Register your company with CIPC

A private company registered properly the first time: name reserved, Memorandum of Incorporation lodged, share certificates issued and your SARS income tax number confirmed. Usually three to seven business days.

Registration packages

Fixed fees, quoted in writing before anything is lodged. CIPC statutory fees are charged at cost on top.

Name Reservation

Secure the name first

POA

Availability checked on up to four names

Names lodged with CIPC

Alternatives supplied if all are rejected

Reservation certificate issued

Valid for six months

Rolls into a full registration

Registration

The company, properly registered

POA

Name reservation included

CoR14.3 registration certificate

Memorandum of Incorporation

Share certificates and securities register

Beneficial ownership lodged

First annual return date confirmed

Registration plus SARS

Registered and able to invoice

POA

Everything in Registration

SARS income tax number confirmed

Public officer appointed on eFiling

B-BBEE affidavit

Document pack for opening a bank account

Tax compliance status applied for

Tender Ready

Registered, compliant and able to bid

POA

Everything in Registration plus SARS

Central Supplier Database registration

B-BBEE affidavit sworn and filed

Letter of good standing

CSD banking and tax details verified

Twelve months of filing reminders

Worth knowing

Registering creates duties from day one

Your first CIPC annual return falls due within 30 business days of the anniversary of registration, and the company has to file an ITR14 with SARS for its first tax year even if it never traded. We give you both dates in writing, and can carry them for you.

Every registration includes

What we need from you

Nothing needs printing before we look

Certified IDs

A certified copy of the identity document of every director. A certified passport copy for anyone who is not South African.

Four names

Four proposed company names in order of preference, so we have alternatives ready the moment CIPC rejects one.

Registered address

A physical address for the registered office. It goes onto the public register, so use one you are happy to publish.

Share split

How the shares are divided between the shareholders, and who the beneficial owners behind them are.

Contact details

An email address and cellphone number for CIPC correspondence and for setting up your SARS eFiling profile.

Common questions

How long does registration take?

Name reservation is usually one to seven business days at CIPC, and the registration itself one to five once the name is approved. Most registrations are done inside a week from the day we have your certified documents. CIPC turnaround varies with their load and is outside our control.

What does CIPC charge?

R50 for a name reservation and R175 for the registration, or R125 where a name is already reserved. Those are CIPC statutory fees, payable to CIPC, and we pass them through at cost on top of our own fee.

Can a non-South African register a company?

Yes. A foreign national can be both director and shareholder of a South African company. We need a certified passport copy and proof of address, and the company still needs a South African address for its registered office.

Do I get a tax number automatically?

A newly registered company is registered for income tax with SARS automatically, but the number is not always active or visible on eFiling straight away. We confirm it and appoint your public officer, which is the step that quietly blocks most new companies from filing anything at all.

Ready to register? Send us your proposed names and director details.

Essa & Company