Test mode

Test mode is a full copy of the API that never reaches CAC and never moves money. Use a test key (fc_test_…) and every endpoint works exactly as in live mode, with the same requests, responses, statuses and webhooks. What test mode can’t know is what CAC would decide. So you choose: add a simulate query parameter and the registration takes that path. Live keys ignore simulate, so you can leave it in code paths you share between modes (though you’ll usually only send it from tests).

The only difference you’ll see when you switch to a live key is that simulate stops having an effect, because real outcomes now come from CAC.

Name checks

Without simulate, test mode applies CAC’s naming rules (no single-word names, no restricted words, a qualifier such as VENTURES at the end) and otherwise says the name is available. It never searches the real registry. To get any other answer, pass simulate:

curl "https://api.fastcac.com/v1/name-checks?simulate=name_exists" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTCAC_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Ada Foods Ventures", "line_of_business": "Educational Services And Consultancy"}'

Response

{
  "object": "name_check",
  "name": "ADA FOODS VENTURES",
  "line_of_business": "Educational Services And Consultancy",
  "available": false,
  "requires_certificate": false,
  "reason": {
    "code": "name_exists",
    "message": "A business with this name is already registered with CAC.",
    "accepted_qualifiers": null,
    "words": null,
    "conflicting_name": "ADA FOODS VENTURES"
  },
  "similarity_score": 100.0,
  "most_similar_name": "ADA FOODS VENTURES",
  "similar_names": [
    "ADA FOODS VENTURES"
  ],
  "suggested_names": [
    "ADA FOODS CONCEPTS",
    "ADA FOODS HUB"
  ]
}

`simulate`	Result
`available`	Available.
`requires_certificate`	Available, with `requires_certificate: true`.
Any reason code	Not available, with that reason, e.g. `name_exists`, `name_too_similar`, `restricted_word`, `qualifier_missing`.

Documents

POST /v1/registrations/{id}/documents?simulate=rejected makes the upload come back rejected, with a reason, and fires document.rejected. Without it, uploads are verified.

What happens after submit

Pass simulate (and simulate_query) when you submit. They decide what happens after payment.

`simulate`	After payment
`approved` (default)	`submitted`, then `approved` about 60 seconds later.
`verification_failed`	The identity check fails on `proprietors[0].nin`. Fix it and submit again.
`queried`	`submitted`, then `queried` about 60 seconds later, with the items in `simulate_query`.
`rejected`	`submitted`, then `rejected` about 60 seconds later.

simulate_query is a comma-separated list of what CAC asks about. Each item uses CAC’s own wording:

`simulate_query`	Queried field	`code`
`name_exists`	`proposed_names`	`name_exists`
`qualifier_missing`	`proposed_names`	`qualifier_missing`
`single_word`	`proposed_names`	`single_word`
`offensive_language`	`proposed_names`	`offensive_language`
`fraudulent_association`	`proposed_names`	`fraudulent_association`
`passport_unclear` (default)	`proprietors[0].documents.passport`	`document_unclear`
`means_of_id_unclear`	`proprietors[0].documents.means_of_id`	`document_unclear`
`first_name_mismatch`	`proprietors[0].first_name`	`name_mismatch`
`last_name_mismatch`	`proprietors[0].last_name`	`name_mismatch`
`line_of_business_unclear`	`line_of_business`	`other`

curl -X POST "https://api.fastcac.com/v1/registrations/$REG_ID/submit?simulate=queried&simulate_query=qualifier_missing,passport_unclear" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTCAC_KEY"

A registration that’s resubmitted after a query is then approved.

Skipping the wait

Test helpers move a registration on immediately. They exist only in test mode.

curl https://api.fastcac.com/v1/test/registrations/$REG_ID/advance \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTCAC_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"to": "approved"}'

From	`to`
`pending_payment`	`paid` (also runs the identity check, so you get `submitted` or `verification_failed`)
`paid`	`submitted`
`submitted`	`approved`, `queried` or `rejected`

Anything else is 409 invalid_state. Answering a query is never a shortcut: fix the fields and submit, as in live mode (Handling CAC queries). The Simulate menu on a registration in the dashboard does the same as advance.

Test data

Test mode checks values exactly as live mode does: real-looking NINs (11 digits), Nigerian postcodes (6 digits), adult proprietors, a line_of_business from the list. Use made-up people; test-mode data is never sent anywhere.

Get started

Registering a business

Webhooks

API basics

Going live

Name checks

Documents

What happens after submit

Skipping the wait

Test data

​Name checks

​Documents

​What happens after submit

​Skipping the wait

​Test data

Name checks

Documents

What happens after submit

Skipping the wait

Test data