One of the first steps you need to take before establishing your company and drafting the article of incorporation is to choose a business name. There is a lot of good marketing advice you can take into consideration when selecting a name, and certain legal restrictions that you must adhere to. You can find general instructions related to the selection and reservation of a business name on the Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA) website.

According to the current regulations, the business name consists of the company name, the legal form of the company, and the city and municipality where the headquarters are located. Thus, a business name takes the following form:

My Company Name d.o.o. Beograd – Čukarica

When filling out legal documentation, you must use the full name of the business. The law allows for a shortened business name which excludes the place where it was created. In our example, the shortened business name would look like this:

My Company Name d.o.o.

Founders cannot choose a different template for the abbreviated company name.

If you’ve already got a great name for your company and wish to reserve it — the SBRA allows you to do so. By submitting a request for a name reservation along with the payment of an RSD 1,000.00 fee, the SBRA will reserve and keep the name for you for 60 days.

Reserving the desired business name is quite practical for one main reason. During the reservation procedure, you will be informed if the name you’ve selected is acceptable.

Several rules govern the SBRA’s approval or denial of your chosen name. If you don’t reserve a name, you would only find out about a denial near the end of the company creation process, after paying various taxes and fees and spending time at numerous counters (courts, administrative offices, and banks). In that case, you would have to repeat the entire process with a new business name.

To avoid any surprises, we recommend that you hire an accounting firm or a lawyer who is familiar with the naming conventions and then make a business name reservation.