To conduct business activities in Nigeria, a company must be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which was created under the Companies and Allied Matters Act of Nigeria. Upon registration by the commission, a Certificate of Incorporation, which contains the business registration details is issued.

The Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has introduced an online portal that enables members of the public to search and check for existing company / business names from the comfort of their homes using a computer or mobile phone free of charge.

The portal also enables individuals desirous of submitting applications for Name Search and Reservation to check and know whether the proposed name has already been registered by someone else. This saves them the stress of having to go to the CAC office to do the same. The website portal provides information about the Company name, business name, Registration Number, registered business address and date of Incorporation.

For job seekers who wish to verify the authenticity of a company, this portal will be helpful too. Though some genuine companies sometimes could project a brand name different from the registered business name. However, this tool will go a long way in guiding you.

If it’s a business / company name that has already been registered, the following information about the company will be displayed: RC Number or BN Number, Company name, company registered address and date of registration. If the company is undergoing registration, the result will also detail the name and status of the company registration at that time. If the company / business has not been registered, a blank table will be displayed.

Please note that all legally registered companies in Nigeria have an RC Number, while Business Names have BN Numbers

CAC Code & Company Registration Status with CAC regular check is a way of verifying the existence or authenticity of a registered company in Nigeria.

Although, it is  time consuming and daunting task in those days because it  requiring you to visit a CAC office to fill paper forms at times.

I’m glad to announce to you that process is more easier as everything can now be done online in the comfort of your home.

Therefore, If you have properly registered with Corporate Affairs Commission Nigeria Portal (CAC),  you will need an availability code to be able to complete the registration process after your company or business name might have been approved by CAC.

The availability code is clearly printed on the approval note which you will have to download from the CAC portal and this is why we have created this post.This article contain steps by steps on:

• How to check your registration status,
• Getting your registration code,
• Downloading your CAC approval and everything you need to know.

Procedure For Checking Availability Code For CAC Company Registration;Follow the registration procedure at Corporate Affairs Commission Nigeria website check for code you will need to complete the registration process after your company or business name might have been approved by CAC.

HOW TO CHECK CAC REGISTRATION  CODE & COMPANY REGISTRATION STATUS:

Here, i have stated the necessary procedure to guide you through and  steps to take to check and download your CAC approval note so you can get the availability code needed for the completion of your online business registration.

The availability code is clearly printed on the approval note which you will have to download from the CAC portal. Click here

HOW TO KNOW CAC REGISTRATION CODE 

• Go to CAC login portal :
• Click on “Sign in”
• Enter your username & password and click on “Log In”
• Click on “Name Search” tab
• Click on “My Reservation History” tab
• You will see list of your approved business names
• Click on the “Action” button and click on “view payment history”
• You will be prompted to save  the pdf file. Save it to where you can easily find it.
• Once download completes, open the pdf file.
• The serial number is your availability code.

You can now go back to the registration tab, enter the availability code, to complete your company or business name registration.

HOW TO GET THE CAC APPROVAL NOTE

Step one 

• Go to CAC login portal : 
• Click on “Sign in”
• Enter your username & password and click on “Log In”
• Click on “Name Search” tab
• Click on “My Reservation History” tab
• You will see list of your approved business names
• Click on the “Action” button and click on “view payment history”

Step Two

You will be prompted to save  the pdf file and Once download is completes, open the pdf file you will find the serial number which  is your availability code.

• You can now go back to the registration tab, enter the availability code, to complete your company or business name registration.Kindly note that your approved business name will be reserved for 60 (Sixty) days.

HOW TO CHECK COMPANY REGISTRATION STATUS WITH CAC

Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) is an autonomous body charged with the responsibility to regulate the formation and management of companies in Nigeria.

To check if a company or business is registered, follow this simple steps:

1. Visit CAC website by clicking here,
2. You will be presented with a form to type the name of the company / business you want to search for (as illustrated below).
3. Type the company name in the field provided without “Plc”, “Limited” or “Ltd”.
4. Enter all or part of the company name.
5. Check the “I am not a robot” CAPTCHA and click the “Search” button.
6. Check the “I am not a robot” CAPTCHA box
7. Click submit .

If the company exists, you will get a result with (the RC Number, Company Name, Address and Date of Registration). However, if the company doesn’t exist you will get an empty result.

Sometimes, you will get many results if the company has other companies bearing similar name, just scroll down to locate the company with matching name.

Note: Sometimes, a company might still be undergoing registration, in that case you won’t see it’s RC Number, you will see Undergoing Registration.

CAC COMPANY REGISTRATION GUIDELINES 2020:

1. PUBLIC SEARCH

Search for a Name to Register. To help you reduce the time required to register a business in Nigeria; please use the public search feature to search if the business Name you are intending to register already exists.

This service is offered free online via the link below. This could help save you time and money; since you would be certain that a business with the name you intend to register does not already exist. Click Here to Search

2. RESERVE A NAME

Submit your Preferred Business Name. Once you have a name in mind; use the Name reservation feature to submit the Name or names. For you to proceed you would need to create an online account; or login if you already have one.

The Name reservation ends with the notification of your Availability Code; with your availability Code; you can go ahead and register your business. Remember to clarify any details from a duly accredited lawyer if you are intending to reserve special names. Click Here

3. PRE-INCORPORATION

Register a Company with Your Name Availability Code. Use this feature to register your business.

There are four key steps involved: The filing of the required information online, Payment for the incorporation filing and Stamp duty (Online), Upload of the scanned documents, Receipt of your certificate of incorporation.

Note that you can achieve the first three steps in 24 hours; and also possibly receive your certificate of incorporation same day.

Payment can be across any Nigerian Bank or online using your Card details. The certificate of incorporation would be posted to your chosen Drop off Point as selected by you. Click Here

4. POST-INCORPORATION

File Changes to Your Existing Business. This feature is for existing companies.

Post incorporation filings are mostly done by secretaries and accredited users authorized by the companies.

Use this feature to change your business address, file your annual returns, change and update share capital as well as shareholders, change directors etc etc.can be across any Nigerian Bank or online using your Card details.

The certificate of incorporation would be posted to your chosen Drop off Point as selected by you. Click Here

HOW TO CHECK COMPANY REGISTRATION STATUS WITH FIRS 

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is the institution saddled with the responsibility of collection and payment of Federal government taxes in Nigeria. After getting the company’s RC Number using the steps above, you can check a company’s TIN and registration status on the FIRS website using the following steps.

1. Visit the FIRS Official TIN Verification page by clicking here
2. Scroll down to the Search form
3. Select CAC Registration number in the search criteria dropdown list
4. Enter the CAC Registration Number preceded by the corresponding alphabets (RC for Corporate entities (public/limited liability companies) and BN for Enterprises (Sole proprietorships or partnerships)) in the search value field. E.g RC11111111 or BN1111111. Note the RC Number you get from the CAC website doesn’t bear the prefix letters RC or BN you have to append it.
5. Type the correct Captcha Image text and click on the search button

If the Number is correct the name of the company will be displayed with details shown below (remember to scroll down to view results)

HOW TO CHECK COMPANY REGISTRATION STATUS WITH  JOINT TAX BOARD:

1. Visit the Joint Tax Board TIN Verification page
2. On the TIN Registration Search Panel enter company registration date (You can get this from the CAC step above)
3. Select Search Criteria (TIN/BVN/Company Registration Number (RCxxxxxx or BNxxxxx) or Registered Phone Number
4. Check the “I am not a robot” CAPTCHA box
5. Click submit .

• If the information is correct the name of the company will be displayed with details shown below (you can also get the details emailed to you).