The government charge for SCUML registration is straightforward: there isn't one.
The direct answer
SCUML registration is free of charge. You file your declaration of business activities under Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 directly on the portal, and no payment step sits anywhere in that process.
This surprises people who assume every Nigerian business registration comes with a government charge attached. SCUML is one of the exceptions.
Why people still pay someone anyway
Search for SCUML registration and you will find services offering to "handle it" for a fee. What they are charging for is their own time and paperwork handling, not a government cost they are passing on.
That is not necessarily dishonest, in the same way paying someone to queue at a government office for you is not dishonest. But it is worth knowing the certificate itself carries no price tag before you decide whether that convenience is worth paying for.
What the free registration actually replaces
Without registering yourself, some business owners assume they need a lawyer or a fixer to get a SCUML certificate at all. Neither is true. Our step-by-step guide to registering walks through the portal form directly, and it does not require legal drafting.
The documents you need are ones you should already hold from setting up your company: its certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles, CAC status report (or CAC 1.1 or CAC 7 and CAC 2) and tax ID printout.
What the process still costs you
Free does not mean there is no work involved. You still spend time pulling together your CAC documents, describing your business activities, and waiting for SCUML to review the submission.
The certificate is emailed 7 to 10 days after approval once approved. That review window is the real cost: your time, not your money.
Is paying someone ever worth it
For a business owner with no spare hours that week, paying someone to fill the form is a time trade, not a legal necessity. That choice is fine, as long as you know what you are actually paying for.
What is not fine is a claim that the certificate itself has a government price. Treat any invoice that says otherwise as a service fee for someone else's time, and price it against your own hourly rate before agreeing.
What to do if someone asks you for money
If anyone claims a government fee is due before your certificate is issued, that claim does not match SCUML's own position. Government messaging around this scheme actively discourages paying anyone for it.
Confirm your own status directly on scuml.efcc.gov.ng rather than through a third party asking for payment upfront.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a paid service is faster. The certificate's timeline is set by SCUML's review, not by who filed the form.
- Confusing SCUML's fee with other registration costs. CAC company registration and other filings do carry government charges. SCUML does not.
- Paying before checking whether you even need to register. Confirm which businesses the requirement covers first.
- Treating "free" as a promise of speed. Budget your time for the review period, even without a cost to budget.
Once you know the fee question is settled, see what the certificate is actually used for and browse the rest of the SME regulators hub for related filings.