Search and document delivery at a glance
- Search online
- Full Disclosure is accessed after signing into CIPC eServices. The accounts service has separate sign-in. [8] [7] [14] [13]
- Search language
- The CIPC disclosure guide shows English input fields. “Enterprise Number” is the registration number; “Free Disclosure” provides basic information and “Full Disclosure” is the paid detailed report. [7]
- Digital documents
- Full Disclosure is sent to the account email. The separate accounts service emails original filings in browser-readable iXBRL format. [8] [7] [1]
- Document language
- Not specified
- Paper and collection
- Not specified
- International delivery
- Not specified
- Fees at a glance
- Shortened disclosure free; full electronic disclosure ZAR 30
- Access
- Login required; users without a South African ID sign in with a CIPC customer code
Choose the right register
The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) maintains South Africa’s company registers. Its company search is called BizProfile and operates within the official BizPortal. The old eServices search page explicitly directs users there and requires a login. [5] [6]
A Full Disclosure is the complete official register disclosure. It provides information on the company or Close Corporation, including its governance structure and registration history. You need financial statements separately to examine financial performance. A list of directors is not a list of ultimate beneficial owners. [2] [8] [4]
Official company search after login.
Customer registration and electronic register disclosures.
Fee table and request route for filed documents.
Separate information requests and PAIA documents.
Current entry points for E-SERVICES and NEW E-SERVICES, which use different customer accounts.
Names and abbreviations explained
- CIPCCompanies and Intellectual Property Commission
- The South African authority responsible for company registration and intellectual property. It supplies company disclosures and filed documents. [2]
- BizProfileCompany profile service in BizPortal
- The official search of CIPC company information. Users must sign in. [5]
- Enterprise NumberCompany registration number
- The identifier used to select a company. The financial statement service requires the format year/serial number/entity-type code, for example 2018/105664/07. [8]
- CCClose Corporation
- A distinct South African business form. Its participants are called members. The fee table distinguishes a CC from a company. [1] [7]
- MOIMemorandum of Incorporation
- The company’s founding and organisational document. The guidance restricts direct retrieval under Incorporation documents to an active director of the company. [7]
- ARAnnual Return
- An annual statutory submission to CIPC. It is separate from annual financial statements. Failure to file can lead to deregistration. [12]
- AFSAnnual Financial Statements
- The company’s annual accounts. CIPC provides a separate retrieval service for statements previously filed in iXBRL format. [8]
- FASFinancial Accountability Supplement
- A financial supplement that certain companies may file instead of submitting complete annual financial statements. [3] [12]
- iXBRLInline eXtensible Business Reporting Language
- A format for financial statements that can be read by both people and software. CIPC’s delivered files can be opened in a web browser. [8]
- PAIAPromotion of Access to Information Act
- The statutory request route for information CIPC does not make available through ordinary public retrieval. [10]
- DirectorMember of the company’s governing body
- A person recorded as responsible for directing the company. This role is separate from share ownership or beneficial ownership. [2] [4]
Search step by step
Check a company and its status
Start with the correct official portal
Open BizPortal using the address with “www” and select Login. If you have a South African ID, use it with your CIPC password. Otherwise, select No and enter your personal CIPC Customer Code. [6]
Open BizProfile
After signing in, go to Services and BizProfile. Select the search option and enter your query. The enterprise number is particularly important for subsequent document retrieval. Save it from the matching result. [11] [8]
Expand the result sections
CIPC’s instructions show individual expandable result sections. Check the company information, directors or members, and registration history. Distinguish a deregistration process in progress from completed deregistration. [11] [12]
Order a full disclosure when you need official evidence
Open CIPC eServices. After signing in, select Certificates & Disclosures and Full Disclosure. Enter the Enterprise Number, select Validate, then Generate Certificate. The disclosure is sent to the email address registered with your customer account. [7]
Obtain documents and financial statements
Identify the document you need
Select Full Disclosure for the registered particulars and history. For filed financial statements, use Business Disclosure / Financial Statements. If you need an incorporation notice, constitution or specific amendment, name the document precisely in your file request. [7] [8] [1]
