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How to Register Your Business in Nigeria → 3 Steps!

Are you thinking of doing business in Nigeria? Then you must register your business with the Corporate Affairs Commission which is the Agency empowered by the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990, Pursuant to section 659 to register businesses operation in Nigeria. It is the requirement of the law that you should register your business if you wants to do legitimate business in Nigeria.

Lagos Nigeria
Lagos – The commercial capital of Nigeria

Depending on the magnitude of your business, you can register it all by yourselves without the need of a Lawyer. The categories for business registration in Nigeria are:

(a) Business Name Registration

(b) Private Limited Company (LTD)

(c) Public Limited Company (PLC)

(d) Company Limited by Guarantee (LTD/GTE)

(e) Unlimited Company (ULTD)

(f) Incorporated Trustee

In this article, I will be dealing with the first two (Business Name, and Private Limited Company) which is the two most popular and most relevant to small and medium scale Entrepreneurs. Apart from the requirement of the law, there are other great benefits of registering your business.

Also read: How to incorporate your business in Nigeria

1. It helps you secure your company name before someone else takes it. I have seen people try both their first and second choice name with none available and considering the stress one go through for the name search, not having the first set available isn’t what anyone should toil with. So early registration helps secure your choice name.

2. Registering your business add seriousness and authenticity to your business. It makes you feel more responsible and work harder towards establishing your business and brand.  It makes you feel like a serious business person and Increases your drive towards success.

E.g: When Palness Media was just a name, I used to make mention of it only as a mere formality without serious claim to it even though businesses were being carried out with the name. But when it becomes a registered business, everything changed and we became more serious and better organized.

3. You will be able to open a corporate account with your business name only if it is registered and of course you know the importance of having a corporate current account – it makes people feel more relaxed to transact business with you.

Now that you know the importance of registering your company, how do you proceed to register your business in Nigeria? The steps are simple but sometimes can be very tedious due to our system. Here are the practical steps how you can go about it without much tears!

Step 1 – Proceed to the Corporate Affairs Commission Office nearest to you and submit your business name for Name Search. Just walk into the place and obtain the CAC Form 1 for N200

Fill the form correctly in CAPITAL LETTER – There is nothing much to fill, just your name, your address and The Names you intends to register, tick the type of company category you want to register as. You have option one and two – Option one is your first choice name, while option two is the alternative name in case the first choice isn’t available.

Make a Photocopy of the filled form before submitting it, the photocopy is what you will bring back to be used to locate your form.

Submit the original and go back in three days to check if your name is available. If not, you will have to repeat the process all over again until you find one that is available.

Note: If you go for popular phrases, you have 99% possibility of not having it available. Chose something unique and uncommon.

Step 2 –  Once you checked and your name is available, begin the registration process immediately! Obtain the Business Name registration form for N250 (as at February 2013) and fill it.

If it is Limited Company you want to register, you will buy the set of Company Incorporation forms for N500. Download the PDF of the detailed requirement for Incorporated Trustees Under Part C of CAMA No.1 of 1990.

If you are confused about what to fill in those forms, ask someone there to assist you. For business name, its really not difficult. For Limited Liability, it can be quite challenging but someone there can just be of help as long as you’ve provided all the requirements in the PDF downloadable above.

Step 3 – Take your completed form to the Federal High Court or State High Court for attestation. That one cost N250 but if you don’t know your way, those guys will short change you – I paid ₦800 for Palness Media. So, when you get there, ask for where you can do attestation.

When you are through with that, return back to Corporate Affairs Commission office and submit your completed and attested forms. The first person will view it and sign on it and ask you to pass it to the next person who will type it into the computer and print it out for you to see and make amend if necessary.

Make your final payment for the registration into their UBA Bank account usually attached to all the CAC offices, so you don’t need to go elsewhere to make the payment.

When all these have been successfully fulfilled, your business will be up for registration and certification.

For Business Name – Go back for your Certificate after 8 working days or thereabout. As for Limited Company, your certificate will be sent to you once it is ready.

If you like this article, be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook using the Like buttons below. You can also make comments below – ask questions or add to the article.

Are
you thinking of doing business in Nigeria? Then you must register it
with the Corporate Affairs Commission which is the Agency empowered by
the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990, Pursuant to section 659 to
register businesses operation in Nigeria. It is the requirement of the
law that you should register your business if you wants to do legitimate
business in Nigeria.

