A B-BBEE certificate (or affidavit) is the document that proves your business's Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment status to clients, tender issuers and corporate supply chains in South Africa. What that document looks like, and how much it costs to get, depends entirely on your annual turnover.
Exempted Micro Enterprises (EME, turnover of R10 million or less) and most Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE, turnover between R10 million and R50 million) can self-certify with a sworn affidavit, free of charge, with no need for an accredited verification agency. Businesses above R50 million turnover, classified as Generic, must be measured against the full scorecard by a SANAS-accredited B-BBEE verification agency.
This page explains what B-BBEE is, the EME, QSE and Generic categories, when an affidavit is enough and when you need full verification, how to get the CIPC affidavit step by step, what a verified certificate costs, and how renewal works. If you would rather have it handled for you, Insika can confirm your category and manage the process.
What is B-BBEE and why it matters
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) is South Africa's legislated framework for redressing economic exclusion. It is governed by the B-BBEE Act and the B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice, administered by the dtic (Department of Trade, Industry and Competition) and policed by the B-BBEE Commission.
A B-BBEE certificate or affidavit tells a customer, a corporate supply chain manager, or a tender evaluator what level of B-BBEE compliance your business holds. Organs of state and many private companies use that level to score suppliers under the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) and their own supplier diversity policies. Without a valid certificate or affidavit, your business is treated as non-compliant, which can exclude you from government and corporate tenders entirely, even where you would otherwise be eligible.
The starting point for any business is to register a formal legal entity. If you are not yet registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), see our company registration service, since B-BBEE status is assessed at the level of a registered entity, not an individual.
EME vs QSE vs Generic: which category are you
The B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice classify every business into one of three categories based on annual total revenue (turnover), not profit. Your category determines how you prove your status and what it costs.
- Exempted Micro Enterprise (EME): annual turnover of R10 million or less, including a start-up in its first year of trading. Automatically a B-BBEE Level 4 contributor, or Level 1 if at least 51% black owned, or Level 1 if 100% black owned, without any further measurement.
- Qualifying Small Enterprise (QSE): annual turnover of more than R10 million but not more than R50 million. A QSE that is at least 51% black owned, or 100% black owned, also qualifies for automatic Level 2 or Level 1 status respectively. A QSE that does not meet those ownership thresholds is measured against four of the five elements of the QSE scorecard.
- Generic Enterprise: annual turnover above R50 million. Measured against the full Generic Scorecard across all five elements: ownership, management control, skills development, enterprise and supplier development, and socio-economic development.
Work out your category from your most recent annual financial statements or your latest set of management accounts if you are a new entity. If your turnover is close to a threshold, or you are unsure which figure to use, confirm your classification with the relevant verification agency or your accountant before you sign any affidavit.
Do you need an affidavit or a verified certificate
This is the single most important decision in the whole process, because it determines whether your B-BBEE status costs you nothing or requires a paid verification engagement.
- EME (turnover R10 million or less): a sworn affidavit is sufficient. No SANAS-accredited verification agency is required.
- QSE that is at least 51% black owned (turnover R10m - R50m): also qualifies to self-certify with a sworn affidavit, treated the same as an EME for this purpose, because automatic Level 1 or Level 2 status applies.
- QSE that does not meet the black ownership threshold: generally needs to be measured against the QSE scorecard, which in practice means engaging a verification agency or a verification professional, though some clients will still accept a properly completed affidavit for lower-risk transactions. Confirm what your specific client or tender requires.
- Generic (turnover above R50 million): always requires full verification by a SANAS-accredited B-BBEE verification agency against the Generic Scorecard. An affidavit is not valid for a Generic-level entity.
If you are uncertain which route applies to you, especially close to the R50 million threshold or where ownership percentages are not clean round numbers, get that confirmed before you submit anything, since an invalid affidavit can be rejected by a client or tender evaluator and cost you the opportunity.
How to get a B-BBEE affidavit step by step
If you qualify as an EME, or as a majority black-owned QSE, this is the process to get a valid, no-cost B-BBEE affidavit or CIPC certificate.
