The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has defined the controls for selecting names for use in commercial activities, emphasizing that it is not permissible to use the name of the tribe or family alone in the trade name.
The ministry stated through its official account on Twitter that it is permissible to use the family name with the first name and the father’s name so that it is “three”. It is also permissible to use the name of a person, whether it is individual or dual, in the trade name, even if this name does not belong to one of the partners or owners.
The ministry also stipulated that when choosing a trade name, it should not be registered in the commercial register and trademarks and be written in letters of the alphabet (numbers or symbols such as dots and commas are not allowed), and not contain inappropriate words or contrary to public taste, and not be repeated, reserved or registered by another company, pointing out that the trade name is reserved through the ministry’s application moci_qatar or through the main building of the ministry or one of its affiliated branches or through the website www.moci.gov.qa, and the name can be kept commercial after deletion of the register in the event that the name was registered as a “trademark”.
In the event that the trade name is not a trademark, the investor must specify a short list of the required trade names (from 3 to 5 names as a maximum), where the Ministry of Commerce and Industry chooses one of them.
Also, the trade name mentioned on the billboard must be identical to the attachment in the commercial register and license, otherwise the licensee will expose himself to legal accountability and violation.
Regarding the fees for reserving a trade name, the ministry indicated on its official website that in the event of a three-day reservation, it is “free of charge.” In the case of reserving a name for a period of 6 months, the fee is 1,000 riyals.
A trade name can be reserved through the Ministry’s e-services website by logging on to the website www.moci.gov.qa, then selecting the entity and commercial activities, then entering the required trade name. More than one name can be entered to ensure the existence of the name and choose it from the available ones. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry stated that, according to the law, the names of countries cannot be used in the names of companies, unless the name is owned by a government agency or participating in the registry.
After the launch of the “single window” initiative, starting a business in the State of Qatar and the required procedures and processes has become faster and easier than ever before, especially for the investor, as well as helping business owners to expand their investments and businesses without the need for complex operations or lengthy routine procedures. Investors can submit a request to reserve a trade name electronically through the single window system as well, as the reservation lasts for a period of 180 days, which can be extended only once for a similar period.
In the event that the trade name is a Qatari trademark, the investor must submit a usufruct letter, or a concession contract to use the trademark as a trade name. In the event that the trade name is a non-Qatari trademark, these documents must be attested by the Qatari embassy in the country of origin and the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The single window initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry contributed to enhancing procedures by reducing the use of papers and reducing time and costs.
There are two options for registering commercial activity before the establishment of the company in Qatar, the first of which is the registration of the company, and this is done when the investor does not have a location to conduct his business, and in this step the trade name is reserved and the commercial registration of the company is issued, but without the possibility of conducting economic activities and submitting a request for recruitment or employment, even The trade license is issued.
As for the second option, it is a comprehensive incorporation, whereby the investor registers his commercial activity using the company’s trade name, commercial registry, and commercial license. The single window system works to issue all necessary licenses to submit a request to recruit workers and start practicing the economic activity of the company.
The “single window” has shortened the steps of establishing a company within the new package of services into 4 electronic steps, represented in filling out the application, automatically documenting the Memorandum of Association, paying the commercial registration fees, issuing the commercial registration, in addition to the establishment registration number and labor approvals automatically.
