How to Register a Private Limited Company with SECP: Step-by-Step (2026)

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To register a private limited company with SECP in Pakistan, you file online through SECP’s eZfile portal: create an account and get your PIN, reserve a company name, enter your directors, shareholders and capital, submit the Memorandum and Articles of Association, pay the fee, and download your Certificate of Incorporation. For a small company with Rs 100,000 authorised capital, the government cost online is roughly Rs 7,800 — about Rs 1,000 for name reservation, Rs 6,655 registration fee under SECP’s Seventh Schedule as updated to 20 April 2026, and a Rs 100 filing fee — plus a one-time portal user fee of Rs 100–200. A clean filing typically takes 5–10 working days from name reservation to a working bank account, or about four working hours if you pay for SECP’s Fast Track service. One honest warning before the numbers: SECP revises its fee schedule, and older guides still quote pre-2024 figures, so always confirm the exact amount on the portal’s fee calculator on the day you file.

Private limited, Single Member Company, or sole proprietorship?

Not everyone who says “register my business” needs a private limited company. The three routes answer different questions, and picking the wrong one is the most expensive mistake in this whole process — not because of the fee, but because unwinding it costs time.

A private limited company is a separate legal person from its owners. It needs at least two members (shareholders) and at least two directors, and it cannot have more than 50 members. Liability is limited to the shares held, which is why partners, startups planning to raise investment, and businesses bidding for contracts that require a registered company choose it. If you are on your own, the equivalent form is a Single Member Company (SMC) — one member, one director, with a nominee director named in case of the member’s death or incapacity.

A sole proprietorship is not registered with SECP at all. You register with FBR, get an NTN, and trade in your own name. As our guide to what registering a business costs in Pakistan explains, that route is free and fast — and it is the right answer for most solo freelancers. Your personal assets, however, are exposed, and some corporate clients will not contract with an unincorporated individual. The rule of thumb: incorporate when you have partners, need limited liability, want investment, or your clients require a company. Otherwise, start as a sole proprietor and incorporate later — it is a reversible decision.

Before you file: settle these six things

SECP’s portal will ask for all of this in one sitting, and half-finished applications are where delays come from. Decide before you log in:

1. Founders and directors. At least two subscribers and two directors for a private limited company (the same people can hold both roles). Each needs a valid CNIC (or NICOP/passport for foreign nationals), a residential address, and a mobile number and email in their own name. Directors must be at least 18 and not disqualified under the Companies Act, 2017.
2. Shareholding. Who owns what percentage, and who controls decisions. This is a founder agreement question, not a form-filling question — sort it out before the portal asks, because changing it later means a fresh filing.
3. Authorised capital. This is the maximum share capital the company may issue — a nominal figure, not money you must deposit. There is no mandatory minimum paid-up capital for an ordinary private company, but Rs 100,000 is the common practical starting point because it sits in the lowest fee band. Higher capital means a higher SECP fee, so do not inflate it for prestige.
4. Principal business activity. Write it plainly and specifically. Overly broad objects (“all lawful business”) and misleadingly narrow ones both cause queries from the registrar.
5. Registered office address. A real address in Pakistan where official notices can be served, with proof if asked. A home address is acceptable for many small companies, but consider whether you want it on the public record.
6. Three name options, in order of preference. You will need backups. See the naming rules below.

Step-by-step: register a private limited company with SECP

Step 1: Create your eZfile account and get your PIN

Register on SECP’s eZfile portal (the current name for the eServices system) using your CNIC, NICOP or passport number as your login ID. Each subscriber and director registers individually. The system sends a 4-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) to your mobile and email; that PIN is your digital signature for filings. A one-time user registration fee of roughly Rs 100–200 applies — guides differ on the exact figure, and the portal shows the current charge before you pay.

Step 2: Search and reserve your company name

Use SECP’s public Company Name Search first — it is free and shows whether an identical or near-identical name already exists. Then file a name reservation proposing up to three names in order of preference, with the significance of each name where asked. Names are refused if they are identical or deceptively similar to an existing company, misleading about the nature or scale of the business, or use restricted words — “Bank”, “Insurance”, “Foundation” and words suggesting state patronage need special approval. Approval typically takes 1–3 working days, and a reserved name is valid for 60 days. If you do not file incorporation within that window, the reservation lapses and the fee is lost, so do not reserve a name months before you are ready.

