# Nigeria Company Registry Scraper - CAC (`regdata/nigeria-cac-company-scraper`) Actor Search the official Nigerian company register (CAC) by entity name or RC/BN/IT number. Returns registered name, registration number, classification, nature of business, status and registration date. No API key. - **URL**: https://apify.com/regdata/nigeria-cac-company-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [getregdata](https://apify.com/regdata) (community) - **Categories:** Agents, Lead generation, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $9.00 / 1,000 company searches This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Nigeria Company Registry Scraper - CAC Look up Nigerian companies, business names and incorporated trustees in the **public register of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)** - the official companies register of Nigeria. Search by entity name or registration number and get the registered name, RC/BN/IT number, classification, nature of business, registry status and registration date as structured JSON. No API key. No account. No CAPTCHA to solve. ### What you get per entity | Field | Example | |---|---| | `approvedName` | `DANGOTE INDUSTRIES LIMITED` | | `rcNumber` | `71242` | | `registrationNumberFormatted` | `RC 71242` | | `classification` / `classificationLabel` | `COMPANY` / `Company` | | `natureOfBusiness` | `Other manufacturing` | | `status` | `ACTIVE`, `INACTIVE`, `DISSOLVED`, `STRUCK OFF` | | `registrationDate` | `1981-05-04` | | `nameMatch` | `exact`, `contains`, `all_terms`, `partial` | | `companyId` | `208767` | | `jurisdiction`, `source`, `sourceUrl`, `retrievedAt` | provenance for every row | ### What this is good for - **KYB / onboarding** - confirm a Nigerian counterparty exists and is `ACTIVE` before contracting. - **Supplier and distributor checks** - verify the RC number on an invoice, letterhead or bid document belongs to the entity that quoted it, and is not `STRUCK OFF`. - **Screening at scale** - submit a list of registration numbers and get a status for each. - **Lead qualification** - filter Nigerian entities by classification and nature of business. ### What the public register does NOT contain Stated plainly, because this gap decides whether this actor fits your use case: - **No directors or officers.** - **No shareholders or beneficial owners.** - **No registered address.** - **No filings, accounts or documents.** CAC releases those only through paid document services. This actor returns what the public register actually publishes and does not invent the rest. If you need directors or ownership for Nigeria, this is a **verification** tool, not a full KYB profile. ### Name search: read this before trusting a result The register's name search is a **similarity search that matches on single words**. A search for a company that does not exist still returns a full page of results - `NOTAREALFIRMXYZ LIMITED` returns 49 entities purely because they all contain the word `LIMITED`. Taken at face value, that reads as 49 hits for a company that was never registered, which on a KYB screen is the most damaging mistake this data can cause. So every row is graded against your query and reported in `nameMatch`: | Grade | Meaning | |---|---| | `exact` | the names are identical once case and punctuation are ignored | | `contains` | the entity name contains your whole query | | `all_terms` | it contains every identifying word of your query, in any order | | `partial` | it contains some of them | | `weak` | it contains none - the register matched on boilerplate alone | By default (`nameMatchMode: relevant`) `weak` rows are dropped, and results are sorted best match first. Use `strict` to keep only rows containing every query word, or `all` to see the register's raw output including the noise. **Registration-number lookups are exact and are never graded** - they are filtered to the exact digits you asked for. ### Result ceiling The register returns **at most 50 matches per search and offers no pagination** - `page`, `limit` and `pageSize` are accepted and ignored by the source. When a query hits that ceiling the run says so in its status message rather than presenting a capped list as a complete one. To reach matches beyond it, narrow the name or search by registration number. ### One number, more than one entity RC, BN and IT numbers are issued in **separate sequences**, so the same digits legitimately belong to unrelated organisations. `71242` returns both `DANGOTE INDUSTRIES LIMITED` (a company) and `INTEGRITY, TRANSPARENCY AND ANTI CORRUPTION FOUNDATION` (incorporated trustees). A bare number therefore searches all three classifications, which is deliberate. Include the prefix (`RC 71242`) to restrict it to one. ### Input | Field | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `companyNames` | array | - | Entity names to search, each looked up separately | | `registrationNumbers` | array | - | RC/BN/IT numbers, any format: `RC 