How to check if a company is registered in South Africa
Before you pay a deposit, sign a quote or let someone start work, it is worth ten minutes to confirm the business is real. Here is how to do a South Africa company search and a CIPC company registration check on any business against the official register, and what to look at once you have found it.
Start by asking for the registration number
Every company and close corporation registered in South Africa has a registration number in the format YYYY/NNNNNN/NN: the year it was registered, a serial number, then two digits for the type of entity. A private company, by far the most common, ends in 07.
Ask for it directly. A legitimate business will not blink, because the number is already on their quotes, invoices and letterhead. Hesitation, or a promise to send it later, is itself information.
Ask for the registered company name too. Plenty of businesses trade under a different name to the one on the register, so the name on your quote may not match what you find. That is normal and legal on its own. What matters is that they can tell you both names without a story.
Do a company search on the CIPC register
CIPC (the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission) keeps the official register, and it is the only source that settles the question. Two official routes:
- BizPortal (bizportal.gov.za) — the government's business services portal.
- CIPC eServices (eservices.cipc.co.za) — CIPC's own service.
Both require you to create an account first. A basic search confirms whether the company exists and what its status is. A full disclosure certificate, which lists the directors, carries a small fee.
Separately, ask the business for a copy of its registration certificate (the CoR14.3 for a company registered under the current Companies Act). Then check that the name and number printed on it are the same ones you looked up. A document that does not match the register is the end of the conversation.
Read the status, not just the name
This is the step most people skip. Finding the company is not the same as the company being in good standing, and the status field is where the real answer is:
- In Business — active and filing as it should. This is what you want to see.
- In Deregistration — usually means annual returns have not been filed. The company is on its way off the register. Ask about it before you commit to anything.
- Deregistered or Final Deregistration — the company no longer legally exists. Anyone still trading under that name is trading as an individual, whatever the letterhead says, and your recourse if the job goes wrong gets very complicated.
While you are there, check the directors against the person you are actually dealing with. If the name you have been given appears nowhere, ask why.
Registered is not the same as qualified
Worth being clear about, because it is where people get caught: registration proves the company exists. It says nothing about whether they can do the work, or whether they are legally allowed to. Most trades have a second body that answers that:
- Electricians must be registered to issue a valid Certificate of Compliance (CoC). No CoC, no sign-off, and your insurance may not pay out. How to check an electrician.
- Plumbers should be recognised by PIRB or IOPSA. How to check a plumber.
- Security companies need valid PSIRA registration for the company and its officers.
- New home builders must be enrolled with the NHBRC.
- Pest control operators must be registered with the Department of Agriculture. How to choose pest control.
- Caterers need a valid Certificate of Acceptability for their premises. How to choose a caterer.
- Accountants, attorneys and other professionals should hold membership of the relevant body, such as SAICA or the Legal Practice Council. See checking an accountant and checking a lawyer.
Ask for the certificate or membership number and check it with that body, not just with the company.
Red flags worth walking away from
- No registration number, or it is always about to be sent.
- The number returns nothing on the CIPC register at all.
- The company is deregistered or in deregistration and nobody mentioned it.
- The banking details are a personal account rather than the company's.
- Pressure for a large deposit before anything is in writing.
- No physical address, and no willingness to give one.
- A quote with no company details, no VAT or registration number, and no terms.
Any one of these on its own might have an innocent explanation. Two or more together usually do not. More on this, including the banking-details scam, in how to spot a fake business. Checking a supplier for a contract? See how to check a supplier before you sign.
Or start from a list where it is already done
Running this check yourself is worth doing, and on a big job you should. But doing it for every business you consider is the reason most people never do it at all.
That is the whole point of BizBoost. Every business in the directory has already had its CIPC registration, company documents and director ID checked before it was allowed to appear, so you start from a shortlist of real, registered companies instead of a search results page full of strangers. You can see exactly what we check, including what the verified badge does not cover.
Common questions
How do I do a business search in South Africa?
For the official record, search the company name or registration number on the CIPC register through BizPortal or CIPC eServices; it shows whether the company exists and its status. To find a trustworthy business for a job, start from a directory that has already done that check, such as BizBoost, where every listed business has been matched against the CIPC register.
How do I do a company check in South Africa?
Get the company registration number from the business, then search it on the CIPC register through BizPortal or CIPC eServices. Confirm the registered name matches, the status reads In Business, and the directors include the person you are dealing with. For trades, also check their licence with the relevant body, such as PSIRA, NHBRC or PIRB.
How do I check if a company is registered with CIPC?
Ask the business for its registration number, then look it up through BizPortal (bizportal.gov.za) or CIPC eServices (eservices.cipc.co.za). Both need a free account. Check that the registered name, the number and the company status all match what you were told.
What does a South African company registration number look like?
It follows the format YYYY/NNNNNN/NN: the year of registration, a serial number, then two digits for the entity type. A private company (Pty Ltd), the most common type, ends in 07.
What does it mean if a company is in deregistration?
It usually means the company has not filed its annual returns and is on its way off the CIPC register. A fully deregistered company no longer legally exists, which makes contracts and any recourse against it far harder. Ask about it before you pay anything.
Does being CIPC-registered mean a company is trustworthy?
No. Registration proves the company is real and that an accountable person stands behind it. It does not prove quality of work or that they hold the licence their trade requires, such as an electrical CoC, PSIRA registration or NHBRC enrolment. Check those separately and read reviews from real customers.
Is the company trading under a different name a problem?
Not by itself. Many South African businesses trade under a name that differs from their registered one, which is legal. What matters is that they can give you both the trading name and the registered name and number, and that the registered entity checks out.