CAC Public Search — What Is Public, What Is Not

The CAC register is one of the larger public databases of Nigerian business activity. But "public register" does not mean "every field on every entity is openly searchable". The CAC public search exposes a deliberately narrow slice of the underlying record; deeper detail sits behind authenticated access, paid Status Reports, or formal Open Ownership disclosures. Knowing the boundary before you start searching is the difference between useful due diligence and frustration at data that was never going to surface.

The boundary is not a bug in the public search; it is the deliberate design under CAMA 2020 and the wider Nigerian transparency framework. Public-facing entity identity is searchable freely; private commercial detail sits behind procedure. Once the boundary is understood, the public search becomes a useful first-pass tool rather than a disappointing one.

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   Open the public search portalNavigate to publicsearch.cac.gov.ng or its mirror at search.cac.gov.ng. Both URLs return the same database; the choice between them is preference. No account login is required, no fee is charged, no captcha barrier blocks routine use.
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   Choose the search typeThe portal accepts a name search (free-text against the registered name field) or a number search (RC for Part A companies, BN for Part C business names, IT for Part F incorporated trustees, LP or LLP for Part B partnerships). Number search is exact; name search is fuzzy and returns all matching and near-matching records.
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   Enter the search queryFor a number search, enter the full identifier exactly as printed on the certificate or correspondence. For a name search, enter the distinctive root word of the registered name (not the corporate suffix); the portal returns a list of matching entities to choose from.
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   Read the result fields carefullyThe result page returns the registered name, the RC or BN number, the registration date, the entity type, and the current status state. Read the status state in particular — Active and Inactive carry very different operational signals for a counterparty.
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   Decide whether deeper detail is neededFor routine verification the free search result is usually enough. For high-value due diligence (mergers, equity investments, large procurement contracts), continue to the paid e-Status Report at icrp.cac.gov.ng for the CAC-sealed authenticated document.

The most common reason readers reach for the public search: a counter-party has presented itself as a registered Nigerian entity and the reader wants to verify that the registration is real, current, and matches the trading name in use.

The verification routine:

• Ask the counterparty for the full registered name and the RC or BN number from their CAC certificate. A counterparty that cannot supply both is itself a red flag.
• Run the number search on the public search portal. The result should return the same registered name the counterparty quoted.
• Read the status state. Active confirms current compliance; Inactive signals outstanding annual returns and possible operational decay; struck off signals the entity is no longer a legal person.
• Cross-check the registration date against the counterparty's claimed trading history. A claim of "operating since 2015" against a 2024 registration date is a contradiction that warrants explanation.
• Where the counterparty has supplied an e-certificate, cross-check the TIN, the entity type, and the registered office address against the public search and against the NRS tax ID portal at taxid.nrs.gov.ng.

For high-value transactions the free public search is the screening filter; the substantive due-diligence document is the paid CAC e-Status Report. See how to check your CAC status for the paid Status Report and the status states framework in detail.

For procurement and supplier-onboarding workflows the public search is a high-volume tool. The procurement team verifies each prospective supplier against the CAC register before issuing the first purchase order. The discipline reduces fraud risk and confirms that invoices and tax obligations route through a real registered entity.

The supplier-verification routine:

• Maintain a supplier-onboarding form that captures the registered name, the RC or BN number, the registered office address, the bank account name (which should match the registered name), and the TIN from the certificate.
• Run the public search at each onboarding to confirm the registered name and number match. Mismatches between the bank account name and the CAC registered name are particularly worth flagging — they often indicate an informal trading arrangement or, in the worst cases, deliberate fraud.
• Where the supplier is a sole proprietor under a Part C business name, the bank account is sometimes in the proprietor's personal name rather than the business name. This is not automatically a fraud signal — Part C business names are not separate legal entities — but the procurement file should document the explanation.
• Re-run the search on a quarterly or annual basis for ongoing suppliers. A supplier whose status flips from Active to Inactive may not be able to continue legitimate trading and may require the suspension of new orders until the position is regularised.

The free search is sufficient for most supplier-onboarding cases; the paid e-Status Report is reserved for major suppliers and for cases where the free-search result raises a flag that needs the deeper detail.

The public search is also the cheapest first-pass tool against a suspected fraudulent entity. Where a Nigerian entity has approached the reader with an unsolicited offer (an investment opportunity, a procurement contract, a too-good-to-be-true partnership), the search is the immediate screening step.

The fraud-check flags surfaced by the free public search:

• No result. The name and the RC or BN number do not appear in the register. The entity is not registered, or the identifiers supplied are fabricated. Either way, the offer should not progress until the position is clarified.
• Name mismatch. The number supplied returns a different registered name from the one the counterparty has been using. The counterparty may be trading under an unregistered name or may have invented the RC number entirely.
• Status mismatch. The entity is registered but the status reads Inactive or struck off, while the counterparty claims active operations. The discrepancy needs a substantive explanation.
• Date mismatch. The registration date postdates the claimed trading history. A counterparty claiming a "thirty-year track record" against a five-year-old registration is making a representation the register does not support.
• Address ambiguity. The registered office address differs materially from the address the counterparty has been operating from. The address change may be legitimate but should be visible on the CAC record if a Section 50 filing has been completed — see how to change your business address for the modification flow.

Where any of the flags triggers, the next step is not a deeper public search; it is escalation to the paid CAC e-Status Report, to independent verification (bank statements, audited accounts, references), and to legal counsel if the transaction is significant.

For most verification work the free public search returns enough data. Where it does not, the paths to deeper data are:

• The paid CAC e-Status Report. Issued at icrp.cac.gov.ng against a fee, the e-Status Report returns a sealed PDF with deeper detail: directors and shareholders (where the data is exposed for the entity type), annual-returns filing history, and modifications history. Banks, tender desks, and major counterparties accept the e-Status Report as the substantive due-diligence artefact.
• The CAC Open Ownership Register (Persons of Significant Control). Where ownership above the 25% threshold is the substantive question, the PSC framework requires registered entities to disclose Persons of Significant Control. The PSC register is a separate access procedure under the AML framework.
• Independent verification channels. Bank statements, audited accounts, references from named customers and suppliers, and on-the-ground inspection of the operating premises are the routes for substantive transactions. The CAC public search confirms registration; it does not confirm trading capacity.
• The counterparty's own e-certificate. Ask for a fresh download of the e-certificate from the iCRP dashboard. The PDF carries the Registrar-General's seal, the TIN, and the QR verification code. A counterparty that cannot supply a fresh e-certificate is a flag.

The free public search is the screening filter; the deeper tools are the substantive due-diligence layer. Use both where the value of the transaction justifies the second layer.

• Do NOT treat the free search printout as a substantive due-diligence document. Banks, courts, and tender desks accept the CAC-sealed e-Status Report; they do not accept a screenshot of the free search.
• Do NOT pay an informal 'CAC consultant' on social media for a 'detailed company report'. CAC's own e-Status Report at icrp.cac.gov.ng is the authenticated document; informal reports carry no standing.
• Do NOT confuse the absence of director or shareholder data with the absence of a registration. Private-company director and shareholder data sits behind authenticated access; the entity is registered and active, but the data does not surface in the free search by design.
• Do NOT use the public search to harvest contact information for unsolicited outreach. The registered office address is intended for legal correspondence on the entity, not for prospecting lists; the personal contact details of directors and proprietors are deliberately not exposed.
• Do NOT rely on a single public-search result as the only check for a high-value transaction. The search is the cheapest first-pass filter, not the substantive due-diligence document.