Searching the Corporate Affairs Commission’s free public register is the quickest way to check if a business is CAC registered in Nigeria, and it takes less time than the voice note you’d send asking a vendor for their RC number. With December orders, bulk aso-ebi buys and festive travel packages piling up between now and January, it’s a habit to build before any big transfer.
The Commission keeps a public record of the companies, business names and incorporated trustees it has registered, and anyone can search it without creating an account. Below, you’ll see how to use it on your phone, what each part of a result means, and the limits of what a CAC record can actually tell you about the person you’re about to pay.
Type the name exactly as the vendor writes it, then open the full record
Open the CAC public search portal in your browser and you’ll see a search bar near the top of the page. Type the business name the way it appears on the vendor’s invoice, receipt, Instagram bio or website, then run the search. If the name is a common one, you’ll get several close matches, so open the result that fits and read the whole record instead of stopping at the first line.
You can also search with the registration number if the seller has given you one. Enter it exactly as written, including the letters in front, and you should land on a single business. If the name on that record doesn’t match the name the vendor trades with, treat it as a warning sign and ask questions before you pay anything.
The portal’s layout changes from time to time. If your screen looks different from what’s described here, go to the main Corporate Affairs Commission website and look for the public search or business search option there.
Those two letters before the number tell you what kind of business you’re dealing with
Every CAC registration number starts with a short prefix. RC belongs to a registered company, the limited liability type you’ll see written as “Ltd” on bigger businesses. BN is for a registered business name, which is what most small vendors, sole traders and partnerships use. IT is for incorporated trustees, the category churches, mosques, associations, foundations and other non-profits register under.
None of these is more legitimate than the others. A BN registration is perfectly normal for a hair vendor, a fabric seller or a small catering business, so don’t write someone off because they aren’t an “Ltd”. What matters is that the number exists, matches the name, and fits the kind of business they claim to be. A “foundation” collecting donations under a business name, or a “limited company” that only shows up as a BN, deserves a closer look.
A status that isn’t active is a reason to ask, not to panic
A typical record shows the business name, the registration number, the type of registration, its status and the date it was registered. Look at the status first. An active status means the registration is in good standing on the register. Other statuses can appear when a business hasn’t kept up with its annual returns or has been removed from the register, though there can be other reasons too, so it isn’t automatic proof that you’re dealing with a fraudster.
The registration date is useful as well. A vendor who says they’ve been in business for ten years but whose registration is two weeks old isn’t necessarily lying, because plenty of Nigerians trade for years before they register, but it’s a fair thing to ask about before you send a large amount.
What a CAC record can’t promise you about the person on WhatsApp
A CAC registration confirms that a business legally exists. It doesn’t confirm that the person chatting with you on Instagram or WhatsApp actually owns that business, and it says nothing about the quality of what they sell. Fraudsters sometimes borrow the name and number of a real registered company to look official, which is why the name, the number, the phone line and the account you’re paying into should all line up.
When a seller presents themselves as a registered company, ask to pay into an account that carries the business name rather than a random personal account. Look for reviews from real customers you can trace, and for bigger purchases ask for a video call or a visit to the shop. If you’ve already paid a registered business that won’t deliver or refund, you can take it up with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. For outright fraud, call your bank’s official line immediately, then report to the police or the EFCC.
Selling online yourself? The same search works in your favour
Putting your BN or RC number in your bio and on your invoices gives buyers a way to check you in seconds, and it answers the “are you legit?” question before anyone asks it. If you haven’t registered yet, this step-by-step guide on how to register a business with CAC in Nigeria walks you through the process. It also helps to protect the phones and laptops you run the business on, and these cybersecurity tools for small businesses are a sensible place to start.
Make the search part of your routine for any payment you’d hate to lose, and keep a screenshot of the record alongside your chat with the seller. It costs nothing, takes about a minute, and gives you something concrete to show your bank or the authorities if a deal goes wrong.
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