How to Reserve a Name That Requires Consent on the New CAC iCRP in Nigeria
Reserve a business name that needs regulatory consent on the CAC iCRP portal. Learn the name reservation process, consent application steps, public availability name search, and how to register new business after approval.
Reserving a business name is the first formal step in electronic company registration in Nigeria. On the new Intelligent Company Registration Portal, ordinary name reservation is largely automated. A name that needs regulatory consent is different. The Corporate Affairs Commission has separated that path so it is no longer mixed into the standard name reservation application.
This guide explains how we approach name reservation that requires consent on the iCRP portal, how it differs from instant approval, and how an approved name feeds into business name registration or other filings.
Why Consent Names Sit Apart on the iCRP Portal
The company registration portal at icrp.cac.gov.ng is the current CAC AI portal for pre-incorporation work. In the old Company Registration Portal, names that needed consent were often handled inside the regular name reservation process. On the new system, that work stands on its own and remains subject to manual review by an approving officer.
That separation matters. An ordinary name can be checked, paid for, and approved almost immediately, with an availability code issued after successful payment. A consent application is not instant. Payment submits the file for officer review. Status later moves to approved or queried, and the Commission notifies the applicant by email.
The official interim user guide for CRP 3.0 is the practical reference for both flows. We treat that guide, together with the portal FAQ, as the primary source for the current name reservation process.
When a Name Requires Regulatory Consent
Not every proposed name belongs on the automated path. Regulatory consent is typically required where the law, or the Commission’s assessment, says the wording cannot be used freely.
Under the naming rules in the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020, certain words are restricted rather than banned outright. They may be used only with the Commission’s consent. Common examples include Federal, National, Regional, State, Government, Municipal, Chartered, Cooperative, Building Society, Group, and Holding, as well as other wording that suggests government patronage or a special statutory status.
The consent route is also used for reasons other than a single restricted word. On the iCRP portal, the reason for a consent request can include new registration, a restricted word, or a change of name. Business classification examples in the official FAQ include Incorporated Trustees and a company limited by guarantee.
A name that is identical to an existing entity, misleading, or otherwise prohibited is a different problem. Consent does not cure every objection. If the issue is similarity, the practical response is usually a new name, not a forced consent filing.
Choosing a Business Name Before You Pay
Choosing a business name is cheaper when it is done before payment. We start with a public availability name search so obvious conflicts are removed early. Search the exact proposed name and close variations. Spacing, punctuation, and a slight spelling change rarely create a genuinely different identity if the name still looks the same as one already on the register.
A strong name is specific, pronounceable, and consistent with the real activity of the entity. Vague words, unexplained abbreviations, and titles that imply a government body, a professional institute, or a national authority without supporting facts are frequent sources of delay.
If an older interface or a status note once told an applicant to attach consent, that language reflected the previous workflow. On the current CAC AI portal, the correct action is to open Name Requiring Consent rather than to force a restricted name through ordinary name reservation and then try to attach consent afterwards.
Accessing the Company Registration Portal
Electronic company registration begins with a verified account on the iCRP portal.
- Open https://icrp.cac.gov.ng.
- Log in with the username and password, or with the email, phone number, or accreditation number accepted on the login page.
- Complete two-factor authentication with the one-time code sent to the registered email.
- If the system reports a duplicate username or phone number, update those details before the dashboard will open.
- If the linked email is unknown, use the check-email option on the login page. If the email is no longer accessible, the Commission’s helpdesk can be asked to update it.
Public users can create an account and use pre-incorporation services. Accredited agents may file on behalf of applicants, but the account recovery details should remain under the applicant’s control.
Standard Name Reservation on the CAC AI Portal
Understanding the ordinary name reservation process makes the consent path easier to follow. The interim user guide sets it out as follows.
- From the dashboard, open Name Reservation and start a new reservation.
- Select the business classification, such as Business Name, Company, Limited Partnership, or Limited Liability Partnership.
- Select the business type, such as sole proprietorship or private company limited by shares.
- Enter the proposed name and the nature and specific nature of business.
- Run the availability check.
- If the name is available, continue to payment through the payment gateway shown on the portal.
- If it is unavailable, update the business name or use the portal’s name suggestions.
- After successful payment, approval is instant and an AV Code is issued.
That AV Code is what later unlocks registration. Do not use this automated route for a name the portal or the law treats as requiring consent. The fee displayed at payment is the amount to pay. Published CAC schedules have been revised, so we do not rely on an old blog figure when the portal shows a different statutory charge.
Consent Application: How to Reserve a Name Requiring Consent
To reserve a business name, company name, or association name that needs regulatory consent, stay on the dedicated menu. The interim user guide and the portal FAQ describe the same sequence.
Open Name Requiring Consent
From the dashboard, select Name Requiring Consent. Do not start this file under ordinary Name Reservation.
Select Business Classification and Reason
Choose the business classification and the business type. Then choose the reason for the consent request, such as new registration, restricted word, or change of name, and continue.
Matching the classification to the real entity is essential. An Incorporated Trustee filing and a company filing are not interchangeable, and the later registration documents will be built on this choice.
Enter the Proposed Name and Entity Information
Type the proposed entity name or names. Complete the company or association information requested on the form, including the email address, registered address, and principal association or business activity. Save and continue after each step.