Depending on the magnitude of your business, you can
register it all by yourselves, without the need of a Lawyer. The
categories for business registration in Nigeria are:

Business-Registration-in-Nigeria(a) Business Name Registration

(b) Private Limited Company (LTD)

(c) Public Limited Company (PLC)

(d) Company Limited by Guarantee (LTD/GTE)

(e) Unlimited Company (ULTD)

(f) Incorporated Trustee

In this article, I will be dealing with the first two
(Business Name and Private Limited Company) which is the two most
popular and most relevant to small and medium scale Entrepreneurs. Apart
from the requirement of the law, there are other great benefits of
registering your business.

1. It help you secure your company name before someone else
takes it. I have seen people try both their first and second choice
name with none available and considering the stress one go through for
the name search, not having the first set available isn’t what anyone
should toil with. So early registration helps secure your choice name.

2. Registering your business add seriousness and
authenticity to your business. It makes you feel more responsible and
work harder towards establishing your business and brand.  It makes you
feel like a serious business person and Increases your drive towards
success.

E.g: When Palness Media was just a name, I used to
mention it only as a mere formality without serious claim to it though
businesses where being done with the name. But when it become a
registered business, everything we do around it changed and we became
more serious and better organized.

3. You will be able to open a corporate account with your
business name only if it is registered. And you know the importance of
having a corporate current account? – it makes people feel more relaxed
to transact business with you.

Now that you know the importance of registering your
company, how do you proceed to register your business in Nigeria? The
steps are simple but sometimes can be tedious – here are the practical
steps how to go about it without much tears!

Step 1 – Proceed to the Corporate
Affairs Commission Office nearest to you and submit your business name
for Name Search. Just walk into the place and obtain the CAC Form 1 for
N200 as at February 2013.

Fill the form correctly in CAPITAL LETTER – There is
nothing much to fill, just your name, your address and The Names you
intend to register, and tick the type of company category you want to
register into. You have option one and two – Option one is your first
choice name, while option two is the alternative name in case the first
choice isn’t available. Make a Photocopy of the filled form before
submitting it, the photocopy is what you will bring back to be used to
locate your form.

Submit the original and go back in three days to check if
your name is available. If not, you will have to repeat the process all
over again until you find one that is available.

Note: If you go for popular phrases, you have 99% possibility of not having it available. Chose something unique and uncommon.

Step 2 –  Once you checked and your
name is available – begin the registration process immediately! Obtain
the Business Name registration form for N250 (as at February 2013) and
fill it.

If it is Limited Company you want to register, you will buy the set of Company Incorporation forms for N500. Download the PDF of the detailed requirement for Incorporated Trustees Under Part C of CAMA No.1 of 1990.

If you are confused about what to fill in those forms, ask
someone there to assist you. For business name, its really not
difficult. For Limited Liability, it can be quite challenging but
someone there can just be of help as long as you’ve provided all the
requirements in the pdf above.

Step 3 – Take your completed form to
the Federal High Court or State High Court for attestation. That one
cost N250 but if don’t know your way, those guys will short change you.
So, when you get there, ask for where you can do attestation.

When you are through with that, return back to Corporate
Affairs Commission office and submit your completed and attested forms.
The first person will view it and sign on it and ask you to pass it to
the next person who will type it into their computer and print it out
for you to see and make amend if necessary.

Make your final payment for the registration into their UBA
Bank account usually attached to all the CAC offices, so you don’t need
to go elsewhere to make the payment.

When all these have been successfully fulfilled, your
business would up for registration and certification. For Business Name –
Go back for your Certificate after 8 working days or thereabout. As for
Limited Company, your certificate will be sent to you once it is ready.

If you like this article, be sure to share it with your
friends on Facebook using the Like buttons below. You can also make
comments below – ask questions or add to the article. Thank you, the
next article will about Corporate account requirement in Nigeria. – See more at: http://bizham.com/how-to-register-your-business-in-nigeria-step-by-step-guide-you-can-follow/#comment-1557

Are
you thinking of doing business in Nigeria? Then you must register it
with the Corporate Affairs Commission which is the Agency empowered by
the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990, Pursuant to section 659 to
register businesses operation in Nigeria. It is the requirement of the
law that you should register your business if you wants to do legitimate
business in Nigeria.

