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Register an external company  

About registering an external company

Do you own a company operating in a foreign country, and wish to open its branch in South Africa?  If so, you must register it as an external company with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). This will enable your business to operate as a legally registered entity in South Africa.
 

Please note:

  • All documents must be completed in black ink.
  • When registering an external company, you are advised to use the services of South African attorneys.
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What you should do

  • Register online as a customer with CIPC so that you can transact with CIPC or register through an existing customer e.g. ask your accountant to register for you.

Note:. (You are not required to reserve a name for an external company registration, The foreign name is used as it is).

  • Complete the following forms:   
    • Form CoR20.1: Notice of Registration of External Company 
    • Form CoR20.1 Annexure A: Directors of External Company 
    • Form CoR 21.2 : Notice of Person Authorised to accept Authority
  • Submit following supporting documents:
    • certified passport copies (if foreign national) or certified Identify Document (ID) copies (if South African) of all indicated initial directors and incorporators 
    • a certified ID copy of the applicant if the application is not made by one of the indicated initial directors or incorporators 
    • if an incorporator is a juristic person, then a power of attorney for the representative authorised by such juristic person to incorporate the company and sign all related documents 
    • if another person incorporates the company and signs all related documents to the incorporation on behalf of any or all of the incorporators and initial directors, a power of attorney and a certified ID copy of such a person is required 
    • if a name was reserved before the filing of incorporation documents, then a valid name reservation document.
    • : If the Memorandum of Incorporation is in a foreign language submit Notarially Certified Translated (to English) foreign Memorandum and Articles of Association

The Registrar will issue a registration number and Certificate of Incorporation for the company.

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How long does it take

It takes 5 -10 working days to register an external company.

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How much does it cost

  • R400 for registration of external company.
  • R50 for electronic name reservation 
  • R75 for manual filing of name reservation
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Forms to complete

(Forms are provided in PDF format. To open PDF documents, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or higher installed on your computer.)
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