71242`, `RC-71242`, `71242` | | `maxResultsPerQuery` | integer | 50 | Max records per query (50 is the register's own ceiling) | | `nameMatchMode` | enum | `relevant` | `relevant`, `strict` or `all` - see above | | `statusFilter` | array | - | Keep only these statuses; empty exports all | Set at least one of `companyNames` or `registrationNumbers`. A run with neither fails immediately and is not charged. #### Example input ```json { "companyNames": ["DANGOTE INDUSTRIES"], "registrationNumbers": ["RC 71242", "BN 2345678"], "nameMatchMode": "relevant", "statusFilter": ["ACTIVE"] } ```` ### Billing Charged **per search**, not per row - one query costs the same whether it returns one entity or the register's full 50. A search that finds nothing is still an answer, and is charged: on a KYB screen "this counterparty is not in the Nigerian register" is usually the finding you needed. It is written to the dataset as `lookupStatus: not_found_in_register` so it is never confused with a failure. Queries that could **not** be retrieved - the register was down, unreachable or rate-limiting - are **not charged**, are never written as result rows, and are listed in `FAILED_INPUTS` in the run's key-value store. A run that retrieves nothing at all fails loudly rather than exiting green with an empty dataset. ### Limitations - **No directors, shareholders, beneficial owners or addresses** - not published (see above). - **50 results per search, no pagination** - a register limit, not an actor limit. - **Name search is a similarity search** - see the grading section; check `nameMatch`. - **No document downloads** - CAC certificates and filings are a paid service. - **`natureOfBusiness` is free text** as recorded at registration; it is not a standard classification code and is often stale for older entities. - **Registration dates before ~1990** are sometimes recorded as `01:00:00Z` timestamps in the source; only the date part is returned. ### Related registry actors Part of a fleet of official-registry actors across 11+ countries - Poland (KRS, CRBR, KRZ, MSiG, EKW, KNF, UOKiK, BDO), Germany (Handelsregister), Spain (Registro Mercantil, BORME), Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus (DRCOR), Slovakia (RPVS beneficial owners), Czechia, UAE and California. For Nigeria specifically, pair this with a sanctions and PEP screen on the entity names it returns, since the public register itself carries no ownership data to screen. *** **Data source:** [Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) public search](https://search.cac.gov.ng/), Federal Republic of Nigeria. This actor is not affiliated with or endorsed by the CAC. # Actor input Schema ## `companyNames` (type: `array`): One or more entity names to search, each looked up separately. Matching is the register's own name-similarity search, so partial names work: 'DANGOTE' returns every entity whose name contains it. Broad terms hit the register's 50-result ceiling - see Max results per query. ## `registrationNumbers` (type: `array`): One or more registration numbers, each looked up separately. Accepts any format: 'RC 71242', 'RC-71242' or just '71242'. Include the prefix to restrict the classification - RC = company, BN = business name, IT = incorporated trustees. A bare number matches those digits across ALL THREE classifications, which is deliberate: the same digits genuinely exist as different entities (RC 71242 and IT 71242 are unrelated organisations). ## `maxResultsPerQuery` (type: `integer`): Maximum records to export per query. The register itself returns at most 50 matches and provides no pagination, so 50 is the ceiling here too - a broader term cannot be paged through. To reach matches beyond the ceiling, narrow the name or search by registration number. ## `nameMatchMode` (type: `string`): How closely an entity name must answer a name query. The register's search matches on single common words, so a search for a company that does NOT exist still returns a full page of unrelated entities - 'NOTAREALFIRM LIMITED' returns 49 results purely because they contain 'LIMITED'. 'Relevant' (default) drops rows that share nothing but boilerplate with your query. 'Strict' keeps only rows containing every identifying word. 'All' returns the register's raw output, including the noise. Registration-number lookups are exact and are never affected by this. ## `statusFilter` (type: `array`): Keep only entities in these registry statuses. Leave empty to export every match, which is the safer default for screening - an INACTIVE or DISSOLVED counterparty is usually the finding you most want to see, not one to filter away. