South Africa - Apply for a Business License

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Procedure

Apply In-Person:

1. To Apply for a Business License, the applicant has to approach the respective district municipality offices link

   Note: The applicant can click on the map to explore municipalities by province, or search for any municipality, town, person, etc. using the search function.

2. An application form will be provided to the applicant by the concerned officer.
3. The applicant has to fill in all the necessary details in the application form. (Incomplete applications are not accepted)
4. Make sure that the applicant has attached all the necessary documents that are mentioned in the “Required Documents” section of this page.
5. The applicant has to attach the photocopies of the required documents along with the application form while submitting.
6. Submit all the documents with the completed form to the concerned officer.
7. The applicant has to pay the prescribed fee as requested by the authority.
8. After receiving the application, the concerned authority will check the submitted application and document set. If all are in place, the application will be accepted.
9. An acknowledgment receipt will be provided. Please save it for future reference.
10. The application will be forwarded to five departments to check that the requirements are met for:
    • Environmental health
    • Noise and air pollution control
    • Public safety
    • Urban planning
    • Building control
11. The Licensing Department usually requires reports from the town planning, health and fire departments for zoning and type of business activity, health, and fire regulations.
12. Then the application will be processed further. All the updates on the application status will be sent via SMS to the applicant’s mobile number.
13. Once all five departments have returned a recommendation for approval, only then the hotel business licence or trading permit will be issued.
14. This entire process can be completed within 30 - 45 days or as per the timeline advised by the respective department authority.

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Required Documents

• Completed application form
• A certified copy of the business owner’s ID. A certified copy of all directors and partners, including that of the manager or person in charge.
• Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI)
• Certificate of Acceptability
• SARS tax certificate
• Zoning certificate

Office Locations & Contacts

Municipalities of South Africa
CAPETOWN MUNICIPALITY
Dr AB Xuma Building, 1112 Voortrekker Rd, Pretoria Townlands 351-JR, PRETORIA, 0187.
Postal Address - Private Bag X9181, CAPE TOWN, 8000.
Contact Number: 021- 4001111/0860103089
Fax Number: 021- 4001313/0860103090
Address and Contact Address & Contact Link
List of Municipalities in South Africa link

Note: The applicant can click on the map to explore municipalities by province, or search for any municipality, town, person, etc. using the search function.

Eligibility

• Any person who intends to Apply for a Business License is eligible to make this application.

Fees

• The applicant has to pay the prescribed fee as per the authority’s request.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• This entire process can be completed within 30-45 days or as per the timeline advised by the respective department authority.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• Applicants must complete the application form before submitting it. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
• Applicants must provide genuine information while applying for this procedure.

Required Information

• Name of the applicant
• Address
• Signature
• Contact
• Email ID
• Name and Place of the hotel
• Address
• Email
• Phone

Need for the Document

• In South Africa business or trade licence requirements are governed by the National Business Act (Business Act 71 of 1991) and are a requirement for businesses throughout the country.
• The Act provides that no person may carry on certain service-related businesses unless they hold a licence issued to it by the council, local authority or municipality where the business premises are situated and from which the business activity is operated.
• Ultimately the purpose of licences and permits, including building regulations, public safety and health requirements, is to protect the health and safety of consumers and the environment that the business operates in.

Information which might help

• Ultimately the purpose of licences and permits, including building regulations, public safety and health requirements, is to protect the health and safety of consumers and the environment that the business operates in.
• It is a criminal offence to operate without a business licence in South Africa, and can result in fines and imprisonment.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Place some external links which might help.

Others

• This is an important and needed document issued by a municipal council. Businesses are allowed to engage in defined activities in each area. These licenses and permits are also used to check on businesses to determine whether they are following the law's standards.