Filing a change of directors feels like the finish line. It is really the halfway point. The register only counts once CAC has actually updated it.
Filing is not the same as the register being updated
Submitting a form, even a correctly completed one, starts a process rather than finishing it. CAC still has to process the change before it shows on the public record.
Treat your submission receipt as proof you filed, not proof the change is live. The two are different things, and mixing them up leads to unnecessary follow-up calls.
Banks and other institutions sometimes ask for evidence a change has gone through, not just that you applied for it. A receipt alone will not satisfy that kind of request. CAC change of directors: the deadline covers the filing itself, if you have not submitted yet.
Where to check your company's current record
Check the CAC public search on icrp.cac.gov.ng for your company's current entry. You will need your company's registration number to find the right record.
Bookmark this search if you expect to file more changes in future. It is the fastest way to confirm any update, not just a change of directors.
Searching by company name works, but searching by registration number is more reliable. Names can be similar across different companies, and a number is not.
What a correct update should show
A correct update shows the new director on the list. If your filing was an exit, resignation, removal, or death, the departing director should no longer show as currently serving.
Compare what you see against your own internal register of directors. The two should match once CAC's side has caught up.
If the old director still shows after a while
Give the filing a reasonable amount of time before you assume something has gone wrong. This article cannot state a fixed processing time, since CAC does not publish one.
If enough time has passed and the record still looks wrong, check your own paperwork first. Confirm the filing was actually accepted, not just submitted, before you raise it with CAC or a company secretary.
A rejected filing sometimes looks, from the outside, like one that simply has not been processed yet. Do not assume more waiting will fix a filing that was never actually accepted.
Saving a copy of the confirmation for your file
Once the register shows the update, save a screenshot or a copy of the search result. Keep it alongside your original filing documents.
This small habit saves time later, whether a bank asks for proof of your current directors or you simply need to confirm when a past change actually took effect.
Documents to change a company director covers what to gather before you file in the first place. The CAC registration hub links the rest of this series.