Removing your company from the register

How to apply to remove a company

This guide steps you through the online process for applying to remove your company from the Companies Register. It's free to apply. 

1. Get ready

You'll need to prepare some information and documents before you go online to start the removal process.

Before closing your company

If your company is registered on the Overseas Register 

The process for removing a company is different for overseas companies. If you're no longer intending to carry on business in NZ you must give public notice of your intention and then notify us after 3 months.

Closing the NZ business of an overseas company

2. Log in and find your company

To apply for a removal, you must:

  • have a RealMe® login
  • have an online services account for the Companies Register
  • have authority to act for your company.

RealMe logins and setting up your online services account

Confirming your authority to manage information

When you're logged in:

  • search the Companies Register for the company using the company name, company number or its New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)
  • select your company from the results
  • select Apply for removal from the My tools menu.

3. Complete the application form

Applicant details

Fill in the applicant details. From the list provided, tell us who is making the application. You can:

  • choose a director's name from the drop-down list
  • enter the name of the shareholder in the box and upload a copy of the special resolution, or
  • enter the name of the person that your constitution says the application can be made by.

The reason for your application

Choose a reason from the list of Grounds for removal. There are 2 options.

  1. The company has ceased to carry on business, has discharged in full its liabilities to all its known creditors, and has distributed its surplus assets in accordance with its constitution and the Companies Act 1993 [318(2)(a)].
  2. The company has no surplus assets after paying its debts in full or in part, and no creditor has applied to the court under Section 241 of the Companies Act 1993 for an order putting the company in liquidation [318(2)(b)]. 

Companies Act 1993 — Section 318 New Zealand Legislation

Letter from Inland Revenue

Select Browse or Choose file to upload the letter from Inland Revenue that confirms they have no objection to your company being removed from the Companies Register.

Comments

Use the comments field to tell us any other relevant information.

Other supporting documents

Select Browse or Choose file to attach any other supporting documents you wish to supply.

Submit your application

Select Submit to send us your application.

Apply to remove a company

4. What happens next — processing your application

Within 5 working days you'll get an email from us letting you know the outcome of your application. If it's approved, the email also tells you the date we'll publish a public notice about your company's removal.

Giving public notice

We must give public notice of companies that have requested removal from the Companies Register.

We do this by placing notices every 2 weeks in the:

  • New Zealand Gazette — under Removals
  • the public notices section of our website.

New Zealand Gazette

Public notices

Waiting for any objections

Once the notice has been published, the public have 20 working days to object to the removal of the company. Anyone can object during this time, as long as their objection is for a reason defined under Section 321 of the Companies Act 1993.

Objecting to the removal a company

Removal from the Companies Register

If we've received no objections after 20 working days, then the company is removed from the Companies Register.

The public details about the company can still be found on the Companies Register, but the status of the company shows as 'removed'.

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