission must be granted by the Lord Chamberlain’s Office.
Using the word ‘trust’ in a company name
The word ‘trust’ is deemed sensitive and requires approval before its inclusion in a company name. This word does not have one fixed definition, so each company name application is considered on an individual basis, dependent upon its reasons for wishing to use this sensitive word. Typically, however, you will be permitted to include ‘trust’ in your company name if your organisation falls into one of the following Trust categories:
- Charitable Trust – Normally registered as a company limited by guarantee. The articles of association should contain a non-profit distribution clause. The company’s objects must be charitable in nature. The company must obtain a letter of non-objection from the Charity Commission (England and Wales) or the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (Scotland).
- Artistic Trust – Usually a limited by guarantee company. The articles must include a non-profit distribution clause. Activities such as the advancement and development of arts, heritage, culture, or science should normally be included in the company’s objects.
- Educational Trust – The company should usually be limited by guarantee. A non-profit distribution clause and the purpose of the trust should be included in the articles. The objects of the company must include activities relating to the advancement and promotion of education, art, and culture.
- Enterprise Trust – Normally limited by guarantee company. The articles must include a non-profit distribution clause. The objects of the company should usually include activities that will provide support to the community in some way. Evidence of support from the local Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, authorities, banks, etc. must be provided.
- Family Trust – Normally a limited by guarantee company with a non-distribution clause in its articles. The objects of the company should reflect the nature of the trust. The company will usually hold funds in trust for members of a family.
- Financial Trust – Unless you intend the company to be an ‘Investment Trust’, you will be required to explain the purpose of the company.
- Investment Trust – This type of company must be a type of collective investment. It should be a closed-end fund and a public company (a public limited company (PLC), not a private limited company).
- Pensions or Staff Trust – The name of the parent company should usually be included in the company name. The objects of the company must stipulate the management of pension scheme funds held in trust. The company may have to register with HMRC and comply with the requirements of the Pensions Regulator.
- Unit Trust – The company must be a type of open-ended collective investment fund and contact the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to obtain a letter of non-objection.
The regulations and guidelines for the use of ‘trust’ and other sensitive words in company names are set out in Companies House Annex A and included in The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business Names (Sensitive Words and Expressions) Regulations 2009 (SI NO. 2615).
The specified public authorities whose views must be sought are also included in the regulations. You must obtain supporting documentation from the required body in the form of a letter or email confirming it has no objection to using the proposed company name. This documentation should be filed with Companies House with your company registration application.
Supporting documentation for sensitive words and expressions
If you wish to include any sensitive words or expressions, you must provide supporting documentation for Companies House from the appropriate government department or authorising body. This should be included with your application to register a new company or change an existing company name. Without such documentation, your application will be rejected.
Recent legislative changes
On 31st January 2015, there were several changes to the legislation concerning company and business names in the UK. Fewer words are now disregarded for the purpose of distinguishing between registered company names. Furthermore, some common words and expressions are no longer considered ‘sensitive’, most notably:
- Group
- Holding
- United Kingdom
- European
- International
- Register, registered, registration, registry
How to register a company name
If you register your company through a company formation specialist, you can upload and send supporting documentation to Companies House online with your application. You cannot use Companies House Web Incorporation Service to register a company name with sensitive words.
You can complete an online application for Companies House and submit supporting documentation through Rapid Formations. The entire process is done online, and most applications are approved within 24 hours. There is no extra charge for filing additional documents, and providing everything is in order, their inclusion should not delay your registration.
Before you begin the application process, you should check the availability of your proposed company name through Companies House WebCheck or Rapid Formations’ online checker. You can find this on our homepage. This will compare your chosen name against the index of registered companies and alert you to any sensitive words or expressions requiring approval.
Please note that the information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or professional advice. While our aim is that the content is accurate and up to date, it should not be relied upon as a substitute for tailored advice from qualified professionals. We strongly recommend that you seek independent legal and tax advice specific to your circumstances before acting on any information contained in this article. We accept no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage that may result from your reliance on the information provided in this article. Use of the information contained in this article is entirely at your own risk.
