> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bumara.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Company registration

> Register a limited company with PACRA — directors, shareholders, share capital and registered office.

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.

## Before you start

<Steps>
  <Step title="Clear your name first">
    You cannot register without an approved name. See
    [Name clearance](/regulators/pacra/name-clearance).
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Gather identification for everyone">
    NRC for Zambian nationals, passport for foreign nationals, for every director and shareholder.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What you will be asked for

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Company details">
    * 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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Directors">
    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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Shareholders and share capital">
    * 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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Company secretary">
    Where required for your company type, the secretary's details in the same form as a director.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Documents you will need to upload

| Document                   | For whom                       | Notes                                                    |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Identification             | Every director and shareholder | NRC or passport, clearly legible                         |
| Proof of registered office | The company                    | Lease, title deed, or a letter of consent from the owner |
| Consent to act             | Each director                  | Signed                                                   |
| Name clearance approval    | The company                    | Carried over automatically from your clearance           |

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

## The process

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start the request">
    From the PACRA workspace, choose **Service requests**, then company registration.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete the intake">
    Company details, directors, shareholders, share capital. Bumara validates identification
    formats and share arithmetic as you go.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload every required document">
    The documents panel shows what is outstanding. See
    [Documents and evidence](/compliance/documents-and-evidence).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pay the fee">
    The PACRA fee plus Bumara's handling fee, shown separately.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Request submission">
    When the checklist and documents are complete and the fee is verified, request submission.
  </Step>

  <Step title="PACRA processes the application">
    You are notified of the outcome.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## 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.

## What to do immediately afterwards

<Steps>
  <Step title="Apply for your TPIN">
    You cannot invoice or file tax returns without one. See
    [ZRA overview](/regulators/zra/overview).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Register as an employer, if you will have staff">
    NAPSA and NHIMA employer registration. See [NAPSA and NHIMA](/regulators/napsa-and-nhima).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open your company bank account">
    You will need the certificate of incorporation and your directors' identification.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Note your annual return due date">
    It is now in your compliance list. Missing it starts the penalty escalation described in
    [PACRA overview](/regulators/pacra/overview).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## If it is rejected

Common reasons and what to do:

| Reason                                            | Fix                                                         |
| ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Identification not legible                        | Re-scan and upload a clearer copy                           |
| Share capital does not reconcile                  | Correct the shareholding so the numbers add up              |
| Registered office not acceptable                  | Provide proper proof of the address                         |
| Director details inconsistent with identification | Match the name exactly as it appears on the NRC or passport |
| Name no longer available                          | The reservation lapsed — clear the name again               |

Reopen the affected task, correct it, and request submission again. See
[Request a service](/compliance/request-a-service).

## 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.

<Warning>
  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.
</Warning>