Company Registration Services in Pakistan
TaxConsultancy registers businesses in Pakistan with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Federal Board of Revenue. We handle private limited companies, single member companies, limited liability partnerships, partnership firms and sole proprietors, from choosing the structure through to the first tax registration.
Our office is in Islamabad and we work with clients across Pakistan, including overseas Pakistanis. We confirm the scope and the fee in writing before any filing starts, and we tell you which government charges are payable separately.
What our company registration service covers
Each route below involves a different authority and a different set of documents. We confirm which one fits your business before anything is filed.
Private limited company registration
A private limited company is incorporated with SECP under the Companies Act, 2017. It needs at least two members and at least two directors, and it exists as a separate legal person from the people who own it.
We handle the name reservation, the company details and shareholding, the memorandum and articles, the incorporation filing on SECP's eZfile registry, and the corporate tax registration that follows. You receive the certificate of incorporation with the company's unique identification number.
This is the usual choice when a business expects outside investment, several shareholders, corporate clients or public sector contracts.
Single member company registration
A single member company is a private company with one member, who is also its director. The Companies Act requires a nominee to be named, who steps in if the sole member dies.
The filing route is the same as a private limited company. The difference is the ownership structure and the nominee requirement, and a single member company is not required to hold an annual general meeting.
This suits one founder who wants limited liability and a corporate identity without bringing in a second shareholder.
Limited liability partnership registration
A limited liability partnership is registered with SECP under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2017 and the LLP Regulations, 2018. It needs at least two partners and it is a body corporate with its own legal identity.
An LLP keeps the partner-run flexibility of a firm while limiting the partners' liability. The partnership agreement does most of the work that articles do in a company, so the terms need care at the drafting stage.
Professional practices and small partnerships often prefer this route to a private limited company.
Partnership firm and AOP registration
A partnership firm is governed by the Partnership Act, 1932 and is registered with the Registrar of Firms for the area where the firm does business. It is not registered with SECP, and it is not a separate legal entity from its partners.
The process runs on a partnership deed executed on stamp paper, an application in the prescribed form, and the Registrar's fee. Punjab also accepts applications through its Business Registration Portal. Islamabad Capital Territory files through the Registrar of Firms at the Citizen Facilitation Centre.
After the firm is registered, the association of persons is registered with FBR so it can obtain an NTN and file returns.
Sole proprietorship registration
A sole proprietorship is not incorporated and does not go to SECP at all. It is established through FBR registration, and the NTN certificate is what banks and clients treat as proof of the business.
We set up the IRIS profile, add the business to your registration with its name, address and activity, and confirm the details that banks check when opening a current account. Your CNIC functions as your NTN once registration is complete.
This is the quickest route to a documented business, but it gives no limited liability. The owner is personally responsible for the debts of the business.
Corporate NTN and tax registration
Incorporation creates the company. Tax registration is what lets it invoice, bank and file.
We complete the FBR side, including the IRIS profile, the principal officer authorisation and the business address verification. Where the business supplies taxable goods or services, we assess whether sales tax registration applies and with which authority.
Choosing the right structure
The structure decides which authority registers you, how much compliance you carry and whether your personal assets are exposed. Changing it later is possible but costs time and money, so it is worth getting right.
| Structure | Registered with | Minimum people | Separate legal entity | Limited liability | Ongoing compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietorship | FBR only | 1 | No | No | Lightest |
| Partnership firm (AOP) | Registrar of Firms, then FBR | 2 partners | No | No | Light |
| Limited liability partnership | SECP, then FBR | 2 partners | Yes | Yes | Moderate |
| Single member company | SECP, then FBR | 1 member and a nominee | Yes | Yes | Moderate to heavy |
| Private limited company | SECP, then FBR | 2 members, 2 directors | Yes | Yes | Heaviest of these |
A few practical pointers from client work. They are general guidance, not advice on your specific position.
If you are a freelancer or run a small shop and simply need to be documented and on the Active Taxpayer List, a sole proprietorship usually does the job. Many people incorporate too early and then carry annual filings they do not need.
If you are raising investment, taking on shareholders or bidding for corporate and public sector work, incorporate. Buyers and investors want to deal with a company that has its own legal identity and an auditable record.
If two or more of you are going into business together, decide early whether limited liability matters to you. A partnership firm is cheaper to set up, while an LLP protects the partners and still avoids the full company framework.
If you want a company but have no second shareholder, a single member company avoids adding a nominal partner to meet the minimum. That arrangement causes disputes later more often than people expect.
A public limited company needs at least three members and carries heavier governance and reporting obligations. Non-profit companies licensed under section 42 of the Companies Act go through a separate SECP licensing process. If you are planning either, speak to us before you start so we can confirm what is involved.
