Register a South African company from abroad
You do not need a South African director. You do need a public officer who lives here, and almost nobody tells you that until the company is already registered and stuck. Everything below is what it actually takes to own and trade through a South African company from another country.
Independent paperwork service. ProperSA is an independent private company. We are not CIPC, SARS or any government body, and every registration here can be done directly with the relevant authority. Our fee pays for it to be prepared, submitted and followed through.
What is included
- Company registration at CIPC, R790 valueName reservation, registration certificate, Memorandum of Incorporation, a share certificate for each shareholder and the company income tax number. Non-resident directors and shareholders registered on passport. CIPC’s own fee is included.
- SARS registered representative setup, R690 valueSo somebody can lawfully transact with SARS on the company’s behalf. Without this the company cannot function at SARS at all.
- Import and export customs codes, R1 990 valueYour SARS customs client number as importer and as exporter, in the company’s own name.
- Tax compliance status PIN, R450 valueThe reference banks, customs brokers and trading partners actually verify. Included here rather than charged separately.
- An introduction to an accountant who can act as public officerWhere nobody from the company resides in South Africa. Their mandate and fee are agreed directly with them.
R3 920 of services for R3 470.
Start my South African companyNot sure this is the right structure for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
The three things that decide your structure
- No South African director is requiredThe Companies Act sets no residency test for directors. One director is enough and the whole board may live abroad. This surprises people who have been told otherwise.
- A public officer who resides here is requiredSection 246 of the Tax Administration Act. A senior official of the company if one lives here, otherwise a suitable person approved by SARS. This is the real constraint and it has no grace period since December 2024.
- Registering here is what keeps you out of the customs trapA foreign company may only hold a South African customs code through a nominated registered agent here, and that agent carries full liability for your dealings with Customs. A South African company holds its own code and answers for itself.
What we will need from you
- A certified copy of the passport of every director and shareholder, with full names, date of birth, nationality and residential address.
- Two or three company name choices in order of preference.
- A South African registered office address, and the trading or factory address if different.
- The details of your public officer, full name, identity number, address and contact, or tell us you need the introduction.
- A description of what you will import and export, and the product categories.
- Your expected annual turnover, which decides whether VAT registration is compulsory or voluntary.
- An email address and mobile number for CIPC and SARS correspondence.
What we do not do
Said plainly, because finding out later is expensive.
- We cannot open your bank accountBanks run their own FICA checks and a non-resident director usually faces enhanced due diligence, sometimes in person. We get the documents right. The bank decides.
- We do not handle immigrationIf you plan to relocate someone here to be the public officer, they must lawfully reside here with the right to work. Start that with a specialist early, because it takes longer than everything else on this page put together.
- We do not do bookkeeping, financial statements or tax returnsWe are not registered tax practitioners and we will not pretend to be. We refer you.
- We do not advise on exchange controlMoney coming in as share capital has to be recorded properly if you want to take profits out later. That belongs with your bank’s exchange control desk and your accountant, and it is worth settling before the first funds move.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a South African director?
No. The Companies Act 71 of 2008 sets no residency requirement for directors. A private company needs one director and the entire board may live abroad. Directors who are not South African are registered on their passport details.
So what does have to be South African?
Two things. Your registered office must be an address in South Africa. And section 246 of the Tax Administration Act requires the company to be represented at all times by a public officer who resides in South Africa. That must be a senior official of the company, or where no senior official lives here, another suitable person approved by SARS. The one month grace period that used to exist was repealed on 24 December 2024, so there is no window.
What happens if I register the company without a public officer?
The company will exist and it will have an income tax number, and it will be able to do very little. SARS will not deal with anyone on the company's behalf without a public officer, which means no eFiling access, no tax compliance status, no VAT registration, and the customs code effectively blocked. Your bank will also want the tax side in order. Registering first is fine if you want the entity secured, but do not expect it to trade until a public officer is appointed.
Who can act as the public officer if nobody from the company lives there?
Another suitable person approved by SARS, which in practice is an accountant or a corporate services firm acting under a formal mandate for a fee. We work with an accountant and can make the introduction. Understand that the public officer carries personal responsibility for the company's tax obligations, so anyone sensible will want a written mandate and an indemnity, and will charge for it.
Why register a South African company rather than import as my foreign company?
Because of how customs treats a foreign principal. A foreign importer or exporter may only hold a customs code through a nominated registered agent located in South Africa, and that agent takes on full liability for the foreign principal's dealings with Customs. A South African company registers in its own right and none of that applies. It holds its own code and answers for itself.
Can I open a South African bank account from abroad?
That is the bank's decision, not ours. Banks apply their own FICA checks and a non-resident director usually faces enhanced due diligence, sometimes requiring an in person appointment. We make sure the company documents are right so the application is as clean as it can be, but we cannot promise an outcome and we will not pretend to.
Do you handle visas, bookkeeping or tax returns?
No to all three, and we say so upfront. We do not handle immigration, so if you plan to relocate someone here, start that with a specialist early because it takes longer than everything else combined. We do not do bookkeeping or financial statements, and we are not registered tax practitioners so we do not complete tax returns. We refer you to an accountant and a registered practitioner for those.
Importing regularly?
VAT registration lets you claim the input VAT on what you bring in, which on an import business is usually the difference between a workable margin and a thin one. R2 490.
See VAT registrationThis is an administrative service performed with your authority. ProperSA is not a registered tax practitioner, is not an immigration practitioner and does not provide legal, tax or exchange control advice; where a matter needs a qualified professional we say so and refer you before any work starts. Turnaround times are the authorities’ own and are outside our control.