CAC Name Change Notice: 7 Essential Steps (2026 Guide)

A CAC name change notice is one of the most stressful letters a Nigerian business owner can receive. It says your company name has to go, it gives you a deadline, and it usually arrives long after you’ve built a brand around that name.

If one has landed in your inbox, take a breath. You have time, but not much, and the first few days matter more than any other part of this process. This guide explains what the notice means, how long you really have, what your options are, and exactly how to change your name with the CAC if that’s the route you take.

What is a CAC name change notice?

A CAC name change notice is a letter from the Corporate Affairs Commission directing a company or business to change its registered name. The legal basis is Section 30 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, and it usually comes up for one of two reasons.

The first is that your name is identical, or deceptively similar, to a name already on the CAC register. The second is that your name conflicts with a trademark or business name that was registered before your company, and the owner never gave their consent. CAMA 2020 gives the CAC the power to require a name change in exactly that situation.

Here’s the part that surprises most people: the notice can arrive years after your name was approved. A company using the name “eNaira” received a CAC directive in December 2021, even though its name had been registered since 2004. In September 2025, the CAC told a business called KPMG Advisory Services, registered since 2010, to change its name within six weeks. The CAC acknowledged that the name had been approved in error in the first place.

That’s the uncomfortable truth behind every notice like this. CAC approval isn’t a guarantee. If you want to understand why approval doesn’t protect a name, our guide on CAC Registration vs Trademark Registration explains it in full.

How long do you have after a CAC name change notice?

Six weeks, counted from the date of the CAC’s direction, or a longer period if the CAC allows one. That wording comes from Section 30 of CAMA 2020, and it matters in two ways.

First, the clock starts on the date on the letter, not the day you opened it. If the letter sat unread for a week, you’ve already lost a week.

Second, the law leaves room for an extension. If you can show you’re actively working on the change but need more time, you can ask the CAC in writing for a longer period. Do that before the deadline passes, not after.

What you shouldn’t do is ignore the notice. In the letters it has issued, the CAC has warned that failing to comply within the stated period will lead to enforcement action. A notice you ignore doesn’t go away, it just removes your options one by one.

So the practical first step is simple: find the date on the letter, work out your deadline, and put it in your calendar today.

Why did you get a CAC name change notice?

Understanding the reason matters, because it decides which option makes sense. The usual causes are:

Your name is too close to an existing company name. Another company registered a name identical or deceptively similar to yours before you did.
Your name conflicts with an earlier registered trademark. The trademark owner complained, or the CAC spotted the clash, and the owner never consented to your name.
Your name conflicts with an earlier registered business name. The same logic applies to business names registered before your company.
The CAC approved your name by mistake. As the KPMG case showed, the CAC sometimes admits that a name should never have been approved.

Whichever applies, one question drives everything else: who got there first, and what exactly did they register? A company that holds a trademark or business name older than yours is in a strong position. We’ll come back to what that means for your options.

Your three options after a CAC name change notice

You generally have three ways to respond.

Option 1: Comply and change the name. This is the most common and usually the cheapest path, especially if your brand is young. You choose a new name, go through the CAC’s change of name process, and move on. The rest of this guide walks you through it.

Option 2: Get the other party’s consent. The CAC’s power to require a change applies where the owner of the earlier trademark or business name didn’t consent. So if you can reach an agreement and get their written consent, the conflict may disappear. This works best when the two businesses operate in clearly different fields, and it needs a lawyer to document properly.

Option 3: Contest the notice. You can challenge it, through the CAC’s own processes or through the courts. This is where you need to be careful. The eNaira company took its case to court and lost. The court ordered the name change and awarded N10 million in costs against it, and made the point that using a name for years doesn’t protect you if the name was a problem from the start.

That doesn’t mean contesting is never right. If you registered first, or you hold your own trademark, you may have a strong case. But it’s a decision to make with advice and evidence in hand, not out of frustration.

CAC name change notice: 7 steps to take

Here’s the order that keeps you out of trouble.