Use the separate financial statement login
The AFS manual still linked by CIPC (version 1.0, 14 July 2022, page 3) requires a separate registration using a South African ID or passport number for the financial statement portal it describes. It expressly states that old eServices customer codes will not work. The current CIPC portals page lists the separate services; NEW E-SERVICES now leads to a separate customer registration page. Keep your BizProfile customer code distinct from this new account. [8] [13]
Use the list of available financial years
In the financial statement service, enter the Enterprise Number in the format XXXX/YYYYYY/ZZ. After Continue, the system lists the years for which CIPC has received statements in iXBRL format. Select one or more years. [8]
Check the separate payment and delivery arrangements
The full electronic register disclosure costs ZAR 30 and requires sufficient customer-account credit under the eServices instructions. The financial statement service charges per selected statement set and displays the total as Amount Due. Its instructions describe card payment with a one-time code, followed by delivery of the original files by email. [1] [7] [8]
Request other filed records precisely
Use the disclosure request linked from CIPC’s fee page. Provide the Enterprise Number and specify the documents. For older incorporation records, CIPC describes the route Companies and CCs / Paper based Disclosure / Copies of documents. Copies and certification have separate charges. [1] [11]
Documents and fees
| Document / information | Contents and purpose | Fee | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Disclosure [7] | A shortened disclosure with basic particulars and registered directors or members. CIPC does not designate it for official use. | Free | Customer account; Certificates & Disclosures / Free Disclosure; Enterprise Number; email delivery. |
| Full Disclosure [1] [2] [7] | Complete electronic register disclosure with governance structure and registration history. | ZAR 30 for a company or Close Corporation | Customer account with sufficient credit; Full Disclosure; validate the number and generate the certificate. |
| Annual Financial Statements [8] | Original statements filed in iXBRL for the selected years. | Charged per selected statement set; total shown as Amount Due | Separate AFS login under CIPC’s guide dated 14 July 2022; old eServices customer codes do not work there. Then Business Disclosure / Financial Statements, Enterprise Number and available years; card with one-time code; email delivery. |
| File inspection by written request [1] | Inspection of a company file. For a CC, the fee table includes up to ten copies; additional copies and certification cost extra. | Company: ZAR 100; Close Corporation: ZAR 10 | Use the request linked from Disclosure Forms and Fees. |
| Copy of a filed document [1] | For example an incorporation notice, constitution, registered-office change or director change. Specify the document type and Enterprise Number. | Company: ZAR 1.50 per copy; Close Corporation: ZAR 0.50 per copy | File disclosure request; request certification separately if needed. |
| Certification of a filed document copy [1] | A certified copy of a document held on file. This is separate from an electronic Full Disclosure. | Company: ZAR 20; Close Corporation: ZAR 5 | Request certification explicitly with the document copy. |
Login and access from abroad
Sign in to BizProfile for company search. People without a South African ID can use their personal CIPC customer code. [5] [6]
CIPC’s instructions allow registration of a customer code using a passport number. The code belongs to one person and must not be shared. The FAQ identifies a practical barrier: the telephone field accepts ten digits, so customer registration requires a South African telephone number. [9] [3]
The Foreigner Assurance identity check may be relevant to foreign individuals. CIPC describes electronic submission of a certified passport or foreign identity document. Foreign individuals are therefore not categorically excluded. [4] [3]
Financial statement retrieval uses a separate login. The AFS manual dated 14 July 2022, which CIPC still links, expressly rules out old eServices customer codes and describes registration with an ID or passport number. The current NEW E-SERVICES page identifies a private email address as the primary login and transaction account. It offers RSA Individual and Foreign Individual as person types. [8] [13] [14]
Register disclosures, filed records and access limits
CIPC’s guide lists the free shortened disclosure’s contents as including the enterprise number, name, entity type, status, registration date, addresses and registered directors or members. CIPC expressly says that this free disclosure should not be used for official purposes. Full Disclosure is the appropriate product for those purposes. [7] [2]
The direct service for MOI and incorporation documents requires the user to be an active director of the company, according to the guide. When researching another business, use a file request that identifies the required documents instead. [7] [1]
