What you handle here
Name clearance
Check whether a proposed name is available and reserve it. The first step in any registration.
Company registration
Register a limited company — directors, shareholders, share capital, registered office.
Business name registration
Register a trading name for a sole proprietor or partnership.
Annual returns
The yearly filing that keeps your company in good standing.
The obligations PACRA creates
What Bumara creates when you connect PACRA depends on your entity type:
This is why your entity type in Set up your business matters. A
business name does not file annual returns; a company does, and failing to do so leads to
penalties and eventually strike-off.
Connecting PACRA
1
Open the PACRA workspace and choose Connect
From the sidebar under Regulators.
2
Enter your registration number
As it appears on your certificate of incorporation or business name certificate.
3
Confirm your entity type and financial year end
These are taken from your organisation settings. Check them here — they drive your annual
return due date.
4
Connect
Bumara creates your PACRA obligations and generates the current period’s filing.
5
Add your authorised representative
PACRA requires a named person authorised to act for your business. Bumara cannot lodge with
PACRA without this. See Authorised representative.
If you are registering a new business
If your business does not exist yet, the order matters:1
Clear the name first
Nothing else can proceed until a name is approved. See
Name clearance.
2
Register the entity
Company registration or
business name registration, depending on
what you are forming.
3
Get your TPIN from ZRA
Once you have a PACRA certificate you can apply for a TPIN. See
ZRA overview.
4
Register as an employer
If you will have staff, register with NAPSA and NHIMA. See
NAPSA and NHIMA.
Fees
PACRA fees vary by service and by entity type. The fee is shown before you commit, split between the PACRA charge and Bumara’s handling fee. See Paying fees.What happens if you fall behind
PACRA escalates, and the escalation is expensive:
A struck-off company cannot legally trade, hold contracts, or operate its bank accounts. If you
have received a strike-off notice, treat it as the most urgent thing in your account.