How to Register Your Company - Do It Yourself

We will be explaining several steps to register your business in Nigeria.
So are you planning to start a business in Nigeria or possibly running a business that is not currently registered, it is advisable to quickly register your business before someone else does.

So to register your business in Nigeria is a simple task. To get your business registered in Nigeria, you will need to go through The Corporate Affairs Commission also known as (CAC). The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) is the governmental body responsible for registering businesses , corporations and companies in Nigeria.
Corporate Affairs Commission was established by the Companies and Allied Matters Act , which was promulgated in 1990 to regulate the formation and management of companies in Nigeria.
We shall go through different steps to register your business in Nigeria.

Types of Business You can Register in Nigeria

Business Name: Sole Proprietorship (One man’s Business):
Private Limited Company (LTD)
Public Limited Company
Company Limited by Guarantee etc

Why You Should Register your business in Nigeria

So that someone else doesn’t register your business
To become a registered and recognized business
To be able to open an account
You cannot get a loan without a business name
Government and top organisations don’t give out contracts to businesses that are not registered
It makes you a legitimate business

How to register your business in Nigeria

You can either register your business online or offline. Either of the two you will have to complete your final registration by visiting the office of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) closest to you.

1. Online Registration: Visit The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) official website on cac.gov.ng, click on “Click here to go to Company Registration Portal (CRP)” to register on the website or click “Public Name Search” to check if your business name is available.

Please note that Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has the right to disapprove name(s) that are
• capable of misleading as to the nature and extent of its activities
• undesirable, offensive or contrary to public policy
• identical with or similar to the name of a registered company unless the registered company is in the course of dissolution and consents in writing
• contain the phrase “Chamber of Commerce” unless it is a company limited by guarantee
• would violate any existing trade mark or business name unless with the consent of the trade mark or business name owner
• would violate any incorporated trustee unless with consent of the trustees

 

Steps to Register Your Business Online on The Corporate Affairs Commission Website

Search for your proposed Business Name to see if it is available



Click on Create account to Register on The Corporate Affairs Commission’s website


Login to the portal


Choose your preferred names and another one incase the first is not accepted


Fill in your business Information then submit


Note you will pay a sum of N500 for the name reservation. They have several payment options for visa, master card and even bank payment.

Once you have successfully made your payment, wait for at least 24-48 hours to check if your name has been approved. Once your name has been approved, you will be required to pay the sum indicated below at the final registration.

 

Offline Registration

The offline registration requires you to get a lawyer or accountant if you are registering for a limited liability company or others rather than a Business name. If you are registering for a business name, you might not require the service of a lawyer as you can just walk into any of the offices of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Pick up your registration form and pay the sum stated for your business.

These rates are as at October 2016, and may be subject to change

  No Lawyer to Register

Recently announced, according to www.thecable.ng , Bello Mahmud, registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), on Thursday said the the commission had taken steps to eliminate bottlenecks associated with registering a business.

Speaking at the second presidential economic communication workshop in Abuja, Mahmud said this was with a view to creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

He also revealed that the cost of registering a business had been reduced by 50 percent.

“We have reduced the cost of registering a business by 50 percent. You don’t need a lawyer to register your business for you anymore. You can ‎now do it yourself. The process is easy now,” he said.

‎”You can now register your business anywhere at our offices in Lagos, Kano and Enugu.”

Earlier, Jumoke Oduwole, senior special assistant to the president on industry, trade and investment, outlined measures the government was to taking to create investment opportunities for the country.

According to her, one of the measures is‎ reducing the strictures to getting a Nigerian visa.

She said President Muhammadu Buhari was concerned‎ about the ranking of Nigeria as one of the most difficult countries to do business; hence he has set up a committee to come up with ways of making Nigeria business friendly.