CIPC’s list of requestable records includes the CoR14.1 notice of incorporation, CoR15.1 standard memorandum of incorporation, CoR21.1 registered-office changes and CoR39 director changes. Close Corporation incorporation and amendment documents include CK1 and CK2. [1]
Some CIPC records require a separate PAIA request. The Access to Information page links the manual, document categories and application form. [10]
Annual returns and financial statements
An Annual Return and annual financial statements are different submissions. The annual return keeps the registered information current. Financial statements or a Financial Accountability Supplement may also be required. A complete published set of financial statements is therefore not available for every business. [12] [3]
The documented financial statement service retrieves statements previously submitted in iXBRL. It lists the years actually available. [8]
The delivered file is the original statement in iXBRL format and can be read in a browser. The ZAR 30 company disclosure does not automatically include this separate financial statement purchase. [8] [1]
Beneficial ownership is not an ordinary public register search
CIPC collects information about the natural people who ultimately own or control companies. Its beneficial ownership register covers the relevant CIPC entities; the current CIPC page excludes cooperatives from this filing process. [4]
CIPC’s FAQ rules out general public access to beneficial ownership information. It names law enforcement agencies and vetted competent authorities as eligible recipients. A standard CIPC customer account and Full Disclosure therefore do not provide general access to these records. [3]
Keep the registered roles distinct during research. Directors govern a company. Members participate in a Close Corporation. An ultimate beneficial owner may sit behind these registered roles and need not be a director. [7] [3] [4]
Understand deregistration status
Deregistration indicates an ongoing voluntary deregistration process. Final Deregistered indicates completed deregistration. AR Deregistration and AR Final Deregistered instead concern failure to file annual returns. Use the history to establish the reason. [12]
A previous appointment can still appear in a person disclosure for a dissolved or deregistered company. CIPC’s guide says this reflects the position on the date of dissolution or final deregistration. [7]
Avoid common mistakes
- Welcome GUEST on the old eServices page does not mean that company search works without signing in. The visible search notice requires a BizProfile login. [5]
- The Incorporation documents service is available to active directors under the official instructions. It is not an unrestricted document download for any researcher. [7]
- A registered CIPC business may have submitted a financial supplement instead of full financial statements. Request the specific records that are available when you need them. [3] [12]
- The company-disclosure price is not automatically the price for CC file copies, certification or financial statements. CIPC lists these as separate services. [1] [8]
Frequently asked questions
Can I research a company without South African citizenship?
The current BizPortal login supports a CIPC customer code for users without a South African ID. CIPC explains how to register that code with a passport number. Its FAQ nevertheless requires a South African telephone number, which creates a practical access barrier. [6] [9] [3]
What does an official company disclosure cost?
A full electronic Full Disclosure costs ZAR 30 for a company or Close Corporation. The shortened Free Disclosure costs nothing, but CIPC does not designate it for official purposes. [1] [7]
Original sources
Sources reviewed: 15 September 2026. The guidance is based on the linked information published by registers and public authorities.
- Disclosure forms and fees Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- Online verification of CIPC disclosure certificates Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- CIPC Frequently Asked Questions Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- Beneficial Ownership Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- CIPC search migration and login notice Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- BizPortal login without a South African ID Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- Step by Step Guide: Electronic Disclosures Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- CIPC Guidelines for Downloading Annual Financial Statements Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- Step by Step Guide: Customer Registration Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- Access to Information Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- Notice 36 of 2021: search and document channels Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- Annual Returns FAQ, version 5.0 Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- CIPC Portals Logins Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
- CIPC new eServices customer registration Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)