How company registration works with us
SECP incorporation runs end to end on its eZfile portal under the Companies Act, 2017 and the Companies Regulations, 2024. For partnership firms and sole proprietors, the route is different, and we confirm the steps for your case at the first call.
Scope call. We confirm the structure, who the members and directors are, the business activity and the registered office. The fee is quoted in writing before anything is filed.
Name reservation. We check the proposed names against SECP's register and the naming rules, then file the reservation application. You can file the name and the incorporation together as a combined application.
Incorporation filing. We prepare the company details, shareholding, capital and the memorandum and articles, then file and pay the SECP fee.
Certificate of incorporation. SECP issues a digitally signed certificate with the company's unique identification number. The company legally exists from that date.
Tax and banking setup. We complete the FBR side, confirm the company's profile on IRIS and prepare the document set your bank will ask for.
We do not quote a guaranteed turnaround. SECP processing depends on the registrar's review, name objections and the completeness of your file, and none of those are ours to decide. What we do commit to is telling you the same day when SECP raises an objection, and what it needs.
Documents and information we need
The exact list depends on the structure. We send a short list specific to your case after the first call, so you do not collect anything you do not need. Clear scans or photos over WhatsApp or email are fine.
For a company or an LLP
- Colour CNIC copies for every member, director or partner, or NICOP for overseas Pakistanis
- A mobile number and an email address for each of them, not already registered on the portal
- Three proposed names in order of preference
- The principal line of business in plain words
- The registered office address, with a rent agreement or ownership document and a recent utility bill
- Authorised and paid-up capital, and how the shares are split
- For a single member company, the nominee's details and CNIC
- For an LLP, the agreed terms for the partnership agreement
For a partnership firm
- CNIC copies for all partners
- The agreed terms for the partnership deed, including profit sharing
- The business address, with a tenancy or ownership document and a utility bill
- The firm's proposed name
For a sole proprietorship
- Colour CNIC copy
- A mobile number registered on your own CNIC, and an email address
- Business name, nature of activity and address
- Rent agreement or ownership document for the premises, and a recent paid utility bill
- Business letterhead and stamp
If something on these lists does not exist in your case, tell us. A missing document is usually workable. An invented one is not.
Company name approval and why names get refused
Name approval is the stage that delays files most often, and it is the cheapest problem to avoid. SECP will not register a name that is identical or similar to an existing company or registered LLP, that is deceptive or inappropriate, that is offensive to any section of people, that exploits religious sensitivity, or that contains words restricted under section 10 of the Companies Act, 2017.
Propose three names in order of preference rather than one. SECP approves one of them, and a single submission leaves you with nothing to fall back on.
Check the name against SECP's company name search before you get attached to it, and before you buy a domain or print anything. A name that is close to a well known brand will be refused even if nothing identical is on the register.
The reservation is time-limited. If the incorporation application is not filed before it lapses, the name has to be applied for again with a fresh fee, so reserve the name when you are ready to proceed rather than months ahead.
What company registration costs
There are two separate costs, and they are worth keeping apart. The government fee goes to SECP or the relevant registrar. Our professional fee covers the work of preparing and filing correctly.
SECP's fees are set in the Seventh Schedule to the Companies Act, 2017. Two charges apply at registration. One is the application processing fee for reserving the name. The other is the registration fee, which is tiered and rises with the company's authorised capital. Filing electronically costs less than submitting on paper.
This is why fee figures on other websites so often disagree. The Seventh Schedule has been amended several times in recent years, and pages written against an older version keep circulating. SECP publishes a company incorporation fee calculator, and eZfile shows the exact amount before payment. Treat those as the only reliable figures.
We quote our professional fee in writing before any work starts, based on the structure, the number of members and whether tax registration is included. We do not mark up government fees, and we do not ask for a retainer unless you want one.
What SECP incorporation does not include
A certificate of incorporation makes the company exist. It does not make it compliant, and it does not replace sector licensing. This is the single most common misunderstanding we see in a first call.
Income tax registration. SECP and FBR systems are integrated, so a corporate NTN is generally issued on incorporation. The company still has to be enrolled properly on IRIS, with the principal officer authorised and the business profile confirmed. We check the FBR position rather than assuming it completed.
Sales tax registration. Sales tax registration is not automatic and is not required of every company. It depends on your activity, your turnover and your category under the law, and services are handled by the relevant provincial authority rather than FBR in most cases. We confirm your position before any application is made.
Provincial and employee registrations. Depending on where you operate and whether you hire staff, registrations with social security, old age benefits and the shops and establishments authority may apply.
Sector licences and approvals. Incorporation does not grant a licence to operate a regulated activity. Software exporters may need PSEB registration, importers and exporters need their own registration, and several activities need a specific regulatory approval before trading.
