The task: confirm what ASIC actually holds
Before you pay an invoice, sign a contract, appoint a supplier, or register your own company name, you need to know whether the details you have been given match what the regulator holds. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) describes itself as Australia's integrated corporate, markets, financial services and consumer credit regulator, and it publishes the registers where company, business name and professional registration details are recorded.
This guide explains which ASIC search to use for each question, how to read what comes back, and which points you should confirm with ASIC directly rather than assume.
Start with the right search tool
ASIC's online services are split by purpose. "Search ASIC Registers" is the public search entry point; ASIC Connect is the portal where you register, lodge documents and manage your own records. Searching a register does not require you to hold an account, while lodging anything does.
| What you are checking | ASIC tool named by ASIC | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| A company or other registered body | "Search company and other registers" | Search ASIC Registers |
| Companies and business names across both countries | "Search the Australian and New Zealand companies and business names registers" | Search ASIC Registers |
| A trading or business name | "Search Business Names Register" | ASIC's business names search (Connect Online) |
| Whether a name is free before you register | "Check Name Availability" / "Check business name availability" | ASIC online services |
| A financial services, credit or other professional registration | "Search information on Financial Services, Credit and other professionals" | Search ASIC Registers |
| Lenders with carried over instruments that have told ASIC they do not hold a credit licence | ASIC's published list of those lenders | ASIC website |
The last row matters if you are checking who you are borrowing from or dealing with: ASIC has published details of lenders with carried over instruments who have notified ASIC that they do not hold a credit licence. That is a notification, not an ASIC assessment of the lender, so read the entry carefully rather than inferring a conclusion from it.
How to run a company check
1. Go to Search ASIC Registers and choose the companies search. ASIC labels this as "Search company and other registers". If your entity might be registered in New Zealand rather than Australia, ASIC also points to a combined Australian and New Zealand companies and business names search.
2. Identify the entity precisely. Search the exact name first, then confirm you have the right entity using the number ASIC has assigned to it. Companies with similar names are common, and a name-only match can point you to the wrong entity. Confirm with ASIC whether the specific search you are using accepts a company number as well as a name.
3. Read the record as a lodgement record, not a verdict. A register shows what has been lodged with ASIC and when. It is not a statement that a business is trading, solvent, reputable, or that its details are complete and correct today. If something looks out of date, the practical step is to ask the other party to lodge the update or to explain the delay in writing.
4. Separate the company name from the business name. These are different registers. An entity can be registered under one company name and trade under a different business name, so check both the "Search company and other registers" result and the "Search Business Names Register" result before you conclude anything about who you are dealing with.
5. If you are registering, check availability first. ASIC provides "Check Name Availability" for company names and "Check business name availability" for business names. Registering then happens through ASIC Connect, which ASIC describes as the place to "register a company", lodge documents, update details and download company annual statements.
What ASIC Connect adds once you have an account
Access to your own records runs through ASIC's portals, which ASIC summarises as letting you log in or sign up, then register with ASIC, lodge documents, update details and download company annual statements. Specific tasks ASIC lists include:
- Downloading your company annual review statement from ASIC, which includes your annual invoice and payment details.
- Updating your agent details.
- Logging in to appoint and update an AFS representative's details.
For an annual review, the practical sequence is to log in to ASIC Connect, download the annual review statement, read the details it records, and confirm the invoice and payment details it contains before acting on them. Do not assume any amount, due date or payment method: read them from the statement ASIC issues to you.
Checklist before you rely on a search result
- Search the company register and the business names register separately.
- Match the entity by its ASIC number, not by name alone.
- Note the date you ran the search and keep a copy of the result.
- If the entity claims a financial services, credit or other professional registration, check the relevant professional register as well as the company register.
- If it is a lender, check whether it appears on ASIC's carried over instrument list.
- If you are registering a name yourself, run "Check Name Availability" before you build branding, packaging or a domain around it.
- If you also want brand protection, treat trade marks as a separate step: ASIC's own pages link to an external trademark check, which is a different system from the company and business name registers.
Questions to verify with ASIC
Confirm these on asic.gov.au or through ASIC's online services, because the answers depend on the register and on your circumstances:
- What fields each register displays publicly, and what is only visible to the company or its agent.
- Whether the search accepts a company number, and whether there are limits on how results are displayed or downloaded.
- Whether any fee applies to a particular search or document, and what it is at the time you search.
- How quickly a lodged change appears in the public register.
- Whether name availability is a preliminary indication only, and what could still prevent registration.
- How to correct a detail on the register that you believe is wrong.
Next steps
Write down the exact details you need to confirm — legal name, the number ASIC assigned, and the specific fact you are relying on. Run the matching ASIC search from Search ASIC Registers, and use the business names search if a trading name is involved. Save a dated copy of what you saw.
If the result contradicts what you were told, raise it with the other party before you pay or sign, and ask them to lodge the correction. If you are registering a company, check name availability first, then complete the registration through ASIC Connect. If you are reviewing an existing company, log in and download the current annual review statement rather than working from last year's paperwork.
General information only
This article is general information about ASIC's published registers and online services. It is not legal, tax, migration, credit or financial advice, and it does not replace reading the register yourself or contacting ASIC. Registers record information lodged with ASIC; they are not a guarantee about a business, a person, or an outcome, and name availability does not mean a name will be approved. Confirm current details, fees and processes directly with ASIC at asic.gov.au. Australian Ltd is an independent publisher and is not ASIC, a government body, a regulator, a lender or a broker.