Changing your company name means reserving the new name, passing a special resolution, and filing a notice of amendment to your Memorandum of Incorporation with CIPC. The company remains the same legal person — the registration number does not change, contracts stay valid, tax numbers stay the same, and trading history is preserved. CIPC issues an amended registration certificate once approved.
The filing is the easy part. The work is the fifteen other places your registered name appears.
The critical thing to understand first
A name change is not a new company.
The company's registration number is permanent and does not change. That number, not the name, is how CIPC, SARS, banks and courts identify the entity.
Which means:
Contracts remain valid. The counterparty is the same legal person. You are not renegotiating anything
Your tax numbers stay the same — income tax, VAT, PAYE. The name on the record is updated; the numbers are not reissued
Trading history, credit record and B-BBEE position survive
Assets do not transfer, so there is no disposal and no capital gains tax event
Employment contracts continue. There is no new employer
This is what separates a name change from incorporating a new company and moving the business across — which is a disposal, with all the tax consequences that carries. See how to move a business from a sole proprietor into a company for what that looks like.
The process
1. Check the new name is available. Search the CIPC register first. Then reserve it — a name reservation is valid for a limited period, so do not reserve it months before you are ready.
2. Check it will not be rejected. CIPC refuses names that are the same as, or confusingly similar to, an existing registered name, that are misleading about the nature of the business, or that suggest an association with the state, a government department or an international body. Search the trade mark register too — a name can clear CIPC and still infringe someone's trade mark, which is a far more expensive problem.
3. Pass a special resolution. A name change amends the MOI, and MOI amendments require a special resolution of shareholders — generally at least 75% support unless your MOI sets a different threshold. Check your MOI, particularly if it is customised.
4. File the amendment with CIPC, together with the special resolution and the name reservation confirmation.
5. Receive the amended registration certificate. This is your proof of the change and the document everyone will ask for.
Timing: allow several weeks end to end. Name reservation, resolution and filing each take time, and CIPC may query documents. Do not commit to a launch date before the certificate is in hand.
What you have to update afterwards
Nothing updates automatically. This list is the actual work.
Statutory and financial
| What | Note |
|---|---|
| SARS | Income tax, VAT and PAYE records — through the RAV01 on eFiling |
| The bank | Account name, cards, and every debit order and payment reference |
| CSD | Must match CIPC and SARS exactly, or tenders reject you |
| COIDA and UIF | Employer records |
| CIDB and industry registrations | Each with its own process |
| B-BBEE affidavit or certificate | Reissue in the new name |
| Insurance policies | Including professional indemnity |
Commercial
| What | Note |
|---|---|
| Customer contracts | Not legally required, but send a written notice recording the change so invoices are not queried |
| Supplier and trade credit accounts | Otherwise your purchase orders get rejected |
| Leases | The landlord will want the amended certificate |
| Tax invoices | A tax invoice must reflect the correct registered name. Change this on the day the name change takes effect, not a month later |
| Letterheads, quotes, proposals, email signatures |
Digital
| What | Note |
|---|---|
| Domain and email | The item with the longest lead time — plan the migration properly |
| Website, Google Business Profile, social profiles | |
| Accounting software, payroll software, CRM | |
| Google Search Console and analytics | If the domain changes, set up redirects — a botched domain migration can cost years of accumulated search rankings |
The domain is the one that hurts. If you are moving to a new domain, get 301 redirects in place from every old URL to its new equivalent, keep the old domain registered, and expect a temporary dip. Losing the search authority you have built is a far bigger cost than the CIPC filing.
When a name change is not the answer
You want to trade under a different name without changing the registered name. South African law permits trading under a business name that differs from the registered name — this is what "t/a" means. Your tax invoices, contracts and statutory documents must still carry the registered name and registration number, but marketing can use the trading name.
For many businesses this is the better answer. No special resolution, no CIPC filing, no updating fifteen registrations. Just be consistent about which name appears where.
You are rebranding visually only. New logo, colours and website do not require a name change.
You want to separate two business lines. That is a second company or a division, not a rename.
Where a name change genuinely is the answer: the registered name is wrong or embarrassing, the business has fundamentally changed what it does, there has been a change of ownership, or you are consolidating a trading name and a registered name that have drifted apart and are confusing customers and banks.
Common problems
The name is rejected. Have two or three alternatives ready rather than starting the process again.
The special resolution threshold was not met, or a shareholder who should have voted did not. Check the MOI first.
Trade mark conflict. CIPC approval is not a trade mark clearance. Search the trade mark register before you commit, and take advice if there is anything close.
Invoices still show the old name. A tax invoice with the wrong registered name is a defective invoice, and it is your customer's input VAT claim that suffers. Fix this on day one. See what makes a valid tax invoice.
CSD, CIPC and SARS records out of sync, which is a standard tender disqualification.
The company is non-compliant at CIPC. Outstanding annual returns or beneficial ownership can block the amendment. Bring those up to date first. See how to check if your company is CIPC compliant.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change my company name in South Africa? Reserve the new name at CIPC, pass a special resolution of shareholders amending the Memorandum of Incorporation, and file the amendment with CIPC together with the resolution and name reservation. CIPC issues an amended registration certificate once approved.
Does my company registration number change when I change the name? No. The registration number is permanent. The company remains the same legal person, which is why contracts, tax numbers, trading history and credit record all survive the change.
Do I need to redo my contracts after a company name change? No. The company is the same legal person and existing contracts remain valid. It is good practice to notify counterparties in writing so invoices are not queried, but the contracts do not need to be re-signed.
Do my tax numbers change if I change my company name? No. Income tax, VAT and PAYE numbers stay the same. You update the name on the SARS record through the RAV01 process on eFiling, but the numbers are not reissued.
Can I trade under a different name without changing my registered name? Yes. You may trade under a business name that differs from the registered name, but tax invoices, contracts and statutory documents must still carry the registered name and registration number. For many businesses this is simpler than a formal name change.
How long does a CIPC company name change take? Allow several weeks. Name reservation, the special resolution and the CIPC filing each take time, and CIPC may query documents. Do not commit to a launch date before the amended certificate is issued.
Why was my company name rejected by CIPC? Most commonly because it is the same as or confusingly similar to an existing registered name, because it is misleading about the nature of the business, or because it implies an association with the state or an official body. Have alternatives ready.
Does a name change affect my B-BBEE certificate or affidavit? The underlying position is unchanged, but the document must be reissued in the new name so it matches your CIPC and CSD records.
The filing is a day; the follow-through is a month
Most of the pain in a name change comes after CIPC approves it — the invoice that still shows the old name, the CSD record that no longer matches, the domain migration nobody planned.
Smartbook handles the CIPC name change and the SARS update together, and gives you the full downstream checklist so nothing is left showing the old name six months later.
Last reviewed: 28 July 2026. Written by the Smartbook team — SAIPA and SAICA accredited, SARS registered tax practitioners. CIPC forms, fees and processes change from time to time — confirm current requirements at cipc.co.za. Trade mark questions are legal matters — take specialist advice. General guidance, not legal advice.
Primary sources: CIPC · CIPC e-Services · BizPortal · Companies Act 71 of 2008 · SARS