How do I change my charity's name?

This will depend on whether your charity is a registered company, or is an unincorporated charity (a charity which is not a company). See the information under each heading below for advice as to what you need to do if you decide to change your charity’s name.

We are presently finalising our forms and processes to allow you to tell us if you change your charity’s name. We will put further information about this on our website as soon the arrangements are completed.

In the meantime, if you are changing your charity’s name, please contact our Casework Manager, kevin.kennedy@charitycommissionni.org.uk or telephone (028) 3832 0171.

Charities registered as companies

The following information applies even though the Commission is not registering charities.

If the new name of the charitable company does not contain the words "charity" or "charitable", you should notify Companies House using form NM01.

If your charity has previously been registered at Companies House and the name of your charity did not include the words "charity" or "charitable", but the new name does, you will need to notify Companies House using form NM06. Note that this form asks you to obtain the Commission’s authorisation to use these words, as they are regarded as sensitive words.

If you do require our authorisation, you should email your request to casework@charitycommissionni.org.uk . You should attach a copy of the resolution approving the proposed new name.

We will check that your charity is registered for tax purposes with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, using our deemed list of charities. If it is registered, we will let you know whether we agree to the proposed new name by email. Companies House will accept this as notification of our agreement.

If your charity is not registered for tax purposes with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, we will be unable to provide our authorisation to use the words "charity" or "charitable" in the new name. If this is the case, please contact us so that we can talk to you about possible options to resolve the matter.

When registration begins and we process your application for registration, we may ask you to change the charity’s name. This is because we may think it is too like the name of another charity, or we think the name misleads people about your charity’s aims.

If we do ask your charity to change its name, or if we issue a direction that you should change the name, you must send a copy of the resolution passed by the directors to the registrar of companies.