- Confirm your turnover and category
Pull your latest annual financial statements, or a reasonable estimate if you are a start-up in your first year of trading, and confirm you fall under the R10 million EME threshold or the R10m - R50m QSE band with qualifying black ownership.
- Choose CIPC e-certificate or a sworn affidavit
CIPC offers a free, instant B-BBEE certificate for qualifying EMEs through its eServices website, BizPortal, or a CIPC self-service terminal. The application must be made by a director or member, not a third party, and the entity must have no foreign directors or members. If you cannot apply digitally, or you fall into a category CIPC's online tool does not cover, use the standard sworn affidavit template instead, available from the dtic and CIPC websites.
- Complete the affidavit accurately
Fill in your entity details, registration number, turnover band, black ownership percentage if applicable, and Sector Charter Council and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code where the form requires it. Errors or mismatches with your CIPC registration details are a common reason affidavits get rejected by clients later.
- Sign before a Commissioner of Oaths
The affidavit must be signed in person in front of a Commissioner of Oaths. It cannot be signed electronically, and the date you sign must match the date the Commissioner of Oaths stamps and signs. The Commissioner cannot be an employee, director or anyone with an interest in your business.
- Distribute and store the original
Keep the original stamped affidavit safe and provide certified copies or the CIPC-issued PDF certificate to clients, tender portals and your Central Supplier Database profile as needed. Diarise the expiry date for renewal.
How to get a verified certificate (SANAS-accredited agency)
If your turnover is above R50 million, or you are a QSE that does not qualify for the affidavit route, you need a B-BBEE certificate issued by a SANAS-accredited B-BBEE verification agency. The process is more involved than an affidavit.
- Select an accredited agency. Use only an agency accredited by SANAS under SANS 17020 (the standard that replaced the old Statement 005 accreditation). A certificate from an unaccredited agency is not legally recognised.
- Submit supporting evidence. The agency will request documentation against each applicable scorecard element, for example ownership agreements and shareholder registers, payroll and skills development spend records, and procurement and enterprise development records for the higher elements.
- Site visit or desktop review. Depending on the agency and your size, verification may include a site visit, interviews, and sample testing of your records.
- Scorecard calculation and certificate issue. The agency calculates your points across the five elements, assigns a B-BBEE level from Level 1 to Level 8 (or non-compliant), and issues the certificate, valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
Verification takes materially longer than an affidavit, often several weeks, because it depends on how complete your records are and how quickly the agency can review them. Start the process well before a tender deadline or contract renewal that requires a current certificate.
Cost of a B-BBEE certificate or affidavit
Cost depends entirely on which route applies to you. The figures below are indicative market ranges for budgeting, not Insika prices, since Insika does not charge for the underlying CIPC or affidavit process and full verification fees are set by the SANAS-accredited agency you choose.
| Route | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| CIPC EME e-certificate | Free (issued instantly online for qualifying EMEs) |
| Sworn affidavit (EME or qualifying QSE) | Free document, plus a small Commissioner of Oaths fee, typically R0 - R100 |
| QSE verification (non-qualifying QSE) | R3 000 - R15 000+ depending on the agency and scope (verify with the relevant verification agency) |
| Generic verification (turnover above R50 million) | R15 000 - R60 000+ depending on company size and complexity (verify with the relevant verification agency) |
Validity and renewal
A B-BBEE certificate or affidavit, regardless of category, is valid for 12 months from the date it is issued or stamped. There is no automatic renewal. You must reapply, or sign a new affidavit, each year, and your category can change year to year if your turnover crosses a threshold.
Build your B-BBEE renewal date into the same compliance calendar as your SARS tax clearance and CSD registration renewals, since tender portals and corporate clients typically check all three together and will treat an expired document as non-compliance.
Documents you will need
What you need depends on whether you are doing a self-certified affidavit or going through full verification.
Official sources
This guide is based on the current rules published by the relevant South African authorities. Always confirm the latest fees and requirements with the office that applies to you.
