Approval alone is not the last step. A few practical things still need doing soon after CAC actually issues the certificate.
Keep the certificate and note the BN number
Save the certificate as both a printed paper copy and a digital file. It carries your BN number, the identifier CAC uses for the business name from now on.
See what is a BN number and where to find it if you need to locate it again later or explain what it is to a bank.
A photo of the certificate on your phone is not the same as a proper PDF copy. Save the file itself somewhere you can find it in a year, not just in a chat thread you might delete.
Get a Tax ID linked to the business name
A registered business name usually needs its own Tax ID for tax purposes. See TCC for sole proprietors and business names for how that works for a business name specifically, rather than a company.
Sort this early. Many of the accounts and contracts that follow ask for it, and chasing it later tends to hold up whatever else you are trying to set up at the time.
Open the business's bank account
Most banks ask for the CAC certificate before opening an account in the business name. Bring the certificate and the proprietor's own identification together.
A business account keeps the business's money separate from personal spending, which matters once you are filing returns or applying for credit later. It also gives clients and payment platforms an account name that matches your certificate exactly, rather than a personal name that does not.
Some banks ask further questions about the business before opening the account, beyond the CAC certificate alone. Bring your Tax ID lookup result too, so you are not making a second trip for a document the bank asks for on the day.
Diarise the annual return deadline
A business name owes an annual return by 30 June every year, except in its first year of registration. The fee is ₦5,000.
See business name annual return: the 30 June deadline for the full detail. Put the date on a calendar now, while the registration is fresh in your mind.
Know what a partner or address change needs later
A change of proprietor, address or name later is its own filing, separate from the annual return. See adding or removing a business name partner for how that works when it comes up.
Knowing this now saves confusion later, when the change feels minor but the filing still needs doing properly and on time. Browse the CAC registration hub for the rest of what running a registered business name involves.