ASIC Certificate of Registration of a Company

A certificate of registration of a company proves that ASIC registered the company. Order a copy through ASIC Connect using its ACN. Before paying, ask whether the recipient needs proof of registration or current company details, which require an extract.

What the Certificate Shows

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) issues the certificate when it registers the company. Section 118 of the Corporations Act 2001 sets out its contents.

The certificate contains these details:

• The company’s registered name.
• Its Australian Company Number (ACN).
• The company type, such as a proprietary company limited by shares.
• The state or territory in which it is registered.
• The registration date.
• A statement that it is registered under the Act.

The original certificate records registration at that point. It does not track later changes to directors, addresses or shares. A certificate issued after a name change records the changed name, but it still does not give a complete current company record.

Banks opening accounts, landlords, insurers and tender panels can ask for registration evidence. The certificate answers whether the company was registered and identifies that registration. It cannot establish who may sign today, current ownership, solvency or continuing registration. Ask the recipient which of those questions they need answered.

Ordering a Copy Through the Practice’s ASIC Access

Use ASIC Connect’s public company and organisation search to buy the certificate. Ordering a public search product is separate from managing a client through the registered agent portal. You do not need to link the company to your practice merely to purchase public registration evidence.

Have the ACN, the client’s instructions, a payment card and the delivery email ready. Also obtain the recipient’s document requirements before ordering. An ACN search avoids confusion where a trading name differs from the legal company name.

1. Open ASIC’s company and organisation registers guidance and follow its link to ASIC Connect.
2. Search the organisation and business names register using the ACN. Confirm that the result belongs to the client company.
3. Select the certificate of registration from the company’s available search products. Review the document choice and charge before paying.
4. Enter the delivery details and pay. Save the purchase confirmation with the client file.
5. Open the delivered certificate. Match its ACN and company name to the request before sending it through the agreed channel.

ASIC’s company-register guidance lists the certificate fee as $23. ASIC search fees are GST free. Confirm the checkout charge before quoting the client, and identify any practice service fee separately.

ASIC’s search-fees guidance says purchased online search products are sent by email. A same-day request still needs the document to arrive before you promise delivery. If the email is missing, check the address entered, the payment confirmation and spam folder before raising the order with ASIC.

When Someone Asks for a Certified Copy

ASIC says it cannot certify registration certificates or register extracts. Its certified-copy service applies to eligible lodged documents and adds an ASIC stamp and signature. Do not order that service assuming it converts the registration certificate into a certified certificate.

An ordinary PDF copy and a copy certified by a person the recipient accepts are different things. If a bank or tender panel insists on certification, ask who may certify the copy and which document they will accept. Keep that written answer before paying or arranging certification.

If the Original Is Missing

First check the client’s registration confirmation and the records of whoever arranged the registration. ASIC’s instructions for registering a company explains that the Business Registration Service confirmation email includes the certificate.

If the original was never received or cannot be found, purchase a copy through ASIC Connect. Losing the certificate does not require registering the company again. For a practice that needs to manage later filings, registered agent access and the ASIC corporate key are separate tasks.

Certificate or Extract: Which One the Asker Needs

Choose the certificate when the request concerns registration. Choose a current company extract when the recipient needs the company’s current recorded details. A request for a “company registration document” is too broad to decide between them.

Request	Document to consider	Confirm with the recipient
Bank account application	Certificate for registration evidence, plus an extract if current details are needed	Whether directors, signing authority or ownership evidence is also required
Tender submission	The certificate if the tender asks for incorporation evidence	Whether the tender requires a current extract or specified certification
Lease	Certificate to identify registration, with an extract where the landlord needs current details	Whether the proposed tenant and signing person need additional evidence
Insurance application	The document named by the insurer	Whether the insurer needs the legal entity, trading name or current status

For example, a fictional company client asks you to email its certificate to a landlord. The landlord’s checklist actually requests current directors. Sending the certificate alone leaves that request unanswered. Obtain the written checklist and use the guide to ASIC extracts to select the current document.

An extract records register information, but a recipient can still require separate evidence of a person’s authority to sign. Get the recipient’s requirements in writing so you send the right evidence once.

Keeping It on the Client File

Record the exact registered name, ACN, registration date and company type when you first collect the company’s documents. Keep the certificate beside the source of any later name change.

Compare those details with the client’s form. Where the client gives a trading name, record it separately from the legal company name. Resolve a different ACN or company type before the first lodgement. A correction to the form and a correction to ASIC’s register are separate actions.

Save the original file without editing it. Give it a filename that identifies the company and document type. Restrict file access to staff working with the client, and let only staff authorised under the practice’s procedure send it externally. Record the recipient, purpose and client authority for each release.

The original certificate is a historical record, so buying another copy each year does not establish current status. Keep it and add replacement evidence after a name change. As a practice procedure, review the company documents during annual client confirmation and before a transaction that requires current details. Obtain a fresh extract when the recipient’s requirements or a recorded change make one necessary.

When the Certificate Cannot Be Produced

The Company Has Changed Its Name

ASIC issues a certificate of registration when it accepts a company name change. Its instructions for changing a company name explains delivery through the online services inbox or to the registered office, depending on how the application was lodged.

Retain the original and the later certificate. Use the name-change certificate where the recipient needs evidence of the new name. If the recipient needs to trace former names or check current details, ask whether it wants a current and historical extract.

The Company Is Deregistered or Reinstated

A deregistered company no longer exists as a legal entity. An old registration certificate cannot establish that it exists today. Stop treating the missing certificate as an administrative problem when the register shows deregistration.

ASIC’s reinstatement guidance says a reinstated company is treated as if it was never deregistered. Keep the reinstatement evidence and obtain current register evidence for the recipient. Do not assume that the original certificate alone answers a question about reinstatement.

The Entity Is a Foreign Company or Business Name

A foreign company registered with ASIC has an Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN). ASIC issues a certificate for that Australian registration. Use that certificate or a current foreign company extract when the request concerns its Australian registration. The Australian document does not replace evidence of incorporation overseas.

A registered business name has a record of registration. It is not an Australian company registration certificate and does not create a separate company. Match the business name to its holder before sending evidence about the contracting entity.

If the client has not registered an Australian company, use the guide to registering a company to clarify the setup task. For an existing company, finish by matching the recipient’s written requirements to the certificate, extract or other evidence it actually needs.