How much does it cost to register a company in Kenya?
Registering a private limited company in Kenya costs KES 10,650 in official Business Registration Service (BRS) fees. A business name costs KES 950, a foreign company (branch) KES 7,550 and a limited liability partnership KES 25,000. Every figure on this page is taken from the BRS Companies Registry fee schedule. These are government fees only and are exclusive of legal fees and disbursements.
Fees verified against the BRS Companies Registry fee schedule. BRS revises its schedule from time to time, so confirm the current figure before you budget. Last reviewed on 7 August 2026 by the Corporate and Commercial team at OLM Law Advocates LLP.
Official BRS registration fees by entity type
| Entity type | Official BRS fee (KES) | Forms filed | Document issued | Registry timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business name (sole proprietorship or partnership) | 950 | BN2 | Certificate of Registration | 1 day |
| Private limited company | 10,650 | CR1, CR2, CR8 and Statement of Nominal Capital | Certificate of Incorporation | 3–5 days |
| Public limited company | 10,650 | CR1, CR2, CR8, CR10, CR12 and Statement of Nominal Capital | Certificate of Incorporation | 3–5 days |
| Company limited by guarantee | 10,000 | CR1, CR3, CR8 | Certificate of Incorporation | 3 days from the NIS vetting report |
| Unlimited company | 20,050 | CR1, CR4, CR8 and Statement of Nominal Capital | Certificate of Incorporation | 3–5 days |
| Foreign company (branch) | 7,550 | FC2, FC4, FC6 plus notarised constitution and the local representative’s letter of acceptance | Certificate of Compliance | 3–5 days |
| Limited liability partnership (LLP) | 25,000 | LLP1 | Certificate of Incorporation | 1 day |
There is no longer a separate name reservation fee
Most guides to company registration in Kenya still describe name reservation as a separate first stage with its own fee. That is out of date. BRS has merged name reservation and business registration into a single step: you submit your three preferred names together with the full application. There is therefore no separate name reservation fee to budget for, and no waiting period between reservation and filing. If a cost breakdown you are reading adds a standalone name search or reservation line, it predates the merge.
What the KES 10,650 covers
For a private limited company the official fee covers the registry’s processing of the incorporation application — the name approval, the CR1 application, the CR2 memorandum subscribed by the shareholders, the CR8 notice of the registered address and the Statement of Nominal Capital — and the issue of the Certificate of Incorporation. It does not cover anything that happens before or after that filing.
Official fees you will meet after incorporation
| Filing or service | Official BRS fee (KES) | Form | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official Search – companies (CR12) | 650 | — | Instant where the company is verified, otherwise 3–5 days |
| Official Search – business names (CR13) | 250 | — | Instant where verified |
| Change of company name | 4,000 | CR15 and CR19 | — |
| Change of business name | 800 | — | — |
| Change of LLP name | 2,000 | — | — |
| Change of particulars of directors | 550 | CR7 | 2 days |
| Change of registered office or location | 550 | CR16 | 1 day |
| Appointment of company secretary | 550 | CR10 | 2 days |
| Change of particulars of company secretary | 550 | CR11 | 1 day |
| Increase or reduction of nominal capital | Varies with the nominal capital | — | — |
What the BRS fee does not include
The BRS fee is the government charge for the filing itself. Budget separately for legal fees for advising on structure, drafting the memorandum and articles and shareholder arrangements, and preparing and lodging the filings; for disbursements such as notarisation and legalisation of foreign documents, commissioner for oaths charges, certified copies and courier; and for the regulatory registrations that follow incorporation, each of which has its own process and, where applicable, its own cost. A newly incorporated Kenyan company will normally need a KRA PIN and to consider tax obligations including VAT and eTIMS where relevant, statutory employer registrations once it has staff, a county business permit for its premises, and any sector licence its activity requires.
Why published cost figures disagree
Three things explain almost every discrepancy you will find online. First, older pages still itemise a separate name reservation fee that the merged process removed. Second, BRS revises its fee schedule periodically, so totals quoted a few years ago no longer match. Third, some pages quote an all-in price that silently bundles a service provider’s professional fee with the government fee, which makes the government fee look higher than it is. Checking the figure against the current BRS Companies Registry fee schedule resolves all three.
How long registration takes
BRS gives 3–5 days for a private limited company, a public limited company, an unlimited company and a foreign company, and 1 day for a business name and for an LLP. A company limited by guarantee is given 3 days but only from the date of the vetting report, which makes it the slowest route in practice. These are registry processing times and they run from the point at which a complete and correctly completed application is lodged; incomplete filings and queried names are the usual cause of delay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to register a business in Kenya?
A business name at KES 950 is the cheapest registration, but it is not a separate legal entity and gives the proprietor no limited liability. For most trading ventures the KES 10,650 private limited company is the better value once liability, ability to raise capital and credibility with banks and counterparties are taken into account.
Is there a minimum share capital for a Kenyan company?
The Companies Act does not impose a general minimum share capital for a private limited company. Nominal capital does matter to cost, however, because the fee for increasing or reducing nominal capital varies with the amount, and some regulated activities carry their own capital requirements.
How much does it cost a foreign company to register in Kenya?
Registering a branch of a foreign company costs KES 7,550 in official fees and produces a Certificate of Compliance rather than a Certificate of Incorporation. Incorporating a Kenyan subsidiary instead costs KES 10,650. The choice between the two is driven by tax and liability rather than by the registration fee, since the difference between them is small.
How much is a CR12?
An official search of the companies register, which produces the CR12, costs KES 650. The equivalent search for a business name (CR13) costs KES 250.
Talk to us about your registration
OLM Law Advocates LLP registers companies, branches and LLPs in Kenya and advises on the structure before the filing is made. See also our guide to company registration in Kenya, the documents and requirements checklist, registering a company as a foreigner, how to check whether a company is registered, and our company and business registration practice. To ask about your own registration, get in touch and tell us what you are setting up and who the shareholders will be.
