Registering a company in South Africa is far simpler — and cheaper — than most first-time founders expect. You can do it yourself through CIPC’s free portal in a few days, for a couple of hundred rand. This guide walks you through the whole process, what it costs, how long it takes, and the steps that come after registration that catch people out.
What “registering a company” actually means (CIPC vs SARS)
Two different things get tangled together here. CIPC (the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission) is where your company is born as a legal entity — it issues your registration number and your Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI). SARS is where the company exists for tax. Registering with CIPC does not, on its own, sort out your tax obligations — though SARS does automatically issue an income-tax number once you’re registered. Keep the two separate in your head and the process stops feeling confusing.
Before you start: what you need
- Your South African ID (and IDs of any co-directors and shareholders)
- Up to three proposed company names (optional — you can register with just a number)
- The company’s registered address and contact details
- Director and incorporator details
How much does it cost to register a company?
Doing it yourself on CIPC’s BizPortal is the cheapest route. As a rough guide, the CIPC fee is around R125 to register online (about R175 for a manual filing), plus roughly R50 to reserve a name — so you’re looking at about R175–R225 in CIPC fees. Agents and “done-for-you” services charge a convenience fee on top, but the underlying CIPC fee is the same whether you use them or not. Fees change — always confirm the current amounts on cipc.co.za or bizportal.gov.za before you pay.
Step-by-step: registering on BizPortal
BizPortal (bizportal.gov.za) is CIPC’s free one-stop portal and the route we recommend for most first-time founders:
- Create an account and verify your identity.
- Reserve your name — submit up to three choices; a reservation is valid for six months. (You can skip this and trade under your registration number.)
- Capture directors and the MOI — BizPortal uses the standard short-form MOI, which is fine for most small companies.
- Add the Beneficial Ownership details — since July 2024 CIPC requires a Beneficial Ownership Declaration identifying the real humans who own or control the company.
- Pay and submit.
How long does CIPC registration take?
Online registrations through BizPortal typically complete in one to three business days. Manual or paper-based filings take longer — often a week or more. Name reservations are usually quick but can add a day or two.
What you get
Once approved you’ll receive your company registration number, your MOI, and your CoR registration certificates (CoR14.3 and related documents). Keep these safe — your bank, SARS and any future tender will ask for them.
What to do after CIPC registration
This is where most guides stop and most founders get stuck. After registration you’ll typically need to:
- Activate the company on SARS eFiling and appoint a Public Officer
- Open a business bank account in the company’s name
- Decide whether you need to register for VAT (only once you cross the threshold)
- Register as an employer if and when you hire
- Diarise your annual CIPC annual return and provisional tax dates
Common mistakes first-timers make
Picking a name that’s too similar to an existing one (rejected); forgetting the Beneficial Ownership Declaration; assuming CIPC registration means you’re “tax sorted”; and missing the first annual return, which can lead to deregistration. Knowing the order of operations is half the battle.
Not sure a company is even the right structure for you yet? Read Sole Proprietor vs (Pty) Ltd first. And if you’d rather learn the whole system once — registration, SARS, banking, compliance and your duties as a director — the Core Course below takes you the rest of the way.