Depending on the magnitude of your business, you can
register it all by yourselves, without the need of a Lawyer. The
categories for business registration in Nigeria are:

Business-Registration-in-Nigeria(a) Business Name Registration

(b) Private Limited Company (LTD)

(c) Public Limited Company (PLC)

(d) Company Limited by Guarantee (LTD/GTE)

(e) Unlimited Company (ULTD)

(f) Incorporated Trustee

In this article, I will be dealing with the first two
(Business Name and Private Limited Company) which is the two most
popular and most relevant to small and medium scale Entrepreneurs. Apart
from the requirement of the law, there are other great benefits of
registering your business.

1. It help you secure your company name before someone else
takes it. I have seen people try both their first and second choice
name with none available and considering the stress one go through for
the name search, not having the first set available isn’t what anyone
should toil with. So early registration helps secure your choice name.

2. Registering your business add seriousness and
authenticity to your business. It makes you feel more responsible and
work harder towards establishing your business and brand.  It makes you
feel like a serious business person and Increases your drive towards
success.

E.g: When Palness Media was just a name, I used to
mention it only as a mere formality without serious claim to it though
businesses where being done with the name. But when it become a
registered business, everything we do around it changed and we became
more serious and better organized.

3. You will be able to open a corporate account with your
business name only if it is registered. And you know the importance of
having a corporate current account? – it makes people feel more relaxed
to transact business with you.

Now that you know the importance of registering your
company, how do you proceed to register your business in Nigeria? The
steps are simple but sometimes can be tedious – here are the practical
steps how to go about it without much tears!

Step 1 – Proceed to the Corporate
Affairs Commission Office nearest to you and submit your business name
for Name Search. Just walk into the place and obtain the CAC Form 1 for
N200 as at February 2013.

Fill the form correctly in CAPITAL LETTER – There is
nothing much to fill, just your name, your address and The Names you
intend to register, and tick the type of company category you want to
register into. You have option one and two – Option one is your first
choice name, while option two is the alternative name in case the first
choice isn’t available. Make a Photocopy of the filled form before
submitting it, the photocopy is what you will bring back to be used to
locate your form.

Submit the original and go back in three days to check if
your name is available. If not, you will have to repeat the process all
over again until you find one that is available.

Note: If you go for popular phrases, you have 99% possibility of not having it available. Chose something unique and uncommon.

Step 2 –  Once you checked and your
name is available – begin the registration process immediately! Obtain
the Business Name registration form for N250 (as at February 2013) and
fill it.

If it is Limited Company you want to register, you will buy the set of Company Incorporation forms for N500. Download the PDF of the detailed requirement for Incorporated Trustees Under Part C of CAMA No.1 of 1990.

If you are confused about what to fill in those forms, ask
someone there to assist you. For business name, its really not
difficult. For Limited Liability, it can be quite challenging but
someone there can just be of help as long as you’ve provided all the
requirements in the pdf above.

Step 3 – Take your completed form to
the Federal High Court or State High Court for attestation. That one
cost N250 but if don’t know your way, those guys will short change you.
So, when you get there, ask for where you can do attestation.

When you are through with that, return back to Corporate
Affairs Commission office and submit your completed and attested forms.
The first person will view it and sign on it and ask you to pass it to
the next person who will type it into their computer and print it out
for you to see and make amend if necessary.

Make your final payment for the registration into their UBA
Bank account usually attached to all the CAC offices, so you don’t need
to go elsewhere to make the payment.

When all these have been successfully fulfilled, your
business would up for registration and certification. For Business Name –
Go back for your Certificate after 8 working days or thereabout. As for
Limited Company, your certificate will be sent to you once it is ready.

If you like this article, be sure to share it with your
friends on Facebook using the Like buttons below. You can also make
comments below – ask questions or add to the article. Thank you, the
next article will about Corporate account requirement in Nigeria. – See more at: http://bizham.com/how-to-register-your-business-in-nigeria-step-by-step-guide-you-can-follow/#comment-1557

Are
you thinking of doing business in Nigeria? Then you must register it
with the Corporate Affairs Commission which is the Agency empowered by
the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990, Pursuant to section 659 to
register businesses operation in Nigeria. It is the requirement of the
law that you should register your business if you wants to do legitimate
business in Nigeria.

