Name checks

POST /v1/name-checks checks a proposed name against CAC’s naming rules and its registry of existing businesses. Run it while your user is choosing a name, before they pay: a registration whose name CAC rejects costs your user time.

curl https://api.fastcac.com/v1/name-checks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTCAC_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Ada Foods", "line_of_business": "Educational Services And Consultancy"}'

Response

{
  "object": "name_check",
  "name": "ADA FOODS",
  "line_of_business": "Educational Services And Consultancy",
  "available": false,
  "requires_certificate": false,
  "reason": {
    "code": "qualifier_missing",
    "message": "A business name must end in a qualifier such as VENTURES, ENTERPRISES or CONCEPTS.",
    "accepted_qualifiers": [
      "VENTURES",
      "ENTERPRISES",
      "HUB",
      "CONCEPTS",
      "FASHION",
      "SERVICES",
      "BEAUTY",
      "BIZ"
    ],
    "words": null,
    "conflicting_name": null
  },
  "similarity_score": null,
  "most_similar_name": null,
  "similar_names": [],
  "suggested_names": []
}

name comes back as CAC will record it: upper case, single spaces.
available is the answer. When it’s false, reason says why in a stable code you can branch on, and a message you can show.
requires_certificate: true means the name is available but CAC will ask for a professional certificate for the profession the name implies. Upload it as a supporting_document.
suggested_names offers alternatives when the name is taken or too similar.

Line of business

line_of_business must be one of CAC’s options, exactly as written. Fetch the list once and offer it as a picker:

curl https://api.fastcac.com/v1/lines-of-business -H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTCAC_KEY"

Response (481 values, abridged)

{
  "object": "list",
  "data": [
    "Abattoir And Meat Selling Services",
    "Accommodation",
    "Accounting / Auditing Consultancy",
    "Accounting / Auditing, Taxation And Financial Management Consultancy",
    "Activities Auxiliary To Financial Services And Insurance Activities",
    "..."
  ],
  "has_more": false
}

Anything else is a 400:

400

{
  "error": {
    "type": "invalid_request_error",
    "code": "parameter_invalid",
    "message": "Pick what your business does from the list.",
    "param": "line_of_business",
    "request_id": "req_RtnEaZI1zv7xWscZ7o64r0ZR"
  }
}

Reason codes

`code`	Meaning	Extra fields
`name_exists`	A business with this name is already registered.	`conflicting_name`
`name_too_similar`	Too close to a registered name (90% similar or more).	`conflicting_name`
`qualifier_missing`	Business names must end in a qualifier such as VENTURES or ENTERPRISES.	`accepted_qualifiers`
`qualifier_not_last`	The qualifier must be the last word.	`accepted_qualifiers`
`multiple_qualifiers`	Only one qualifier.	`accepted_qualifiers`
`single_word`	Names need at least two words.
`restricted_word`	A word CAC doesn’t allow in a business name (BANK, LIMITED, GROUP…).	`words`
`restricted_line_of_business`	The line of business contains a restricted word.
`offensive_language`	Language CAC doesn’t allow.
`religious_reference`	A religious reference.
`special_characters`	Special characters.
`low_compliance`	CAC scored the name below the 80% it needs.
`not_accepted`	CAC is unlikely to accept it, for a reason it didn’t name.

New codes may be added; treat an unknown code like not_accepted and show the message.

Example: restricted word

{
  "object": "name_check",
  "name": "ADA BANK VENTURES",
  "line_of_business": "Educational Services And Consultancy",
  "available": false,
  "requires_certificate": false,
  "reason": {
    "code": "restricted_word",
    "message": "The name contains a word CAC doesn't allow in a business name.",
    "accepted_qualifiers": null,
    "words": [
      "BANK"
    ],
    "conflicting_name": null
  },
  "similarity_score": null,
  "most_similar_name": null,
  "similar_names": [],
  "suggested_names": []
}

Example: too similar

{
  "object": "name_check",
  "name": "ADA FOODS VENTURES",
  "line_of_business": "Educational Services And Consultancy",
  "available": false,
  "requires_certificate": false,
  "reason": {
    "code": "name_too_similar",
    "message": "This name is too similar to one already registered with CAC.",
    "accepted_qualifiers": null,
    "words": null,
    "conflicting_name": "ADA FOODS GLOBAL VENTURES"
  },
  "similarity_score": 92.0,
  "most_similar_name": "ADA FOODS GLOBAL VENTURES",
  "similar_names": [
    "ADA FOODS GLOBAL VENTURES"
  ],
  "suggested_names": [
    "ADA FOODS CONCEPTS",
    "ADA FOODS HUB"
  ]
}

Example: needs a certificate

{
  "object": "name_check",
  "name": "ADA PHARMACY VENTURES",
  "line_of_business": "Educational Services And Consultancy",
  "available": true,
  "requires_certificate": true,
  "reason": null,
  "similarity_score": 12.5,
  "most_similar_name": null,
  "similar_names": [],
  "suggested_names": []
}

In test mode

Test mode applies the naming rules but never searches the registry, so any name that follows the rules comes back available. Force any other outcome with ?simulate= and a reason code (or requires_certificate). See Test mode.

Limits

Live name checks query CAC’s registry, so they are rate limited per organization. A 429 comes with Retry-After; a 503 name_check_unavailable means CAC’s search isn’t answering, so try again shortly.

Get started

Registering a business

Webhooks

API basics

Going live

Line of business

Reason codes

In test mode

Limits

​Line of business

​Reason codes

​In test mode

​Limits

Line of business

Reason codes

In test mode

Limits