Why check a director
Someone tells you they run a company. They want you to sign a contract, pay a deposit, extend credit, or appoint them to your board. Before you rely on that, it is worth confirming that the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) records them as a director of that company, and seeing which other companies they are, or were, involved in.
CIPC keeps the register of South African companies and close corporations, including who their directors and members are. Each director is recorded against their ID number, or a passport number for a foreign director, with the date they were appointed and, where it applies, the date they resigned.
Two ways to search director records
- Start from the company. You have a company name or registration number and want to know who its directors are. CIPC can issue a disclosure certificate for the company, which lists its details and current directors, through its online services. You can also ask the company for a recent one.
- Start from the person. You have a person's ID number and want to know every company they are, or were, a director of. This is a director search by ID number, and it is the better check when you are vetting a person: it shows companies they did not mention as well as the one they did.
CheckID's CIPC director verification is a search by person. You enter the ID number and the person's first name and surname, and pay R299. If the names match the record, we email you a PDF of every current and previous directorship CIPC links to that ID number. If they do not match, you are refunded in full and learn nothing from the record.
Why a search needs the person's names
An ID number on its own should not be enough to pull up someone's business history. Asking for the names as well means the search confirms details you already have, and cannot be used to look up strangers from a list of ID numbers. Use the names as they appear on the person's ID. Some married women are still recorded under a maiden name, so CheckID accepts an optional maiden name for female ID numbers.
What a director search shows
- Each company linked to the ID number, with its name, registration number and status, such as in business or deregistered.
- The person's role, such as director or member of a close corporation, and whether that directorship is active or has ended.
- The appointment and resignation dates, where CIPC holds them.
A match with no directorships is also an answer. If someone claims to run a company and CIPC links no directorships to their ID number, ask why before you go further.
How to read the result
- Check the company you were told about. Is it on the list, and is the directorship active? A resignation date before the contract you are about to sign is a red flag.
- Look at the other companies. Directorships of a competitor, a supplier or a customer can mean a conflict of interest, which matters most for board appointments, procurement roles and partnerships.
- Read deregistered companies in context. Many companies are deregistered for not filing annual returns, and being a director of one is not wrongdoing. A long run of short-lived companies is still worth a question.
- Several directorships are normal for business owners, investors and professional directors. The pattern matters more than the number.
What a director search does not prove
- That the person may sign for the company. Being a director does not always mean a person can bind the company alone; ask for a board resolution or letter of authority when the contract matters.
- That the person in front of you is the holder of the ID number. Confirm identity separately.
- Anything about credit, court orders against the person, or whether a court has declared them a delinquent director. A CheckID report does not include these.
To confirm the company itself is registered and in business, use the CIPC Company Check (R299, once-off).
To screen the director and the company against sanctions and PEP lists, use Sanctions & PEP Screening (R79, once-off).
To confirm the ID number belongs to the name you were given, use Home Affairs ID Verification (R39.90, once-off).
POPIA and director searches
Directorships are public-register information, but an ID number and a person's business history are still personal information. Have a lawful reason, such as due diligence on a supplier or customer, screening a prospective director, or preventing fraud, and use the result only for that. CheckID asks you to choose your reason before you pay and keeps it with the order.
Ready to check someone? Search their directorships by ID number, or read how to check a company registration first.