SECP / 01

Company Registration in Pakistan

Government fees disclosed upfront
Free first consultation
Filed and followed up by our team

Registering a company with SECP is the first real step toward operating as a legal entity in Pakistan. It's what lets you open a business bank account, sign contracts as a company instead of as an individual, and apply for things like PSEB registration or PSW registration once your company actually exists on paper. The process itself isn't complicated, but it has enough small ways to go wrong, a name that gets rejected, a missing document, an incomplete Memorandum of Association, that most founders end up paying for help just to avoid the back-and-forth.

Pak Register handles the full SECP company registration process: name reservation, drafting your Memorandum and Articles of Association, filing through SECP's eServices portal, and getting you your Certificate of Incorporation. You're not the one chasing a registrar for updates.

Most people searching for this use a few different terms for the same thing: company registration in Pakistan, pvt ltd registration, or simply registering a company, and they all lead to the same SECP process described here. Whether you're filing as a private limited company (commonly shortened to pvt ltd), forming a single-member company, or eventually a public limited company, the core paperwork, name reservation, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and the eServices filing, is the same. What changes is the shareholder structure, the disclosure requirements, and in some cases the minimum number of directors.

Who needs this

Founders starting a private limited company (pvt ltd) or single-member company (SMC)
Existing sole proprietors who've outgrown an unregistered setup and need a real legal entity
Two or more partners deciding between a company and an AOP / Partnership registration
Foreign-linked businesses needing a Pakistani entity to operate locally

Documents Required

What you'll need

CNICs of all proposed directors and shareholders
2–3 proposed company names (we check availability before submission)
A registered office address in Pakistan
A short description of your business activity and objectives
Passport copies for any foreign director, if applicable

Fees & Timeline

What this costs

SECP's own registration fee depends on your authorized share capital, and the published fee schedule changes from time to time. We confirm the current government fee for your specific structure during your free consultation rather than quote a number here that might be stale by the time you read it. Our service fee is a flat, transparent quote based on your company type, not a percentage that grows with your capital.

Government fees for online incorporation scale with your authorized capital, on top of that sits our service fee, which is fixed and agreed with you before we file anything. You will never get a second invoice mid-process for something we should have quoted upfront.

Government fee: paid to SECP directly, based on your authorized share capital
Our service fee: fixed and disclosed before we start, not billed piecemeal
No extra charge if a proposed name gets rejected and we have to resubmit

Process

How it works

STEP 01

Free Consultation

We confirm the right structure for what you're actually trying to do: private limited (pvt ltd), SMC, or partnership.

STEP 02

Name Reservation

We submit 2–3 name options to SECP. Most approvals come back in 1–3 working days, and a reserved name holds for 60 days.

STEP 03

Filing & Documentation

We prepare your Memorandum and Articles of Association and file the incorporation application through SECP's eServices portal.

STEP 04

Certificate of Incorporation

Once SECP clears the application, your certificate is issued. That's typically 3–7 working days from a complete filing.

Common Mistakes

Mistakes to avoid

Submitting only one company name option. If it's rejected, that's another 1–3 day round trip with SECP that two backup names would have avoided.
Writing vague or overly broad business objectives in the Memorandum of Association, which SECP can query before approving the filing.
Using a registered office address that can't be verified, which is one of the more common causes of delay we see.
Assuming pvt ltd registration and SMC registration need identical documents. They don't; an SMC has its own simplified shareholder structure.

Why Pak Register

Uzair Shahid, Founder & CEO

Uzair Shahid, Founder & CEO of Pak Register, has personally overseen company registrations through SECP's eZfile system for founders ranging from solo freelancers to multi-director startups, and leads the team that handles your filing day to day. More about Uzair →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How long does company registration take in Pakistan?

A straightforward private limited filing with complete documents typically takes 3–7 working days after submission. Delays almost always come from incomplete documentation or a name that needs revising, both of which we handle before filing, not after rejection.

What's the difference between an SMC and a Private Limited Company?

A Single Member Company (SMC) has one shareholder and is suited to solo founders who still want limited liability protection. A Private Limited Company needs at least two shareholders and two directors, who can be the same two people, and is the more common structure once there's a co-founder or planned investment.

Is 'pvt ltd registration' the same as private limited company registration?

Yes. Pvt ltd registration is just shorthand for registering a private limited company, the structure most growing businesses in Pakistan register under once there's more than one shareholder.

Can a foreigner register a company in Pakistan?

Yes. Foreign nationals can be directors or shareholders in a Pakistani company, though additional documentation such as passport copies, and in some cases NOCs, is required. We'll confirm exactly what applies to your situation during the consultation.

Do I need an office address to register a company?

Yes, SECP requires a registered office address in Pakistan. It doesn't need to be a commercial space; a verifiable residential address can work.

Can I register a company online without visiting SECP's office?

Yes, the filing itself runs through SECP's eServices portal and is handled online in almost all cases. We only need an in-person visit on the rare occasion a specific document needs physical attestation.

What's the minimum capital required to register a company in Pakistan?

There's no general statutory minimum paid-up capital for most private companies, though certain regulated sectors do have specific capital requirements. We'll confirm whether any apply to your business during the consultation.

What happens after incorporation?

You'll need an NTN from FBR, and depending on your business, possibly PSEB registration, PSW registration, or Chamber of Commerce membership. Ongoing SECP obligations after incorporation are covered under Company Compliance services.

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