Company registration
Register your private company properly, with the CIPC paperwork, certificate and clear next steps handled in one place. The R790 includes the standard CIPC fees.
Company registration costs R790 at ProperSA. That is our fixed service fee with the CIPC fees included. Turnaround: typically 48 to 72 hours. If you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page promises, we refund our fee; a refusal by the authority is not refundable.
Independent paperwork service. ProperSA is an independent private company, not CIPC. You can register a company yourself on BizPortal for R175 in CIPC fees. Our R790 includes those fees and pays for us to prepare the filing, handle CIPC queries and deliver every certificate to your portal.
A clean starting file for your new company.
Everything is prepared from the information you give us, then saved where you can find it.
Name reservation
First choice plus backup names submitted to CIPC.
Company registration
Standard memorandum and CIPC registration filing prepared.
Your certificates
Registration and share certificate delivered to your portal.
SARS tax number
Confirmation of the income-tax number allocated to the company.
BEE affidavit guide
Clear wording and steps for an Exempted Micro Enterprise (EME) affidavit where it applies.
What to do next
Banking, beneficial ownership and annual-return steps set out plainly.
Three clear steps. No chasing paperwork.
Order and complete the form
Pay online or choose an EFT invoice. Your portal form collects the company details in one place.
We prepare and submit
We prepare the CIPC filing, tell you what will be public and follow up if anything is queried.
Receive your company file
Your certificates, updates and next steps are delivered to your portal as the work is completed.
If you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page describes, we refund our fee. A refusal by the authority, or a delay caused by missing information from you, is not refundable. Full rules in our terms.
Start my company registrationWhat we will need from you
All of it typed, none of it certified. CIPC registers companies on a fully paperless system, so there is nothing to print or take to a commissioner of oaths.
- Up to four proposed names, in order of preference. CIPC works down the list and holds the first acceptable one.
- Each director’s South African identity number, full names, contact number and email. Identity is confirmed against Home Affairs from the number, which is why nothing has to be certified.
- A registered address for the company. It becomes public, and official notices go there.
- Who holds the shares and in what proportion. Keep a note of it, because your first beneficial ownership filing asks the same question and the answers have to match.
- Your financial year end. Usually the end of the month before your registration month, but it is your choice, and it sets your tax and reporting cycle from then on.
Two dates start the day you register. Beneficial ownership is due within 10 business days of incorporation, and your first annual return falls on the anniversary. Both are included in the Compliance Retainer if you would rather never think about them.
If any director is not South African
This is the one thing that changes the job completely, and it is worth knowing before you pay anybody.
BizPortal only caters for South African identity holders. CIPC says so itself: BizPortal, the mobile app and the self service terminals are for South African identity document holders only, and anyone without one must use CIPC e-Services instead. Passports are accepted for foreign nationals and only for foreign nationals.
So a company with a foreign director is not the paperless same day job described above. It goes through e-Services with the passport attached, and CIPC runs it through its foreigner assurance process before the registration completes. That takes longer and it does need documents.
If that is you, do not order this service. The foreign owned company setup is built for it and covers the tax and public officer side that comes with it.
The other register CIPC now shows: the Information Regulator
CIPC’s own company search now shows whether a business has registered its information officer with the Information Regulator. If it has not, the result says the company is not compliant with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), for anyone who looks the company up. Almost every business that keeps a customer’s name or cellphone number needs it.
We register your information officer for you: POPIA information officer registration, R390. Once a year after that, the PAIA annual report is due between 1 April and 30 June.
Frequently asked questions
Can I register a company if a director is not South African?
Yes, but not on BizPortal. CIPC states that BizPortal, the mobile app and the self service terminals are for South African identity document holders only, and that anyone without a South African identity number must use CIPC e-Services. Passports are accepted for foreign nationals and only for foreign nationals. The application then goes through CIPC’s foreigner assurance process, which takes longer and does require documents. Our foreign owned company setup covers that route.
How much does it cost to register a company at CIPC?
CIPC itself charges R125 for the registration plus R50 for a name reservation, R175 in total. Our R790 includes those fees plus the paperwork, the follow up when CIPC queries something, and the certificates delivered to your inbox.
How long does company registration take in South Africa?
Usually 48 to 72 hours from your completed form to the registration certificate, depending on CIPC volumes. A number company without a name reservation is often the faster of the two.
What do I need to register a company?
Nothing certified and nothing printed. Each director’s South African identity number, full names, contact details, an address for the company, who holds the shares, and your proposed names. CIPC confirms identity against Home Affairs from the number. Our questionnaire collects everything in one pass. A director without a South African identity number needs the foreign owned company setup instead.
Do I need a name for my company?
No. You can register with the enterprise number as the name and trade under a different brand, or add a formal name later for R50 plus a name change filing. Many owners start as a number company to register faster.
Does the price include the BEE certificate?
Small businesses under R10 million turnover do not need a BEE certificate; a sworn affidavit is free at any police station or commissioner of oaths. We include the guide and the affidavit wording so you walk in prepared.
What happens after my company is registered?
Three things quickly: open a business bank account, file beneficial ownership at CIPC, and diarise your annual return. Our next steps sheet covers all three, and we can file the beneficial ownership for you.
Want the full process first, in plain English? Read our company registration guide: what CIPC asks for, what you get free alongside it, and the deadlines that start the day you register.
Startup bundle: everything a new company needs, R1 490
Company registration, beneficial ownership filed, your tax clearance PIN, and now your first year of the Compliance Retainer included, so your first annual return deadline is watched from day one. That is R3 220 of services for R1 490. The retainer renews at R1 490/yr after year one, only if you want it to. Order it from the checkout as "Startup bundle".
Start my company properlyCIPC fees quoted (R125 registration, R50 name reservation) were confirmed on CIPC’s published fee schedule in August 2026 and are included in the fixed price.