beneficial ownership mandate gives a person written authority to submit BO information for a company or close corporation. CIPC guidance states that a filer needs a valid mandate, so this document should never be treated as an afterthought.
A mandate is not the same as a general instruction email. It should identify the entity, the authorised filer and the transaction clearly.
What a beneficial ownership mandate should contain
- Registered entity name and enterprise number
- Full name and identification of the authorised filer
- A clear statement authorising the BO filing
- The capacity of the people granting authority
- Date and place of signature
- Names and signatures required for the entity
- A reference to the supporting BO information, where helpful
Who should sign?
For a company, CIPC guidance refers to a mandate signed by the required majority of directors. For a close corporation, all members may need to sign. Confirm the current rule for the filing path before submission.
Do not use signatures from former directors or members. Check the current company record and resolve any governance changes first.
Keep names and roles consistent
The filer’s name should match the customer profile and identity record. The entity name and number should match the registration record exactly.
Also describe the signatories’ roles correctly. Avoid copying an old mandate that refers to the wrong company type, filer or year.
Common mandate problems
- The entity number is missing
- The authority granted is vague
- The wrong person is named as filer
- Not enough authorised people signed
- Signatures or dates are incomplete
- The mandate conflicts with the uploaded identity record
Store the mandate with the filing pack
Keep the signed mandate, identity evidence, registers and submission confirmation together. Record when the mandate was used and for which filing.
Prepare a fresh mandate when the filer or authorised decision-makers change. This maintains a clean authority trail.
A practical next step
BoDocs can generate the mandate alongside the rest of the verified BO records. That keeps names, roles and company details consistent across the pack.
This article provides general compliance information. Review the latest requirements or obtain professional advice for complex structures.