What is an External Company?
An External Company is a foreign company that has registered with the CIPC (Companies and Intellectual Property Commission) to legally conduct business in South Africa. Under Section 23 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008, any foreign company that begins conducting business in South Africa must register as an External Company within 20 business days.
Failure to register exposes the foreign company and its directors to significant legal and financial penalties. COMPREGSA handles the entire process — from document preparation to CIPC submission and SARS registration.
Who Needs to Register as an External Company?
- Foreign companies employing staff in South Africa
- International companies signing SA contracts or leases
- Foreign businesses opening a branch office in SA
- Companies tendering for South African government contracts
- International firms receiving SA-sourced income
- Foreign companies owning SA property or assets
Required Documents — External Company (CoR20.1)
Based on the latest CIPC Practice Note 4 of 2025, the following certified documents are required:
- Certified copy of Certificate of Incorporation (from country of origin)
- Certified copy of Memorandum & Articles of Association or equivalent constitutional document
- Board resolution approving SA registration (signed by all directors)
- Certified passport copies of all directors
- Details of SA local representative (passport/ID, physical & postal SA address)
- Securities register (for profit companies)
- Certified translation certificate (if documents are in a foreign language)
- SA physical and postal address for principal office
- Industry/sector in which the company will operate in SA
Full Market Entry — What We Offer
Document Collection & Review
Submit your foreign company documents via our secure portal. Our team reviews everything for CIPC compliance before submission — no back-and-forth with CIPC.
Local Representative Appointment
We appoint a COMPREGSA-authorised local representative on your behalf (CoR21.2) — a legal requirement for all external companies in SA.
CIPC CoR20.1 Filing
We submit your CoR20.1 application, Annexure A (directors), and all supporting documents directly to CIPC and track daily until approved.
SARS & Compliance Setup
Once registered, we set up your Corporate Income Tax number with SARS. Optional: PAYE, UIF, SDL, COIDA for SA-based staff.
Add-On Services for Foreign Companies
- SARS Corporate Income Tax registration — R3,500
- PAYE / UIF / SDL / COIDA registration — R4,000
- Virtual Office (professional SA address + mail handling) — R1,322/month
- Monthly Compliance Retainer — R5,500/month
- Work Visa / ICT Visa Facilitation — from R15,500
- Employment contracts & Health & Safety Policy — R3,500