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Starting a business

Updated 22 July 2026

Fees, phone numbers and eligibility change. Always confirm details on the official website before you rely on them.

Overview

This explains how to start a business in Victoria, Australia: choosing a business structure, applying for an Australian Business Number (ABN), registering a business name or a company, and finding the licences you need. Business Victoria (the Victorian Government) provides local guidance, while federal services (the Australian Business Register and ASIC) handle the ABN, business name and company registrations. It is for newly-arrived migrants who want to start their own business in Victoria.

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Decide on your business structure (sole trader, partnership, company or trust), as it affects your tax, legal obligations, liabilities and costs.

  2. Step 2: Apply for an Australian Business Number (ABN); it is free through the Australian Business Register, and a successful online application usually gives you your ABN immediately.

  3. Step 3: If you will trade under a name other than your own personal name, check the name is available on ASIC's register and search Australian trade marks to avoid infringing an existing one.

  4. Step 4: Register a business name with ASIC (you need an ABN or an ABN reference number first); you can apply for the ABN and business name together through the Business Registration Service.

  5. Step 5: If you want to operate as a company, register the company with ASIC through the Business Registration Service.

  6. Step 6: Apply for the licences, registrations and permits your business needs, including any council or industry approvals - check Business Victoria's Licences and registrations pages.

  7. Step 7: Register for any taxes you need, such as GST, through the same Business Registration Service.

  8. Step 8: Consider protecting your name as a trade mark (search IP Australia first), because registering a business name does not by itself protect it as a trade mark.

Eligibility & requirements

  • Not everyone is entitled to an ABN; you must be carrying on or starting an enterprise, and you may face an entitlement review or prosecution if you apply when not entitled.
  • You must register a business name if you run a business in Australia and are not trading under your own personal name (or, in a partnership, under all partners' names).
  • To register a business name through ASIC you must have an ABN or an ABN reference number.
  • You cannot hold a business name if you have been convicted of certain criminal offences or disqualified from managing corporations.

Costs

ItemIndicative cost
ABN (Australian Business Number) registration through the Australian Business RegisterFree
Business name registration with ASIC$47 for 1 year; $108 for 3 years
Company registration with ASICSee the official page linked below for the current amount.

Key links

Contacts

Business Victoria Hotline: 13 22 15 (local call).
Business Victoria Hotline: 13 22 15 (local call).
Free interpreter - Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National), available 24 hours a day: contact via https://www.tisnational.gov.au/
Free interpreter - Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National), available 24 hours a day: contact via https://www.tisnational.gov.au/
For ABN queries use the Australian Business Register website (https://www.abr.gov.au) and for company or business name queries use the ASIC website (https://asic.gov.au) - a phone number was not shown on the pages read.
For ABN queries use the Australian Business Register website (https://www.abr.gov.au) and for company or business name queries use the ASIC website (https://asic.gov.au) - a phone number was not shown on the pages read.