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Leave this off. The register accepts ordinary requests and a normal run does not need a proxy, so you should not pay for one. It is here only for users running many searches in parallel from shared addresses. ## Actor input object example ```json { "companyNames": [ "DANGOTE INDUSTRIES" ], "registrationNumbers": [ "RC 71242" ], "maxResultsPerQuery": 50, "nameMatchMode": "relevant", "statusFilter": [], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `entities` (type: `string`): Entity records from the CAC public register in the default dataset. # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "companyNames": [ "DANGOTE INDUSTRIES" ], "registrationNumbers": [ "RC 71242" ], "maxResultsPerQuery": 50 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("regdata/nigeria-cac-company-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "companyNames": ["DANGOTE INDUSTRIES"], "registrationNumbers": ["RC 71242"], "maxResultsPerQuery": 50, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("regdata/nigeria-cac-company-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "companyNames": [ "DANGOTE INDUSTRIES" ], "registrationNumbers": [ "RC 71242" ], "maxResultsPerQuery": 50 }' | apify call regdata/nigeria-cac-company-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=regdata/nigeria-cac-company-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Nigeria Company Registry Scraper - CAC", "description": "Search the official Nigerian company register (CAC) by entity name or RC/BN/IT number. Returns registered name, registration number, classification, nature of business, status and registration date. No API key.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "FFhLphKgJDh3zN3wl" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/regdata~nigeria-cac-company-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-regdata-nigeria-cac-company-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/regdata~nigeria-cac-company-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-regdata-nigeria-cac-company-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/regdata~nigeria-cac-company-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-regdata-nigeria-cac-company-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "companyNames": { "title": "Entity names", "type": "array", "description": "One or more entity names to search, each looked up separately. Matching is the register's own name-similarity search, so partial names work: 'DANGOTE' returns every entity whose name contains it. Broad terms hit the register's 50-result ceiling - see Max results per query.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "registrationNumbers": { "title": "Registration numbers", "type": "array", "description": "One or more registration numbers, each looked up separately. Accepts any format: 'RC 71242', 'RC-71242' or just '71242'. Include the prefix to restrict the classification - RC = company, BN = business name, IT = incorporated trustees. A bare number matches those digits across ALL THREE classifications, which is deliberate: the same digits genuinely exist as different entities (RC 71242 and IT 71242 are unrelated organisations).", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxResultsPerQuery": { "title": "Max results per query", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 50, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum records to export per query. The register itself returns at most 50 matches and provides no pagination, so 50 is the ceiling here too - a broader term cannot be paged through. To reach matches beyond the ceiling, narrow the name or search by registration number.", "default": 50 }, "nameMatchMode": { "title": "Name match strictness", "enum": [ "relevant", "strict", "all" ], "type": "string", "description": "How closely an entity name must answer a name query. The register's search matches on single common words, so a search for a company that does NOT exist still returns a full page of unrelated entities - 'NOTAREALFIRM LIMITED' returns 49 results purely because they contain 'LIMITED'. 'Relevant' (default) drops rows that share nothing but boilerplate with your query. 'Strict' keeps only rows containing every identifying word. 'All' returns the register's raw output, including the noise. Registration-number lookups are exact and are never affected by this.", "default": "relevant" }, "statusFilter": { "title": "Status filter", "type": "array", "description": "Keep only entities in these registry statuses. Leave empty to export every match, which is the safer default for screening - an INACTIVE or DISSOLVED counterparty is usually the finding you most want to see, not one to filter away.", "items": { "type": "string", "enum": [ "ACTIVE", "INACTIVE", "DISSOLVED", "STRUCK OFF" ], "enumTitles": [ "Active", "Inactive", "Dissolved", "Struck off" ] }, "default": [] }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy (optional)", "type": "object", "description": "Leave this off. The register accepts ordinary requests and a normal run does not need a proxy, so you should not pay for one. It is here only for users running many searches in parallel from shared addresses.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": false } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```