How to Obtain Certified True Copies of CAC Documents in Nigeria
Obtain a certified true copy of CAC documents in Nigeria via the CAC online portal. Confirm your registered business name and registration number on the public search portal, file CTC requests for company documents or the constitution of incorporated trustees with a CAC accredited agent, and budget the per-document fee after business name registration or other post registration filings.
A certified true copy is an official duplicate of a document already held on the records of the Corporate Affairs Commission. Banks, regulators, courts, investors, and foreign authorities often refuse ordinary photocopies and ask for certified true copies instead. This guide explains what a certified true copy of CAC documents is, which records you can request, how CTC requests work on the CAC online portal, and what to prepare when the original document is missing.
The Corporate Affairs Commission administers company, business name, and incorporated trustees registrations under the Companies and Allied Matters Act. Documents filed with the Commission are public records. A certified true copy issued from those CAC records carries the Commission’s certification that the copy matches the filed original. For many legal and commercial purposes, that certified copy is accepted in place of the original document.
What a Certified True Copy of CAC Documents Means
A certified true copy is not a new registration and it is not a document you create yourself. It is a copy drawn from the Commission’s file, endorsed as a true copy of what is on record. That distinction matters. A clear scan or photocopy you make at home has no official status. Institutions that need proof of incorporation, ownership, or governing documents usually require the Commission’s own certification.
Certified true copies are commonly requested for:
- Opening or updating a corporate bank account
- Due diligence by investors or lenders
- Court or regulatory filings
- Tender and procurement processes
- Replacing a lost, damaged, or destroyed certificate
- Confirming the constitution or other governing document of an organisation
Under Nigerian evidence practice, a public document that has been properly certified by the officer who has custody of the original may be produced in place of that original. CAC certification is the route that gives company documents, business name records, and incorporated trustees filings that status.
Confirm the Entity on the Public Search Portal
Before you file CTC requests, confirm that the entity exists and that you have the correct details. The public search portal lets anyone look up a registered business name, company, or incorporated trustees body by name or by registration number.
Use the official public search (commonly reached through search.cac.gov.ng or the public-search function on the Company Registration Portal). Enter the exact registered business name or the registration number. Company numbers are usually shown as an RC number, business names as a BN number, and incorporated trustees as an IT number. The result should show the registered name, entity type, registration date, and status.
Public search shows only basic registry information. It does not replace certified true copies or a status report. If the name or number does not match what you expect, resolve that mismatch before you pay for any document. Searching first reduces rejected applications and wasted fees.
Documents You Can Obtain as Certified True Copies
The Commission can certify documents that are already on its file. Typical requests include the following.
Company Documents
For companies, common certified true copies include the certificate of incorporation and the memorandum and articles of association (often called the MEMART). Applicants also request certified extracts or copies of other filed company documents, including records that show directors, shareholders, or registered address, and acknowledgements of filings such as annual returns. A status report is a separate product: it is a current snapshot of the entity rather than a copy of one historical document. Ask the institution that requested the paper which of these it actually needs.
Business Name Registration Records
Business name registration produces its own certificate and supporting filings. Proprietors can request a certified true copy of the certificate of registration and of other documents on the business name file. The same public search portal that works for companies also works for a registered business name when you search by name or registration number.
Constitution of Incorporated Trustees
Incorporated trustees—associations, foundations, religious bodies, and similar organisations—file a constitution rather than a memorandum and articles. A certified true copy of the constitution of incorporated trustees is an official duplicate of that organisation’s document as held by the Commission. Trustees may also request a certified true copy of the certificate of registration. These requests sit within post registration services, alongside changes to trustees, objects, or other filed particulars.
Availability depends on what was actually filed and accepted. If a document was never submitted, or a filing is still pending, the portal will not produce a certified copy of it.
How to Submit CTC Requests
Most certified true copy applications are now handled through the CAC online portal, the Company Registration Portal used for pre-incorporation and post-incorporation work. The practical route is usually the post-incorporation (post registration) area of that portal.
Work Through a CAC Accredited Agent When Required
Public user accounts on the portal are generally limited to pre-incorporation steps. Post registration filings, including many CTC requests, are submitted by a CAC accredited agent—a person or firm certified by the Corporate Affairs Commission to file on behalf of entities. If you do not already have agent access, engage a CAC accredited agent to search the entity, open its dashboard, select the certified true copy option, and submit the application.
