Choosing and reserving your company name in Algeria

Four names not to confuse

When people talk about "the business name", they often mix up four things that follow different rules and are protected in different places.

What the law says

The company name is in principle free: it may or may not describe the activity, use a partner's name or be an invented word. It is accompanied by the company's form (SARL, EURL, SPA) in the articles, the trade register and business documents. For an SNC (general partnership), the Commercial Code speaks of a firm name built from the partners' names. A sole trader registers under their own first and last name and does not need a name certificate to start trading.

What gets a name refused

The CNRC checks your proposals against the national file of company names. We found no official published list of banned terms: the points below are precautions that avoid most refusals and disputes.

• A name identical to that of an existing company, or too close in writing or sound.
• A name that misleads about the activity or status: suggesting a bank, an insurer, a government office or a public body when you are not one.
• A name contrary to public order or morality.
• A name that copies a third party's registered trademark: its owner can take action against you, even after registration.
• A name reduced to a generic term ("Import Export", "Services"): often already taken in some form, and hard to defend.

Running your prior-name search

1. 1

   Search the CNRC file

   Sidjilcom offers a prior-name search service. Test your ideas with and without spaces, in singular and plural, with spelling variants.

2. 2

   Search trademarks

   Check trademarks registered with INAPI for your classes of goods or services, and international databases if you plan to export.

3. 3

   Check the domain name

   See whether the name is free under .dz on nic.dz, and under .com.dz if you plan to sell online.

4. 4

   Check social networks

   A name already used everywhere else will cause confusion, even if it is free at the CNRC.

5. 5

   Rank 4 proposals

   From favourite to fallback, all checked and written exactly as they will appear in the articles.

Reserving the name with the CNRC

The request is made at the local CNRC branch or online on the Sidjilcom portal. It lists up to four proposals in order of preference, the legal form and the intended activity. The CNRC selects an available proposal, following the order you gave, and issues the name certificate.

The certificate is valid nationwide: you can request it in Algiers for a company whose registered office will be in another wilaya (province).

Six months to reach registration

1. Name certificate issued: the 6-month period starts.
2. Articles signed at the notary, under the exact name reserved.
3. Legal notice published in the BOAL (official legal notices bulletin).
4. Registration file lodged with the CNRC, with the certificate.

Protecting the name as a trademark with INAPI

If your company name is also the name of your products or your shop sign, file it as a trademark. Filing is done with INAPI, for the classes of goods or services you designate. The filing and publication fee is 15,000 DA, or 16,000 DA if you claim colours (2026 Finance Law, Art. 168). Registration lasts 10 years from filing and is renewed for 10-year periods. An applicant domiciled abroad must go through an agent, unless a reciprocity agreement applies (Ordinance No. 03-06, Art. 13).

Registration can take a long time: the French INPI country sheet mentions about two years on average. File early, ideally before you start promoting the brand.

Changing the name later

Changing the company name is possible, but it is a real procedure: partners' decision and amendment of the articles at the notary, reservation of the new name with the CNRC as a rule, amendment of the trade register, then updates with the tax office, the bank, CASNOS and your customers. Since Law 26-12 of 8 June 2026, the amendment of the trade register extract must be started within one month of the change.

Common mistakes

• Ordering the stamp, logo or business cards before getting the certificate.
• Spelling the name differently in the articles, at the CNRC and at the tax office (accents, hyphens, spaces).
• Letting the 6-month validity lapse.
• Believing the certificate protects the name like a trademark.
• Choosing a name close to a well-known brand: likely refusal, and a risk of action by its owner.
• Not checking the domain name before reserving the company name.