Start your eCitizen account online at: https://www. ecitizen. go. ke/index. html. Click on “Create an account” in the top-right corner. If you’re a foreign citizen living in Kenya, you can use your Foreigner Certificate number instead of your Kenyan ID number. A Kenyan company can have directors who live abroad and are not Kenyan citizens. At least one of the director will have to be a Kenyan citizen, though, so that they can access eCitizen and submit certain forms.
The photo that you use needs to have been taken within 6 months of when you’re registering your company.
This will redirect you to the home page for the Business Registration Service. This page can only be accessed once you’ve created an eCitizen account. Prior to making the account, you cannot link directly to the Business Registration Service page.
Sole proprietorships Registered companies (public or private) Partnership Limited liability partnership A branch office of a foreign registered company Business societies
If the name is accepted, the registrar will reserve the name for 30 days. You have this much time to complete the business registration.
The eCitizen site does not notify you via email once the name has been approved. So, you’ll need to log back in to your account on a daily basis to check if the approval has been granted. Kes. 150 is roughly equivalent to $1. 50 USD.
The eCitizen site does not notify you via email once the name has been approved. So, you’ll need to log back in to your account on a daily basis to check if the approval has been granted. Kes. 150 is roughly equivalent to $1. 50 USD.
If you have company directors who live outside of Kenya, also include a copy of their government-issued ID from the country that they reside in. Find a PDF copy of the form online at: https://kenyabusinessguide. org/downloads/.
Visit the Kenya Business Guide website for a PDF version of form CR8 at: https://kenyabusinessguide. org/downloads/.
Find a PDF copy of form BN6 online at: https://kenyabusinessguide. org/downloads/.
The amount of money that you pay will be equal to 1% of your company’s nominal capital, but the minimum is Kes. 2,140 based on the minimum nominal capital of Kes. 2,000. As part of completing the Stamp Duty requirements, you’ll also be charged Kes. 100 for each document (i. e. , each shareholder’s personal information) that the KRA must approve. Sending in the required information and paying the Stamp Duty should take between 5–10 days to complete.
The Memorandum of Association details your business’s name, location, its business object, states the value of each company share, and specifies how many shareholders the company has. The Article of Association contains the company’s rules and regulations. It lists each member’s liability, the powers of the company directors, the rights of all company members, and how directors are to be appointed and removed from their position. Take a look at a sample Article of Association online at: https://ag. ecitizen. go. ke/index. php?id=9.
To finish registering your company, you’ll also need to pay the mandatory fee of Kes. 10,650 either through the eCitizen portal or by check or credit card at the Registrar’s office. Mail or deliver the forms to:The Chief Registrar of The Judiciary Supreme Court Building P. O. Box 30041 (00100) Nairobi, Kenya
The amount of time this takes can vary. You may need to wait for a period of about 21 days. With the business certificate in-hand, you’re ready to begin running your business in Kenya!