Join The Discussion
Comments (22)
Are you allowed to use the word royal in a domain name if it does not form part of your company name.
So to use the word royal(anywordhere).com and teh company is based in the uk
What is the law on that?
Thanks
Hi Hayden,
Thank you for your kind enquiry. I can confirm we are not aware of any legal restrictions of using the word ‘Royal’ in a domain name – domain names have no legal link to registered limited company names, and Companies House only regulate the names of limited companies, not domain names.
I trust this information is helpful.
Regards,
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
I am setting up a company at present, and wish to use both my and my sons initials followed by our surname King, I have provided evidence, ie passport with application, what are chances of this application being rejected. After all it is actually my own name!!!
Thank you for your kind enquiry, Andrew.
Regarding use of the word King in the company name, the specific advice listed on the Gov.UK website to use this name is as follows:
To use this word in your proposed name, please provide a letter or email of non-objection from the relevant body.
To speed up your application, please include:
the reason(s) you wish to use this word
whether the organisation already exists, its current activities and future plans
details of any Royal or Government associations
details of leading members and membership numbers
if the name represents a pub, evidence of location and length of time in existence
evidence, if the word is a surname
England & Northern Ireland
royalnames@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Cabinet Office
Constitutional Policy Team
4th Floor (Orange Zone)
1 Horse Guards Road
London
SW1A 2HQ
Wales
brandingqueries@gov.wales
Branding Manager
Communications Division
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
CF10 3NQ
Scotland
protocol@gov.scot
Scottish Government
Protocol and Honours Team
Room 4N.02
St. Andrew’s House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
In summary – you should contact the Royal Names contact above with your supporting information, and obtain a letter of non-objection from them regarding your company using the name King. You should include a covering letter and your passport. Once you have received the letter of non-objection, you should then add this document on its own as supporting evidence alongside your company name. You should not include a passport in your company formation application as this will cause your application to be rejected due to GDPR.
If you require assistance in reducing the chances of your company name being rejected, you may use one of our packages and add the Pre-Submission Review item in the checkout, so a company expert can review your order prior to it being submitted to Companies House. Alternatively, please send us a message via live chat or by calling 020 7871 9990, and we will be happy to assist you.
I hope the above information is of use to you.
Kind regards,
Rachel
Hi Rachel. Useful information (which I wish I read before trying to register my business name which includes the word “kings”!). I will now email the Cabinet Office for their approval but wondered whether you had any advice for my plea? I’m using the word “kings” as it is the street name of where I live and the registered business address.
Thanks.
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for offering suggestions on this page, really informative!
I am trying to register my limited company, but the word ‘King’ needed prior approval.
I have registered the domain and have already set up email addresses associated with my company name. I have sent the request to royalnames@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
This is their reply:
Thank you for your email seeking permission to use the word “King” as part of your company’s name. Having carefully considered your request, I’m sorry to say that we would not be able to offer you the exact name that you have requested, as you have not demonstrated a strong enough connection to the word.
They have suggested alternatives but the suggestions don’t have the same ‘ring’ to it (even though they are very similar to mine)
Please can you advise me what to do in this situation as I really want my chosen name and don’t know how to contest the decision / offer a good enough reason why I should have it.
Kind Regards,
David
Hello Rachel
I am quite intrigued by the arguments of using sensitive names in companies. Can you please explain to me and the forum why it is that some companies seem to flout this regulation. Taking the term Royal for instance. Everyone knows that the RAC stands for the Royal Automobile Club. The club incorporated its motoring association in 1978, which was then sold on in 1999. It now has been taken over by various equity firms.
We therefore have a situation where we have a company that has no association with the Royal Family using an acronym which clearly links it with the word Royal. Obviously when the equity company took it over it was buying the name and goodwill as well as the company itself. I am interested in your views.
regards
Christian
Hello Christian
Thank you for your message.
Unfortunately it is not for us to speculate on the controls of sensitive words though you raise an interesting point. This is really more a question for Companies House.
Kind regards
Hi Racehl,
Please advice, Can I use the first name of my company with royals ? Does a plural give me chance ? Thanks !
Dear Killim
Thank you for your message.
