Access South African company data from CIPC (Companies and Intellectual Property Commission). Search by company name or registration number.
Pty Ltd (Proprietary Limited) is South Africa's private company, equivalent to a Ltd. It restricts the transfer of shares and limits the number of shareholders to 50. There's no minimum capital requirement. It's the most common company type in South Africa.
CIPC offers a free online search at eservices.cipc.co.za. You can search by company name or registration number. Basic information is free; detailed company reports cost R30–R80.
Close Corporations (CC) were a popular small business entity in South Africa. Since 2011, no new CCs can be formed (existing ones can continue operating). They've been replaced by the simpler (Pty) Ltd under the new Companies Act.
B-BBEE (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) is South Africa's policy framework for economic transformation. Companies are scored on ownership, management, skills development, and enterprise development. B-BBEE status significantly affects government procurement eligibility.
Type the company name into the search box above. Results come from the CIPC and show the registered name, CIPC number, status and registered address. Partial names work — searching "acme" returns every registered entity whose name starts with it.
Yes. Searching by company name or CIPC number is free here and on the official South Africa register — no account or payment is required for a basic lookup. Certified extracts and filed documents may carry a fee on the official register.
Yes. Enter the CIPC number instead of the name and the lookup resolves it directly to the matching record, which is the fastest way to confirm an identifier printed on an invoice or contract.
Search the name or CIPC number above. If the business is on the CIPC, the record appears with its registered name and identifier. If nothing is returned, the name as spelled is not on the register — try a partial name or the number printed on the invoice or contract before concluding the business is unregistered.
Each record carries the status the CIPC publishes for that entity. Registration status is a factual register field, not a judgement about the business — for ongoing certainty you can watch a record and be emailed when its registered details change.
Search the company name above. Each result shows its CIPC number alongside the registered name, status and address, sourced from the CIPC.
Source: CIPC official register
Last verified: 2026-07-04