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Steps in registering a new company/business in Nigeria |
Launching a business or side hustle is the fastest path to financial independence in Nigeria. However, operating an unregistered business limits your growth. Without formal registration, you cannot open a corporate bank account, apply for commercial loans, or secure high-paying contracts from corporate clients.
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has fully digitized
its operations. You no longer need to visit a physical office or hire an
expensive agent to formalize your brand. Anyone can complete the entire
end-to-end registration process from a smartphone or laptop.
This comprehensive, step-by-step guide walks you through
registering your business directly on the official CAC portal.
Step 1: Choose Your Business Structure
Before opening the portal, you must decide on your legal
framework. The two most common structures for Nigerian entrepreneurs are:
- Business
Name (Sole Proprietorship/Partnership): Best for small scale businesses, freelancers,
and artisans. It is cheap to register and requires less compliance
paperwork.
- Private
Limited Liability Company (Ltd): Best for startups aiming to scale, take on investors,
or bid for large corporate contracts. It treats the business as a
completely separate legal entity from the owner.
Step 2: Conduct a Public Name Search
To avoid wasting money, you must ensure your proposed
business name is unique.
1.
Go
to the CAC Public Search Portal.
2.
Type
in your desired brand name.
3.
If
a business with a similar name already exists, change your wording slightly. If
it is completely clear, proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Create an Account on the CAC Portal
1.
Head
over to the CAC Pre-Incorporation Portal.
2.
Click
on Register to create a fresh public user profile.
3.
Input
your personal information, including your full name, phone number, physical
address, and your National Identification Number (NIN).
- Critical Warning: Ensure the date of birth and spelling of your name on
the portal match your NIN data exactly. A single mismatched digit is the
primary reason applications get queried and rejected.
Step 4: Reserve Your Business Name
Once logged into your dashboard, click New Name
Reservation.
1.
Select
your business classification (e.g., Business Name or Company).
2.
Provide
two variations of your proposed name (Primary and Alternative).
3.
Fill
in the specific nature of your business operations (e.g., E-commerce, IT
Services, or Catering).
4.
Pay
the statutory government name reservation fee of ₦1,000 online via
Remita.
The CAC team typically takes 24 to 48 hours to review and
approve name reservations. Once approved, you will receive a unique Availability
Code valid for 60 days.
Step 5: Fill the Main Registration Forms
With your availability code approved, click Register
next to the name to start the formal documentation process. You will be
required to input:
- The
physical office address of the business.
- Particulars
of the Proprietors, Directors, and Shareholders (including their valid IDs
and signatures).
- The
share capital structure (if you are registering a Limited Liability
Company; 1 million share capital is the basic minimum for standard small
companies).
Step 6: Upload Digital Documents & Pay Filing Fees
The 2026 application process is entirely paperless. You must
upload clean, clear digital copies of the following documents:
- A
valid means of identification (NIN Slip, International Passport, or
Driver’s License).
- A
clear passport photograph.
- A
digital signature signed clearly on plain white paper.
Once your uploads are complete, the portal will calculate
your dynamic filing fees.
- Business
Name Total Cost:
A flat official filing fee of ₦10,000.
- Limited
Liability Company (Ltd) Cost: Starts at a baseline filing fee of ₦10,000 for
share capital up to ₦1 million, plus statutory Federal Inland Revenue
Service (FIRS) stamp duties.
Pay the calculated sum securely through the integrated Remita
gateway using your debit card or direct bank transfer.
Step 7: Await Approval and Download Documents
The CAC verification team will review your data. If there are
no issues or queries, your application will be approved within 3 to 7
working days.
You will receive an email notification. Log back into your
portal to download your digital Certificate of Registration, your Status
Report, and your unique Tax Identification Number (TIN), which is
now automatically generated alongside your registration documents.
Next Steps After Registration
- Take
your printed certificate, status report, and TIN to any commercial bank to
open a corporate bank account.
- Update
your social media handles and website footer to reflect your official
registration details.
