How to register your business in Nigeria in four easy steps (Helpful)

How to register your business in Nigeria with corporate affairs commission

Are you thinking of starting up a business, small scale or otherwise, and you want to give your business that professional feel by having it officially registered but don't know how to go about it? Fret not! This post will explain the requirements and procedures for getting your business registered including necessary CAC documents upload.

First and foremost, some history and facts. The Corporate Affairs Commission commonly called CAC, was established in 1990 by the Companies and Allied Matters Act. The commission was set up to establish and maintain companies registry. To register, regulate, supervise the incorporation, management and winding up of companies.

That been said, it's no new development that registering your business with the CAC in Nigeria is as important as establishing your business plan. The question remains; how does one go about it?

These are the requirements for registering a business, whether private or public.


• Valid company name (more on this shortly)
• Memorandum and Article of Association
• Cash for paying filing and Stamp duty fees

Now the steps to follow:

Step 1 - Creation of account

To get started, log on to cac.gov.ng, click on sign up and fill the fields in the form that'll be shown. Log in to your account, accept the terms of use and change your password after this to continue.

Step 2 - Availability of Company name

There are lots of already registered company and business names so you have to confirm that the name is available on corporate affairs commission, that is, the name hasn't been registered before by the commission. You can check for availability here. 

After logging in, select "NAME SEARCH", fill the form (CAC 1.1) with all the required fields marked with asterisks, select your pick up state (where you want to collect the certificate) and submit. Make payment at the bottom of the page if the company name is available and proceed to download the availability approval which contains the serial number required for registration. To do this, click on the "ACTION" button on your already reserved name and click on "DOWNLOAD OF NAME APPROVAL"

You can also reserve a name on the commission. This will enable you register the name at your convenience and remove the name from the list of available business/company names listed by the commission. 

Step 3 - Registration of company or business name

While logged in, click on "REGISTRATION" and select the class; Business name or Company name or Incorporated trustee. Enter the availability serial code and other details required of you and then click "CONTINUE" to make payments. Stamp the document electronically by selecting "GET STAMP" then pay for the electronic stamp duties which will automatically be generated for the Form CAC 1.1 and Memorandum and Article of Association.

Download the stamped documents and proceed to print them. You'll need to upload them on the website and also submit copies of the document in a CAC office which are in all 36 states of the federation to pick up your certificate when ready.

Step 4 - Uploading the documents

Log on to www.cac.gov.ng and select "DOCUMENT UPLOAD". You'll be required to enter your availability code, then to select the originating office or pick up office (this is where you'll pick your certificate, so it's advisable to choose one nearest you).

Attach the documents one after the other and submit when everything is successfully uploaded.

 See also: 10 Hot lucrative business ideas, with low capital start up.

Concluding

The commission will treat your submitted documents. You can always check the status on your profile to know when your application is approved. Once it's approved, go to the originating office you chose with the original copies of those documents. The documents will be submitted in exchange for the Certificate and Certified True Copies of the documents.

You also get an automatic Tax Identification Number (TIN) issued by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, sent to your email.

We've explained the requirements for getting a business/ company name registered with corporate affairs commission in Nigeria. Now you have the knowledge! Share!