How to register a company in South Africa

Updated 1 November 2026 · 3 min read

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In short

Register a private company, (Pty) Ltd, online on BizPortal, run by CIPC, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission: R175 with a name, or R125 if the registration number becomes the name [1].
No documents to upload: verify who you are, add the directors and pay. It’s usually done within a day [1], [2].
SARS, the South African Revenue Service, gives the company an income tax number automatically [3]. It files a CIPC annual return every year [2].

How to register on BizPortal

Not every business needs to register with CIPC [4], so weigh up sole proprietor or company first.

Sign up on bizportal.gov.za
Become a CIPC customer and verify who you are, for example by cellphone [4], [2].
Choose the company type
A private company is (Pty) Ltd [2].
Add a name, or skip it
Up to four names in order of preference; skip it, or if none is available, the registration number becomes the name [2].
Add the directors
Each with their own email address and cellphone number [2].
Pay the registration fee
R175 with a name, R125 without [1].
Receive the registration pack
Your certificate and company documents [2].

What it costs

CIPC registration for a private company with the standard Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI) is R125; a name adds R50 [4].

R125RegistrationR50NameR175With a name

BizPortal charges R175 including a name [1].

No name: R125; The registration number becomes the name, ending in “(South Africa)” [4].
Name reserved on its own: R50; Not refundable; valid for 6 months [4].
A customised MOI: R425; Instead of the standard one [4].
Number to a name later: No change fee; Reserve the name first, for R50 [2], [4].
Reserve where you register: Same platform; A name reserved on CIPC’s eServices can’t be used on BizPortal [2].

What you need

BizPortal needs no forms or documents [2].

You need

A South African ID: BizPortal is for South Africans [2]
Each director’s own email address and cellphone number; they can’t share them [2]
A name not taken or confusingly close to one [2]
R125, or R175 with a name [1]

You don’t need

Forms or documents to upload [2]
A reserved name first [4]

How long it takes

Company on BizPortal: Within a day; If you pay straight away [1], [2].
Name reservation on its own: 1 working day; Reserved once CIPC confirms it in writing [4].

What you get

The registration pack, with your registration certificate [2].

Registration certificate
Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI)
Disclosure certificate
Welcome letter
CIPC registration number
SARS tax number, where it applies

Keep them safe: you’ll use them to open a bank account and for a B-BBEE (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) certificate [2].

Optional extras

Also on BizPortal [1].

B-BBEE certificate: Free; For exempted micro enterprises with turnover up to R10 million [1]. Conditions apply: see B-BBEE certificate.
Business bank account: Apply on BizPortal; With one of the partner banks [1].

After you register

These apply even if the company isn’t trading [2].

Income tax number: Automatic; SARS issues it after CIPC registers the company; then register on eFiling [3].
Beneficial ownership: Within 10 business days; Of incorporation, declare who ultimately owns or controls the company [5].
Provisional tax: From the start; Companies fall into it automatically [6]. See Provisional tax.
CIPC annual return: Every year; Within 30 business days after the anniversary date, with the beneficial ownership declaration [7]. From R100 under R1 million turnover [2].
Company tax return (ITR14): Within 12 months; After the company’s financial year-end [8].

The rest of the set-up, from bank account to VAT, is in Start a business.

References

General guidance, not tax or legal advice.

[1]Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, “BizPortal - Brought to you by the CIPC,” BizPortal. Accessed: Nov. 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.bizportal.gov.za/ (opens in a new tab)
[2]Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, “Company Information, BizPortal Services & Compliance,” CIPC, Jun. 30, 2026. Accessed: Nov. 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.cipc.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/International-SMME-Day-Company-Information-Compliance-Presentation.pdf (opens in a new tab)
[3]South African Revenue Service, “Registering,” SARS, Aug. 19, 2026. Accessed: Nov. 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.sars.gov.za/businesses-and-employers/small-businesses-taxpayers/starting-a-business-and-tax/registering/ (opens in a new tab)
[4]Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, “About Registering a Business,” CIPC. Accessed: Nov. 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.cipc.co.za/?page_id=10462 (opens in a new tab)
[5]Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, “Beneficial Ownership (BO) Filing Compliance Inspections,” CIPC. Accessed: Nov. 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.cipc.co.za/?p=24463 (opens in a new tab)
[6]South African Revenue Service, “Provisional Tax,” SARS, Aug. 21, 2026. Accessed: Nov. 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.sars.gov.za/types-of-tax/provisional-tax/ (opens in a new tab)
[7]Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, “CIPC to enforce beneficial ownership declaration with annual return filings for companies and close corporations,” CIPC. Accessed: Nov. 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.cipc.co.za/?p=21158 (opens in a new tab)
[8]South African Revenue Service, “FAQ: When must the ITR14 return be submitted to SARS?,” SARS, Feb. 25, 2021. Accessed: Nov. 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.sars.gov.za/faq/faq-when-must-the-itr14-return-be-submitted-to-sars/ (opens in a new tab)