SSM Change of Company Name (Malaysia) (Corporate)

A SSM Change of Company Name (Corporate) in Malaysia notifies the registry of the change it documents and captures the supporting details.

The process for changing a company name in Malaysia under the Companies Act 2016 involves three main stages. First, the company must pass a special resolution at a general meeting under Section 88(1) of the Companies Act 2016 to approve the name change, since amending the company's registered name requires a special resolution (75% majority vote of shareholders entitled to vote) unless the company's constitution provides otherwise. For a single-member company, the sole shareholder's written resolution under Section 296 of the Companies Act 2016 suffices.

Second, the company must apply to SSM for the reservation of the new proposed name under Section 26 of the Companies Act 2016. The name reservation application is submitted through the MyCoID 2016 portal (mycoID.ssm.com.my), and SSM responds within 1 working day. The new name must comply with SSM's name guidelines — it must not be identical to or closely resemble an existing registered company name, must not contain prohibited words under the Companies (Prohibition of Name) Regulations 2017, and must not contain restricted words (e.g., 'Bank', 'Finance', 'Insurance') without the relevant regulator's prior approval.

Third, following SSM's approval of the new name, the company's licensed company secretary lodges the change of name application with SSM through MyCoID 2016 under Section 28 of the Companies Act 2016, together with a certified copy of the special resolution. SSM processes the lodgement and issues a new Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name (Sijil Penubuhan Syarikat atas Pertukaran Nama) reflecting the new company name and the same SSM registration number. The SSM lodgement fee for a change of name is RM 300 under the Companies (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2017.

Following the issuance of the new SSM certificate, the company must notify all relevant parties of the name change — including LHDN (income tax reference update via MyTax portal), Employees Provident Fund (EPF, via i-Akaun), Social Security Organisation (SOCSO/PERKESO), the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD, for SST registration update), all banks where the company holds accounts, and all regulatory licence holders (e.g., MDEC, BNM, SC, MIDA, KeTTHA). Contracts entered into under the old name remain valid and enforceable under the new name by operation of law.

An SSM Change of Company Name application is needed in the following circumstances where a Malaysian company wishes or is required to change its registered name.

An SSM Change of Company Name application is required when a company undergoes a rebrand or business repositioning and wishes to align its legal entity name with its new brand identity. For example, a company that started as 'ABC Trading Sdn Bhd' and has pivoted to technology services may wish to change its name to 'ABC Digital Sdn Bhd' to reflect its current business. The legal name change requires the Section 28 SSM process.

An SSM Change of Company Name application is needed when a company has been acquired through a merger or acquisition and the new owners wish to rename the company to align with the acquiring group's branding or to reflect the change of ownership. Post-acquisition name changes are common in corporate M&A transactions in Malaysia and must follow the SSM process regardless of how the acquisition was structured.

An SSM Change of Company Name application is required when SSM or a court directs the company to change its name under Section 28(3) of the Companies Act 2016 — for example, where the company's name was registered in error, is misleading, or too closely resembles another registered company name. SSM may direct a name change within 12 months of registration if a prohibited or deceptively similar name was approved.

An SSM Change of Company Name application is needed when a company that was incorporated as a private company (Sdn Bhd) converts to a public company (Berhad) under Section 40 of the Companies Act 2016, requiring the 'Sendirian' to be removed from the company name and replaced with 'Berhad' following SSM's conversion approval.

An SSM Change of Company Name application is required when a company's constitution or a shareholders' agreement requires the company to change its name upon the occurrence of a specified event — for example, where a licence agreement required the company to use a specific brand name and the licence has been terminated, requiring the company to remove the licensed brand from its registered name.

A complete SSM Change of Company Name application in Malaysia under Section 28 of the Companies Act 2016 (Act 777) must contain the following essential elements.

Special Resolution: A special resolution of the company's shareholders (75% majority under Section 88 of the Companies Act 2016) must be passed at a general meeting approving the change of name to the proposed new name. The special resolution must be in writing, specify the existing registered name and the proposed new name, and be signed and dated. For a single-shareholder company, a written resolution under Section 296 suffices. The special resolution must be filed with SSM within 30 days of passing under Section 51 of the Companies Act 2016.

Name Reservation: The proposed new company name must be reserved with SSM under Section 26 of the Companies Act 2016 before lodging the change of name application. The name reservation is applied for through MyCoID 2016 and is valid for 30 days. If the first choice name is rejected (e.g., because it is too similar to an existing registered name), alternative names must be submitted.

SSM Lodgement: The licensed company secretary lodges the change of name application with SSM via MyCoID 2016 with the approved new name, the certified copy of the special resolution, and payment of the RM 300 SSM lodgement fee. SSM issues the new Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name upon processing, bearing the same SSM registration number as before the name change.

New Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name: SSM issues a new Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name (Sijil Penubuhan Syarikat atas Pertukaran Nama) which becomes the definitive proof of the company's new registered name. This certificate, together with the original Certificate of Incorporation, constitutes the company's full incorporation documentation.

Notification to LHDN and Government Agencies: Following the name change, the company must update its registered name with LHDN (income tax, via MyTax portal), EPF (via i-Akaun), SOCSO/PERKESO, and RMCD (SST registration). Failure to update LHDN may result in correspondence being addressed to the old name and statutory deadlines being missed.

Banks and Contractual Counterparties: All banks, financial institutions, and significant contractual counterparties must be notified of the name change and provided with a copy of the SSM Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name and the special resolution, to enable them to update their records and reissue bank mandates as necessary.

Constitution Amendment: If the company has adopted a constitution that references the company name, the constitution must be amended by special resolution under Section 36 of the Companies Act 2016 to reflect the new name, and the amended constitution must be lodged with SSM.

Additional compliance elements for a SSM Change of Company Name (Malaysia) used in Malaysia include: Under Malaysian law, the Contracts Act 1950 (Act 136) governs contractual obligations. The Companies Act 2016 (Act 777) regulates corporate entities through the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM). The Employment Act 1955 (Act 265) and the Department of Labour govern employment matters. The Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Act 709) and the Personal Data Protection Department protect personal data. The Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN) administers tax obligations. The Industrial Court adjudicates employment disputes under the Industrial Relations Act 1967 (Act 177). Forms-legal.com provides this template as a starting point for Malaysia-compliant documentation.