> ## 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.

# Name clearance

> Check whether your proposed business name is available with PACRA and get it approved — the first step in any registration.

Before you can register a company or a business name in Zambia, PACRA must approve the name.
Name clearance is that step. Nothing else can proceed until it is done.

## Before you start

Have three names ready, in order of preference. PACRA rejects names for reasons that are not
always obvious — too similar to an existing registration, containing a restricted word, or
implying an activity you are not licensed for. Having alternatives saves a second application.

| Avoid                                            | Why                                                |
| ------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Names close to a well-known business             | Rejected as confusingly similar                    |
| Words like "Bank", "Insurance", "University"     | Restricted — require a licence you must hold first |
| "Zambia", "National", "Government"               | Restricted or requiring specific consent           |
| Names describing what you are not licensed to do | Rejected                                           |

## The wizard

Name clearance runs as a three-step wizard.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Step 1 — Business details">
    You specify what you are forming and what you want to call it.

    | Field                 | What to enter                                                 |
    | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | **Business type**     | Local company, foreign company, or business name              |
    | **Business class**    | Ordinary company, or a specialised class such as a local bank |
    | **Business category** | Limited by shares, limited by guarantee, or unlimited         |
    | **Application type**  | New, amendment, or cessation                                  |
    | **Proposed name 1**   | Your first choice — required                                  |
    | **Proposed name 2**   | Second choice — optional but strongly recommended             |
    | **Proposed name 3**   | Third choice — optional                                       |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Step 2 — Name review">
    Bumara checks each proposed name against the PACRA register live.

    For each name you see whether it appears available, how many similar registrations exist, and
    the similar names themselves so you can judge whether yours is distinct enough.

    You can refresh an individual name check, or go back and change a name before continuing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Step 3 — Confirm and submit">
    A summary of everything you entered, with the fee for your business type.

    Read the summary properly. The names are submitted exactly as typed, including spelling and
    punctuation. Submitting creates the service request and takes you to its detail page.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Fees

| Business type   | PACRA fee |
| --------------- | --------- |
| Local company   | K120.20   |
| Foreign company | K266.67   |
| Business name   | K111.20   |

Bumara's handling fee is added and shown separately. See [Paying fees](/compliance/paying-fees).

<Note>
  PACRA sets these fees and changes them from time to time. The figures above are a guide — the
  amount shown on your actual request is the one that applies.
</Note>

## What the availability check does and does not tell you

The check searches the PACRA register for identical and similar names. It is a strong indicator,
not a guarantee.

| It tells you                                    | It does not tell you                                                  |
| ----------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Whether an identical name is already registered | Whether PACRA will consider yours confusingly similar                 |
| How many similar names exist                    | Whether a restricted word applies to your case                        |
| What those similar names are                    | Whether another application for the same name is already in the queue |

A name that shows as available can still be rejected. That is why you submit alternatives.

## After you submit

<Steps>
  <Step title="Your checklist appears">
    Name clearance has a short checklist — reviewing your name choices, and confirming your entity
    type. The review task completes automatically when you submit the form.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete the remaining tasks">
    Usually just confirming your entity type. See [Working a task](/compliance/working-a-task).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pay the fee">
    The request sits at Awaiting payment until the fee is verified.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Request submission">
    Bumara lodges the application with PACRA.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for PACRA's decision">
    You are notified when it arrives. Turnaround varies with PACRA's workload.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The outcome

| Outcome                        | What it means                                      | What next                                      |
| ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **Approved**                   | The name is cleared and reserved for you           | Proceed to registration                        |
| **Approved on an alternative** | Your first choice failed but a later one succeeded | Proceed with the approved name                 |
| **Rejected**                   | None of your names was acceptable                  | Read the reason, choose new names, apply again |

An approved name is reserved for a limited period. Do not treat clearance as permanent — proceed
to registration promptly, or you may have to clear the name again.

<Warning>
  Do not print stationery, register a domain, open a bank account or sign contracts in a name that
  has only been *checked* and not yet *approved*. Availability is an indication; approval is the
  decision.
</Warning>

## Name reservation

Clearance approves a name. **Reservation** holds it for you for a defined period, so nobody else
can register it while you get your paperwork together.

Use it when you have an approved name but are not ready to register immediately — you are still
assembling director details, waiting on identification, or raising the capital.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start from your approved clearance">
    PACRA workspace → **Service requests** → name reservation. Starting from the clearance carries
    the approved name and entity type across, so you are not retyping them.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the name and entity type">
    Pre-filled from the clearance. Check them rather than assuming.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the reservation period and fee">
    How long the name is held for, and what it costs.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit and pay">
    The request follows the normal route. See
    [Request a service](/compliance/request-a-service).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Register before it expires">
    A reservation is not indefinite. Note the expiry date.
  </Step>
</Steps>

|                                 | Clearance                       | Reservation                            |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| **What it does**                | Approves the name as acceptable | Holds it against others registering it |
| **Required before registering** | Yes                             | No — optional                          |
| **Time-limited**                | The approval lapses             | Yes, for a defined period              |
| **Worth doing when**            | Always                          | You are not registering straight away  |

<Warning>
  A reservation that expires releases the name. If you are still not ready, reserve it again before
  the expiry date rather than after — once released, someone else can take it.
</Warning>

## After approval

The approved name is what you use in your registration application. It carries over
automatically — you do not re-type it.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Register a company" icon="building" href="/regulators/pacra/company-registration">
    Limited by shares or by guarantee, with directors and shareholders.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Register a business name" icon="store" href="/regulators/pacra/business-name-registration">
    A trading name for a sole proprietor or partnership.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Changing an existing name

Changing the name of a business that is already registered is a different service — a change of
name, not a clearance. It still requires the new name to be cleared first, then a separate change
application. Both are in the PACRA service catalogue.

<Note>
  Related: [Request a service](/compliance/request-a-service) for how service requests work
  generally.
</Note>