Use a full, meaningful name. A restricted word should appear only where it is genuinely justified by the objects of the entity. The activity description should explain, in plain language, what the organisation will actually do.
Preview the Consent Application
Review every field on the preview page before payment. Consent filings are manually examined, and an error in the name, classification, address, or activity description can produce a query. Correct the draft before submission if the portal still allows edits at that stage.
Pay and Submit for Officer Review
Proceed to payment and complete the charge shown for that name reservation application. Once payment succeeds, the file is submitted to an approving officer. It is not auto-approved.
Keep the payment receipt and the application reference. Monitor both the dashboard and the email address entered on the form.
What Happens After the Consent Filing
Manual review is the defining feature of this name reservation process. The applicant receives an email when the status becomes queried or approved.
An approval means the Commission has accepted the name for the purpose of that consent request. Use the approval details exactly as issued when moving to registration. Do not alter spelling after approval.
A query means an officer needs a correction or a clearer justification. Open the application, read the query history, and respond only to what was asked. Supplying unrelated documents, or changing the name without using the proper substitution or new-reservation path, usually extends the delay.
Approval is not guaranteed. A restricted word still has to be defensible. Words that falsely suggest government authority, a chartered profession, or a cooperative society will not pass merely because a fee was paid.
From an Approved Name to Register New Business
Name reservation is not the certificate. After an ordinary business-name approval, business name registration continues on the same company registration portal.
The interim user guide sets out that next stage for a business name:
- From the dashboard, open Registration.
- Select Register New Business.
- Enter the AV Code from the approved name reservation.
- Add the business email, business address, and date of commencement.
- Enter proprietor details.
- Upload, in image format, a means of identification, a passport photograph, and a signature for each proprietor.
- Preview the file and pay.
- Track status. Pending means the review is still running. Queried means the file must be modified and resubmitted. Approved means the certificate and status report can be downloaded.
Business name registrations on the current portal are described as AI-assisted and can move quickly when the documents are clean. Registration of other entities, including limited liability companies, incorporated trustees, limited liability partnerships, and limited partnerships, can still follow a manual approval review.
Where the original filing was a consent application rather than an automated reservation, follow the post-approval instruction on the dashboard. Do not invent an availability code if the consent approval was issued in a different format. The reference on the approved consent file is the one that should be used.
Name Substitution When the Proposed Name Fails
Sometimes the right response is not another consent letter. If the name is too similar to an existing entity, or if a restricted word cannot be justified, name substitution or a fresh name reservation is the cleaner route.
Name substitution is used where the portal offers it as the way to replace a rejected or unsuitable name inside an existing filing, including some incorporated trustee and company matters. It is not a shortcut around a missing consent. A substituted name that still contains a restricted word should go back through Name Requiring Consent.
Before paying again, repeat the public availability name search. A second payment does not improve a name that is already taken or prohibited.
Practical Standards That Reduce Queries
We apply the same checks to every consent application:
- The business classification matches the entity that will actually be registered.
- The reason for consent matches the facts: new registration, restricted word, or change of name.
- The proposed name is specific and is not a thin variation of a registered name.
- Any restricted word is necessary and can be explained from the objects of the entity.
- The registered address and email are current, because status emails go to the address on the file.
- The activity description is concrete. “General contracts” or “all lawful business” is weaker than a clear statement of the real service or charitable object.
- Identification images are colour, complete, and consistent with the name on the national identity record when that record is required later.
- The preview is read in full before payment.
Applicants who need a letter of no objection from another regulator, or consent from an existing entity, should obtain that document before filing if the particular word or structure depends on it. The portal review will not create that consent for them.
How This Fits the Wider Registration Timeline
A clean ordinary name reservation can be approved as soon as payment succeeds. A name requiring consent takes longer because an officer must read it. Build that time into the plan before printing letterheads, signing leases, or announcing a launch date.
After approval, move promptly to registration. An unused reservation does not keep a name indefinitely, and a delayed commencement date on a business name can attract a separate penalty if the date is more than the period the Commission allows. Confirm the current validity period and any penalty rule on the portal at the time of filing, because service timelines and fees are revised by the Commission.
For post-incorporation work, accredited agents can reach post-incorporation services from the same sign-on. That convenience does not change the fact that many post-incorporation filings are still reviewed by officers after submission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between name reservation and a name requiring consent?
Ordinary name reservation on the iCRP portal is automated. If the name is available and payment succeeds, approval and an AV Code are issued immediately. A name requiring consent is filed separately, paid for, and then reviewed manually by an approving officer. It is not instant.
Which names usually need a consent application?
Names that use restricted words under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, and certain entity types or reasons selected on the portal, need regulatory consent. The form itself asks for a reason such as new registration, restricted word, or change of name. Incorporated Trustees and companies limited by guarantee are examples used in the official FAQ. Identical or misleading names are a separate availability problem and may simply be refused.
Can we attach consent to a normal name reservation application?
On the new company registration portal, that older approach has been replaced. We do not push a restricted name through standard name reservation and then try to attach consent. We open Name Requiring Consent, complete the consent application, preview it, pay the fee shown, and wait for the officer’s decision.