A Step by Step Guide for Registering a Company in Pakistan

According to the Companies Ordinance, 1984 there can be three different types of companies:

A company limited by shares

A company limited by guarantee

An unlimited liability company

The following steps needs to be followed to create and register a company in Pakistan.

1. Seek approval on name of the company

The first step towards incorporation of a company is to seek the availability of name for the
proposed company from the concerned registrar of companies. Although, it sounds simple
enough, but there are certain prohibitions and restrictions, the applicants have to look into while
choosing a name for a company. This is the guideline for choosing a name.

2. Pay fees associated with incorporation and registration of

the company
Post receiving the name availability certificate from SECP , the applicants have to file an
application for incorporation. The fees associated with the process can be paid using the
relevant bank form at designated branches of The Muslim Commercial Bank(MCB) in Pakistan.
Post payment of the fee, SECP then requires the applicant to submit the following documents

Declaration of compliance

Identification of offices location

Particulars of directors, secretary, chief accountant, auditors and other

Copies of the Memorandum and Articles of Association with each members

signature, where:

Memorandum of Association explains your business sector of the company e.g. Institution,
Travel agency, Trading or manufacturing, Supply or chain of stores. To put simply, MOA tells
about the relationship of your company with the outside world.
Articles of Association lets know about the day-to-day proceedings within the company i.e. what
role CEO and directors would play, business concerned meetings and the appointments of
employees, in short- how the company will run.

3. Obtain a digital signature and create a company seal

The signature is granted by National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (NIFT) and can be
obtained by using the electronic services of the SECP. After the certificate of incorporation is
issued, the company representatives may be required to present a company seal, depending on
the where the business will be head quartered or started. Some states also require a corporation to
have a corporate seal, which is also sometimes referred as company seal.

4. Register for Income, Sales and Professional Taxes

To register for Income tax, the company will have to to apply for a National Tax Number (NTN)
at the tax facilitation of the Regional Tax Office (RTO) of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
The requirements for this application include

NTN form

Proof of registration

Memorandum and Articles of association

Bank account number

Copies of National Identity Cards (NICs) of companies Directors

An attestation of business address

Sales tax, like the income tax can be registered for, by applying for a Sales Tax Number (STN) at
the tax facilitation centre of the Regional Tax Office (RTO) of the Federal Board of Revenue
(FBR). For the professional tax, provided it applies, the company will have to register with
Exercise and Taxation (ET) Department of the District.

5. Register with ESSI and EOBI

Depending on the location of the business, the company will need to register with

Punjab Employees Social Security Institutions (PESSI)

Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI)

Likewise (BESSI) or (KPKESSI) for Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

respectively.

Under the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), insured employees are entitled to a
pension, upon retirement, invalidity in the case of disability, old-age grant and survivors
pension. Every industry or a commercial establishment with five or more employees has to be
registered with the Federal Employees Old age Benefits Institution (EOBI).

6. Register with the Labor Department of the District

To safeguard the labor standard of the workers, all companys are required to registration with
the District Chief Inspector of the labor department in each district. For registration, employer
must submit the application form A accompanied with the relevant bank form.
Once these requirements are met and vetted by SECP, the company is then ready to become an
independent operating body in Pakistan and will be treated as such.