Step 3: Enter the company details

In the combined incorporation application, enter the registered office, authorised and paid-up capital, directors, chief executive, subscribers and their shareholdings, and the principal line of business. The system auto-generates the Memorandum of Association (what the company does and its capital) and the Articles of Association (how it is run) from the information you enter. Standard templates suit most small companies; if you have complex shareholding, investor rights or a multi-founder vesting arrangement, get a lawyer to customise them before filing — amending them afterwards requires a special resolution.

Step 4: Sign, pay and submit

All subscribers sign the application with their PINs. The portal generates a challan, payable by credit/debit card, online banking or a bank challan (typically MCB or UBL). Pay the fee shown by the portal’s own calculator — not a figure from any guide, including this one. Fees are set under the Seventh Schedule of the Companies Act, 2017, which is amended periodically with a 10% annual uplift mechanism; the schedule as updated to 20 April 2026 is the source for the table below.

Step 5: Download your Certificate of Incorporation

Once the registrar approves the application, SECP issues a digitally signed Certificate of Incorporation, available for download on the portal and usually emailed to the company. Straightforward online filings complete in 1–3 working days after submission; allow 3–7 working days if the registrar raises queries, and up to 10 working days end to end if you count document preparation. SECP’s Fast Track Registration Service (FTRS) promises incorporation in about four working hours for an additional fee, reported at around Rs 10,000 online.

Step 6: Get your company NTN from FBR

A company NTN is generated as part of the incorporation process, and you complete the company’s tax profile on FBR’s IRIS portal. Keep the company’s tax affairs separate from your personal return from day one — that separation is half the point of incorporating. If you have never filed before, our walkthrough of how to file your FBR tax return explains the IRIS system, even though a company’s filing obligations differ from a freelancer’s.

Step 7: Open a corporate bank account

Banks typically ask for the Certificate of Incorporation, the company NTN, the Memorandum and Articles, directors’ CNICs, a board resolution authorising the account and its signatories, and proof of the registered office address. Expect the bank’s own verification to take several working days — this, not SECP, is usually the slowest step. Do not mix company receipts through a personal account in the meantime; if you are still freelancing on the side, our comparison of the best bank accounts for freelancers in Pakistan covers the personal side separately.

Step 8: Register for anything else your business triggers

Incorporation is the start, not the finish. Depending on what you sell, you may need sales tax registration (FBR for goods, the provincial authority — PRA, SRB, KRA or BRA — for services), PSEB registration if you are an IT or IT-enabled services exporter, and a trademark if you want the brand name protected. Each is a separate process with its own fee and timeline; none of them happens automatically when SECP issues your certificate.

SECP company registration fees in 2026

All figures below are the government charges only — consultant fees are separate. Figures checked against SECP’s published Seventh Schedule (updated to 20 April 2026) and fee guides published in 2025–2026, on 31 October 2026. The portal’s fee calculator is the final word on the day you file.

Two honest caveats. First, our own September 2026 cost guide quoted a lower incorporation figure (around Rs 2,000–2,500); that figure no longer matches the published Seventh Schedule after the November 2024 revision and the April 2026 uplift, which is why this article uses the schedule figure and tells you to verify it on the calculator. Second, consultant packages for end-to-end incorporation commonly run Rs 15,000–60,000 — the gap over the government fee is their drafting, filing and follow-up time, not a hidden government charge. Ask any consultant to split their quote into government fees and service fees before you agree.

How long does SECP registration take?

