"Your company registration documents" usually means the CIPC registration certificate (CoR14.3) confirming the company exists, the notice of incorporation and initial directors (CoR14.3A / CoR14.1), and the Memorandum of Incorporation (CoR15.1). What a bank, a tender or SARS actually wants is often a current disclosure certificate instead — because your original registration documents prove what was true on the day you registered, not what is true now.
That distinction is the whole article, and it is why people keep being sent away to fetch a different document.
What are the actual documents?
| Document | What it is | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| CoR14.3 | Registration certificate | The company exists, its name, registration number and date of incorporation |
| CoR14.1 / CoR14.3A | Notice of incorporation and initial directors | Who the founding directors were |
| CoR15.1 | Memorandum of Incorporation | The company's constitution — the rules it operates under |
| CoR39 | Notice of change of directors | Who the directors are now, as last filed |
| Disclosure certificate | A current extract from the register | What CIPC holds about the company today |
| Share certificates | Issued by the company, not CIPC | Who owns the shares |
The first three are your "registration documents" in the ordinary sense. They are issued once, at incorporation, and they never change.
That is exactly why they are frequently not what somebody wants.
See what is a CoR14.3 and what is an MOI.
Why do they keep asking for something else?
Because a registration certificate is a historical document.
It tells you a company was registered on a date, under a name, with a number. It tells you nothing about whether that company still exists, who its directors are now, or whether it is in deregistration.
A company registered in 2019 with two founding directors may today have different directors, a different registered address, three years of unfiled annual returns and an active deregistration process. The CoR14.3 looks identical either way.
So the question to ask whoever is requesting documents is: do you want proof of incorporation, or proof of current status?
Almost always they want current status, and the document for that is a disclosure certificate — a current extract showing directors, registered address, status and financial year end as at today. See what is a CIPC disclosure certificate.
What does each situation actually need?
| Who is asking | What they usually want |
|---|---|
| A bank, opening an account | Registration documents and a current disclosure certificate, plus director identity documents and proof of address |
| A tender | Registration documents, CSD registration, tax compliance status, B-BBEE affidavit — and often a recent disclosure certificate |
| SARS Customs, for an importer code | Certified copies of company registration documents |
| A corporate customer onboarding you | Registration documents, directors, and often beneficial ownership |
| A buyer doing due diligence | Everything, plus the securities register and resolutions |
| A funder or lender | Registration documents plus financial statements |
| A landlord or supplier on credit | Usually just the registration certificate |
The pattern: the more money involved, the more likely they want current status rather than history.
See what documents do you need to bid for a government tender and how to open a business bank account.
What if I have lost them?
They are recoverable, and this is a small problem rather than a large one.
CIPC holds the record. Registration documents can be reissued, and a disclosure certificate can be obtained showing the current position.
What is not recoverable from CIPC is your securities register and your share certificates, because CIPC never held them. Private company shareholding is not on the public register — the company's own securities register is the only record of who owns it. If yours does not exist, that is a real problem and a different one. See how to reconstruct a securities register.
Before you order documents, check the record is right
This is the step that saves the wasted trip.
Pull a disclosure certificate and read it before you submit anything to a bank, a tender or SARS. Check:
Company status — active, or in deregistration?
Directors — everyone current, nobody who resigned two years ago?
Registered address — somewhere post is actually read?
Financial year end — what you think it is?
Annual returns — filed?
Where any of that is wrong, fix it before you submit, because the institution will check the register themselves and a mismatch between your documents and the register is worse than a missing document. See how to check if your company is CIPC compliant.
And remember SARS holds a separate record that CIPC does not update. A company whose directors are current at CIPC and stale at SARS will still fail a CSD verification. See why your SARS and CIPC records must match.
What about certified copies?
Frequently required, particularly by SARS Customs and by banks.
Certification must be done by someone authorised to do it — a commissioner of oaths — and institutions commonly require certification within a recent period, often three or six months. A certified copy from two years ago is usually refused.
Practical approach: work out the full list of what you need certified before going, and have it all done in one visit. The second trip is the annoying one.
Frequently asked questions
What are company registration documents in South Africa? Ordinarily the CIPC registration certificate (CoR14.3) confirming the company exists, the notice of incorporation and initial directors, and the Memorandum of Incorporation (CoR15.1).
Why does the bank want more than my registration certificate? Because the certificate is historical — it proves the company was registered, not that it still exists or who runs it now. Banks generally want a current disclosure certificate showing directors, address and status as at today.
What is the difference between a registration certificate and a disclosure certificate? The registration certificate is issued once at incorporation and never changes. A disclosure certificate is a current extract from the register showing what CIPC holds about the company today.
Can I get replacement registration documents if I lost mine? Yes. CIPC holds the record and documents can be reissued. What cannot be recovered from CIPC is your securities register and share certificates, because CIPC never held them.
Does CIPC hold a record of who owns my company? No. Private company shareholding is not on the public register. CIPC holds beneficial ownership, which is about ultimate control, and the register of directors. The company's own securities register is the record of shareholding.
Do my registration documents need to be certified? Frequently, particularly for SARS Customs and for banks. Certification must be by a commissioner of oaths, and institutions usually require it to have been done within a recent period.
What should I check before submitting my documents anywhere? Pull a disclosure certificate and confirm the company status, directors, registered address, financial year end and that annual returns are filed. A mismatch between your documents and the register is worse than a missing document.
Do I need to update SARS as well as CIPC? Yes. They hold separate records and neither updates the other. A company current at CIPC and stale at SARS will still fail a CSD verification.
Get the record right, then get the documents
Most of the frustration here is not about obtaining documents. It is about turning up with the right document and discovering the register says something you did not expect — a director who never resigned properly, an address from two moves ago, or a status of "in deregistration".
Smartbook pulls your CIPC record, tells you what it actually says, fixes what is wrong, and supplies the registration documents in the form the bank, tender or customs office is asking for.
Get your company registration documents — R99 →
Change your company directors — R550 →
Change your registered address — R250 →
Last reviewed: 28 August 2026. Written by the Smartbook team — SAIPA and SAICA accredited, SARS registered tax practitioners. CIPC forms, processes and the documents required by third parties change from time to time — confirm what a specific institution requires before ordering. General guidance, not advice on your circumstances.
Primary sources: CIPC · Companies Act 71 of 2008 · BizPortal · SARS