CAC Registration Requirements — Documents and Identifiers by Entity Type

CAMA 2020 splits the entities the Corporate Affairs Commission can register across distinct Parts of the Act. Six entity types account for nearly every registration; each carries its own documentary bundle, identifier load, fee structure, and consent path.

The six in summary:

1. Business name (Part C, Sections 814 to 822). Sole proprietor or partnership trading under a registered name. No separate legal personality; the proprietor carries personal liability. Lightest documentary load.
2. Private company limited by shares (Part A). The most common company form. Separate legal entity; shareholders' liability limited to unpaid share capital. Single-shareholder permitted; single-director permitted for a small company.
3. Public company (Part A). A company whose shares may be offered to the public. Higher capital requirements, more directors (minimum three, of whom three must be independent), heavier compliance.
4. Company limited by guarantee (Part A). Non-profit structure with no share capital. The Attorney-General's consent is required at registration; the registration timeline runs in weeks to months rather than days.
5. Incorporated trustees (Part F). NGOs, religious organisations, charitable bodies. SCUML registration follows incorporation and is the precondition for the corporate bank account.
6. Partnership (Part B or Part C). Limited partnership and limited liability partnership are registered under Part B as separate legal persons. A general partnership trading under a business name is registered under Part C.

The requirement bundle for each entity type below assumes the entity-specific identification has been settled. The universal bundle — identity documents, BVN, NIN, address — sits below every entity type.

Every CAC registration, irrespective of entity type, draws on a common identifier stack. The portal pulls identity verification through these at every registration step.

The BVN and the NIN are separate credentials from separate national registers, and the iCRP portal asks for both.

For a diaspora applicant without a domestic BVN, the NRBVN platform at nibss-plc.com.ng/nrbvn is the route. The resulting BVN satisfies the CAC requirement and threads through the same identifier-stack the banking system uses. A foreigner intending to take up residence in Nigeria has an additional layer — CERPAC — that is separate from CAC and depends on the intended activity in Nigeria; see NIN for foreigners for the foreigner identifier-stack.

The lightest documentary load. A sole proprietor or partnership trading under a name other than the proprietor's own surname registers under Part C of CAMA 2020.

Entity-specific bundle (in addition to the universal bundle above):

• A business address in Nigeria where the business operates. Can be the proprietor's residential address; commercial premises not required.
• A plain-English description of the nature of business (one or two sentences) plus a principal-activity selection from the iCRP portal dropdown.
• For a partnership trading name: each partner provides the universal bundle separately. Up to 20 partners are permitted; beyond that the partnership defaults into limited partnership territory under Part B.

Statutory fee: ₦10,000 for the registration plus ₦500 for the name reservation, per the CAC New Schedule of Fees gazetted 29 May 2025.

Issuance window: A working day on a clean submission.

Post-incorporation obligations: Annual return under Section 822 of CAMA 2020; light compliance load.

For the full walkthrough see how to register a business name with CAC.

The most common company form. A separate legal entity created under Part A of CAMA 2020 with shareholder liability limited to unpaid share capital.

Entity-specific bundle:

• Directors. Minimum count depends on size: one director for a small company; two for any other private company; three for a public company. Each director provides the universal bundle plus a declaration of their consent to act as director.

• Shareholders. Minimum one (a single-shareholder private company is permitted under CAMA 2020). Each shareholder provides the universal bundle plus the number and class of shares allocated.
• Persons of significant control (PSCs). Any individual holding more than five per cent of shares or voting rights, or otherwise exercising significant influence, is declared on the form.
• Share capital. Declared at registration. Sets the CAC statutory fee; can be increased post-incorporation by special resolution.
• MEMART. Memorandum and articles of association. Model Articles published by CAC may be adopted with a portal checkbox; bespoke MEMART is uploaded as PDF.

• Registered office address. A physical address in Nigeria for service of statutory notices.

Statutory fee: ₦10,000 per ₦1,000,000 of declared share capital. The smallest tier costs ₦10,000; a company with ₦5,000,000 share capital costs ₦50,000.

Issuance window: 24 to 72 hours on a clean submission with Model articles.

Post-incorporation obligations: Annual return under Section 421; audited accounts where the company exceeds the small-company thresholds; statutory registers; board meetings with minutes.

For the full walkthrough see how to register a limited company.

A company whose shares may be offered to the public. Higher capital requirements and heavier compliance than a private company.

