South Africa Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a South African Business

TL;DR. The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) at cipc.co.za is South Africa’s sole company registry. Basic status checks are free after a one-time account registration. Certified extracts cost ZAR 30 to ZAR 100 (approximately USD 1.60 to USD 5.40). As of May 2026, South Africa remains on the FATF grey list (Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring), a position it has held since February 2023. Foreign buyers can register an account and order documents online without a South African ID.

What is the official South Africa business registry?

The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) is the statutory body responsible for company registration in South Africa. It operates under the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and administers the Companies Act No. 71 of 2008, which is the primary legislation governing company incorporation, governance, and filing requirements.

CIPC’s online portal at cipc.co.za serves as the central access point for company searches, registration filings, annual return submissions, and document orders. The registry has covered all company types registered under the 2008 Act as well as entities carried over from earlier legislation (the Companies Act No. 61 of 1973). Coverage extends to private companies (Pty Ltd), public companies (Ltd), non-profit companies (NPC), personal liability companies (Inc), close corporations (CC, legacy entities still active), co-operatives, and external companies (branches of foreign entities).

CIPC also maintains the intellectual property register covering trademarks, patents, designs, and copyright, though these are separate from company records and require separate searches. For compliance and KYC purposes, the company register is the relevant database. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) maintains a parallel tax registration database at sars.gov.za, which holds VAT registration numbers and income tax reference numbers distinct from the CIPC company registration number.

What can you search?

CIPC’s eServices portal allows searches on the following identifiers:

• Company name (exact or partial match)
• Company registration number (e.g., 2005/123456/07 format)
• Director or officer name
• Close corporation member name

Search results return the company’s registration number, registration date, company type, current status (in business, deregistered, in liquidation, under business rescue, etc.), and registered address.

For a richer extract, the CIPC customer account system allows ordering of:

• Company Profile (basic summary of registration details)
• Certified copies of founding documents (Memorandum of Incorporation)
• Director and officer listings
• Annual return filing history

Data freshness at CIPC is event-driven: directors are updated upon filing, annual returns are due annually, and status changes (deregistration, liquidation, business rescue) are reflected within days of the triggering event. There is no guaranteed real-time feed; recent filings may take 24 to 72 hours to appear in search results.

How much does it cost?

Prices are based on the CIPC published fee schedule at cipc.co.za as of May 2026. The ZAR/USD conversion used is approximately 0.054 (based on prevailing exchange rates in May 2026). CIPC charges are denominated in ZAR and deducted from a pre-loaded customer code balance.

Do you need a local account or ID?

Yes, an account is required to access CIPC’s eServices portal and order any documents. Registration requires a valid email address. Foreign buyers do not need a South African identity document to create an account; the system accepts international users registering with an email address and basic contact details.

Once registered, users load a customer code with credit via EFT or credit card before ordering documents. The minimum top-up amount is ZAR 50. This pay-as-you-go model applies to both South African and international buyers. There is no annual subscription fee.

For certified documents that require an official stamp or apostille, additional steps may be needed through a notary or the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), which is outside the CIPC portal itself.

Is the website in English?

Yes. CIPC’s eServices portal and all publicly accessible documentation are in English. South Africa recognizes 11 official languages, but government business and corporate registration documents are conducted primarily in English. Company founding documents (MOI) may be in Afrikaans in some cases, particularly for older entities, but this is uncommon for companies incorporated after 2008.

Document outputs from CIPC, including company profiles and certified extracts, are issued in English.

What’s the turnaround time?

Company status checks and profile searches are available instantly via the eServices portal after login.

Ordered documents (company profiles, certified copies of founding documents, director listings) are typically available for download within 1 to 3 business days. CIPC processes document requests in batches. In practice, many document orders are fulfilled within 24 hours during standard business days.

Physical certified documents requiring a wet-ink CIPC stamp are rare in modern practice; most compliance buyers accept digitally-certified PDF extracts, which are available for download once processed.

Is there an API?

No public API is available from CIPC for company data queries. The eServices portal is web-based and does not expose an open data interface. Bulk data extraction via automated scripts is not permitted under CIPC’s terms of use.

Commercial data suppliers (see the Local data suppliers section) provide API access to South African company data built on top of CIPC records and supplementary commercial sources.

What you legally cannot do

South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act No. 4 of 2013, governs the processing of personal data. Director names, addresses, and shareholder information extracted from CIPC records constitute personal information under POPIA when processed by a private entity for purposes beyond the original collection purpose. Processing for KYC and compliance due diligence requires a lawful basis under POPIA, typically legitimate interest or legal obligation.

Automated bulk scraping of CIPC records is prohibited under CIPC’s terms of use. Redistribution of extracted company data for commercial resale requires a licensing arrangement with CIPC.

South Africa’s AML/CFT obligations are administered by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA), No. 38 of 2001 (as amended). Accountable institutions must conduct customer due diligence and verify beneficial ownership consistent with FICA requirements and the Financial Intelligence Centre’s guidance at fic.gov.za.

For due diligence on South African counterparties in the context of the Global Business Due Diligence Guide, it is worth noting that enhanced due diligence applies given South Africa’s current FATF grey-list status (see FAQ below).

