When is the deadline for CIPC beneficial ownership?
The deadline to file beneficial ownership to CIPC is with your next annual return.
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
According to the latest information on the CIPC website, companies must file their beneficial ownership within 30 days of their next anniversary date (similar to annual returns) or within 10 days of incorporation if they were registered after 24 May 2023.
To see when your next annual return is due, simply add your company to InfoDocs.
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
According to the latest information on the CIPC website, companies must file their beneficial ownership within 30 days of their next anniversary date (similar to annual returns) or within 10 days of incorporation if they were registered after 24 May 2023.
To see when your next annual return is due, simply add your company to InfoDocs.
Timeline of events (incl. sources)
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 29 December 2022 | The South African government publish the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Act 22 of 2022 including amendments to the Companies Act 71 of 2008. |
| 31 December 2022 | The President announces the commencement of the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) to be 1 April 2023. |
| 1 March 2023 | In response, the CIPC announce the upcoming implementation of a beneficial ownership program. |
| 17 March 2023 | The CIPC invites the public to comment on the draft amendments to the Companies Regulations. |
| 1 April 2023 | The General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) come into effect. |
| 4 April 2023 | The CIPC launch their beneficial ownership program on the new eServices and circulate a beneficial ownership flyer that says companies have 6 months to file beneficial ownership (i.e. 1 October 2023). |
| 24 May 2023 | The CIPC and the DTIC publish the amendments to the companies regulations. Companies registered after this date are required to file beneficial ownership within 10 days of incorporation. |
| 29 May 2023 | The CIPC publish guidelines on the filing beneficial ownership information. |
| 31 May 2023 | The Commissioner of the CIPC publishes a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on beneficial ownership saying companies must file in line with the annual return date. |
| 1 July 2023 | The CIPC publish more user guidelines on the filing of beneficial ownership information. |
| 19 July 2023 | The CIPC update their beneficial ownership program to allow filings with no beneficial owners. |
| 19 September 2023 | The CIPC issue a reminder to file beneficial ownership, saying they will start engaging companies who still need to file and inspecting those that have filed already. |
| 19 February 2024 | The CIPC launched the foreigner assurance system to verify foreign nationals before they can be disclosed as a beneficial owner. |
| 21 January 2025 | On January 10, 2025, the CIPC published Customer Notice 4 of 2025 along with a list of non-compliant entities, and urged them to comply within 7 business days with filing of BO declaration and Securities Registers. Failure to comply will result in the company or close corporation not being able to perform any transactions with CIPC and will further be issued with a compliance notice and/or a court sanctioned administrative fine and ultimately referred for deregistration. |
| Next annual return | The deadline according to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the CIPC website. |
| Within 10 days | The deadline according to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the CIPC website when there is a change in beneficial ownership. |
Updated on: 15/01/2025
Thank you!