After incorporation: the compliance calendar nobody warns you about

A company that never files anything after its certificate is a company heading for penalties. The recurring obligations for a private limited company include:

• Annual returns filed with SECP after each financial year end, confirming directors, shareholders, capital and registered office.
• Audited accounts — companies must maintain proper books and have their accounts audited, with audit costs varying widely by company size.
• Director changes within 15 days of any appointment, resignation or change in director details.
• Beneficial ownership declarations identifying the individuals who ultimately own or control the company.
• Annual tax filing as a company, separate from the directors’ personal returns — and keep an eye on your ATL status on FBR, since falling off the Active Taxpayers List raises withholding rates on your company’s transactions.
• Statutory registers kept at the registered office: members, directors, and charges.

Budget for compliance from year one. A company that costs Rs 8,000 to create and nothing to maintain does not exist; the realistic annual cost is the audit plus filing fees plus your accountant’s time. If that ongoing cost looks heavy for the income the business actually earns, that is a genuine argument for staying a sole proprietor for now.

Five mistakes that delay or derail a filing

1. Filing a private limited company as a solo founder. It needs two members. Solo founders should file as a Single Member Company instead.
2. One name, no backups. Name rejection is the single most common delay. Propose three names, and check the public name search before paying.
3. Copying a friend’s Memorandum and Articles. Objects and share classes that do not match your actual business create problems at the bank and with future investors.
4. Letting the 60-day name reservation expire while you gather documents. Reserve only when the rest of the filing is ready to go.
5. Stopping at the certificate. No NTN profile, no bank account, no invoicing system — a company that cannot bill clients is decoration. Set up your invoice format and your bank account in the same week as incorporation.

Do you need a lawyer or consultant?

For a straightforward two-founder company with standard objects, the eZfile process is designed to be done yourself, and the government fee is under Rs 8,000. Paying a consultant makes sense when the shareholding is complex, a foreign shareholder or director is involved (extra attested documents are required), the business is in a regulated sector needing approvals, or you simply value having the drafting done by someone who has filed before. What you should not do is pay a package price without knowing the split: government fee versus service fee. And registration makes you legal, not visible — budget separately for getting customers, because what SEO services cost in Pakistan is usually a far larger recurring expense than anything SECP charges. If you are moving from freelancing into a company, read our pillar guide to getting paid as a freelancer in Pakistan first — it maps the whole journey from first client payment to a formal business.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to register a private limited company with SECP?

Name reservation takes 1–3 working days and a clean incorporation filing takes a further 1–3 working days, so allow 5–10 working days including NTN and bank account setup. Fast Track service targets about four working hours for the incorporation itself.

How much does SECP private limited registration cost in 2026?

At Rs 100,000 authorised capital, roughly Rs 7,755–7,955 in government charges online: ~Rs 1,000 name reservation, Rs 6,655 registration fee under the Seventh Schedule as updated to 20 April 2026, Rs 100 filing fee, and Rs 100–200 portal user fee. Higher capital adds Rs 932 per extra Rs 100,000 slab. Confirm the exact figure on SECP’s fee calculator before paying.

Can one person register a private limited company in Pakistan?

Not as an ordinary private limited company — that needs at least two members and two directors. A single founder registers a Single Member Company (SMC), the one-owner equivalent, with one director and a nominee director.

Is there a minimum capital requirement?

No mandatory minimum paid-up capital for an ordinary private company under the Companies Act, 2017. Rs 100,000 authorised capital is a common practical starting point because it sits in the lowest fee band, not because the law requires it.

Can a foreigner be a director or shareholder?

Yes, with additional documentation — passport details and, for corporate subscribers, board resolutions, usually notarised, apostilled or attested by a Pakistani diplomatic mission. At least one director should be a Pakistani citizen resident in Pakistan for practical purposes, and foreign involvement adds processing time.

What happens after I get the Certificate of Incorporation?

Complete the company NTN profile on FBR IRIS, open a corporate bank account, register for sales tax or PSEB if your activity triggers it, and set up your compliance calendar: annual returns, audited accounts, director-change filings within 15 days, and beneficial ownership declarations.

Figures in this article were checked on 31 October 2026 against SECP’s published Seventh Schedule (updated to 20 April 2026) and fee guides published in 2025–2026. SECP revises its schedule periodically — confirm the exact fee on the eZfile fee calculator before you pay. General information only, not legal or tax advice.

Featured image: Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels (free to use).