Entity-specific bundle:

• Directors. Minimum three, of whom at least three must be independent directors (the independent-director requirement is the defining new obligation for a public company under CAMA 2020).
• Shareholders. Minimum two; no maximum.
• Share capital. Minimum issued capital of ₦2,000,000 under CAMA 2020. The CAC fee is ₦20,000 per ₦1,000,000 of share capital, making the floor CAC fee ₦40,000.
• Company secretary. A qualified person — ICSAN member, qualified legal practitioner, or holder of a recognised accountancy qualification (ICAN or ANAN). The secretary is mandatory for a public company.
• MEMART. Customarily bespoke for a public company; the standard Model Articles are rarely adopted unmodified because the share-class structure, the board structure, and the corporate governance arrangements of a public company are typically non-standard.

Statutory fee: ₦20,000 per ₦1,000,000 of share capital. Floor ₦40,000 at the regulatory minimum capital.

Issuance window: Longer than a private company because of the bespoke MEMART and the heavier directorial-disclosure requirements. Plan for a working week on a clean submission.

Post-incorporation obligations: Annual return; audited accounts (mandatory); statutory registers; quarterly returns where applicable; SEC-specific filings if listed; FRC disclosures under Nigerian financial-reporting standards.

The standard Part A non-profit structure. No share capital; members guarantee a fixed amount towards the company's liabilities on winding up.

Entity-specific bundle:

• Attorney-General's consent. Under CAMA 2020 every company limited by guarantee requires the consent of the Attorney-General of the Federation. The consent application is submitted to the Federal Ministry of Justice with the proposed MEMART, the trustees' particulars, and a justification of the not-for-profit objects.

• Members. Minimum count of members who guarantee the liability amount.
• Guarantee amount. Each member's guarantee — typically ₦100,000 to ₦1,000,000 per member — recorded in the MEMART.
• Bespoke MEMART. Drafted to reflect the not-for-profit objects, the members' guarantee, and the governance structure. Custom drafting is the norm.

Statutory fee: ₦40,000 flat (no share-capital scaling because the entity has no share capital), per the CAC New Schedule of Fees gazetted 29 May 2025.

Issuance window: 4 to 12 weeks typically, driven by the AG-consent route. The Ministry of Justice processing time is the bottleneck.

Post-incorporation obligations: Annual return; audited accounts; reporting to the AG on activities aligned with the consent.

For the full walkthrough see the forthcoming how to register a company limited by guarantee.

NGOs, religious organisations, charitable bodies, professional associations. Part F of CAMA 2020 creates a corporate body of trustees rather than a company.

Entity-specific bundle:

• Trustees. Minimum two trustees, each providing the universal bundle plus a declaration of consent to act as trustee.
• Constitution. A constitution document setting out the objects, the trustees' powers, the governance arrangements, the membership rules, and the dissolution provisions. Custom-drafted; no Model Constitution equivalent to Model Articles.
• Newspaper publication. Notice of the proposed incorporation published in two national newspapers; the cuttings are uploaded to the iCRP portal as part of the application. The notice period (typically 28 days) runs between publication and the formal registration.
• Trustees' meeting minutes. Minutes of the meeting that resolved to apply for incorporation and approved the constitution.
• SCUML registration (post-incorporation). A precondition for opening a corporate bank account.

Statutory fee: ₦40,000 flat, per the CAC New Schedule of Fees gazetted 29 May 2025.

Issuance window: Several weeks driven by the newspaper-publication notice period. SCUML processing adds another 14 to 21 working days post-incorporation.

Post-incorporation obligations: Annual return; SCUML certificate maintenance; reporting on activities; corporate bank account opening once SCUML certificate is in hand.

For the full walkthroughs see the forthcoming how to register incorporated trustees and how to register an NGO guides.

Partnerships in Nigeria run through one of three legal structures depending on the intended scale and liability arrangement.

General partnership trading under a business name (Part C). Two or more proprietors trading under a single registered business name. No separate legal personality from the partners. Same documentary bundle as a Part C business name; each partner provides the universal bundle. Fee ₦10,000 + ₦500 reservation.

Limited partnership (LP) under Part B. Combines general partners (unlimited liability) with limited partners (liability capped at their capital contribution). Registered as a separate legal entity; documentary bundle includes the partnership agreement, the partners' capital contributions, and the partnership's principal place of business.

