CAC Public Search is an automated system provided by the commission to carry out pre-company name confirmation. It is the very first step in company registration after signing up on the CAC registration portal as the search system helps company proprietors to know the availability of a proposed company name.
The commission provided a system for confirming the availability of a company name, which was a difficult task prior to the introduction of the online CAC public search system. CAC made the system to be user-friendly and very straightforward. The public search is also used by business entities and individuals to confirm the authenticity and other information of other companies in which they have a business interest.
What is CAC Public Search?
CAC public search is an electronic automated search process for checking the availability of a company name. It is also a means of confirming the authenticity of a company, as it helps to provide information about a registered company. The process only requires you to input the proposed name or the company name you wish to confirm its authenticity.
This gave rise to lots of unregistered businesses having no option but to register their business name with CAC, in order to have a business name that is verifiable. To avoid being scammed, it is critical to undertake due diligence before engaging in a service or transacting with a corporation.
If a corporation is not registered, no results will be displayed. Someone can check by demanding to examine the company’s certificate of incorporation and then comparing the information included therein to that received from the CAC’s portal.
What is the CAC Public Search Used For?
A lot of reasons can result in the use of the commission’s public search. It all depends on the needs of the person making use of the public search portal. Below are some of the important reasons why business entities and individuals make use of public search:
- The major reason the public search is used is to know the availability of a proposed company name. This automatically scans through all the registered business or company names, checking a name that will have a conflicting similarity with the proposed name.
- Individuals like job seekers also make use of the public search to confirm the existence of a company name before applying for a position with the company.
- Business entities also make use of this public search to get information and confirm the existence of a company they wish to have a business deal with.
CAC Public Search Portal
The public search portal for the corporate affairs commission is https://www.cac.gov.ng/ This portal can be used to check the availability of a company name. It can help one have a deeper view of information about the company.
Once the first stage of information is displayed, click on ‘View Paid Services.’ This section will then demand that you input your name, email, and phone number, and then proceed to generate a Remita for payment.
How to Search the List of Registered Companies in Nigeria with CAC
Considering that the CAC is in charge of regulating company formation and management, they have exclusive access to all information pertaining to registered companies in Nigeria. This information is not kept secret; rather, it is made available to the public in order to encourage transparency and a secure business environment.
To lessen the risk of naive individuals or entities transacting with unregistered firms that lack legal status, the CAC has developed a public search engine on its website where one can authenticate a company’s registration.
To check a company’s registration, simply follow these simple steps:
- Access the public search portal by clicking here
- Scroll to the section with ‘Public Search’ and click on it
- Input the company name you wish to search for, and avoid the use of Plc, Ltd, or Limited
- Then scroll to the search box and click on it to commence the search process
- At this point, if the company name is a registered name with CAC, you will see the RC number, the company address, the company name, and the date it was registered. You can also extend your search to learn more about the company. Note that additional searches attract a charge on the portal.
Other Ways to Check If a Company is Registered in Nigeria
CAC is known to be the only authorized government agency that registers companies and businesses in Nigeria. This provides them the privilege of being the official body for confirmation of a company’s registration status.
However, it is very important to know that there are other agencies of the government where one can also confirm the registration status of a company. These agencies are also authorized to register companies.
The assessment of the registration status of a company may not be as simple as that of the CAC with these other agencies. That is why we provided below the process one can go through to confirm the validity and authenticity of a company. The two known ways of carrying out this confirmation are through the following:
- Joint Tax Board TIN Verification Portal
- Federal Inland Revenue Service TIN Verification Portal
How to Search a Company Using JTB TIN Verification Portal
- Access the Joint Tax Board TIN verification portal or click here
- Scroll to the TIN registration section and input the date of incorporation of the company. It should be the same date provided in the CAC portal.
- Select the search criteria from the drop-down arrow, which includes NIN, BVN, Company Registration Number, Tax Identification Number, or Registered mobile number.
- Tap on the captcha box to confirm you are not a robot
- Scroll down to the ‘Submit button’ and click on it
At this point, if all the information provided is correct and the company exists, complete details of the company will be displayed. But if the company does not exist, the display will be blank with no information.
How to Search a Company Using FIRS TIN Verification Portal
- Go to the FIRS official portal for TIN verification or click here
- Scroll to the search section on the dashboard
- Move to the CAC registration number on the menu list of the search section
- Input the CAC registration number with the right alphabet that corresponds to the nature of the company. Note that RC relates to corporate organizations while BN relates to business entities. The issue you may encounter is that most times when you get the registration number, it may not come with the alphabet. Ensure that the alphabet relates to the company.
- Go through the CAPTCHA confirmation that you are not a robot.
At this point, you will get to know if the company is registered and if it displays the company details. If it does not display any information about the company, it is not registered.