Deregistered by CIPC? It is fixable.
The usual story: annual returns slipped, CIPC deregistered the company, and the first anyone heard of it was the bank freezing the account. If the company was trading or held assets, reinstatement puts it back, retrospectively, as if it never happened. We handle the whole recovery.
Deregistered by CIPC? It is fixable costs R1 490 at ProperSA. That is our fixed service fee; government and authority fees are charged at cost on top. 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.
What is included
- Status check and confirmation the company qualifies for reinstatement
- The CoR40.5 reinstatement application through CIPC's automated online process
- All outstanding annual returns, beneficial ownership declarations and financial statements filed inside the 30 business day window, because missing it deregisters the company all over again
- Your evidence of economic activity assembled and handed to you to keep, since CIPC can demand it later under regulation 168
- Confirmation of active status delivered to your portal, plus your compliance calendar loaded so it never happens again
What it costs in government fees
CIPC charges R200 for the reinstatement application itself. The real variable is the outstanding annual returns: each missed year carries its fee by turnover plus a late penalty, typically a few hundred rand per year for small companies. We quote the exact CIPC total in writing after the status check, before filing anything. Reinstatement is retrospective per the Supreme Court of Appeal, so contracts, property and the bank account recover their footing once active status returns.
How ordering works
- Order online with the button below and pay securely by card or instant EFT (PayFast), or wait for the EFT invoice.
- Complete the short online form in your portal: company details and who signs for it. Certified IDs are requested securely afterwards.
- We confirm eligibility and the exact CIPC fees in writing, file the CoR40.5, then the outstanding returns and beneficial ownership inside the window.
- The price you see is the price you pay plus the exact CIPC fees at cost, and 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.
Not sure this is the right one for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
What we will need from you
Reinstatement is now automated at CIPC, so there is very little to gather. The real work is proving the company qualifies and then clearing what it owes.
- The company registration number, so we can confirm the exact status and whether it is final.
- Evidence the company was trading or held value when it was deregistered. This is the actual test. CIPC no longer asks you to upload it, but you must have it and keep it. The standard they set is bank statements covering the six months before and the six months after deregistration. Immovable property registered in the company name also qualifies, and so does a court order.
- Your turnover for each outstanding year, which sets the annual return fees.
- Your beneficial ownership details, because the returns cannot be filed without a current declaration.
- Confirmation that you are a director or member of the company, or otherwise entitled to apply.
No deed search and no letter from Public Works. Those stopped being required on 1 January 2022, and anyone quoting to gather them is charging for abandoned work.
And no emailed bundle of certified copies either. Since 11 August 2025 the application is completed online and supporting documents are not uploaded at all unless you are lodging a court order. The old [email protected] address has been discontinued and no longer accepts applications. Parts of CIPC’s own website still describe the emailed process and still list the certified identity documents, so quotes built off those pages are quoting for work that no longer exists.
The one test that decides everything
Reinstatement turns on a single question: was the company in business, or did it hold economic value, on the day it was finally deregistered? Three things satisfy it. The company was trading. Immovable property was registered in its name. Or a court has ordered the reinstatement, which is free and needs the order uploaded.
If none of those is true, CIPC will not reinstate it and says so plainly: register a new company instead. So this is the thing to settle before spending anything.
You no longer upload the proof, which is not the same as not needing it. CIPC dropped the upload requirement, but the company must still keep the evidence, and regulation 168 lets CIPC demand it at any time afterwards. If it cannot be produced, CIPC may withdraw the reinstatement and the annual returns filed after it, which puts you back where you started with the money spent. The standard they set is bank statements for the six months either side of deregistration.
That is why the first thing we do is the status check and the eligibility call, in writing, before a cent of CIPC money is spent.
Frequently asked questions
Why was my company deregistered?
Almost always for missing two or more annual returns. CIPC moves the company through deregistration status into final deregistration, at which point it stops existing legally: banks freeze accounts and contracts and property sit in limbo.
Can it be reinstated?
Yes, if it was deregistered for annual return non compliance and was in business or held economic value at deregistration. Since 11 August 2025 the CoR40.5 is completed online through CIPC e-Services, BizPortal or a self-service terminal, with no supporting documents uploaded unless you are lodging a court order. All outstanding annual returns, beneficial ownership declarations and financial statements must then be filed within 30 business days or the company is deregistered again.
Do I have to send CIPC my bank statements?
Not any more. CIPC removed the requirement to submit evidence of economic activity, and the form is now completed online without attachments. You still have to have been in business or held value at deregistration, and you must keep the evidence, because regulation 168 lets CIPC ask for it at any time. Failure to produce it can result in the reinstatement being withdrawn along with the annual returns filed after it. The standard CIPC set is bank statements covering six months before and six months after deregistration.
How long does reinstatement take?
CIPC's own published turnaround for a reinstatement is immediate upon payment, because the process is automated. The work that takes time is what comes after it: the outstanding annual returns, the beneficial ownership declarations and the financial statements, all inside 30 business days.
Is reinstatement retrospective?
Yes. The Supreme Court of Appeal has held that reinstatement is automatically retrospective: the company is treated as if it was never deregistered, which validates what happened in between.
What does it cost?
CIPC charges a R200 statutory fee for the application, paid by card, plus all outstanding annual return fees and penalties by turnover and years missed. A reinstatement ordered by a court carries no CIPC fee. Our fee is a fixed R1 490; CIPC fees are quoted exactly, in writing, before we file.
Does reinstatement bring back my CIDB grade, CSD registration or tax clearance?
Reinstatement restores the company itself and is retrospective, but it does not automatically restore registrations held with other bodies. CIDB is the one that catches people out. A CIDB grade lasts three years and must be updated every year with the annual fee paid. Two years without an update suspends it, and if the three year renewal is missed CIDB removes it from the register on the expiry date. CIDB also treats a company deregistered at CIPC as non compliant at every annual update, upgrade or renewal. Get the company active first, because nothing at CIDB, the Central Supplier Database or SARS will move while your CIPC status is dead, then deal with each one separately. Tell us which you hold and we check where each stands. See our CIDB registration page for how the grading works.
Never let it happen again
The Compliance Retainer files the return every year and reminds you before every deadline. R1 490 a year.
Start the retainerReinstatement applies to annual return deregistrations; voluntary deregistrations and court matters differ.