How to register a private company with CIPC

The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) registers companies in South Africa. Most small businesses register a private company, the kind with “(Pty) Ltd” in its name. You can do it yourself online, without an agent.

Who can register a company

• A private company needs at least one director and one incorporator. The same person can be both.
• A director must be 18 or older.
• Registering on CIPC e-Services only works if every director is a South African citizen with a South African ID or Smart ID, because CIPC checks each director with Home Affairs. If a director is married, you need the details from the marriage certificate.
• Each director needs a cellphone number and an email address.

Where to register

• BizPortal: reserve a name and register the company in one application. You log in with your ID number and your CIPC password.
• CIPC e-Services: first register as a CIPC customer, then reserve a name and register the company, paying by credit or debit card. CIPC’s guide says this platform doesn’t take deposits for company registration.
• Other channels: the CIPC mobile app, CIPC self-service terminals and some banks.

Step 1: choose a name (optional)

You can reserve a name before you register. You may propose up to 4 names in one application.

• The fee is R50 online (R75 for a manual application), and it isn’t refunded if the names are rejected.
• A reserved name is valid for 6 months. You can extend it for 60 business days at a time for R30.

If you register without a reserved name, CIPC uses the company’s registration number as its name, with “(South Africa)” at the end. You can change the name later.

Step 2: register the company

The standard MOI is CIPC’s ready-made founding document. A company with its own customised MOI costs more.

How long it takes

CIPC’s service standards say a standard private company is registered within one working day on e-Services, and immediately on BizPortal, the mobile app, a self-service terminal or at a bank. A name reservation takes one working day.

If it takes longer, log a query on CIPC’s enquiry system. CIPC takes enquiries only there, not by email.

After you register: what you must file

• Beneficial ownership: a new company must file a declaration of who ultimately owns or controls it within 10 business days of being registered, and update it within 10 business days of any change.
• Annual returns: every year, within 30 business days after the anniversary of the company’s registration, file an annual return, even if the company didn’t trade. A company with a turnover of less than R1 000 000 pays R100, or R150 if it files late.

CIPC warns that companies that don’t file annual returns and beneficial ownership declarations will be deregistered.

A company also has its own tax obligations with SARS. Ask SARS or a registered tax practitioner what applies to your company. For your own tax number, see how to get a SARS tax number.

Stay safe

• You can register a company yourself on the official CIPC and BizPortal websites. Check the website address before you log in or pay.
• CIPC’s fees are listed on the CIPC website. Don’t pay anyone more to “fast-track” a registration you can do yourself.
• Keep your CIPC customer code and password private.