The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) maintains the official register of South African companies, close corporations and co-operatives. This page covers changing the contact details held against a registered entity. The routes below were read from cipc.co.za on 2 September 2026.
Task scope
Updating the address, email or telephone number CIPC holds for a company, close corporation or co-operative falls under Enterprise Maintenance, the section CIPC uses for updating company, close corporation and co-operative records.
This is distinct from changing the contact details on your own CIPC customer profile, which is done in the account area after signing in.
Route
- Enquiries: the CIPC Customer Enquiry Management System at enquiries.cipc.co.za
- Filing the change: the Enterprise Maintenance section of cipc.co.za
- Self-service: password reset, company investigations, and all forms and fees are published under Quick Access
CIPC publishes no customer telephone number or email address. Every enquiry runs through the enquiry management system, which issues a ticket reference. That reference is what a follow-up depends on, so keep it.
Because no official number exists, treat any “CIPC helpline” number found on a directory or social post as unverified. Company registration scams are common, and CIPC will not phone to demand a fee to keep a company active.
Requirements
Have the registration number of the entity and the credentials of a person authorised to act for it. CIPC records are changed by directors, members or an authorised representative – not by anyone who knows the company name.
Identity verification applies to filings, so expect to supply supporting identity documents. Amendments generally carry a prescribed fee, published in the CIPC fee schedule.
Steps
Sign in to CIPC, open Enterprise Maintenance, file the relevant amendment for the entity, pay any prescribed fee, and keep the confirmation. Log an enquiry through the enquiry portal if the filing does not reflect.
Keeping the registered address current is a legal duty, not admin housekeeping. Statutory notices – including from SARS and the courts – are validly served on the registered address, so an out-of-date one means notices are deemed delivered to a place you no longer occupy. This is the single strongest reason to file the change promptly.
Update your annual return details at the same time. Failure to file annual returns can lead to deregistration, and a company whose contact details are stale often misses the warning.
Escalation
Escalate an unresolved filing through the enquiry portal, quoting the ticket and the entity registration number. Beneficial ownership filing is subject to compliance inspections, so keep those records current too.
If CIPC does not resolve the matter, maladministration by a state entity can be taken to the Public Protector. CIPC falls under the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and decisions under the Companies Act may be reviewable by the Companies Tribunal.
Sources
- cipc.co.za and enquiries.cipc.co.za, read 2 September 2026