The question of how to know if a company is registered in Nigeria is one often asked by intending individuals or corporate bodies looking to do business or venture into an agreement with another company claiming legality. The write-ups will briefly summarize a process on how to check if a company is registered in Nigeria. In our previous article, we discussed the process and requirements for company registration in Nigeria.
A Registered Company
For a corporate body or form of business to do carry out services in Nigeria, it must be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which was created under the Companies and Allied Matters Act of Nigeria. To successfully register a company, the company must have fulfilled all the necessary requirements of the commission by providing details of the company such as (Name of the company, registered address, directors, shareholders, shareholding formula etc) and it must have paid the filing fees required by the commission.
Upon the company registration by the commission, and after all the requirements have been fulfilled, the CAC will issue to the company a Certificate of Incorporation, which contains the name of the company and its status (a private or public company), and RC Number unique to that company. It also shows the date and the seal of the Registrar-General of the commission.
How to check if a company is registered
To reduce the risk of unsuspecting individuals or entities transacting with unregistered companies with no legitimate status, the CAC has launched a public search portal on its website where one can confirm the registration of a company.
To check the registration of a company, one must follow these easy steps:
- Visit the CAC’s website
- Scroll down the site and click on “Public Search”
- Insert the RC Number of the company you wish to search (if known) or the full name of the company in the search box and click on “Search”
- If the company is registered, the result will display the full company name, RC number, and office address.
As stated above the process to check if a company is registered is very easy and fast, without payment of any fee attached. Additionally, someone can check by requesting to see the certificate of incorporation of the company, and then confirm or verify the information contained therein with the ones obtained from the CAC’s portal.
For a company to enjoy legal backing, it must be duly registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission. It is important to conduct due diligence before engaging the service or transacting with a company to prevent being scammed. If a company is not registered, no result may be displayed upon search.
However, the CAC’s online check will merely reflect whether the company is duly registered with the commission or not. The search result will also include the registered office address of the company if registered and the registration number (RC). It does not include the names or particulars of the directors and shareholders of the company. Anyone interested in knowing the full details of a registered company should consult a lawyer or a CAC accredited agent to assist in conducting a detailed search from the CAC for a fee.
By Resolution Law Firm. Resolution Law is a CAC Accredited Agent with offices in Lagos and Abuja
Email: info@resolutionlawng.com
