The Companies Registry says every person engaged in forming a profit company, including directors and incorporators, requires a CRA.
Identify the people involved in company formation
Before opening CROS, list the proposed directors, incorporator or incorporators and any professional representatives involved in the formation process. Clarify each person's legal role rather than treating everybody as 'a partner'.
An owner, director, incorporator and authorised professional can have different tasks. Confirm those roles before entering information, especially when several people are coordinating the filing remotely.
Check each person's CRA readiness
The Registry's current incorporation guidance says every person involved in the formation requires a Companies Registry Account. Applicants should review the official account requirements, including identification and any verification steps.
Ask each participant privately whether their CRA is established and accessible. An owner's own account being ready does not prove a proposed director has finished the required setup or can grant needed approvals.
Prepare consistent identification particulars
Small differences in names and addresses can complicate a process that requires multiple people. Ask participants to check their legal names against the documents the Registry requests.
Where a person's name has changed, follow the Registry's guidance about supporting records. Do not try to solve an identity mismatch by entering a different spelling that makes a screen accept the form.
Understand approvals and responsibility
CROS has participant approval procedures relevant to registration and post-incorporation tasks. A founder should not assume that a consultant or one director can unilaterally approve information for every other person.
Agree who will prepare the draft filing, who will review it, and who needs to take action through their own CRA. Keep a simple checklist of outstanding tasks, avoiding the circulation of passwords in group chats.
Plan timing around people, not only forms
A proposed name reservation has a validity period; other participants being unavailable or missing required account access can delay completion. Establish a practical sequence for account readiness, name selection, incorporation particulars and signed documents.
BizReg Consulting can help coordinate the administrative preparation. The Registry remains responsible for approvals, and each participant must meet the applicable CRA and CROS requirements.
Questions business owners ask
Can one director's CRA cover everyone forming the company?
The Registry says all persons engaged in the formation must have the required CRA, including directors and incorporators.
Should participants give a consultant their CRA password?
Use proper authorised processes and safeguard private credentials; don't share passwords casually.
What happens if one participant is not ready?
Required information or approvals may delay completing the incorporation steps.
Official references
Check the current source before making an application, as requirements and procedures can change.