We will tell you which of these apply to your business and which do not. Being told you need every registration is a sign you are being sold to.
Compliance in your first year as a company
Incorporation starts a compliance calendar. These are the obligations that catch new companies in their first year.
| Obligation | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Appointment of the first auditor by the board, where an audit applies | Within 90 days of incorporation, under section 246 of the Companies Act, 2017 |
| First annual general meeting | Within 16 months of incorporation, then within 120 days of each financial year end, under section 132 |
| Annual return to SECP, with the ultimate beneficial ownership declaration on Form 19 | Filed with the annual return, under section 123A and Regulation 48 of the Companies Regulations, 2024 |
| Register of ultimate beneficial owners, kept and updated | Maintained on an ongoing basis |
| Annual income tax return and withholding statements to FBR | Per the deadlines set under the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 |
A single member company is not required to hold an annual general meeting. Whether an audit applies depends on the company's size and paid-up capital, so this is confirmed case by case rather than assumed.
Beneficial ownership is worth singling out. SECP has been issuing show-cause notices to companies that have not filed Form 19, and this is a filing many new companies have never heard of. We can hold the compliance calendar for you so nothing in the first year is missed.
Why registrations get delayed
Most delays come from small inconsistencies rather than missing documents. These are the ones we check before filing.
- Portal account problems. The mobile number has to be registered on the applicant's own CNIC, and the email address cannot already be in use on the portal. This stops more first-time applicants than anything else.
- Name objections. A proposed name too close to an existing company, or containing a restricted word, is refused and the application goes back to the start.
- Registered office evidence. The address on the application has to match the tenancy document and the utility bill. A bill in a landlord's name with no supporting agreement creates a query.
- A vague business activity. The principal line of business has to be specific. A description that drifts into a regulated activity triggers a request for the relevant approval.
- Shareholding that does not reflect the real arrangement. Capital and share splits entered to simplify the filing cause disputes later and are awkward to unwind.
- Overseas subscribers. NICOP holders register differently, and documents executed abroad can need extra attestation. Tell us early if any member is outside Pakistan.
How we work
- One consultant handles your file from the first call to the certificate.
- Scope and fee are confirmed in writing before any filing.
- Government fees are shown to you as they are charged, separate from our fee.
- You see the company details, shareholding and objects before they are filed.
- We tell you the same day when SECP or FBR raises an objection.
- Documents are handled by the person assigned to your file and are not shared outside the firm.
We do not promise approval, a fixed turnaround or a particular outcome. Those decisions sit with SECP and FBR. What we are responsible for is a complete, accurate file and a straight answer about where it stands.
Company registration FAQs
No. SECP registers companies and limited liability partnerships. A sole proprietorship registers only with FBR, and a partnership firm registers with the Registrar of Firms in its province. Only incorporate if you want a separate legal entity and limited liability.
No general minimum paid-up capital applies to a private company. Authorised capital does affect the cost, because SECP's registration fee is tiered and rises with it, so the figure you declare is a commercial decision rather than a legal threshold.
SECP and FBR systems are integrated and a corporate NTN is generally issued on incorporation. The registration still has to be completed properly on IRIS, with the principal officer authorised and the profile confirmed. We verify the FBR position rather than assuming it is done.
It depends on the registrar's review and whether your file raises any objection, so we do not quote a guaranteed figure. Name objections and address evidence are the two things that most often add time, and both are avoidable with preparation.
Yes. NICOP holders can register on SECP's portal, and we run the whole process remotely over WhatsApp, email and video calls. Documents executed abroad occasionally need additional attestation, so tell us at the first call where each member is based.
Both are registered with SECP and both give limited liability. An LLP is run by its partners under a partnership agreement and carries lighter formalities. A private limited company has shares, directors and a fuller set of statutory filings, and it is the structure investors expect.
Yes, conversions are possible, including from a firm or a private company to an LLP. They take time and cost money, and tax and contractual consequences come with them. It is cheaper to pick the right structure at the start.
Yes. Most clients keep registration and ongoing compliance in one place, which means the annual return, the corporate income tax return and any sales tax filings are handled by the same team that holds your file.
Start your company registration
Tell us what you are setting up and we will confirm the structure, the documents and the fee before anything is filed.
- Starting a new business and not sure which structure fits
- Ready to incorporate a private limited company or an SMC
- Registering an LLP or a partnership firm
- A freelancer who needs an NTN and a documented business
- Already incorporated and behind on SECP or FBR filings
Contact Information
Last updated: October 2026. Registration requirements and government fees change. We confirm the current position, the applicable scope and our fee in writing before any work begins. This page is general information and not legal or tax advice on your specific circumstances.
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