About registering your co-operative

Do you want your co-operative to be a legally recognised entity? Then register your group as a co-operative at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).

To register with the Registrar of Co-operatives at CIPC, your group must have five or more members.

A registered co-operative has legal powers and rights similar to those of companies and other registered business groups.

What you should do

• Hold a meeting with interested members first and decide together to register as a co-operative.
• In that meeting you must elect people who will serve on the Board of Directors (only members may be elected as directors). 
• Register online as a customer with CIPC so that you can register your co-operative; or register through an existing customer e.g. ask your accountant to register for you.
• Go to CIPC office at the Department of Trade and Industry in Pretoria and fill in form CR5 to reserve a name for your co-operative or complete a CoR 9.1 online. Indicate on the CoR 9.1 that this application is for a co-operative. You can also call or write to CIPC to send you the form.
  
• Your proposed name must have the name co-operative, which indicates it is a financial services co-operative and end with Limited or Ltd e.g. The Rainbow financial services Co-operative Ltd.
• Pay the prescribed fee for reserving a name.
• After the name has been approved, fill in forms CR1, CR4/CR8 and the model financial services constitution for co-operatives. These documents can also be obtained from CIPC.
• Attach the following documents to your application covering-letter:
  • a completed CR1 (Application for registration of co-operative)
    
  • a completed CR4 (Notice of appointment of auditor) OR CR8 (Application for exemption from compliance with auditing requirement)
  • copies of identity documents (ID) of members
  • the constitution with the signatures of the founder members on the last page (the constitution must be submitted in duplicate)
  • form CR5 showing that your co-operative’s name has been approved.
• Pay the prescribed fee.
• CIPC will provide you with a Certificate of Registration, Co-operative Certificate of Confirmation and a copy of your registered constitution. 

Timeframe

It will take CIPC on average between three weeks and six weeks to register your co-operative.

How much does it cost

• R50-00 to reserve the name.
• R215-00 to register your Co-operative.

Forms to complete

• A CR1 (Application for registration of co-operative); and
• A CR4 (Notice of appointment of auditor)) or
• A CR8 (Application for exemption from compliance with auditing requirement) and
• A Model Constitution (Please note that constitutions will not be retyped and reprinted during the registration process. Therefore it is very important that the parts that are completed by hand are written neatly and legible. The constitution will be registered as submitted).
• CR5 (name reservation application) 
• CoR 9.1 – If submitting electronically  (electronic name reservation application)
  

Who to contact