Depending on the magnitude of your business, you can
register it all by yourselves, without the need of a Lawyer. The
categories for business registration in Nigeria are:

Business-Registration-in-Nigeria(a) Business Name Registration

(b) Private Limited Company (LTD)

(c) Public Limited Company (PLC)

(d) Company Limited by Guarantee (LTD/GTE)

(e) Unlimited Company (ULTD)

(f) Incorporated Trustee

In this article, I will be dealing with the first two
(Business Name and Private Limited Company) which is the two most
popular and most relevant to small and medium scale Entrepreneurs. Apart
from the requirement of the law, there are other great benefits of
registering your business.

1. It help you secure your company name before someone else
takes it. I have seen people try both their first and second choice
name with none available and considering the stress one go through for
the name search, not having the first set available isn’t what anyone
should toil with. So early registration helps secure your choice name.

2. Registering your business add seriousness and
authenticity to your business. It makes you feel more responsible and
work harder towards establishing your business and brand.  It makes you
feel like a serious business person and Increases your drive towards
success.

E.g: When Palness Media was just a name, I used to
mention it only as a mere formality without serious claim to it though
businesses where being done with the name. But when it become a
registered business, everything we do around it changed and we became
more serious and better organized.

3. You will be able to open a corporate account with your
business name only if it is registered. And you know the importance of
having a corporate current account? – it makes people feel more relaxed
to transact business with you.

Now that you know the importance of registering your
company, how do you proceed to register your business in Nigeria? The
steps are simple but sometimes can be tedious – here are the practical
steps how to go about it without much tears!

Step 1 – Proceed to the Corporate
Affairs Commission Office nearest to you and submit your business name
for Name Search. Just walk into the place and obtain the CAC Form 1 for
N200 as at February 2013.

Fill the form correctly in CAPITAL LETTER – There is
nothing much to fill, just your name, your address and The Names you
intend to register, and tick the type of company category you want to
register into. You have option one and two – Option one is your first
choice name, while option two is the alternative name in case the first
choice isn’t available. Make a Photocopy of the filled form before
submitting it, the photocopy is what you will bring back to be used to
locate your form.

Submit the original and go back in three days to check if
your name is available. If not, you will have to repeat the process all
over again until you find one that is available.

Note: If you go for popular phrases, you have 99% possibility of not having it available. Chose something unique and uncommon.

Step 2 –  Once you checked and your
name is available – begin the registration process immediately! Obtain
the Business Name registration form for N250 (as at February 2013) and
fill it.

If it is Limited Company you want to register, you will buy the set of Company Incorporation forms for N500. Download the PDF of the detailed requirement for Incorporated Trustees Under Part C of CAMA No.1 of 1990.

If you are confused about what to fill in those forms, ask
someone there to assist you. For business name, its really not
difficult. For Limited Liability, it can be quite challenging but
someone there can just be of help as long as you’ve provided all the
requirements in the pdf above.

Step 3 – Take your completed form to
the Federal High Court or State High Court for attestation. That one
cost N250 but if don’t know your way, those guys will short change you.
So, when you get there, ask for where you can do attestation.

When you are through with that, return back to Corporate
Affairs Commission office and submit your completed and attested forms.
The first person will view it and sign on it and ask you to pass it to
the next person who will type it into their computer and print it out
for you to see and make amend if necessary.

Make your final payment for the registration into their UBA
Bank account usually attached to all the CAC offices, so you don’t need
to go elsewhere to make the payment.

When all these have been successfully fulfilled, your
business would up for registration and certification. For Business Name –
Go back for your Certificate after 8 working days or thereabout. As for
Limited Company, your certificate will be sent to you once it is ready.

If you like this article, be sure to share it with your
friends on Facebook using the Like buttons below. You can also make
comments below – ask questions or add to the article. Thank you, the
next article will about Corporate account requirement in Nigeria. – See more at: http://bizham.com/how-to-register-your-business-in-nigeria-step-by-step-guide-you-can-follow/#comment-1557

Are
you thinking of doing business in Nigeria? Then you must register it
with the Corporate Affairs Commission which is the Agency empowered by
the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990, Pursuant to section 659 to
register businesses operation in Nigeria. It is the requirement of the
law that you should register your business if you wants to do legitimate
business in Nigeria.

