The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) is often viewed as just an online portal for business registration, yet behind every approval, rejection, or certificate lies a structured process.
This process is anchored in law, overseen by trained professionals, and increasingly driven by technology. From name vetting to document verification and final certification, the CAC’s operations are far more detailed than most business owners realise.
From Application to Approval: The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)'s Internal Workflow
In this article, we will go beyond the user interface to explore the CAC’s internal systems, revealing the step-by-step journey of your application and what it takes for your business to be officially registered in Nigeria.
Why the CAC Exists
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) was established under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) to oversee the creation, regulation, and dissolution of companies in Nigeria. Its mandate covers maintaining an accurate public register, enforcing compliance with corporate laws, and ensuring transparency in the business environment.
In simple terms, the CAC is both the gatekeeper, deciding which businesses gain legal recognition, and the official librarian, keeping permanent records of every registered entity in the country.
All filings start and end on the CAC’s Companies Registration Portal (CRP), the single access point for applications. Once a submission is made, it enters a digital queue, beginning its journey through a series of internal checks, reviews, and approvals that determine whether it will be accepted, queried, or rejected.
Pre-Check and Name Vetting
Every CAC registration begins with name reservation. This isn’t just a quick search; it’s a mix of automated checks and human review.
The Companies Registration Portal (CRP) instantly scans the database for identical or confusingly similar names, including those with slight spelling or phonetic variations. It also flags names containing restricted terms like “Federal,” “Government,” “Bank,” or “Trust,” which require consent from the relevant authority.
If a name is flagged, it goes to the Names Vetting Department, where officers assess whether it is acceptable, misleading, offensive, or infringing on an existing trademark. Depending on the outcome, a name can be approved, rejected with reasons, or returned for edits.
When a name passes the check, you make payment via Remita, and the system issues an Approval Validation Code (AV Code) instantly. For names requiring special consent, you submit additional details, including business classification, nature of business, and reason for the restricted term, before payment. These are then reviewed by an approving officer, who either approves or queries the request.
Document and Data Scrutiny
After a name is approved, the application enters the registration stage, where CAC officers verify all supporting documents and data. For individuals, this means confirming valid identification such as NIN, passport, driver’s licence, or voter’s card. For corporate shareholders, incorporation documents are checked. Officers ensure everything is authentic, complete, and consistent with what was submitted online.
Details like share capital, directors’ names, and addresses must match exactly between the form and the uploads. The officer also checks that the company’s objectives are lawful and that its shareholding meets CAMA’s requirements, for example, a private company must have at least ₦100,000 share capital and a minimum number of shareholders.
If any information is missing, inaccurate, or inconsistent, the officer raises a query through the applicant’s dashboard, and processing pauses until the issue is resolved.
Compliance and Final Checks
After the CAC officer is satisfied, the application moves to the final stages. It is electronically forwarded to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for stamp duty assessment.
The stamp duty, a legal requirement calculated as a percentage of the company's share capital, must be paid before the process can continue. Once paid, the FIRS generates an e-stamp, which is attached to the company's MEMART.
With all checks passed and stamp duty paid, the application is ready for final approval. A senior officer or the Registrar reviews the file one last time to ensure everything is in order before the system automatically generates and issues the company’s Certificate of Incorporation, along with the stamped MEMART and a status report, directly to the applicant's dashboard.
Approval and Certificate Issuance
Once all checks are complete, a senior CAC officer gives final approval. The system then generates the Certificate of Incorporation with a unique registration number and automatically includes the Tax Identification Number (TIN) on the certificate for companies and business names.
Approved documents, such as the MEMART for companies, Partnership Deed for partnerships, or Constitution for incorporated trustees, are made available for download along with the Status Report. At this point, your entity is officially listed in Nigeria’s corporate registry and fully recognized to operate.
Post-Registration Updates
The CAC’s role continues long after your entity is registered. It maintains your records in the public register, processes post-incorporation changes such as director updates or share capital increases, and monitors compliance through requirements like annual returns. These ongoing functions ensure your business remains legally recognized and in good standing.
The Role of CAC Accredited Agents
While the CAC’s registration system is largely automated, human expertise is essential at every stage. Many applications, especially complex ones, are handled by CAC-accredited agents such as lawyers, chartered accountants, and chartered secretaries.
These professionals have direct filing access through a dedicated portal and are trained to navigate the system efficiently, ensuring applications are complete, compliant, and less likely to face delays or queries.
SplashDict was founded by a Chartered Secretary and Associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN). As CAC-accredited agents, we handle both pre-incorporation (company formation, business name registration, etc.) and post-incorporation services (change of name, share capital alterations, filings, compliance monitoring, and more).
With our expertise, you get a smoother process, faster approvals, and ongoing compliance support to keep your business in good standing.
