How to verify a company in South Africa
To verify a company in South Africa, start with the company register, then check the person and the bank details in front of you.
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To verify a company in South Africa, start with the company register, then check the person and the bank details in front of you. A registered company name does not prove you are dealing with that company. You need both checks before you pay, sign or reply.
In short: a registered name tells you a company exists, not that the person contacting you or the bank account on an invoice belongs to it. Check the person and the account separately.
How can I verify a company in South Africa?
How do I check if a company is registered in South Africa?
Does company registration prove a business is genuine?
How do I know if a company is legitimate?
A step-by-step checklist before you trust a business
Where an Authentikor check fits
How can I verify a company in South Africa?
Search the official company register first, then confirm who is contacting you and whose bank account you are paying, using contact details you find yourself. CIPC Notice 36 of 2021, as reported by the South African Accounting Academy on 19 July 2021, says CIPC needs to know who is searching its database, so customers search on BizPortal once they have logged in. OurPower, an independent information site that is not CIPC, says in its 2026 lookup guide (last verified 3 May 2026) that CIPC's eServices company search now requires a login and points readers to BizPortal's BizProfile search, which also requires a login.
The register also has gaps. OurPower's guide also notes that bank account numbers are not publicly searchable. A CIPC public alert, as reported by the South African Accounting Academy on 3 October 2024, warns the public to beware of scammers posing as CIPC officials.
How do I check if a company is registered in South Africa?
You check registration with CIPC, the company registry, by searching on BizPortal after you log in, according to OurPower's 2026 guide and, earlier, the CIPC notice reported by the South African Accounting Academy. The South African Accounting Academy reports that the same CIPC notice set a limit of 20 searches a day at the time, so that the systems and data would not be abused. The South African Accounting Academy published its report of that CIPC notice on 19 July 2021.
OurPower's 2026 guide says the CIPC search lets you look up a company by full or partial name, registration number (format YYYY/NNNNNN/NN), director ID number or director passport number. According to OurPower's guide, a result shows the status, registration date, company type, registered office address, directors and their roles, and the most recent annual return filing date.
OurPower's guide lists statuses including In Business (which it describes as active and compliant), AR Deregistration Process, Final Deregistration, In Liquidation and In Business Rescue. Any status that does not show the company as active is a reason to ask more questions. OurPower's guide also says the public CIPC search does not let you search by director name, but paid third-party services can.
Does company registration prove a business is genuine?
No, company registration on its own does not prove a business is genuine or that you are dealing with it. OurPower's 2026 guide says beneficial ownership records, annual financial statements (unless the company is listed), tax compliance status (a separate matter at SARS) and bank account numbers cannot be searched publicly.
Treat a company name and registration number on an email or invoice as details to check, not as proof of who sent it.
OurPower's guide lists vetting a new supplier before signing big contracts and checking a Pty's address before payment as common reasons to look up a company. Those searches cover the company itself, and the checklist further down covers the person and the account.
How do I know if a company is legitimate?
A sensible test is to treat a company as legitimate only once its registry record, the person contacting you and the bank details all match what you have confirmed on your own. Confirm any request to change bank details or to pay quickly directly with the business before you act.
A CIPC public alert, as reported by the South African Accounting Academy on 3 October 2024, says CIPC will never call customers asking them to download the CIPC app, upload details, conclude transactions, give banking details or give a one-time PIN. The South African Accounting Academy reports that CIPC published the alert to warn the public about scammers posing as CIPC officials. Even so, treat any unexpected call that asks for banking details or a password with the same caution.
The registry status is another signal: OurPower's guide describes In Business as active and compliant, and its other listed statuses include deregistration, liquidation and business rescue. OurPower's guide lists bank account numbers among the financial details that cannot be searched publicly.
A step-by-step checklist before you trust a business
Use these steps in order before you pay, sign or reply.
Search the company register. OurPower's 2026 guide points to BizPortal's BizProfile search, which requires a login.
Use the registration number where you have one. OurPower's guide says the search also works by full or partial name, director ID number or director passport number.
Read the status. OurPower's guide describes In Business as active and compliant, so ask questions about any other status.
Compare the record with the document. Check that the company name, registration number and address on the invoice or order match the record. OurPower's guide lists checking a Pty's address before payment as a common reason to look up a company.
Confirm the person. Phone the business on a number you found yourself, not one given in the message.
Confirm the bank details. Ask the business to confirm any new or changed account on a number you already trust, before you pay.
Treat unexpected calls with care. A CIPC alert, as reported by the South African Accounting Academy, says CIPC will never call to ask for banking details or a one-time PIN.
Where an Authentikor check fits
An Authentikor check does not replace the register search: Authentikor's home page says Authentikor puts a unique code on a business's emails, invoices and contracts, and that anyone can check that code. Authentikor's home page says a real message carries a code or seal that leads to the sender's record in the Authentikor Vault.
Authentikor's FAQ and Verify page say a code is checked at authentikor.co.za/verify by typing it, clicking the link in the email or scanning the QR code, without creating an account. If the check fails, Authentikor's Verify page advises not acting on the email or document and phoning the sender on a number you already trust.
Authentikor's pages say a check shows what the code or seal was issued for: who issued it, what it belongs to, the dates and its current status. Authentikor's pages add that the proof is the signed record and the match with the document, not the picture of the seal.
Authentikor's pages say that if nothing is found, Authentikor has no seal or code to show for what was checked, and that this never means the document is fake.
For the business behind a code, Authentikor's FAQ and home page say a person at Authentikor approves a business before its seals and checks show it as verified, and that an account not yet verified says so plainly in every check. Treat that approval as a separate fact from a company's entry in the register.
Authentikor's website check page says the check shows the named owner, proof of website control and current verification status, and that it does not mean every page or payment on the website is safe.
Questions and answers
How can I verify a company in South Africa?
Search the official company register first, then confirm who is contacting you and whose bank account you are paying, using contact details you find yourself. CIPC searches are made on BizPortal after you log in, according to OurPower's 2026 guide and a CIPC notice reported by the South African Accounting Academy.
How do I check if a company is registered in South Africa?
Check with CIPC, the company registry, by searching on BizPortal after you log in. The South African Accounting Academy reports that a CIPC notice set a limit of 20 searches a day at the time, so that the systems and data would not be abused.
How do I know if a company is legitimate?
Treat a company as legitimate only once its registry record, the person contacting you and the bank details all match what you have confirmed on your own. Confirm any request to change bank details or to pay quickly directly with the business. CIPC says it will never call customers asking for banking details or a one-time PIN.
Does company registration prove a business is genuine?
No. Registration on its own does not prove a business is genuine or that you are dealing with it. OurPower's 2026 guide says beneficial ownership records, annual financial statements (unless the company is listed), tax compliance status and bank account numbers cannot be searched publicly.