Depending on the magnitude of your business, you can
register it all by yourselves, without the need of a Lawyer. The
categories for business registration in Nigeria are:

Business-Registration-in-Nigeria(a) Business Name Registration

(b) Private Limited Company (LTD)

(c) Public Limited Company (PLC)

(d) Company Limited by Guarantee (LTD/GTE)

(e) Unlimited Company (ULTD)

(f) Incorporated Trustee

In this article, I will be dealing with the first two
(Business Name and Private Limited Company) which is the two most
popular and most relevant to small and medium scale Entrepreneurs. Apart
from the requirement of the law, there are other great benefits of
registering your business.

1. It help you secure your company name before someone else
takes it. I have seen people try both their first and second choice
name with none available and considering the stress one go through for
the name search, not having the first set available isn’t what anyone
should toil with. So early registration helps secure your choice name.

2. Registering your business add seriousness and
authenticity to your business. It makes you feel more responsible and
work harder towards establishing your business and brand.  It makes you
feel like a serious business person and Increases your drive towards
success.

E.g: When Palness Media was just a name, I used to
mention it only as a mere formality without serious claim to it though
businesses where being done with the name. But when it become a
registered business, everything we do around it changed and we became
more serious and better organized.

3. You will be able to open a corporate account with your
business name only if it is registered. And you know the importance of
having a corporate current account? – it makes people feel more relaxed
to transact business with you.

Now that you know the importance of registering your
company, how do you proceed to register your business in Nigeria? The
steps are simple but sometimes can be tedious – here are the practical
steps how to go about it without much tears!

Step 1 – Proceed to the Corporate
Affairs Commission Office nearest to you and submit your business name
for Name Search. Just walk into the place and obtain the CAC Form 1 for
N200 as at February 2013.

Fill the form correctly in CAPITAL LETTER – There is
nothing much to fill, just your name, your address and The Names you
intend to register, and tick the type of company category you want to
register into. You have option one and two – Option one is your first
choice name, while option two is the alternative name in case the first
choice isn’t available. Make a Photocopy of the filled form before
submitting it, the photocopy is what you will bring back to be used to
locate your form.

Submit the original and go back in three days to check if
your name is available. If not, you will have to repeat the process all
over again until you find one that is available.

Note: If you go for popular phrases, you have 99% possibility of not having it available. Chose something unique and uncommon.

Step 2 –  Once you checked and your
name is available – begin the registration process immediately! Obtain
the Business Name registration form for N250 (as at February 2013) and
fill it.

If it is Limited Company you want to register, you will buy the set of Company Incorporation forms for N500. Download the PDF of the detailed requirement for Incorporated Trustees Under Part C of CAMA No.1 of 1990.

If you are confused about what to fill in those forms, ask
someone there to assist you. For business name, its really not
difficult. For Limited Liability, it can be quite challenging but
someone there can just be of help as long as you’ve provided all the
requirements in the pdf above.

Step 3 – Take your completed form to
the Federal High Court or State High Court for attestation. That one
cost N250 but if don’t know your way, those guys will short change you.
So, when you get there, ask for where you can do attestation.

When you are through with that, return back to Corporate
Affairs Commission office and submit your completed and attested forms.
The first person will view it and sign on it and ask you to pass it to
the next person who will type it into their computer and print it out
for you to see and make amend if necessary.

Make your final payment for the registration into their UBA
Bank account usually attached to all the CAC offices, so you don’t need
to go elsewhere to make the payment.

When all these have been successfully fulfilled, your
business would up for registration and certification. For Business Name –
Go back for your Certificate after 8 working days or thereabout. As for
Limited Company, your certificate will be sent to you once it is ready.

If you like this article, be sure to share it with your
friends on Facebook using the Like buttons below. You can also make
comments below – ask questions or add to the article. Thank you, the
next article will about Corporate account requirement in Nigeria. – See more at: http://bizham.com/how-to-register-your-business-in-nigeria-step-by-step-guide-you-can-follow/#comment-1557

Are
you thinking of doing business in Nigeria? Then you must register it
with the Corporate Affairs Commission which is the Agency empowered by
the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990, Pursuant to section 659 to
register businesses operation in Nigeria. It is the requirement of the
law that you should register your business if you wants to do legitimate
business in Nigeria.

