A company can outgrow its name. A rebrand, a merger, or a name that no longer fits the business can all lead here. CAC has a specific fee and process for it.
This is different from reserving a name at the start
Reserving a company name happens before or during registration. It is a small fee, for a name nobody has used yet.
Changing an existing company's name is a different filing. It costs more, and it happens well after incorporation. CAC company name reservation: fee and validity covers the earlier, smaller fee, so you do not confuse the two when budgeting.
The fee for a small company
A small company pays ₦10,000 to change its registered name. Other private companies, and public companies, pay more.
Check which category your company falls into first. The gap between the small-company rate and the others is wide enough to matter for planning.
A name change is also not something to do on a whim. Weigh the cost against how often your company actually expects to rebrand again.
What changes on your certificate and CAC record
Once CAC approves the change, you get a new certificate. It shows the new name.
Your company's underlying registration does not start over. This article has not confirmed whether the RC number itself changes; the same underlying registration continues under the new name.
Everything else on file stays as it was too: your directors, your share capital, your registered address. Only the name itself changes going forward.
Telling your bank and other bodies afterwards
CAC's approval does not update anywhere else automatically. Your bank, your tax records, and any licence or contract in the old name all need their own separate update.
Start with your bank. A mismatched company name can hold up a transaction until it is sorted.
Work through other regulators and contract counterparties next. Use your new certificate as proof of the change each time.
A supplier or landlord holding an old contract in the previous name may also want a short letter confirming the two names refer to the same company. Keep a template ready, since you may send it several times over.
The prerequisite that can hold up the filing
Up-to-date annual returns and PSC information before CAC processes a name change. This is the same rule that applies to most other post-incorporation filings.
Check your company's annual return history before you apply. A stalled name-change filing is a common moment to discover an older, unrelated gap.
A company that has recently changed directors or its registered address should confirm those filings are fully processed too, rather than assuming they are, before adding a name change on top.
You can start a CAC company registration if you have not yet incorporated. The CAC registration hub links the rest of this series for a company already on the register.