A private company (Pty Ltd) in Namibia is registered with the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) in two stages: first a name is reserved on form CM5, then a set of incorporation forms is submitted, with notarised copies and beneficial ownership declarations. BIPA's own pages give fees and a processing time for close corporations but no processing time for companies, so any timeline for a Pty Ltd should be treated as an estimate.
What are the steps to register a private company?
- Reserve the name. Form CM5 with a certified copy of the applicant's ID, contact details and the fee. According to BIPA's March 2025 presentation, an approved name stays valid for 60 business days, and a registration cannot start without it.
- Prepare the documents. The core set is the memorandum and articles of association booklet (forms CM1, CM2, CM44 or CM44A, and CM44C), submitted as one original and two notarised copies. Loose forms go with it: CM22 (postal and registered address), CM29 (directors, auditors and public officers), CM31 (appointment of an auditor), CM46 (certificate to commence business), the name approval letter, and certified copies of the directors' documents.
- Add beneficial ownership declarations for all owners (see below).
- Submit to BIPA with the fees. BIPA's presentation advises using a legal practitioner or company secretarial provider, because the memorandum and articles are drafted for each company.
Which company type fits: Pty Ltd, close corporation or foreign company?
- Private company (Pty Ltd): shares are not publicly traded and there can be up to 50 shareholders (BIPA).
- Close corporation (CC): one to ten members, registered with form CC8 for the name and CC1 for the founding statement. BIPA states a fee of N$150 and a turnaround of 5 working days for a CC.
- External (foreign) company: a company incorporated abroad that sets up a place of business in Namibia registers with form CM49 instead of CM1 and CM46, with a certified copy of its original memorandum and articles.
This guide follows the Pty Ltd route. Which structure suits a particular business is a question for a lawyer or accountant.
What documents do foreign owners need?
For a CC, BIPA says a foreign national's passport copy should be notarised by a notary in the country that issued it or carry an Apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention. BIPA's presentation lists certified or notarised copies of IDs and passports for members and directors. Whether the same wording applies to every Pty Ltd application is not spelled out on the company page, so check with BIPA or your adviser before you have documents notarised.
What does registration cost?
- Name reservation: N$75 in BIPA's March 2025 presentation. BIPA's fee table lists two columns, one marked “Effective 01 January 2020” (N$75) and one marked “current” (N$50), and it does not say which one applies, so confirm at submission.
- Company registration: BIPA's presentation says the minimum fee “starts at N$465” and varies with the share structure.
- Not paid to BIPA: notarisation and the auditor's appointment go to service providers, and BIPA does not regulate those charges.
- Every year after: the annual return costs N$290 for a company (annual duty N$160 plus an administrative fee of N$130), according to the same presentation.
How long does it take?
BIPA gives no processing time for company registration on the pages we read; for a close corporation it states 5 working days. Our partners in Namibia report from their own cases that opening a business takes up to 15 days, and 2 to 8 days when the client is present in Namibia (information passed on by the project owner on 3 October 2026). This is a partner estimate, not an official figure, and we have not verified it independently.
Do you have to be in Namibia?
We found no official statement that requires the owner to be present. BIPA allows beneficial ownership declarations to be filed by a representative such as a lawyer, accountant or company secretarial provider registered with the Financial Intelligence Centre. Our partners say a company can also be opened remotely and handed over to the client, at a higher price than registering in person. That is their practice, and the price depends on the case.
What is a beneficial ownership declaration?
Under section 4 of the Financial Intelligence Act 2012, companies and close corporations give BIPA details of the natural persons who ultimately own or control them, at registration and every year afterwards. BIPA's list of beneficial owners includes anyone who holds 25 percent or more of the shares or voting rights, directly or through another entity. According to BIPA's presentation, a declaration is also due within 7 days of a change of beneficial owners. Banks ask for the same information when they open a company account, which is covered in our note on Namibia leaving the FATF grey list.
What we could not confirm
- BIPA's processing time for a Pty Ltd, and which column of its fee table is current.
- Whether the owner must appear in person, and the exact notarisation rules for each document type.
- Tax registration with the Namibia Revenue Agency, which is a separate step and is not covered here.
- Foreign ownership limits in particular sectors, and the permits an owner needs to live or work in Namibia: see our overview of residence permit types.
- BIPA's website certificate had expired when we accessed it, so we cross-checked its pages against BIPA's presentation hosted on the Namibia Revenue Agency site.
This page summarises published requirements and is not legal advice. Fees and procedures can change; confirm them with BIPA or an adviser before you file.