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Use the registration number, not the company name. South African company names are not unique in the way registration numbers are. Many companies have similar trading names. Always anchor your search on the CIPC registration number, formatted as YYYY/NNNNNN/TT where TT is the company type code (07 for private company, 06 for public company, etc.).
• Check the status field carefully. CIPC status codes matter. “In business” is active. “Deregistered” means the company no longer exists as a legal entity. “In liquidation” indicates insolvency proceedings. “Business rescue” means a formal restructuring is underway under Chapter 6 of the Companies Act. Each status has different legal implications for counterparty risk.
• Close corporations are legacy entities. Close Corporations (CCs) were created under the Close Corporations Act No. 69 of 1984. New CC registrations were prohibited from May 2011 under the 2008 Companies Act, but existing CCs remain registered and active. A CC appears in CIPC searches and has members (not directors or shareholders). Treat a CC extract differently from a (Pty) Ltd extract when documenting ownership.
• Branch offices register as external companies. A foreign company operating in South Africa registers as an External Company (EC) with CIPC. The CIPC record will reference the country of incorporation but may not include the full foreign parent company details. Obtain the parent company’s home-jurisdiction extract separately.
• AfCFTA context. South Africa is a founding signatory of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Cross-border trade and investment with other AfCFTA member states is increasing, which means South African entity checks are becoming more common in pan-African due diligence chains.
• FATF enhanced due diligence. South Africa has been on the FATF grey list since February 2023. Many correspondent banks and financial institutions apply enhanced due diligence to transactions with South African counterparties. Verify whether your institution’s EDD policies have been updated to reflect this status.

Alternatives if you cannot access CIPC directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes CIPC filings but lags official data. Useful for quick name-check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• Commercial data suppliers (see section below): provide packaged reports that combine CIPC registry data with credit behavior and risk scoring.
• CIPC eServices walk-in centres: Physical CIPC offices in Pretoria and Johannesburg can process document requests for users unable to complete online transactions, though turnaround times are longer.

Local data suppliers

• Dun & Bradstreet South Africa (dnb.com). Global data provider with South African registry coverage. Offers D-U-N-S registered company reports, credit risk scoring, and beneficial ownership data for South African entities. Widely used by multinationals for counterparty KYC.
• Experian South Africa (experian.co.za). Provides commercial credit reports, company financial data, director profiling, and risk scoring for South African businesses. Strong coverage of SME and corporate segments.
• TransUnion South Africa (transunion.co.za). Credit bureau offering commercial credit reports and business verification services for South Africa.

Use CIPC for the authoritative company registration record. Use a credit bureau when you need payment behavior, financial health scoring, or director-linked risk analysis on top of the registry extract.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the CIPC registry directly?

Yes. CIPC’s eServices portal is accessible internationally. Foreign buyers register an account with an email address and a pre-loaded customer code balance. No South African identity document is required for basic searches and standard document orders. Some document types requiring physical collection would require a local representative.

What is the company registration number format in South Africa?

The CIPC registration number follows the format YYYY/NNNNNN/TT. The first four digits are the registration year, the middle six are a sequential registration number, and the final two-digit code identifies the entity type (07 = private company, 06 = public company, 08 = personal liability company, 10 = external company, 21 = non-profit company, 23 = close corporation). Always use the full registration number when conducting compliance searches.

What entity types are registered with CIPC?

CIPC registers private companies (Pty Ltd), public companies (Ltd), personal liability companies (Inc), non-profit companies (NPC), external companies (branch offices of foreign entities), and legacy close corporations (CC). Co-operatives are also registered with CIPC under the Co-operatives Act. State-owned companies and municipal entities fall under separate legal frameworks but appear in CIPC where they hold a Companies Act registration.

Does South Africa have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

South Africa introduced beneficial ownership disclosure requirements through the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Act of 2022. Companies and close corporations are required to maintain a beneficial interest register and submit this information to CIPC. As of 2024, CIPC began collecting beneficial ownership declarations as part of annual return filings. The UBO register is not fully public; access is available to competent authorities and accountable institutions under FICA. This aligns with FATF Recommendation 24 on transparency of legal persons.

How current is the data in CIPC?

CIPC data is event-driven. Director changes, deregistrations, and status changes are filed by companies and typically reflected within 24 to 72 hours of processing. Annual returns are filed once a year, so the financial year data in a company’s annual return may be up to 12 months old. For time-sensitive compliance decisions, cross-reference CIPC data with a credit bureau report that may include more recent commercial activity indicators.

Is South Africa on the FATF grey list?

Yes. South Africa was added to the FATF Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring (grey) list in February 2023 following a mutual evaluation that identified material AML/CFT deficiencies. As of May 2026, South Africa remains on the grey list. The current status can be verified at fatf-gafi.org. Compliance teams should apply enhanced due diligence to South African counterparties in line with their institution’s EDD policies.

What is the difference between CIPC registration and SARS tax registration?

CIPC issues the company registration number (YYYY/NNNNNN/TT) upon incorporation. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) at sars.gov.za issues a separate income tax reference number and a VAT registration number (for entities above the VAT threshold). These are distinct identifiers. A company may have a valid CIPC registration but be non-compliant on tax filings. For complete due diligence, check both the CIPC company status and the SARS tax compliance status, which can be verified via SARS’s Tax Compliance Status (TCS) system.

Last verified: May 2026. Source: Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (cipc.co.za), Financial Intelligence Centre (fic.gov.za), FATF (fatf-gafi.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.