CAC Name Search: How to Check if a Business Name Is Available in Nigeria

Before you register a business name or company in Nigeria, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has to approve the name. A rejected name costs you time and a fresh search fee, so it pays to know how the CAC name search works, which names get refused, and how to pre-check a name against companies that are already registered.

What a CAC name search actually decides

A CAC name search answers one question: can this name be registered? CAC compares your proposed name with names already on the register and with names currently reserved, and checks it against the naming rules in the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 (CAMA 2020). The result is either an approval, which you can reserve, or a refusal with a reason.

That makes it different from a company verification search, which answers whether a specific business is registered. If that is what you need, see how to check CAC registration or the CAC public search guide.

How to run a CAC name availability search

1. Create a free account on the CAC registration portal at cac.gov.ng using your email address, and sign in.
2. Choose what you are registering: a business name (sole proprietorship or partnership) or a company (for example a private company limited by shares).
3. Enter your proposed name. Most applicants submit two options in order of preference, so a refusal of the first does not end the attempt.
4. Pay the search and reservation fee shown on the portal. Fees change, so rely on the amount the portal displays, not on blog posts.
5. Wait for CAC's decision. An approved name is reserved for 60 days, and you complete the registration form within that window.

Pre-check the name for free first

Most refusals happen because the name is identical or too similar to one already registered. You can catch many of these before paying. Search your proposed name on Fylings: we hold the CAC register for Nigeria, so you see registered companies and business names that use the same words, with their RC or BN number and status.

• Exact match found: the name is taken. Choose another.
• Close match found (same core words, different ending or spelling): CAC is likely to refuse it as too similar. Add a distinctive word.
• No match: a good sign, but not a guarantee. Reserved names and very recent registrations may not show yet, and only CAC's search is final.

Names CAC is likely to refuse

• Names identical or confusingly similar to an existing registered name
• Names suggesting a link to government or a public body (words such as Federal, National, State or Government) without the required consent
• Names using words for regulated activities, such as Bank, Insurance or Microfinance, without approval from the relevant regulator
• Offensive or misleading names
• For companies, a name missing the correct ending: Limited (Ltd) for a private company and Public Limited Company (Plc) for a public one. Business names do not carry these endings.

Business name or company: which search do you need?

A business name (BN number) is the right fit for a sole trader or partnership. A company (RC number) is a separate legal person that can own assets and limit liability. The two are searched and registered differently, so choose before you start. Our guide to RC number vs BN number explains the difference.