Limited liability partnership (LLP) under Part B. All partners have limited liability; the LLP is a separate legal entity. Closest in structure to a private company but without share capital. Documentary bundle includes the LLP agreement, the partners' capital contributions, the designated partners (who are responsible for compliance), and the principal office.

Statutory fee: Part C partnership trading name follows the business-name schedule (₦10,000). Part B LP and LLP fees are tiered by capital contribution similar to the company schedule and are higher than the Part C line.

Issuance window: Comparable to a private company for LP and LLP; comparable to a business name for the Part C partnership.

For the full walkthroughs see the forthcoming how to register a partnership guide.

The documentary bundle is for the submitter (whether DIY or accredited agent) to assemble. Both routes are first-class under CAMA 2020; the submitter's identity does not change the entity-specific bundle.

The DIY route at pre.cac.gov.ng is the routine choice for a Part C business name and for a single-shareholder small private company on Model articles. The accredited-agent route earns its fee where the documentary chain is heavier: bespoke MEMART, companies limited by guarantee, incorporated trustees with SCUML to follow, public companies with the independent-director and qualified-secretary requirements. The fee comparison sits separately from CAC's statutory schedule; the agent's invoice itemises both with the CAC line passing through unchanged.

Informal 'CAC consultants' or 'CAC agents' on social media who hold no professional accreditation have no standing under the framework. They may help informally with form-entry but cannot submit under accreditation privileges; their fee should be treated as a personal-assistant charge, not as a regulated professional service.

The fee and issuance window are only the entry cost. The post-incorporation compliance load differs by entity type and is the more significant ongoing cost for most operators.

For the fee schedule across all six entity types side by side, see CAC registration fees. For the annual-returns regime in more detail, see the forthcoming CAC annual returns guide.

A foreign-resident director or shareholder can be named on a Nigerian company. The CAC requirement is the same identifier-stack as for a domestic director — BVN, NIN-equivalent, photograph, signature, address. The foreigner-specific layers are:

• BVN through NRBVN. The Non-Resident BVN platform at nibss-plc.com.ng/nrbvn issues a BVN to a foreigner without requiring physical presence in Nigeria. The BVN satisfies the CAC requirement.
• NIN equivalent. A foreign resident in Nigeria enrols for a NIN through NIMC. A foreigner not resident in Nigeria typically does not have a NIN; the iCRP portal accepts the foreign passport number in the NIN field for non-resident directors. See NIN for foreigners for the foreigner identifier-stack overview.
• CERPAC. The Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card is the residence permit for a foreigner intending to live and work in Nigeria. Not required at CAC incorporation, but typically the next step for a foreigner who will manage the Nigerian company in-country.
• Foreign-resident-only directorship. A Nigerian company with only foreign-resident directors and no Nigerian-resident director is permitted under CAMA 2020 but tends to face heavier banking-side onboarding. Pairing at least one Nigerian-resident director with the foreign directors smooths the corporate-account opening.

The foreigner-track adds time to the registration — both because of the NRBVN clearance and because some banks add internal verification on a company with all-foreign directors — but does not change the underlying CAC requirements. The entity-type-specific bundle is the same.

• Do NOT pick an entity type because it sounds more impressive than the one that fits the operation. The Part A limited company is not 'better' than the Part C business name; it carries different rights and different obligations. Match the entity to the operation.
• Do NOT skip the BVN-NIN cross-check before submitting. A name mismatch between the BVN-holder record at NIBSS and the NIN-holder record at NIMC triggers a query on the iCRP portal and pauses the application. See [BVN does not match NIN](/bvn/bvn-does-not-match-nin/) for the diagnostic if the cross-check fails.
• Do NOT register a company limited by guarantee without the Attorney-General's consent in hand or in motion. The CAC will refuse the incorporation without the consent; the reservation fee is still consumed.
• Do NOT use a residential address as the registered office without someone reliably receiving correspondence there. Service of legal process to an address that nobody monitors is a slow-burn problem; statutory notices and tax correspondence land at the registered office.
• Do NOT operate an incorporated trustees entity (NGO, religious body, charitable body) without completing SCUML registration. The corporate bank account opening at any Nigerian bank requires the SCUML certificate; running the entity's banking through a trustee's personal account is a money-laundering compliance breach.
• Do NOT list a partner or director as a 'silent' party without recording them on the form. The CAC register is the public record; an undisclosed beneficial owner above the five-per-cent threshold is a PSC-register breach and surfaces in any subsequent audit.