How to register on the opt-out registry
Free guide · Updated 4 November 2026 · Clearlist Compliance
If your business markets to people by phone, SMS, WhatsApp, email or post, you must register on the National Consumer Commission's opt-out registry by 31 December 2026 and check your lists against it before you market. Here's how, in plain language.
Check if you're affected (2 minutes)
Do you need to register?
Yes, if your business sends direct marketing: any message that promotes or sells goods or services to a person. That covers insurers and funeral cover providers, lenders, call centres, telecoms sellers, estate agencies, car dealerships, solar installers, and most other businesses that sell to the public.
Usually not covered: messages that don't try to sell anything, such as delivery updates, statements or payment reminders. If a message mixes service and selling, treat it as marketing.
If someone markets for you, you stay responsible. Make sure your call centre or agency checks against the registry too.
Key dates and costs
| What | When or how much |
|---|
| Registration window | 15 September to 31 December 2026 |
| NCC registration fee | R2,574 |
| Annual renewal | about R1,930.50 |
| Full enforcement expected | from 15 April 2027 |
| List checks | free until 30 April 2027, then R0.12 per blocked record |
| Maximum penalty | R1 million or 10% of annual turnover |
Fees and dates as published at the time of writing. Check the NCC's latest notices before you pay.
What to have ready
- Your registered business name and CIPC number
- Business address, phone and an email you check daily
- Details of the person registering, usually a director
- Your industry sector and the channels you market on
- Any call centres or agencies that market for you
- A way to pay the R2,574 fee once approved
- Where all your contact lists live
Registering, step by step
- Apply as a direct marketer on the NCC e-service portal (eservice.thencc.org.za), not the consumer registration.
- Accept the terms and submit. Keep your reference number.
- Wait for screening. The NCC emails you the outcome. Check your spam folder.
- Log in and set your password once approved.
- Pay the registration fee from the invoice on the portal. Keep proof of payment.
- Set up list checks and run your first one before your next campaign.
- File your proof: approval, invoice, payment and every check result.
Your monthly routine
- Export every contact list from every tool you market from.
- Combine, tidy and remove duplicates.
- Submit the list to the registry.
- Block every opted-out contact in every tool.
- Send the blocked list to anyone who markets for you.
- Record the date, numbers checked and blocked, and keep the result.
Seven common mistakes
- Thinking old consent still counts. A registry block overrides it.
- Checking once and stopping.
- Cleaning one tool and forgetting WhatsApp or the dialler.
- Assuming your call centre handles it.
- Leaving registration to late December.
- Keeping no records.
- Sharing contact lists without a POPIA data processing agreement.
Want it done for you?
Clearlist registers you within 48 hours, cleans and blocks your lists every month across all your tools, and sends a one-page report as proof. Setup R999, then from R499 a month. NCC fees passed on at cost.
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Clearlist is an independent service provider, not part of or endorsed by the National Consumer Commission. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
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