Your business name “shall refer to ANY name that is different from the true name of an individual which is used or signed in connection with her/his business on any written or printed receipts, including receipts for business taxes, duties and fees and withdrawal or delivery receipts; any written or printed evidence of any agreement or business transaction; and any sign or billboard conspicuously exhibited in plain view in, or at the place of her/his business or elsewhere, announcing his /her business.” (DTI definition)
Loosely, business name would refer to trade name, different from the legal entity that owns it. Maybe an example would be if there was a music store named “Rico’s Music Instruments Shop” that’s owned by the band’s lead vocalist, Rico Musikero then they would surely have a DTI business name registration to that name and its legal owner/proprietor is Mr. Rico Musikero.
Corporations, sole proprietors go to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to register this. Having a DTI Certificate is required particularly for Sole Proprietorships (Corporations register with the SEC), as this becomes their basis when registering their business with BIR, Mayor’s Permit, and even to open a bank account.
Steps to Register Your DTI Business Name
- Go to the DTI Business Name Registration System (BNRS) website at https://bnrs.dti.gov.ph/ and click on “Register Now”.
- Many people think they need to hire someone else to do this, but if you have the time and are comfortable with it, you can quickly do it yourself.
2. Read and choose to Accept the Terms & Conditions of use.
3. Fill-up the form – Owner’s Information
4. Select the scope of Your Business Name registration. Choose from National, Regional, City/Municipality, Barangay. The cheapest registration is Barangay at Php 200 and most expensive is National at Php 2,000.
- Choosing your scope means how big of a geographical area do you want to use your business name. You can even treat this as asking yourself, how big of an area do you want to protect your business name? If you want to be the only “ABC Online Trading Shop” in the whole Philippines, choose National.
5. Next is to enter a “Dominant Name”.
- This is the “ABC” in “ABC Online Trading Shop”, or the “Julie’s” in “Julie’s Bakeshop.” It is also the most unique portion of your business name. Read the “Reminders” DTI has prepared for you when choosing your Business Name.
DTI BNRS Business Name Reminders
6. Enter your “Business Name Description” by typing a few words in the field and the BNRS will suggest.
- This now is the “Bakeshop” in “Julie’s Bakeshop” or the “Web Portal Services” in “Start Here PH Web Portal Services.” 🙂 It seems DTI has adopted these standards in business name descriptors as a few years ago you were not really required to state this. Doing this also no longer requires customers to go to a DTI office for validation and hastens the registration process. So good job, DTI!
7. The system then joins the two items to form the “Proposed Business Name.” Click on “Check Name Availability”
7A. Select the “Naming Order” that you want, and click on “Validate Business Name.”
- Based on my experience, the system glitches on the first attempt. Simply click on the “Validate Business Name” button again (steps 7, 7A) to reprocess.
8. Check on the Validation Result. If all items show a status of “Passed”, then you can proceed by clicking on the “Next” button on the lower right.
DTI BNRS Sample Selection and Validation Result
9. BNRS asks you to confirm your Business Name, and the related documentary fees. If you’re okay with it, click Yes.
- Note that after clicking Yes, you can’t change your selection any more. These fees don’t include any fee for payment processing yet, if any.
Baker’s Bae Bakeshop is still available! Get it now 😀
10. You will then get a 16-digit reference code. Copy it, as you may need this later on.
11. Fill-up the forms on Business Address, Personal Information, Residence Address, and Other Details, and continue on by simply clicking “Next” after each step.
12. The next steps are in choosing your preferred payment method either thru Bank Deposit, e-Wallets, or Credit/Debit Cards. Simply follow the instructions on screen.
- I prefer to pay via GCash or PayMaya because its quicker and less of a hassle. Note that a Php 10 charge may be added for this.
13. Upon successful payment, your DTI Business Name Registration Certificate and its corresponding Receipt will be emailed to you and also available for download!
- The BNRS system also facilitates Renewal and Cancellation of DTI Business Name Certificates.
Hope this has been helpful! Congratulations to aspiring entrepreneurs who took the first step of registering their business!
