Company Registration

The first thing you want to do is formalize the structure under which you plan to conduct your business. You may or may not be aware, but there are several different types of business entities you can choose from to get started in the business. We have focused on the most common ones.

Sole Proprietor – this is the simplest form of the entity as you require no forms to set it up and you can begin any time you choose.

Closed Corporation – it is no longer possible to register new closed corporations, however, any existing corporations are still legal and can operate as normal.

Private Company – private companies have become the new standard for business under the new Companies Act. Fortunately, changes to the law have made their operation easier and cheaper.

Personal Liability Company – these are mostly used by professional partnerships i.e. lawyers, accountants, and so on.

CIPC
Company Registrations
Registering any of the above entities, except the Sole Proprietor, will require you to interact with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).

You are more than welcome to process your own registration at CIPC, however, our experience has shown that it’s easier to make use of a third party, like Tax Shop, to do this for you.

CIPC business registration can take anywhere between five and twenty-one working days. (Due to Covid, probably longer). So make sure you have made allowance for this in your planning.