This guide will help you simplify the registration process of your business, and we have compiled it in a way that will very simple to execute, with exact, step-by-step instructions from start to finish.
By simply following the instructions here, you should be able to register your business without the intervention of an agent, even if you have never done it before.
All right, so let's get to it.
Firstly, we need to distinguish what type of business models there are available in South Africa.
The following is a short list of the most popular business models available.
1) The Sole Proprietorship
2) The Close Corporation
3) A Company (Pty) LTD
4) A Co-operative
If we look at registration figures from the registrar, we'll see that Close Corporations outnumber almost all the other types of businesses that get registered on an annual basis.
Why Close Corporations Are Popular
Taking this into account, and considering the fact that CC's (Close Corporations) are so much more simplified than the other types of formal business entities, we will concentrate on the registration process of a Close Corporation.
In short, the reason why CC's are so popular, is because of the informal and relatively easy process to set up, and also manage. A CC is much less formal than a company to register and also manage, for instance.
It is important to keep in mind that there are a few steps in order to register a CC.
These are:
1) Name Reservation (Ck7 submission)
2) Submission of Ck1 and supporting Accountant document
3) Receipt of Certificate of Incorporation
That's basically it - 3 Steps, however, you do need to know what you're doing if you don't want to end up having an application rejected, and then having to go through the entire process again. CIPRO is fairly strict on documentation, which basically means you'll have to be very precise during the registration process.