You register a business name in Nigeria through the Corporate Affairs Commission’s online portals, Pre or Icrp. Search and reserve your name (₦500), then complete the BN registration form, upload your ID, passport photo, and signature, pay the ₦10,000 filing fee, and download your certificate. Your reservation holds for 60 days, and approval often lands within days if your documents check out.
TL;DR:
- Successful registration typically takes 1 to 7 working days if all documents are correct and uploaded properly on the official portals.
- The total cost for registering a business name is around ₦10,500, which includes ₦500 for reservation and ₦10,000 for the filing fee.
- Common delays occur from typos, mismatched IDs, or using unofficial third-party sites that may inflate fees or offer unregulated services.
- Reserving a name is valid for 60 days, after which you must repeat the process and pay again if not used within that period.
- After approval, entrepreneurs should open bank accounts, apply for a TIN, and file annual returns to maintain compliance and credibility.
Table of Contents
- Step-by-step: how to register a business name in Nigeria online
- What documents do you need to register your business name?
- What does it cost to register a business name in Nigeria?
- What mistakes cause business name registration delays?
- What should you do after your business name is approved?
- Official CAC resources worth bookmarking
- Why formal registration matters more than most entrepreneurs realize
- Sources
Step-by-step: how to register a business name in Nigeria online
Nigerian business owners no longer need to visit a CAC office in person for a basic business name. The whole Nigerian business name registration process runs through two official portals, and once you know the sequence, it takes less time than opening a new bank account.
Here’s the order the CRP user guide lays out for the Company Registration Portal:
- Create or log in to your CAC account. You’ll verify your identity with your NIN or phone number, depending on the portal’s current setup.
- Search for your business name. Use the public search on pre.cac.gov.ng to confirm your preferred name isn’t already taken.
- Reserve the name and record your AV code. This code is your proof of reservation and the key you’ll need in the next step. Guard it like a password.
- Start “Register New Business” from your dashboard. Enter the AV code, then fill in the business details and proprietor information.
- Upload your documents. This means a clear identification image, a passport photograph, and a digital signature. Preview everything before moving forward.
- Pay and submit. Once payment clears, the application moves into CAC’s review queue.
- Track your dashboard and email. When approved, you’ll download your Certificate of Registration directly from the portal.
Miss a step, like forgetting to write down your AV code, and you’ll waste time hunting for it again in your account history. Nigerian corporate affairs commission staff process thousands of these filings weekly, so a clean, error-free submission is what separates a same-week approval from a frustrating back-and-forth over rejected uploads.
What documents do you need to register your business name?
Getting your files ready before you open the portal saves you from restarting halfway through. The requirements for business name registration in Nigeria are short, but each item has to be exactly right.
- A valid means of identification: NIN slip, voter’s card, driver’s license, or international passport
- A recent, clear passport photograph (avoid selfies or cropped ID photos)
- A digital image of your signature, ideally scanned on a plain white background
- Your principal business address, proposed date of commencement, and a clear description of your business’s nature
The CRP user guide recommends scanning documents at 300 dpi and saving them as JPEG or PDF within the portal’s file size limits. Blurry or oversized files are a common reason uploads fail on the first try.
Pro Tip: Double-check that the name on your ID matches exactly what you type into the form, spelling, middle names, everything. A mismatch here is one of the fastest ways to trigger a manual review delay.
What does it cost to register a business name in Nigeria?
The cost to register a business in Nigeria as a business name is fixed by CAC at two stages: ₦500 for name reservation and ₦10,000 for the filing fee, based on official CAC guidance and confirmed by independent registration walkthroughs. That puts your total near ₦10,500 if you file it yourself, though some agents charge extra for handling the process on your behalf.
When your documents are correct the first time, online approval commonly takes 1 to 7 working days. Offline or manually corrected applications tend to run longer.
Your reserved name stays valid for 60 days. Miss that window and you’ll need to search and reserve again, paying the ₦500 fee a second time.
What mistakes cause business name registration delays?
Most rejections trace back to something avoidable. Typos in the proposed name, a business classification that doesn’t match your actual activity, or an ID number that doesn’t match your uploaded document are the usual culprits.
- Only use official CAC domains: cac.gov.ng, pre.cac.gov.ng, or icrp.cac.gov.ng — never a third-party site promising a “faster” registration for a fee
- Re-read every field before submitting; a single wrong digit in your AV code can send the whole application back
- Save your payment receipt and reference number immediately after paying
- If your status stalls for more than a week, contact CAC directly through its official channels rather than a random agent
Pro Tip: If someone offers to “register your business name” outside the official portals for a discount, that’s a red flag. CAC’s own guidance warns entrepreneurs to avoid unofficial intermediaries that charge inflated, unregulated fees. You can also read Naijatipsland’s guide to spotting internet scams for broader red flags that apply beyond CAC filings.
What should you do after your business name is approved?
Your Certificate of Registration is the document banks and clients will ask for first. Here’s what to line up next:
- Open a business bank account using your CAC certificate and business number; most banks will also ask for your Tax Identification Number (TIN)
- Apply for a TIN through the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); this is separate from your CAC registration and needed for tax compliance
- Watch your turnover: VAT registration becomes relevant once your business crosses the threshold FIRS sets
- File annual returns with CAC and keep your registered details current, especially if your address or proprietor information changes
If you’re still deciding whether a sole proprietorship suits your plans, it’s worth reading about the main business structures available in Nigeria before you commit to a name.
Official CAC resources worth bookmarking
Stick to primary sources instead of third-party summaries whenever you’re unsure of a step.
- CAC main website for fees, policy updates, and public notices
- CRP user guide for exact, screen-by-screen portal instructions
- Pre-incorporation portal for name searches and reservations before you file
Why formal registration matters more than most entrepreneurs realize
Naijatipsland covers a lot of ground on how young Nigerians build income online, and the pattern is consistent: the entrepreneurs who register their business name early are the ones who get taken seriously later, by banks, by clients, by ad networks. A CAC certificate isn’t paperwork for its own sake. It’s what turns a side hustle into something you can open a business account for, sign contracts under, and eventually monetize without workarounds.
If you’re building anything online right now, from a content platform to a small services business, treat registration as step one, not step ten. For entrepreneurs setting up digital ventures, our guide on starting a blog in Nigeria and our breakdown of safe online registration practices are good next reads once your CAC certificate is in hand.
Naijatipsland exists to help Nigerians make sense of the systems that shape daily life, whether that’s the news cycle or the paperwork behind starting something real. If you’re weighing why credible information sources matter as much as credible business documentation, our piece on media transparency and accountability makes a similar case for institutions you can trust.
— Naijatipsland
Sources
- Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) — Business name registration information
- CRP user guide (Corporate Affairs Commission)
- CAC pre-incorporation portal
- How to register a business name with CAC — Biztraction (practical guide)
