Incorporated trustees is CAC's registration status for a shared purpose, not for profit. Here is how the registration itself works.
What incorporated trustees status is for
NGOs, churches, mosques, associations and clubs commonly register this way. It suits a membership or charitable structure better than a company with shareholders.
The status gives the organisation its own legal identity. That identity is separate from whichever trustees currently serve.
The organisation can hold property and open bank accounts in its own name. It also survives a change of leadership, unlike an account held by one trustee personally.
Reserving a name
Before you can register, reserve the proposed name with CAC. Incorporated trustees pay ₦5,000 for this step.
That is more than the ₦1,000 a company or business name pays for the same kind of reservation. CAC's published fee schedule does not explain why the two figures differ.
Once approved, the reservation holds for up to 60 days. Use that window to prepare the rest of the application, rather than let it lapse and pay twice.
What the application needs
CAC asks for a governing document first, usually called the constitution or the rules of the association. It also wants details of the trustees who will be named on the certificate.
Most applications include minutes of the meeting that appointed the trustees. Evidence of the organisation's proposed address goes in too, such as a tenancy agreement or a utility bill.
A church, mosque or community association usually adds its own governing rules on top of these standard CAC documents. Gather everything before your name reservation expires, since a lapsed reservation means paying the fee again.
The registration fee
Registration itself costs ₦40,000. That is a flat fee. A company's incorporation fee is not flat; it climbs with share capital. See how CAC calculates your incorporation fee for how that scale works.
Pay it once your application and its documents are ready. Submit both through CAC's new Company Registration Portal (CRP). This fee comes on top of the name reservation fee you already paid. It also comes on top of any fee a lawyer or accountant charges for help with the paperwork.
What you get once CAC approves it
CAC issues a certificate of incorporation naming the trustees on record. From that point, the group can act in its own name, not through one trustee.
Registration is only the start. CAC expects more from incorporated trustees once the certificate is issued. An annual return is one. A separate statement of affairs is another, and both fall due each year.
Browse the CAC registration hub for more on keeping a registration current, or our cost guide to registering a company for how these fees compare with other CAC structures.