Depending on the magnitude of your business, you can
register it all by yourselves, without the need of a Lawyer. The
categories for business registration in Nigeria are:

Business-Registration-in-Nigeria(a) Business Name Registration

(b) Private Limited Company (LTD)

(c) Public Limited Company (PLC)

(d) Company Limited by Guarantee (LTD/GTE)

(e) Unlimited Company (ULTD)

(f) Incorporated Trustee

In this article, I will be dealing with the first two
(Business Name and Private Limited Company) which is the two most
popular and most relevant to small and medium scale Entrepreneurs. Apart
from the requirement of the law, there are other great benefits of
registering your business.

1. It help you secure your company name before someone else
takes it. I have seen people try both their first and second choice
name with none available and considering the stress one go through for
the name search, not having the first set available isn’t what anyone
should toil with. So early registration helps secure your choice name.

2. Registering your business add seriousness and
authenticity to your business. It makes you feel more responsible and
work harder towards establishing your business and brand.  It makes you
feel like a serious business person and Increases your drive towards
success.

E.g: When Palness Media was just a name, I used to
mention it only as a mere formality without serious claim to it though
businesses where being done with the name. But when it become a
registered business, everything we do around it changed and we became
more serious and better organized.

3. You will be able to open a corporate account with your
business name only if it is registered. And you know the importance of
having a corporate current account? – it makes people feel more relaxed
to transact business with you.

Now that you know the importance of registering your
company, how do you proceed to register your business in Nigeria? The
steps are simple but sometimes can be tedious – here are the practical
steps how to go about it without much tears!

Step 1 – Proceed to the Corporate
Affairs Commission Office nearest to you and submit your business name
for Name Search. Just walk into the place and obtain the CAC Form 1 for
N200 as at February 2013.

Fill the form correctly in CAPITAL LETTER – There is
nothing much to fill, just your name, your address and The Names you
intend to register, and tick the type of company category you want to
register into. You have option one and two – Option one is your first
choice name, while option two is the alternative name in case the first
choice isn’t available. Make a Photocopy of the filled form before
submitting it, the photocopy is what you will bring back to be used to
locate your form.

Submit the original and go back in three days to check if
your name is available. If not, you will have to repeat the process all
over again until you find one that is available.

Note: If you go for popular phrases, you have 99% possibility of not having it available. Chose something unique and uncommon.

Step 2 –  Once you checked and your
name is available – begin the registration process immediately! Obtain
the Business Name registration form for N250 (as at February 2013) and
fill it.

If it is Limited Company you want to register, you will buy the set of Company Incorporation forms for N500. Download the PDF of the detailed requirement for Incorporated Trustees Under Part C of CAMA No.1 of 1990.

If you are confused about what to fill in those forms, ask
someone there to assist you. For business name, its really not
difficult. For Limited Liability, it can be quite challenging but
someone there can just be of help as long as you’ve provided all the
requirements in the pdf above.

Step 3 – Take your completed form to
the Federal High Court or State High Court for attestation. That one
cost N250 but if don’t know your way, those guys will short change you.
So, when you get there, ask for where you can do attestation.

When you are through with that, return back to Corporate
Affairs Commission office and submit your completed and attested forms.
The first person will view it and sign on it and ask you to pass it to
the next person who will type it into their computer and print it out
for you to see and make amend if necessary.

Make your final payment for the registration into their UBA
Bank account usually attached to all the CAC offices, so you don’t need
to go elsewhere to make the payment.

When all these have been successfully fulfilled, your
business would up for registration and certification. For Business Name –
Go back for your Certificate after 8 working days or thereabout. As for
Limited Company, your certificate will be sent to you once it is ready.

If you like this article, be sure to share it with your
friends on Facebook using the Like buttons below. You can also make
comments below – ask questions or add to the article. Thank you, the
next article will about Corporate account requirement in Nigeria. – See more at: http://bizham.com/how-to-register-your-business-in-nigeria-step-by-step-guide-you-can-follow/#comment-1557

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