THE NEW CAC E-FILING SYSTEM: What you need to know.

If you have ever had any dealings with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in the past, then you are used to the commission making promises it finds hard to keep. So when I read of the new policy of the commission allowing applicants upload their documents electronically on the CAC website, I was very sceptical, seeing that the commission is yet to perfect the process of filling incorporation forms online months after introducing the plan.

It however appears that the commission is taking a new approach in its dealings this time.. Just recently, the commission announced as part of its efforts to improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria, a new single form meant to replace the old forms CAC 7, CAC 2, CAC 2.1 and CAC 4 currently used by the commission. The goal I believe was to reduce the amount of paperwork, and make the process less cumbersome.

Personally, I did not see the great ease the change of form was going to bring. The real issue was not about forms but the rigorous process of submission, endless queries and administrative lapses. It appears the commission shares these same sentiments, and has now adopted a more efficient approach. The CAC has announced that documents can now be uploaded electronically so applicants do not have to frequent the CAC offices till they are about to pick up the certificates. THIS IS EXCITING NEWS!!!

So, here is a breakdown of how it will work when this plan is fully implemented;

In the past, an applicant will have to (a) purchase forms, (b) fill the forms, © take it to the CAC office for assessment, (d)make payment, (e) wait for payment verification, (f) take the Memorandum and Article of Association (MEMART) to the Federal Inland Revenue Service for stamping, and then (g) finally submit the documents. This process does not include the possibility of the application being queried, based on inconsistencies in filling the forms, or some issues raised on the MEMART.

NOW the commission is saying, you can fill the form and MEMART, have it scanned and upload to the CAC website http://docupload.cac.gov.ng and submit the original when picking up your certificate, that simple. There are however major conditions that must be met before doing this;

1. Documents can only be uploaded after availability search has been conducted, and the availability code is entered.

2. Statutory payments must have been made, and the receipts shall be uploaded.

3. Documents must be scanned and uploaded one by one.

4. Scanned documents must be saved in PDF format

5. The said documents must be legible and clear for CAC staff to work with.

6. The documents can be changed before clicking final submission. Only documents that are queried by the commission can be edited after final submission.

7. The documents uploaded must be the same with the originals to be exchanged when picking up the certificate of registration.

This is a commendable effort by the commission, and it will go a long way in ensuring a speedy turnaround time between submission and collection of certificates. There are also plans by the commission to integrate with FIRS to take advantage of the e-stamping method, in also making the process faster.

This is good news for all stakeholders, and one hopes this is maintained and improved upon. We hope this plan is implemented SOON.

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