ORC Sets January 17 Deadline for Business Name Renewal, Warns Defaulters of Legal Cancellation

The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) has given business owners until January 17, 2027, to renew their registered business names or risk having them struck from the official register—a move that would extinguish the legal existence of the business name and expose anyone continuing to trade under it to sanctions.

In a public notice issued on November 4, the Registrar said all business names are required by law to be renewed annually upon the expiry of their registration, but a significant number of names on the register remain unrenewed . "Notice is hereby given that all business names which are not renewed on or before 17th January, 2027 shall be deemed lapsed and shall accordingly be removed from the Register maintained by the Office," the statement read .

The consequences extend beyond administrative inconvenience. Once removed, a cancelled business name ceases to exist legally, and any person who continues to trade under it will be operating in breach of the law and liable to applicable sanctions .

Renewal Requirements and Fees

Business owners whose registrations are due or have already expired have been advised to regularise their status at any ORC office or through the USSD short code *222#. They are also required to settle all outstanding renewal fees and update changes in their business particulars, including registered addresses and the nature of their operations .

According to the ORC's official service page, the business name renewal fee is GHS 70 per year . Owners who no longer intend to operate under a registered name may formally notify the Registrar in writing to have it removed from the register, avoiding the cancellation process .

A Broader Regulatory Cleanup

The business name deadline is part of a wider enforcement push by the ORC to clean up Ghana's corporate register. In a separate notice issued earlier, the Registrar announced plans to strike off 453 companies, while 323 others had already been removed and dissolved under the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992) .

The 453 companies facing strike-off were published in Volume 48 of the ORC Companies Bulletin on October 15, 2026, under Section 289(3) of the Act, giving them three months to show cause why they should not be removed. The 323 already dissolved had been published in Volume 40, with no cause shown against their removal within the statutory period .

The ORC said the exercise forms part of its commitment to ensuring compliance with Ghana's corporate regulatory framework and promoting high standards of corporate governance and business transparency .

Businesses seeking clarification can contact the ORC through its call centre on 0308249841 or via WhatsApp and Telegram on 059-952-5774 .