CIPC: Mandatory Use of Customer Enquiry Management System (CEMS)

Posted 26 March 2026 Written by Acts Online
Category CIPC

Brought to you by SA Accounting Academy: The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) has formalised the rollout of the Customer Enquiry Management System (CEMS), which will become the exclusive channel for stakeholder enquiries from 1 April 2026.

In terms of Notice 17 of 2026, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), established under the Companies Act, No. 71 of 2008, has introduced CEMS to serve as a central repository for all regulatory enquiries. While the system is currently operational and available for immediate use, the CIPC has set a final deadline for the decommissioning of legacy communication channels.

Effective 1 April 2026, all dedicated query email addresses will be discontinued. Stakeholders must note the following procedural requirements:

  • Enquiries received on or before 31 March 2026 will be addressed via existing channels; however, all follow-up correspondence for these matters must be directed through CEMS.
  • All enquiries or requests related to Paper Based Disclosure and E-Disclosure must now be submitted exclusively through the CEMS platform.
  • The existing password reset process remains unchanged and is not managed through the CEMS portal.

The CIPC encourages all customers to begin using the enquiry tool immediately to ensure familiarity before the mandatory cut-off date. The system is intended to provide better tracking and management of enquiries logged with the Commission.

Click here to download Notice 17 of 2026: Customer Enquiry Management System (CEMS).

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: You must familiarise yourself with the CEMS interface to ensure that any professional enquiries regarding company registrations or intellectual property matters are logged correctly to avoid delays.
  • For your business: Your firm must update internal compliance manuals and communication protocols to reflect that CIPC email addresses will be defunct from 1 April 2026, ensuring all staff use the central repository for tracking disclosure requests.
  • For your clients: Clients requiring Paper Based or E-Disclosure documents should be informed that these requests now follow a centralised digital tracking process, which may provide more reliable audit trails for their corporate governance records.

Originally published at https://accountingacademy.co.za/news/read/cipc-customer-enquiry-management-system-cems

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