Importance of Registered Address for Companies Registered in Nigeria
Every company registered in Nigeria by the Corporate Affairs Commission [CAC] under the Companies and Allied Matters Act must have an address which is the address where such a company transacts business with members of the public at. A company’s registered address is also included in public CAC records open to members of the public and the said members of the public can visit such address to drop letters, notices, legal documents, court processes, et al, if and when the need arises. So, in Nigeria, a company’s address must of necessity be a physical address which is physically verifiable, not a P. O. Box number.
Changing Your Company’s Address
If a company incorporated in Nigeria for any reason changes its address, or wishes to change its address, then it must, as a regulatory requirement, give notice to the Corporate Affairs Commission of its change of address or its intention to change its registered address to another address in Nigeria.
We will list the requirements directors of a company that is changing its registered address must comply with, below.
Information Needed to Change Company Address in Nigeria
- Details of new company address.
- Signature of Company director (s).
- Signature of Company Secretary [Where the company has a secretary]
- Resolution for the change of the company address
- Updated annual returns filing of the company (as no company can make any post-incorporation application without having their Annual Returns filing up to date)
Steps to Change Your Company’s Address in Nigeria
- Pass a resolution for the change of the company’s registered address. This Resolution for change of the company’s address will be signed by a director [where the company has a single director, for single-director companies as currently allowed in Nigeria]; two directors [where the company has two or more directors], or a director and the company secretary [where the company has a company secretary].
- Fill and complete Form CAC 3.
- Show evidence of payment of up-to-date Annual Returns.
- Submit application and pay the prescribed fees (which encompasses the fee for change of address and the updated Status Report), then await approval by the CAC.
- Upon approval, the company’s address at the Corporate Affairs Commission records will be updated with the new address.
If you are a Nigerian entity that wishes to change its address with the CAC, please reach out to a CAC-accredited professional or law firm to assist you if you wish to change your company or business name address.
Kindly note that this Article is provided for information purposes only and for general guidance on the subject matter. It does not constitute legal advice.
This Article was written by the Corporate Governance and Regulatory Compliance Practice at Kabbiz Legal & Advisory.
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