Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Africa |
| ISO 3166-1 | NG / NGA |
| Registry | Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) |
| Last updated | 2026-05-04 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Nigeria and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | TIN | NRS (Nigeria Revenue Service) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | RC number | CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) |
Sector regulators
CBN · SEC NG · NCC · NAFDAC · NFIU
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Private Company Limited by Shares | Ltd | Closely-held share-capital company with 1+ shareholders; shares not publicly traded. The default SME vehicle under CAMA 2020. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Public Limited Company | PLC | Share-capital company whose shares may be offered to the public and listed on a stock exchange. Requires minimum share capital and three independent directors under CAMA 2020. Equivalent to a US C-Corp. |
| Company Limited by Guarantee | Ltd/Gte | Incorporated body with no share capital; members’ liability limited to their guaranteed contribution. Used by nonprofits, NGOs, trade associations, and professional bodies under CAMA 2020. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation. |
| Unlimited Company | — | Share-capital company whose members bear unlimited personal liability for the company’s debts. Rare in practice. Registered under CAMA 2020. Equivalent to a US C-Corp (with unlimited-liability feature). |
| Limited Liability Partnership | LLP | Body corporate with separate legal personality where all partners enjoy limited liability. Requires minimum two partners. Registered under CAMA 2020 Part C. Equivalent to a US LLP. |
| Limited Partnership | LP | Has at least one general partner with unlimited liability and one or more limited partners whose liability is capped at their capital contribution. Registered under CAMA 2020 Part D. Equivalent to a US LP. |
| General Partnership | — | Two or more persons carrying on business jointly as a registered Business Name; all partners bear unlimited personal liability. Registered under CAMA 2020 Part E. Equivalent to a US General Partnership. |
| Business Name (Sole Proprietorship) | — | Single natural person trading under a registered Business Name with the CAC; no separate legal personality and unlimited personal liability. Registered under CAMA 2020 Part E. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| Incorporated Trustees | — | Body corporate formed by religious organisations, charities, clubs, or associations under CAMA 2020 Part F; income must be applied to stated objects and not distributed to members. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation (501(c)(3)). |
How documents combine
For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below.| Evidence area | Documents needed |
|---|---|
| Legal Registration | Certificate of Incorporation |
| Constitutive Documents | Memorandum & Articles of Association (MEMART) |
| Tax Registration | TIN Certificate |
| Operating Permit | Business Premises Registration Certificate |
| Ownership Records | All required: Memorandum & Articles of Association (MEMART) + Form CAC 2A + Share Register |
| Governance Records | All required: Memorandum & Articles of Association (MEMART) + Form CAC 7 |
| Signing Authority | Board Resolution |
| Address | Any one of: Lease Agreement · Utility Bill · Bank Statement |
| Good Standing | Certificate of Good Standing |
Documents to collect
The physical documents you’ll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil’s Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed.| Document | Proves |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Incorporation (CAC) | Legal Registration |
| Memorandum & Articles of Association (MEMART) | Constitutive Documents |
| TIN Certificate (NRS) | Tax Registration |
| Business Premises Registration Certificate (state Board of Internal Revenue + LGA) | Operating Permit |
| Memorandum & Articles of Association (MEMART) | Ownership Records, Governance Records |
| Form CAC 2A (Return of Allotment) | Ownership Records |
| Share Register | Ownership Records |
| Form CAC 7 (Particulars of Directors) | Governance Records |
| Board Resolution (account opening) | Signing Authority |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Certificate of Good Standing (CAC) | Good Standing |
| Sector-Specific License | CBN, SEC NG, NCC, NAFDAC, NFIU — Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, SCUML Certificate (DNFBP sector — issued by SCUML / EFCC) |
Collection notes
- Operating Permit: Issued by the state Board of Internal Revenue (Business Premises Registration / Renewal Levy) and the Local Government Area where the entity operates. Renewable annually. Required for all commercial entities; not sector-specific.
- Sector-Specific License: SCUML Certificate is issued by the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (under EFCC) and is required only for Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (real estate, dealers in precious metals, accountants, lawyers, NGOs, etc.) — not for general commerce. Collect only when your customer operates in a DNFBP sector.
- Address: Lease (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement, with utility/bank dated within 90 days. Same evidence satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks.
- Good Standing: Issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission on request, confirming the company is registered, up to date with annual returns and not in liquidation. Available via the iCRP e-certificate portal once annual filings are current. Request a certificate dated within 30–90 days of submission; banks typically require ≤30 days.
Person roles
When you submit a person on the application body, set theirrole to one of Conduit’s canonical BusinessPersonRole values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role.
| Local role | Canonical API role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Director | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Board member. Minimum 1 for small private companies, 2 for standard Ltd, 3 independent directors required for PLC (CAMA 2020). |
| Chairman | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Presides over board meetings. |
| Managing Director | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Day-to-day management authority. |