CIPC Company Registration

The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) is the national registrar of companies. Registering creates a separate legal entity — usually a private company ending in (Pty) Ltd — with its own registration number, bank account and tax identity, distinct from you personally.

• Providers who want to trade under a business name rather than their own name
• Anyone tendering for corporate, estate agency, body corporate or municipal work
• Businesses that will employ staff or contract sub-contractors
• Providers who want limited personal liability for business debts

• Sole operators trading in their own name who invoice as an individual
• Providers still testing whether the business is viable — you can register later and FIX IT supports sole operators

A registered company separates your personal assets from business risk, unlocks business banking, allows you to issue compliant invoices with a registration number, and is a precondition for most commercial and government work.

• Limited liability — your home and personal assets are separated from business debt
• Access to business bank accounts and business credit
• Eligibility for corporate, insurance panel and municipal work
• A Company Verified badge on your FIX IT provider profile
• Easier to bring in partners, staff or investors later

1. 1Create a CIPC customer profile on the eServices portal and deposit the required fee.
2. 2Reserve up to four proposed company names (or register with the registration number as the name).
3. 3Complete the company registration application, listing directors and their ID numbers.
4. 4Upload certified ID copies for every director and the name reservation confirmation.
5. 5Pay the registration fee and submit.
6. 6Download your CoR14.3 registration certificate and CoR14.1 notice once approved.
7. 7Register the new company with SARS for income tax (usually automatic) and open a business bank account.
8. 8Upload the CoR14.3 to your FIX IT Business Centre under Documents.

• Certified copy of each director's South African ID or passport
• Proof of residential address for each director
• Name reservation confirmation (CoR9.4) if a name is being used
• Completed CoR14.1 application

Name reservation: 1 – 5 working days. Registration: 2 – 10 working days once documents are accepted.

No renewal of the registration itself, but an Annual Return must be filed with CIPC every year on the anniversary of registration. Failure to file leads to deregistration.

• CIPC Contact Centre: 086 100 2472
• Email: enquiries@cipc.co.za
• Website: www.cipc.co.za

• You upload your CoR14.3 registration certificate in the Business Centre.
• Our compliance reviewer checks the company name, registration number and director identity against the document.
• The director identity must match the verified identity on your FIX IT account.
• Once approved, the Company Verified facet is set on your provider verification state and a badge appears on your public profile.
• Every review action is recorded in your provider document review history with reviewer, action and timestamp.