Registering a Private Company (Pty) Ltd at CIPC

A private company — the name ends in (Pty) Ltd — is a separate legal person registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) under the Companies Act 71 of 2008. It can own property, sign contracts and open bank accounts in its own name, and its directors and shareholders are generally not personally liable for its debts. Registration is done fully online; you never visit a CIPC office.

Your two registration channels

  • BizPortal (bizportal.gov.za) — the government's one-stop channel. In a single session it registers the company with CIPC and simultaneously registers you for SARS income tax, UIF and Compensation Fund cover, and offers a business bank account with partner banks. Best for new businesses that want everything done at once.
  • CIPC eServices (eservices.cipc.co.za) — CIPC's own portal. Best when you only want the company registration itself, or when you are using a customised Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI) instead of the standard one.

Both require a customer profile with funds loaded in advance — CIPC does not accept card payment per transaction on eServices; you deposit credit into your customer account first.

What you need before you start

  • Certified ID copies for every director and incorporator — SA smart ID or green book (or passport for foreign nationals). Certification must be recent, within about three months
  • A registered address for the company — a physical address in South Africa (not a PO box)
  • Up to four proposed names if you want a named company, in order of preference — or skip names entirely and trade as the registration number (e.g. "2026/123456/07 (Pty) Ltd" appears on the certificate as the enterprise name)
  • Director details: full names, ID numbers, residential and postal addresses, email and cell numbers
  • A decision on share capital — the standard setup is 1,000 authorised ordinary shares with no par value; you can adjust later

What it costs

Commonly cited CIPC fees (confirm the current fee schedule on cipc.co.za before you pay, as fees are adjusted periodically):

  • Name reservation: R50 per application (up to four names on one application)
  • Company registration with a reserved name: R175
  • Company registration without a name reservation: R125
  • BizPortal combined registration: broadly the same CIPC amounts, with the tax/UIF/Compensation Fund registrations included at no extra fee

Beware of third-party websites that charge hundreds or thousands of rand to "register your company" — they are simply filling in the same forms you can complete yourself.

Step by step

  1. Create your customer profile at eservices.cipc.co.za or on BizPortal, and load enough credit to cover the name reservation and registration fees.
  2. Reserve a name (optional). Submit up to four names in order of preference. CIPC checks them against existing companies, close corporations, trademarks and defensive names. Approval usually takes a few working days.
  3. Complete the company registration. Enter the directors, the registered address, the financial year-end, and the share structure. Most private companies use the standard MOI — only choose a customised MOI if a lawyer has drafted one for you, as custom MOIs go through manual review and take much longer.
  4. Upload the certified ID copies of all directors and the incorporator, plus the name reservation approval if you reserved a name.
  5. Pay from your loaded credit and submit.
  6. Receive your documents by email: the CoR14.3 registration certificate, the company's MOI, and a CoR39 (if applicable) reflecting the directors. Straightforward BizPortal applications are often processed within one to five working days.

Immediately after registration

  • SARS: the company is automatically registered for income tax, but you must still register for PAYE/UIF if you employ staff, and for VAT if turnover exceeds R1 million in any 12-month period (voluntary registration is possible from R50,000).
  • Bank account: take the CoR14.3, MOI, directors' IDs and proof of the registered address to a bank.
  • Annual returns: every company must file a CIPC annual return each year in its registration anniversary month, with a fee based on turnover. Skip them and CIPC will eventually deregister the company — see our guide to CIPC annual returns.
  • Beneficial ownership register: companies must file details of their beneficial owners with CIPC and keep this updated.

Common reasons applications are delayed or rejected

  • ID certification older than three months or unclear scans
  • Name conflicts with an existing company or registered trademark — search names on CIPC's free name search before applying
  • Customised MOI errors — use the standard MOI unless you have legal advice
  • Director address details that do not match the uploaded documents
  • Insufficient credit on the customer profile at submission

Sources

  • Companies and Intellectual Property Commission — cipc.co.za
  • Companies Act 71 of 2008 (gov.za)
  • BizPortal — bizportal.gov.za
  • SARS — sars.gov.za (VAT and PAYE registration thresholds)

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Fees and procedures are set by CIPC and change from time to time — confirm current fees on cipc.co.za before registering.