With the CAC Public Name Search, it is now easier to check if a name is available on CAC and if a company has been registered or not. It is important you do a CAC Public name search before you go ahead to register a business or company. The essence is to save you a lot of stress sending a name to CAC to ascertain if the name is available or not.
The online portal of CAC Nigeria which has been integrated with a public name search form can be used by anyone to search the CAC entries for registered trustees, company or business names and those that require their business registration.
If you would like your company or business name to be registered with CAC Nigeria, you can also use the CAC’s public name search portal to check, whether or not your proposed company name has been registered by someone else.
How to Use CAC Public Name Search Form
To reduce the risk of unsuspecting natural or legal persons doing business with unregistered companies without a legitimate status, the Commission for Business Matters has set up a public search portal on its website to confirm the registration of a company.
Before the technological innovation, one would have to go through the rigorous process of visiting the Commission to check the records of the registered companies, but technology advancements have made the search process easier.
This is achieved by setting up portals, where the CAC database can be checked to see if a company is registered with the CAC or not
To check a company’s registration, follow these simple steps:
- Visit the Commission’s website
- Click on the public search engine
- You will be redirected to a search entry by name; enter the company name
- Click on the search engine and verify that you are not a robot
- A result is displayed with details of the RC number, the company name, the registered address, and the registration date.
If the company is in the registry in the result, this shows the state of the company at that time indicated.
The process of checking whether a company is registered is very simple and quick, without paying a fee. In addition to this, you can check by requesting access to the company’s charter and then confirming or verifying the information it contains with that from the CAC portal.
What Is Corporate Affairs Commission?
The Enterprise Commission is a body of the Nigerian government responsible for regulating and managing businesses in Nigeria. It was introduced in 1990 when the Companies and Allied Matters Act was passed.
It performs its functions through accredited members of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). It is headed by a chairman and closely supported by the Registrar General / CEO. The current chairman is Otunba Funso Lawal.
Services
The services of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) are divided into parts:
- PART A – Registry
- PART B – Registration of company names
- PART C – Registration of Incorporated Trustees (NGOs)
These categories include the following services:
- Foundation of companies (private or public company, limited by guarantee)
- Registration of the company name
- Registration of incorporated trustees
- Same Day Incorporation Services, under which companies are registered within one day
- Conducting research
- Issue certified copies of the submitted documents
- Registration of share capital increases, mortgages, etc.
- Processing of the legally required submissions of annual reports, increases, changes in the memo and in the articles, addresses, etc.
- Arrange or conduct investigations into a company’s affairs if the interests of shareholders and the public so require.
- Administration and liquidation of companies.
- Monitoring of companies’ compliance with CAMA.
- Sales of all legal forms and publications of the commission
- Answering inquiries and complaints regarding the Commission services.
- Processing of the preliminary procedure for the accreditation of lawyers, auditors and sworn accountants who are recognized experts and direct users of the commercial register.
Four (4) types of companies for conducting business in Nigeria recognized namely:
- Private Limited Company (LTD)
- Public Limited Company (PLC)
- Companies limited by guarantee and
- Unlimited companies.
The least membership for each of these companies is two and the highest for private companies is fifty, while there is no upper limit for public companies. A minimum share capital of ten thousand Naira is required for private companies and a minimum of 25% of shares for corporations of five hundred thousand Naira.
Conclusion
For a company to receive legal support, it must be duly registered by the Corporate Commission. It is important to do due diligence before using the service or before doing business with a company to avoid being cheated. If a company is not registered, the search results will be empty, then you know that the company is fake.
However, the CAC’s online check will only indicate whether the company is properly registered with the Commission or not. It does not provide the names or details of the company’s directors and shareholders. Anyone interested in knowing all the details of a registered company should consult a lawyer who will assist them in performing a manual search in the CAC offices across the country.