A typical online sequence is:
- The agent logs in to the CAC online portal and opens the post-incorporation section.
- The entity is retrieved by registered business name or registration number.
- Certified true copy is selected, and the specific CAC documents are chosen.
- Required particulars are completed, including the name and role of the person authorising the request (director, proprietor, partner, or trustee, as applicable).
- The prescribed fee is paid online, usually through the portal’s payment channel.
- Any required supporting file, such as identification or an affidavit, is uploaded.
- The application is submitted and tracked until approval.
- Once approved, the certified true copy is downloaded from the dashboard or otherwise released as the Commission directs.
Follow the prompts on the live portal. Menu labels and upload rules change when the Commission updates the system. Do not rely on screenshots from older guides.
Older Commission procedure notes also described an application form for certified true copies, with the completed form, payment receipt, and supporting papers sent to the Commission. Where the portal still requires a formal request letter or form, the agent will prepare it. Keep a copy of everything you submit.
When the Original Document Is Lost or Destroyed
A routine certified true copy of a document that is safely on file is different from a replacement sought because the original document has been lost, stolen, or destroyed. For a lost certificate, the Commission has long required a formal application and a sworn affidavit by a director, secretary, proprietor, or trustee explaining the loss. Identification of the applicant is commonly required. For incorporated trustees, historical checklists have also required additional steps, such as a publication inviting objections, before a certified extract of a lost certificate is issued. Some applicants are also asked for a police report.
Prepare these papers before you file if you already know the original is missing. An incomplete loss application is a common reason for a query. Updated annual returns, or other evidence of compliance, may also be requested depending on the entity type and the document. The current checklist on the portal, or written guidance from the Commission, overrides any general summary.
Fees and Processing Time
Under the Commission’s schedule of fees published in the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette and applied from 1 October 2025, a certified true copy of documents or extracts is charged at ₦5,000 per document. The fee is per document, not per application. Three documents mean three fees. Confirm the amount on the payment page before you pay, because the Commission can revise its schedule.
A CAC accredited agent’s professional fee is separate from the Commission’s fee. Ask for that charge in writing before work starts. Payment of the official fee alone does not include affidavit preparation, newspaper publication, or courier costs if those are required.
Processing time varies with document type, whether the file is complete, and current workload. Commission service timelines have listed certified true copy of certificates among shorter post-registration services, while applicants commonly see approval in a few working days. Check the application status on the portal and answer any query quickly. A query pauses the clock until you respond.
Practical Points Before You Apply
Match the request to the entity type. A company does not have a constitution of incorporated trustees, and a business name does not have a memorandum and articles. Using the wrong document name causes avoidable queries.
Decide exactly which CAC documents the recipient wants. Certifying every paper on the file multiplies the fee without adding value. A bank that wants the certificate and the MEMART does not automatically need every historical form.
Keep the registration number, the exact registered name, and the names of current directors, proprietors, or trustees ready. The person named as the applicant should be someone the Commission’s record recognises as connected to the entity.
If the certified true copy will be used outside Nigeria, ask the receiving authority whether further notarisation or authentication is required after CAC issues the copy. Commission certification and foreign legalisation are different steps.
Digital certificates generated at incorporation are already official. A later certified true copy is still the right product when a third party specifically asks for certification of a filed document, or when you no longer have a usable copy of the original document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply for certified true copies of CAC documents?
Directors, proprietors, partners, trustees, and other authorised officers can request certified true copies of documents on their entity’s file. In practice, the filing on the CAC online portal is usually made by a CAC accredited agent acting for the entity. The person authorising the request should be someone already connected to the entity on CAC records.
Can I get a certified true copy if I only know the business name?
Yes. Start on the public search portal and search by the registered business name to confirm the registration number and status. The agent then uses that registration number, or the confirmed name, to open the entity and file the CTC requests. An incorrect or incomplete name is a frequent cause of delay.
Is a certified true copy the same as the original document?
No. The original document is the certificate or filing first issued or submitted. A certified true copy is a later duplicate that the Corporate Affairs Commission certifies as a true copy of what is on its file. For banking, regulatory, and many legal uses, that certified copy is what institutions accept when they will not rely on an ordinary photocopy.