Putting the letter s onto Royal will not stop the word being treated as a sensitive word so you would still require to go through the same process as you would for the use of the word “Royal”. If you want to check out the details for the use of the word Royal it is on page 58 of the attached document. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418150/GP1_Incorporation_names_v5_4-ver0.29-4.pdf
Kind Regards
Dear Rachel
We are in the process of setting up a business located at Park Royal, we would like to use word Royal in our business name. Would we need to seek advice and propose documentations or visit Companies House to find out if it is available?
Thank you
Hi Damian
You cannot use the word ROYAL unless the body shown below confirms by letter or email that it has no objection. To support and speed up your application, please email the Cabinet Office with as much information as possible such as the reason(s) you wish to use this word information about the company/organisation and its future plans; its present administration and activities; details of any Royal or Government associations; details of leading members and membership numbers; details of any publications and if appropriate, accounts for the last 3 years.
One you have received permission to use this word, you can include it with your online company application by uploading it during the order process, when asked to do so.
E-mail (faster & preferred): royalnames@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
or write to:
Cabinet Office
Constitutional Policy Team
4th Floor (South 1)
1 Horse Guards Road
London SW1A 2HQ
Kind regards,
Rachel
Hi,
I am training to be an equine therapist working with young children, Teenagers and young adults with learning difficulties, confidence issues, drug or alcohol addictions… also looking to work with sufferers of PTSD.
I came up with the name Trust Hope.. but have been told I can not register this… giving the nature of what I want to do, would I be able to use the word Trust?
Many thanks
Jo
Hi Jo,
Thank you for your message.
The use of the word trust is a sensitive word at Companies House and there are many restrictions on its use. I would advise reading the Companies House guidance on this word as there are different requirements dependent upon what other words you are planning to use in your company name. You can find guidance here (GP1).
Kind Regards
Hi Rachel
Is the word ‘Regal’ equally prohibited? We are looking to include a non-contentious word after the word ‘Regal’ for the company name
Thanks
Lee
Hi Lee
Thanks for your message.
The use of the word regal is acceptable to Companies House so you can proceed to incorporate a company with that name.
Thanks,
Rachel
Hi
Im in the process of opening an online clothing company and wanted to use ‘Pure Royale’
There is no affiliation with the Royal family etc of any kind. After staying in the ‘Kir Royale’ villa the name was inspired, and as a student of architecture the concept the brand is based upon the name was chosen.
The fact that it is a luxury brand and the word emphasises that is why it was chosen.
Any advice on asking for permission and whether it would be granted or not?
Thanks
Dear Michelle,
The name KIR ROYALE LIMITED (or LTD) is currently available for use at Companies House. The word ‘ROYALE’ is not deemed to be a sensitive word and therefore no permission or supporting evidence is required in this instance.
Thanks
Thanks Rachel,
This is a really informative articale. How does one get relevant permission from the Secretary of State to use the word “trust”?
Hi Harsha, this really depends on which type of trust you wish to set up? There are different permissions required for charitable trusts and financial trusts for instance. Do any of the Trust types above describe your company?
Hi Rachel, how are you.
I have a question and I hope you can help me.
I am in process of open a company but when I try to apply online it says I need to send an email asking permission to use the word “royal”.
My company is Royal Studies. Basically the company is a international student adviser.
What we do is to introduce the international students to the English schools in the UK . we have contract with the English schools in uk and we get commission every time we introduce a student.
The name is Royal Studies because we specialize in selling English course in UK, and because our office is in Bournemouth.
There is no connection with the Royal Family at all.
I need your help on how to explain on the email I need to send to the cabinet office that.
I already spend a lots of money in printing business card, folders, promotion materials, website, business logo, etc. I really want to use Royal Studies. But I need help on how to write a good letter for the cabinet.
Please help me Rachel
Best Regards
Hi Rodrigo,
That is a tricky situation. I’m afraid the best advice I could offer you would be to find an alternative.
Unless you do have some kind of affiliation with the Royal Family or a reasonable association from which the name was taken, it is very unlikely you will be granted permission to use it.
See here for further advice on use of sensitive names.
Thanks