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Registering a limited company creates a legal entity separate from you. It can hold contracts, open bank accounts and own property in its own name, and it limits your personal liability.

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Before you start

1

Clear your name first

You cannot register without an approved name. See Name clearance.
2

Decide your company type

Limited by shares is the normal choice for a trading business. Limited by guarantee is for non-profits and associations. Unlimited is rare.
3

Agree your directors and shareholders

Who they are, their identification details, and how the shares are split. Sort this out properly before filing — changing it afterwards is a separate paid application.
4

Gather identification for everyone

NRC for Zambian nationals, passport for foreign nationals, for every director and shareholder.
5

Confirm your registered office

A physical address in Zambia. This is where official correspondence is sent, so it must be an address someone actually monitors.

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What you will be asked for

  • The approved name from your name clearance
  • Company type — limited by shares, by guarantee, or unlimited
  • Principal business activity
  • Registered office address
  • Postal address, if different
  • Financial year end
For each director:
  • Full name as it appears on their identification
  • NRC or passport number
  • Nationality
  • Date of birth
  • Residential address
  • Occupation
  • Contact email and phone
A private company requires at least the statutory minimum number of directors, at least one of whom must be resident in Zambia.
  • Total nominal share capital
  • Number of shares and their nominal value
  • For each shareholder: full name, identification, address, and the number of shares held
The shareholding must add up. Bumara checks this before you can continue.
Where required for your company type, the secretary’s details in the same form as a director.

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Documents you will need to upload

Photographs are accepted but must be readable. A blurred NRC will be rejected by PACRA, which costs you the turnaround time twice.

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The process

1

Start the request

From the PACRA workspace, choose Service requests, then company registration.
2

Complete the intake

Company details, directors, shareholders, share capital. Bumara validates identification formats and share arithmetic as you go.
3

Work through the checklist

Tasks are generated for each part — confirm the directors, upload each person’s identification, confirm the shareholding. Some tasks are generated per director, so a company with four directors has more tasks than one with two.
4

Upload every required document

The documents panel shows what is outstanding. See Documents and evidence.
5

Pay the fee

The PACRA fee plus Bumara’s handling fee, shown separately.
6

Request submission

When the checklist and documents are complete and the fee is verified, request submission.
7

PACRA processes the application

You are notified of the outcome.

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When it is approved

You receive:
  • Certificate of incorporation — filed in your document vault
  • Company registration number
  • Confirmation of the registered particulars
Bumara updates your organisation record with the registration number, and creates your annual return obligation with its first due date calculated from your financial year end.

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What to do immediately afterwards

1

Apply for your TPIN

You cannot invoice or file tax returns without one. See ZRA overview.
2

Register as an employer, if you will have staff

NAPSA and NHIMA employer registration. See NAPSA and NHIMA.
3

Open your company bank account

You will need the certificate of incorporation and your directors’ identification.
4

Note your annual return due date

It is now in your compliance list. Missing it starts the penalty escalation described in PACRA overview.

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If it is rejected

Common reasons and what to do: Reopen the affected task, correct it, and request submission again. See Request a service.

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Changes after registration

Anything you change later — directors, shareholding, registered address, the company name itself — is a separate service request with its own fee and its own filing deadline.
Changes to directors, shareholding and registered address must be filed with PACRA within a statutory window. Making the change internally and filing it months later attracts penalties and shows up in a compliance health check as an unfiled change.
Last modified on August 4, 2026