Read the notice carefully and note the date. Record the date on the letter, the reason given, and the other party named, if any. Work out your six-week deadline and put it in your calendar.
Save everything. Keep the letter, your original certificate, your registration dates, and proof of how long you’ve used the name.
Find out what the other side actually holds. Check what was registered, when, and in what class. A trademark or business name registered before your company is a very different situation from a later one.
Get legal advice before you reply. What you say in response can affect your options, so don’t answer the CAC on impulse.
Decide: comply, seek consent, or contest. Use the facts from steps 3 and 4. If you’re changing, move straight to step 6, and if you need more time, ask the CAC for it in writing before the deadline.
Choose a new name that clears both registers. Run a CAC availability check and a trademark search before you pick it, so you don’t land another notice. Trademark Search in Nigeria
File the change of name and update everything. The process is below, and so is the list of what to update afterwards.

How to change your company name after a CAC name change notice

For a limited company, the process runs through the CAC portal. The usual steps are:

Check availability and reserve the new name. Do this on the CAC portal, and make sure the reservation is for a change of name rather than a new registration.
Pass a board resolution. The directors approve the proposed new name.
Pass a special resolution of the members. This needs a 75 percent majority, and for a private company it can be done as a written resolution. You’ll also need to amend your Memorandum and Articles of Association to reflect the new name.
File the special resolution with the CAC within 15 days.
Submit the application on the CAC portal. Use the post-incorporation change of name section, and upload the resolution, the amended Memorandum and Articles, your current certificate of incorporation, the name reservation approval, and a director’s identification.
Receive your new certificate. If the CAC is satisfied, it issues a new Certificate of Incorporation in the new name. Your RC number stays the same.

If you registered a Business Name rather than a company, the process is simpler. The proprietor, or the partners, sign off on the change, and the application goes through the same portal. CAC Registration Documents Checklist

Requirements and fees change from time to time, so confirm the current list on the portal or ask your agent before you file.

What to update after a CAC name change notice

The new certificate isn’t the end. Your old name is still sitting in a lot of places, and the gaps cause problems later. Update:

Your letterhead, invoices, receipts, and company seal, since CAMA 2020 requires your registered name and number to appear on them
Your corporate bank account and any payment platforms
Your tax records and any licences or permits you hold
Contracts, supplier accounts, and your customer-facing documents
Your website, email signatures, and social media profiles
Your trademark records, if you hold a registration

That last point is easy to miss, and it connects to the most important thing in this guide.

A name change doesn’t always fix the underlying problem

If the notice came from a trademark conflict, changing your company’s registered name solves the CAC problem, but it may not solve the brand problem. If you keep trading under the same brand name, the trademark owner can still act against you.

So when you decide how to respond, think about the brand and not only the registered name. If you’re going to change, a full rebrand is often cleaner than a half change that leaves the conflict alive.

How to avoid getting a CAC name change notice

Nearly every notice like this could have been prevented with two checks before registration:

Search the CAC register and the trademark register, not just the CAC. The CAC’s name check only looks at its own records.
File your own trademark once you’ve chosen a name, so you hold the earlier right instead of defending a later one.

Both take a few days, which is nothing compared with six weeks of scrambling and a rebrand.

What to do next

If you’ve received a notice, the most useful thing you can do is get advice early, while all your options are still open. The deadline is short, and every day you wait narrows the choices.

If you’d like someone to review your notice and walk you through your options, you can book a free 30-minute consultation. Bring the letter with you.

Frequently asked questions

What is a CAC name change notice? It’s a letter from the Corporate Affairs Commission directing a company or business to change its registered name, usually because the name is identical or too similar to an existing company, trademark, or business name.

How long do I have to change my name after a CAC notice? Six weeks from the date of the CAC’s direction, or a longer period if the CAC allows one. You can ask for more time in writing, and you should do it before the deadline.

Can I ignore a CAC name change notice? No. The CAC has warned in these letters that failing to comply leads to enforcement action, and ignoring the notice removes the options you’d otherwise have.

Can I contest a CAC name change notice? Yes, through the CAC’s processes or the courts, but it needs a strong factual basis. If you registered first or hold your own trademark, you may have a case. If you don’t, contesting can be expensive, as the eNaira case showed.

Will my RC number change if I change my company name? No. The CAC issues a new certificate of incorporation in the new name, and your RC number stays the same.

Do I have to rebrand after a CAC name change notice? Not always, but a name change at the CAC doesn’t automatically resolve a trademark conflict. If the owner of the earlier trademark objects to your brand, you may need to change the brand as well, so get advice on both.

How much does it cost to change a company name with the CAC? Fees change, so check the current schedule on the CAC portal or ask your filing agent for a quote before you start.

How do I stop this from happening again? Search both the CAC register and the trademark register before you choose a name, and file a trademark for it as soon as you’ve decided.