CAC registration for an import business: business name or company

CAC registration for an import business in 2026: business name or limited company, what each costs and takes on the new portal, the tax number, the filings.

If you want to start importing goods into Nigeria, you do not need to register a limited company simply because the goods are coming from China.

The real choice is usually between:

a Business Name — cheaper and simpler for a sole trader,

or

a Private Limited Company (Ltd) — a separate legal entity that makes more sense when the business is larger, has partners, needs stronger separation from the owner, or expects to deal more formally with banks, manufacturers and investors.

Both can support a legitimate Nigerian import business.

And Nigeria Customs now allows importer registration for both individuals and companies, with the tax ID and import documentation becoming central to the process.

So the question is not:

“Do I need an Ltd before I can import?”

It is:

“Which structure makes sense for the business I am actually building?”

Business Name or Limited Company: what is the difference? #

A Business Name is the simpler structure.

You register the name under which you trade, but you and the business are not separate legal persons in the same way a limited company and its shareholders are.

If you register:

Chidi Global Ventures

as a sole proprietorship, Chidi is still ultimately the person behind the debts and obligations of that business.

That simplicity is why Business Names work well for many people starting small.

A Private Limited Company, on the other hand, is incorporated as a separate legal entity.

It has its own company name, issued share capital, shareholders and directors.

For shareholders, liability is generally limited according to the company's share structure, although incorporation does not protect somebody from personal liability for their own wrongdoing, personal guarantees or other circumstances where the law imposes liability.

For an importer, that separation starts to matter as the transactions become larger.

A ₦500,000 test order is different from importing several containers a year, taking trade finance and signing supplier contracts worth tens of millions of naira.

Which one is better for a Nigerian importer? #

If you are starting alone, testing the market and importing relatively small quantities, a Business Name can be enough.

If you have partners, plan to build a substantial brand, want investors, intend to borrow seriously, or expect larger commercial transactions, a Private Limited Company is usually the more structured vehicle.

There is another practical consideration.

When a Chinese manufacturer sees:

ABC Trading Nigeria Limited

with verifiable corporate records, directors and a company bank account, that can sometimes make a more formal impression than dealing with an individual trader.

The same can apply when you begin dealing directly with shipping lines, banks, regulators and large Nigerian customers.

But do not incorporate a company simply because somebody told you that Customs will reject a Business Name.

Nigeria Customs' current systems recognise individual and company importers, while the key practical requirements include identity/tax registration and the documentation for the actual import transaction.

How much does CAC registration cost in 2026? #

CAC now publishes an official fee schedule, so there is no need to rely on random agent price lists.

For a Business Name, CAC's current schedule lists:

Name reservation: ₦1,000

Registration and CTC of registration documents: ₦20,000

That puts the basic CAC filing fees at ₦21,000, before any professional-service charge or other optional cost.

For a company with share capital, the current schedule charges small and ordinary private companies:

₦10,000 for every ₦1 million of share capital or part thereof

plus the ₦1,000 name reservation, with statutory stamp duty and any other applicable costs separate.

So if somebody quotes you ₦70,000, ₦100,000 or ₦150,000 to register a company, do not assume all of that money is going to CAC.

Part may be:

• professional fees
• stamp duty
• document preparation
• additional share capital
• optional services

Ask for the breakdown.

The government fee and the agent's fee are not the same thing.

How long does CAC registration take? #

CAC's official service timeline currently gives 24 working hours for new company registrations and 24 working hours for Business Names once the necessary documents are complete and any queries have been resolved.

The new iCRP goes even further for Business Names.

CAC says Business Name registration is now AI-reviewed and can be processed automatically, while name reservation is also automated for ordinary names.

That does not mean every registration will finish perfectly in five minutes.

A query, failed identity check, unsuitable name, payment issue or incorrect information can still hold things up.

The important point is that normal CAC registration is no longer supposed to be a weeks-long paper exercise.

You can do it online.

The new CAC portal #

CAC now uses its AI-powered Company Registration Portal, iCRP, for new registrations.

The process is essentially:

Create account → reserve name → enter business details → upload required information → pay → submit → download certificate and status report.

The new system also integrates document uploads directly into the registration process rather than making applicants use a separate upload system.

Once registration is approved, the electronic certificate becomes available through the portal. CAC also issues an electronic status report containing the registration information.

Keep both documents.

You will use them again.

What do you need to register a Business Name? #

For a normal sole proprietorship, the iCRP process asks for information including:

• proposed business name
• nature of business
• email
• business address
• date of commencement
• proprietor details
• means of identification
• passport photograph
• signature

CAC's current portal specifically allows ordinary individuals to register Business Names themselves without needing a lawyer, chartered accountant or chartered secretary.

You can still use an accredited agent if you want help.

But do not confuse an agent with CAC itself.

What do you need for a Limited Company? #

A private company requires more information because you are creating a separate legal entity.

You will deal with matters such as:

• company name
• registered office
• business activities
• issued share capital
• shareholder details
• director details
• ownership structure
• required identification
• company incorporation documents

CAC processes the application digitally through the registration portal and, after approval, provides the company's electronic incorporation documents.

The company route takes a little more thought because decisions about shares and ownership can matter later.

Do not casually make somebody a 50% shareholder because they helped you fill the CAC form.

Shares mean ownership.

What should you put as the nature of business? #

This is where an importer should think ahead.

If you intend to import and sell furniture, building materials, electronics or general merchandise, the business description should reasonably reflect what you actually intend to do.

Do not register an entity only for:

“web design and software development”

and then build a business whose main activity is importing ceramic tiles.

That does not necessarily make the import impossible, but unnecessary mismatches create questions you could have avoided.

