Free CIPC Company Name Checker
Screen up to four proposed company names against South Africa's Companies Act naming rules before you pay for a CIPC name reservation. Instant results, plain-English reasons, no sign-up.
Important: This is a free pre-screening tool, not an official CIPC availability check. Final name approval only happens when we submit your name for official CIPC reservation, which takes 1–2 business days and is included in your R 885 registration.
Enter 4 proposed names for CIPC
CIPC lets you lodge four names in order of preference at no extra cost. We check each one and reserve the first that is approved.
What this tool checks
- Characters and symbols allowed by section 11 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008
- Name length against CIPC's application field
- Restricted words such as Bank, Trust, Insurance, Chartered or Co-operative that need a regulator's consent
- Correct use of (Pty) Ltd, Ltd, Inc, NPC and SOC endings
- Purely descriptive names with no distinguishing word
- Offensive or discriminatory language
- Names already lodged or approved through Amashad by earlier customers
What it cannot check: the national CIPC register of existing and reserved company names. Only CIPC can confirm that, and only when a name is formally lodged.
Company name checker questions
Is this an official CIPC name availability check?
No. CIPC has no public real-time availability service. This tool screens your names against the naming rules in the Companies Act and against names already on file with us. The only official answer comes from a CIPC name reservation (form CoR9.1), which takes 1–2 business days and is included in our R 885 registration.
How long does official CIPC name reservation take?
Normally 1–2 business days once submitted. We lodge all four of your proposed names in your order of preference and reserve the first one CIPC approves.
Why does CIPC reject company names?
The most common reasons are that the name is the same as or confusingly similar to an existing company or reserved name, that it is purely descriptive with no distinctive word, that it uses a restricted word such as Bank or Trust without consent, or that it falsely suggests a link to government.
What makes a company name more likely to be approved?
A distinctive first word — a coined word, a surname or an unusual combination — followed by a descriptor such as Trading, Solutions or Holdings. Avoid names made up only of common industry words.
Which characters may a South African company name contain?
Section 11 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008 allows words in any language together with letters, numbers, ordinary punctuation, the symbols + & # @ % = and round brackets used in pairs.
Do I need all four names?
CIPC lets you lodge up to four names in one application, and it costs no extra. Supplying four dramatically reduces the chance of having to start over if your first choice is taken.
More answers on our CIPC company registration FAQ or read about CIPC annual returns.