CSD Registration: A Step-by-Step Guide for South African Suppliers

The Central Supplier Database is the single registration government uses to verify every supplier. One CSD profile covers national, provincial and municipal buyers. Here is the clean path through it.

What you need before you start

• CIPC company registration documents (or your ID if a sole proprietor)
• SARS tax reference number and an e-Filing profile in good standing
• Business bank account details (verified against the account holder name)
• ID numbers for all directors and members
• Physical and postal addresses

The registration flow

Create an account at csd.gov.za, capture your business details, bank account, tax information, directors and commodities (what you sell). CSD verifies your tax status with SARS, your bank account with the bank, and your registration with CIPC automatically. Verification typically takes 3 to 10 working days; bank verification is the usual bottleneck.

The three most common rejections

• Bank account name does not exactly match the registered business name
• Tax compliance status is red at SARS (outstanding returns, even nil ones)
• Director ID numbers mistyped, which fails Home Affairs verification

After you are registered

Your MAAA number never expires, but your tax status is re-checked live every time a buyer views your profile. Keep SARS green. Re-confirm your details every 12 months, and add commodity codes generously: buyers filter suppliers by commodity, and missing codes mean missed RFQs sent directly through CSD.