Use a genuine description covering the trading activities you actually intend to undertake.

For example, depending on your business:

importation, exportation, general merchandise, wholesale and distribution

or more specific wording around your product sector.

Do not add regulated activities you do not actually conduct simply because somebody sent you a long template of company objects.

Your CAC name needs to follow you through the import #

This sounds small until a shipment is involved.

Suppose your registered company is:

Brightway Home Products Limited

But the Chinese supplier prepares the proforma invoice for:

Brightway Ventures

Your bank account says:

Brightway Home Products Ltd

And somebody starts the import documents with another variation.

You have now created an avoidable documentation problem.

Nigeria Customs itself advises importers to check that names and addresses remain consistent across trade documents.

For an importer, consistency matters across:

• CAC documents
• tax records
• bank account
• proforma invoice
• Form M
• commercial invoice
• shipping documents
• regulatory certificates
• Customs declaration

Do not allow your supplier to invent a shorter version of the company name because the full Nigerian name looks too long.

Send them the exact legal name.

Copy and paste it.

CAC registration is not an import licence #

This distinction matters.

Registering XYZ Imports Limited does not automatically give you permission to import every product you find in China.

CAC creates the business.

The product may still be regulated elsewhere.

Depending on what you are importing, you may need to deal with organisations such as:

• Standards Organisation of Nigeria
• NAFDAC
• Nigerian Communications Commission
• Nigeria Customs Service
• your Authorised Dealer Bank

Cosmetics, food, electrical goods, telecom devices and other regulated products can have additional requirements.

Our guide to which certificate your product needs covers that part.

Do not pay a Chinese factory simply because your CAC certificate says “import and export.”

What comes after CAC registration? #

For a serious commercial importer, CAC is only the first layer.

The next important pieces are your tax identity and banking setup.

Nigeria Customs says a valid TIN is the practical key used throughout electronic import processing, including the trade platform, Form M, PAAR and customs declaration processes.

Then comes the import transaction itself.

Nigeria Customs' current procedure says the importer completes Form M through an Authorised Dealer Bank, supported by documents such as the proforma invoice, insurance certificate and any required product-regulatory certificates.

So the practical chain is:

CAC registration → tax ID → business banking → supplier/proforma invoice → regulatory certificates where needed → Form M → shipment → PAAR → clearing

Our TIN and bank account guide covers the next step.

Then continue to the Form M guide.

Annual returns: registering once is not enough #

CAC registration is not something you do once and forget forever.

Business Names and companies have continuing filing obligations.

Under CAC's current fee schedule, the annual return filing fee is ₦5,000 for a Business Name.

For companies with share capital from ₦100,000 up to ₦100 million, the current annual-return fee is also ₦5,000. Higher-capital companies pay more.

Late or missing filings can attract penalties and create compliance problems with the company's public status.

That becomes particularly inconvenient when a bank, regulator or commercial partner suddenly wants evidence that the company is in good standing.

File the returns.

Do not wait until a container is coming before discovering that your corporate records have been neglected for years.

Beneficial ownership: the threshold is 5%, not 25% #

This is one area where old explanations are often wrong.

CAC's current Beneficial Ownership Register says a Person with Significant Control (PSC) includes somebody who directly or indirectly holds at least 5% of issued shares or voting rights, among other control tests.

The requirement applies to companies and LLPs.

CAC specifically says it does not apply to sole proprietors and ordinary partnerships.

So if you incorporate an import company and somebody holds 20% of the shares, that person is not invisible simply because they hold less than 25%.

The reporting threshold is 5%.

Keep ownership information current when shareholding or control changes.

Common CAC mistakes importers should avoid #

Most registration mistakes are not dramatic.

They become expensive later.

Choosing a name without thinking about the brand.

You register one name, build your website under another, invoice under another and eventually discover the trademark you wanted belongs to somebody else.

Using somebody else's phone or email for the portal.

Months later you need to update the company and cannot access the account.

Use information you control.

Giving somebody shares casually.

A shareholder is not just a helper listed on a form.

They own part of the company.

Registering the wrong business activities.

Make the description reasonably reflect the business you intend to build.

Ignoring annual returns.

Registration is the beginning of compliance, not the end.

Allowing different names across import documents.

Your Chinese supplier should use the same legal name your Nigerian documents use.

Business Name or Limited Company: the practical choice #

For somebody testing an import idea with a small amount of capital, a Business Name can be perfectly workable.

You do not need a complex corporate structure to test whether Nigerians will actually buy the product.

But as the operation grows, a limited company becomes more attractive.

Especially when you are:

• bringing in larger shipments
• adding partners
• building your own brand
• employing staff
• seeking investors
• applying for serious credit
• entering distribution contracts
• dealing repeatedly with overseas factories

The point is not that every importer must start with a Business Name.

And it is not that every importer needs an Ltd.

Choose the structure that matches the business you are trying to build.

Where ChinaBridge fits in #

CAC registration does not tell you whether the product you want to import makes sense.

That comes next.

If you are setting up a China-to-Nigeria import business, ChinaBridge Global can help you look at the full route:

business setup → product sourcing → supplier verification → payment → Nigerian requirements → shipping → clearing

If you already know the product you want to import, send the product or supplier details before you start spending heavily on the China side.

The goal is to make sure the business, documents and shipment are being built in the same direction.

Continue with our TIN and bank account guide.

Then read Form M for Nigerian importers.

And if you are still at the beginning, our how to start an import business in Nigeria guide connects the whole process.

First published 20 Sep 2026. Last checked 22 Sep 2026 by The ChinaBridge desk. Something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.