Registering a private limited company in Kenya costs KES 10,650 in official Business Registration Service fees and takes three to five working days once a complete application is lodged. Name reservation and registration are now a single filing, there is no minimum share capital, and no Kenyan shareholder or director is required.
Official fees on this page are taken from the Business Registration Service Companies Registry fee schedule. They are government charges and are exclusive of legal fees and disbursements. 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.
Company registration in Kenya is handled entirely online, through the eCitizen platform under the Business Registration Service. The sequence below is the one we follow when incorporating for clients.
The registry timeline runs from a complete and correct application, so the avoidable delays all sit at the preparation stage. Our company registration requirements and documents checklist sets out what each form contains and why applications get queried.
The official BRS fee to register a private limited company in Kenya is KES 10,650. A business name costs KES 950, a branch of a foreign company KES 7,550 and a limited liability partnership KES 25,000. There is no longer a separate name reservation fee, which is why older cost breakdowns overstate the total.
For the full BRS fee schedule by entity type — including forms filed, the document issued and the registry timeline for each — see the complete breakdown in our cost of company registration in Kenya guide.
The BRS fee covers the registry filing itself and nothing else. Budget separately for advice on structure and constitutional documents, for disbursements such as notarisation and legalisation of foreign documents, and for the registrations that follow incorporation. See the full breakdown of the cost of company registration in Kenya, including the official fees for later filings such as a CR12 search, a change of directors or a change of registered office.
A private limited company can be registered with a single shareholder who is also the sole director. What the registry needs is complete and consistent information rather than a large amount of it.
A company secretary is not required for every private company; the obligation arises once paid-up capital reaches the statutory threshold, currently five million shillings. The full requirements checklist covers the forms by entity type and the particulars needed for each.
A foreign national or a foreign company can own a Kenyan company outright in most sectors, with no Kenyan partner or nominee shareholder required. The choice sits between a Kenyan subsidiary, a branch of the foreign company, or a limited liability partnership, and it turns on liability and tax rather than the registration fee. Sector-licensing conditions and the constitutional bar on non-citizen freehold land ownership are the two restrictions that catch investors out, and foreign directors and staff still need a work permit to live or work in Kenya.
For the full comparison of the three routes, the branch tax position and the registration steps, see our guide to foreign company and branch registration in Kenya.
An official search of the companies register produces the CR12, a certified extract stating the registered name and number, the registered office, the directors, and the shareholders with their shareholding. The official fee is KES 650, and KES 250 for the CR13 equivalent for a registered business name. A free name search is not proof of registration, is not certified, and tells you nothing about who owns or controls the company.
Banks, procuring entities and counterparties ask for a recent CR12 rather than a certificate of incorporation, because only the CR12 states the current position. Our guide explains how to check whether a company is registered in Kenya, what a CR12 will not tell you, and why some searches take three to five days.
The certificate of incorporation is the start of compliance, not the end of it. A new company needs a KRA PIN before it can transact, and should take advice on its tax registrations, including VAT and electronic tax invoicing where those apply. Statutory employer registrations follow once the company has staff, premises require a county business permit, and many activities require a sector licence or regulatory approval on top.
Banks apply full know-your-customer checks to newly incorporated and foreign-owned companies, asking for the certificate, the constitutional documents, a recent CR12, board resolutions and identification for every director, shareholder and beneficial owner. Account opening is frequently the longest single item in the whole exercise. For the wider picture see doing business in Kenya, and our tax practice for the registrations that follow.
Company incorporation in Kenya is completed entirely online, so where the business will be based does not change how the company is registered. A founder in Nairobi and a founder abroad file through the same eCitizen platform under the Business Registration Service, and receive the same digital certificate of incorporation. What a Nairobi address does affect are the registrations that follow, because the county business permit and the physical premises sit under the relevant county government rather than the national registry.
To register a company online in Kenya you need a verified eCitizen account, the three proposed names, the shareholder and director particulars set out above, and a Kenyan registered office address for form CR8. Once the application is complete the registry works to its three to five day timeline regardless of location. Where a company will cross the paid-up capital threshold or wants ongoing filing support, our company secretarial services in Kenya cover statutory registers, annual returns and board compliance after incorporation.
KES 10,650 in official BRS fees for a private limited company, KES 950 for a business name, KES 7,550 for a branch of a foreign company and KES 25,000 for a limited liability partnership. Those are government charges only; legal fees and disbursements are separate.
BRS gives three to five working days for a company or a branch, and one day for a business name or an LLP, running from a complete and correct filing. Foreign-owned incorporations usually take longer overall, because notarising and legalising documents abroad sits outside the registry timeline.
No. Name reservation and registration are now a single step: three proposed names go in with the full application, and there is no separate reservation fee or waiting period. Any checklist that has you reserve a name and come back later predates the merge.
Yes, and in most sectors a foreigner can own the company outright without a Kenyan partner. The exceptions come from sector licensing conditions rather than from the Companies Act, and from the constitutional restriction on non-citizens holding freehold land.
No. The filing is made online and the shareholders and directors can be abroad, provided the signed forms and identity documents are properly notarised and, where required, legalised. You do need a Kenyan registered office address from the start.
A business name at KES 950 registers a trading name and is not a separate legal entity, so the proprietor remains personally liable. A private limited company at KES 10,650 is a separate legal person with limited liability, and is what banks, landlords and counterparties generally expect to deal with.
The Companies Act sets no general minimum for a private limited company. Some regulated activities impose their own capital requirements as a licensing condition, and the official fee for later increasing or reducing nominal capital varies with the amount, so the figure is worth choosing deliberately.
The filing itself can be made by anyone holding the correct particulars. What advice buys is the part that is expensive to fix afterwards: the choice of entity, the shareholding and share classes, the constitutional documents and shareholder arrangements, and the beneficial ownership position where the structure runs through holding companies.
Save or print this guide for offline reference. Click below to generate a PDF of the full article, including OLM Law contact details.
Download / Print PDF →Our corporate team advises founders and investors on company formation, governance, shareholder arrangements and ongoing compliance in Kenya.
See also our detailed guides to the cost of company registration in Kenya, the documents and requirements checklist, registering a company as a foreigner, how to check whether a company is registered, our guide to converting or re-registering a company, our guide to striking off a company, and our company and business registration practice.
For any enquiries on this or any other matter, do not hesitate to contact us via email at [email protected].
Talk to Our Company Registration Team Get in TouchDisclaimer: This article has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute a lawyer-client relationship. Nothing in this article is intended to guarantee, warranty, or predict the outcome of a particular case and should not be construed as such a guarantee, warranty, or prediction. The authors are not responsible for any actions (or lack thereof) taken as a result of relying on or in any way using information contained in this article and in no event shall be liable for any damages resulting from reliance on or use of this information. Readers should take specific advice from a qualified professional when dealing with specific situations.
