Sensitive words and expressions – what you need to know

When it comes to forming a limited company, job number one is to pick a suitable name for your new business. This is the name that is going to be placed on the Companies House register, so as you would expect, there are certain rules that your company name must adhere to.

In this post, we’ll pay particular attention to the ‘sensitive words and expressions’ rules, and what to do if your new company name includes any of these.

What are sensitive words and expressions?

Companies House has a list of sensitive words and expressions that are set out in ‘The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business Names (Sensitive Words and Expressions) Regulations 2014’.

The purpose of this list is to ensure that a company name ‘does not mislead or harm the public’.

There are four mains reasons why a name may not be able to be used:

• The name suggests business pre-eminence, a particular status, or a specific function – for example, names that include “British”, “Institute” or “Tribunal”
• The name implies a connection with the UK Government, a devolved administration, or a local or specified public authority
• The name includes a word that represents a regulated activity
• The name includes a word whose use could be an offence

If your proposed company name includes a sensitive word or expression – and you feel that you have a rightful claim to use it – you can seek written permission from the relevant authority.

This must be done before the company formation application is sent to Companies House. Applications that are sent without the necessary supporting documentation will be rejected by Companies House.

Examples of sensitive words and expressions

Using the groups outlined above as a reference, here are some examples of sensitive words and expressions and who to seek permission from to use it in a company name.

Example 1: The name suggests business pre-eminence, a particular status, or a specific function

‘King’ is considered a sensitive word, as it implies a Royal connection or accreditation.

In this instance, you would need to request a letter of non-objection from the Constitutional Policy Team at the Cabinet Office (if the company is being registered in England or Northern Ireland), the Branding Manager in the Communications Division of the Welsh Government (for a Welsh company), or the Protocol and Honours Team at the Scottish Government (for a Scottish company), stating why you believe you can use the word.

Other words/expressions that fall into this category include:

• Bank
• Britain
• Federation
• Police
• Post Office

Example 2: The name implies a connection with the UK Government, a devolved administration, or a local or specified public authority

‘Court’ is considered a sensitive word, as it implies a connection to a court or tribunal.

In this instance, you would need to request a letter of non-objection from the Ministry of Justice, stating why you believe you can use the word.

Other words/expressions that fall into this category include:

• Assembly
• Border Agency
• Home Office
• National Health Service
• UK Government

Example 3: The name includes a word that represents a regulated activity

‘Dentist’ is considered a sensitive word, as it implies a dentistry qualification.

In this instance, you would need to request a letter of authorisation from the General Dental Council, providing proof of your dental qualification.

Other words/expressions that fall into this category include:

• Apothecary
• Chemist
• Optician
• Physician
• Solicitor

Example 4: The name includes a word whose use could be an offence

‘Architect’ is a sensitive word, as it is considered an offense to use it without necessary approval (unless being used in the following contexts: ‘golf course architect’, ‘’landscape architect’ or ‘naval architect’).

In this instance, you would need to request a letter of non-objection from the Architects Registration Board, providing proof of your architecture qualification.

Other words/expressions that fall into this category include:

• Anzac
• Geneva Cross
• Olympic
• Red Cross
• Spirit in motion (because of its Olympic Games connections)

How do I know if my company name includes a sensitive word or expression?

The following information applies to forming a limited company using our company formation services.

Once you have entered your chosen company name in our company name search tool and selected ‘Search’, we’ll immediately tell you if your company name is available (as it must be unique), and if it includes any sensitive words.

For example, as we have mentioned, ‘King’ is a sensitive word. If your company name includes this, you will receive the below note immediately:

“EXAMPLE COMPANY NAME KING is available. Please note: The word(s) King is deemed sensitive. You may need to supply additional information to use it.”

You then have the option to proceed with the company formation or pick another name.

How do I know who to seek approval from?

The authorising body that you need to get permission from depends on the word or expression.

We’ll tell you who you need to contact and what information you need to provide on the ‘Particulars’ page of the company formation process (where you enter your company information).

For example, if your company name included ‘Dental’, we’d provide the below information:

To use this word in your proposed name, please provide a letter or email of non-objection from the General Dental Council.

[email protected]

General Dental Council Registration Development, 37 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 8DQ

You can then exit your company formation application and seek the necessary approval.

Once you have this, you can revisit the application (see instructions below).

Again, if you would rather proceed with an alternative company name that doesn’t require any approval, you can change the name at no extra cost. Of course, this only applies if the sensitive word or expression isn’t critical to the company (as ‘Dental’ probably would be).

Contact the authorising body via email if it’s an option

Some authorising bodies can be contacted via email.

For the sake of speed, if the option is available, we recommend contacting the body in question via email, rather than a letter. As well as initially being quicker, it will also speed up the process if there’s any back and forth.

Regardless of how you do make contact, giving a timeframe for how long it takes to receive the approval (or rejection) is hard, as it depends on the particular case.

How do I upload the email (or letter) of non-objection/authorisation?

If you receive the necessary letter of non-objection/authorisation, the next step is to upload it to your application.

To do this:

1. Ensure that the letter is in PDF, RTF, DOC, or DOCX format
2. Log in to you 1st Formations account
3. Select ‘My Companies’
4. Click on your company name
5. You will be directed straight to the ‘Particulars’ page
6. Navigate down to the ‘Supporting Document’ section
7. Select ‘Browse’, locate the document on your computer and click the ‘Attach’ button.
8. Complete the company formation process and submit it to Companies House

That’s it. Your company should then be formed with the sensitive word or expression included.

Our team will be on hand to help, if you encounter any issues.

Do I have to pay any extra if my company name includes a sensitive word or expression?

Forming a company with a sensitive word or expression incurs no extra costs. However, in some instances, the word or expression will only be permitted if you are forming a specific type of company.

For example, ‘Association’ can generally only be used if you are forming a limited by guarantee company. So, in this case, if you are forming your company through us, you would need to purchase the Limited by Guarantee Package.

What are the specific sensitive words and expressions?

You can view all the sensitive words and expressions via the below pages:

• Annex A: Sensitive words and expressions that require prior approval to use in a company or business name
• Annex B: Words and expressions which could imply a connection with a government department, a devolved administration or a local or specified public authority
• Annex C: Words and expressions protected under other legislation

Other rules about naming a company

It’s not just sensitive words and expressions that you need to watch out for when choosing your company name. You should also be aware of the following regulations:

‘Same as’ rule –  Your company name needs to be wholly unique, and shouldn’t even be similar to another name on the register. For example, if Example Company Name Ltd already existed on the register, Companies House would not allow Example Company Name UK Ltd or Example’s Company Name Limited.

‘Too like’ rule – Your company name shouldn’t even be broadly similar to another company on the register. For example, if Let’s Form Your Company Ltd already existed on the register, Companies House may decide that you can’t use Letz Form Ur Company Limited. The ‘Too like’ rule is often applied post-company formation, when the owner of the original company complains to Companies House. When this happens, Companies House may request that the new company change its name.

The company name can’t be offensive – And perhaps the most obvious rule. Companies House will not allow a company name to be used if they believe it could cause any offence. For example, they would reject a company name if it included a swear word.

See Guidelines on limited company names for further information on naming your company.

So there you have it

You should now have a good understanding of sensitive words and expressions, and how to go about forming a company that includes any of these.

If your proposed company name features any of these, whilst it may same a nuisance at the time, it’s important to remember that the regulation is in place to protect the public from being misled or harmed.

We hope you have found this post helpful. Please leave a comment if you have any questions about naming a limited company or company formations in general. Thanks for reading.