If you’re looking to check or register your company name, you are certainly on the right page.

In this post, we take a look at how you can search for and register your company name with the Corporate Affairs Commission via the CAC Public Search.

But first, let’s have a quick overview of the CAC.

CAC Public Search: How to Check Registered Company Names

Established in 1990, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria is the autonomous body responsible for regulating the formation and management of companies in Nigeria.

The CAC carries out its functions through accredited members of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

The services offered by the CAC are categorized in parts including:

PART A – Registry

PART B – Registration of Business Names

PART C – Registration of Incorporated Trustees (NGO’s)

These categories include the following services:

• Incorporation of Companies (Private or Public Company, Limited by guarantee)
• Registration of Business Name
• Registration of Incorporated Trustees
• Same Day Incorporation Services under which companies are registered within one day
• Conducting searches
• Issuance of Certified True Copies of filed documents
• Registration of share capital increases, mortgages, etc
• Processing the statutory filings of Annual Returns, increase, changes in the memo and articles, addresses, etc
• Arrange or conduct investigations into the affairs of any company where the interests of the shareholders and the public so demand.
• Management and winding-up of companies.
• Monitoring the Compliance with the CAMA by companies.
• Sale of all statutory forms and publications of the Commission
• Responding to enquiries and complaints in respect of the services of the Commission.
• Handling the preliminary process of accreditation of Lawyers, Chartered Accountants and Chartered Secretaries who are the recognized professionals and direct users of the Companies Registry.

Under the CAC, the four types of business ventures recognized by the body include Private Limited Company (LTD), Public Limited Company (PLC), Companies limited by guarantee and

Unlimited Companies.

Now let’s take a look at the process of searching and registering a business name with the CAC.

Step #1

You will have to decide on the name to use to register your business. This process is done online. Once you have made a decision, go to to check the availability of these names.

Step #2

Enter the name you want to search then tick the “I’m not a robot” and solve the captcha if prompted. Then click “Search”

If you enter a registered company name in the CAC online search form, the search result will display the company registration number, the company name, company address, and date of incorporation (registration).

If the business name is not registered in the CAC database, the form will return a blank result. If the name you entered is your proposed business name, you can proceed to submit it for reservation at CAC online website.

If the CAC approves the name, then it will reserve the name for you for a 60-day period. You’re expected to complete the registration process for your business during this timeframe.

Step #3

Complete pre-registration form – CAC1.1 (Online using Company Registration Portal).

• The information required to be completed include:
• Approved Name of the Business
• General Nature of the Business
• Address of the Business
• Your Name, Address, Occupation as the Proprietor of the Business
• Signature of the Proprietor

The next step is to pay the filing and stamp duty fees. You can check the fees for the services on the CAC website. The payment of the fees can either be done online or can be completed in a bank.

You can complete Steps 1-3 without leaving your home/office because it can be done on the company registration portal (CRP) of the CAC website.

Step #4

Now, it’s time to prepare the signed scan copy of your pre-registration documents for upload as follows:

• Form CAC1.1
• Memorandum and Article of Association (MEMART)
• Recognized form of identification for Director(s)/Subscriber(s) and Secretary
• Evidence of payment to CAC
• Upload the scanned documents for processing. (click here)

Step #5

Once the payment has been approved and you have submitted the forms online, the CAC will review the documentation and if all is in order, you will be notified that your application has been approved, and your Business Name Certificate is ready for collection.

You should submit the original copies of the documents uploaded at step 4 (Form CAC1.1, MEMART etc) to the CAC office you had selected in exchange for your certificate and the Certified True copies of the documents.

There are many advantages of registering a business name when compared to incorporating a company and this is why you shouldn’t waste any more time in registering your business name.

The best part is the time taken to register your business name is quite short. The process of registration usually takes a week but it depends on the workload of the CAC at the time.