Private Limited Company Registration in Pakistan

APPLY FOR AVAILABILITY OF NAME

The first step in registering your company in Pakistan is to apply for a company name. You can't just be allowed a name that's already registered with the SECP or is already in use. To make sure that the name of your business isn't already taken, you can search for it on the SECP website at Company Name Search. If no results are found on SECP, this means that the name is available for registering your company in Pakistan and you can request a reservation of that name.

COMPANY NAME RESERVATION

SECP has a 60-day period in which you can reserve a name for your company after it has been approved by them. The name reservation form is available online and must be filed after you have logged into their E-services.

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

The Memorandum of Association is the charter of a company. It serves as the foundation or "constitution" of the company being registered. The Memorandum not only spells out the vision, scope and mandate of the company, but it also discloses the detail particulars of its shareholders and the composition of shares each shareholder or subscriber enjoys in the business, amongst other things. The Memorandum of Association is filed along with an application for company registration in Pakistan.

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

The Articles of Association can be thought of as the company's constitution. It provides provisions for the company's daily operations, appoints the Chief Executive and Directors, and provides the company's registration in Pakistan. The Articles of Association is filed along with the application for company registration.

SUBMISSION OF FORMS

The process of company registration in Pakistan can be done either online or offline, but the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) recommends filing applications online to create a paperless environment. The SECP promotes the online process of company registration in Pakistan and offers a 50% fee discount for those who follow this method. To register a company online, you must first file a joint application for name availability and company registration. If necessary, you can also file separate applications for each phase of the process online.

PROCESSING TIME

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has recently updated the process for company registration, making it more efficient and straightforward. The new procedure now takes only a few hours to complete, so you don't have to wait a week or a month to get your business registered.