In June 2019, Botswana's Companies And Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) introduced the Online Business Registration System (OBRS) which allowed the registration of companies and business as well as registration of intellectual property online.
On this episode of Decoder, we look at how to use the system to register a private company in one day (or two).
Create Profile
-Go to cipa.co.bw and go to "Create a profile" and follow prompts.
Reserve Name
-After creating a profile, the next step will be to reserve a company name. After submitting a name for review, you should expect feedback on the state of your request within 24 hours. The cost for this process is P20.
-To prevent delays, its best to pick a name which is not associated to any existing trademark, company or business.
Register Company
-After reserving the name successfully, the next step is to register the company. It is important to note that the system will require you to upload scanned copies of the following documents; omang/passport, director consent form, shareholder consent form, secretary certificate and tax agent certificate. Please note that you can upluad the secretary and tax agent certificates at a later date after you have incorporated your company.
- Proceed to register your company by following the prompts. After completion, you will be required to pay a fee of P360 to wrap up your application.
-After you submit your application and paid all the requisite fee, you can expect your application to be approved within 24 hours after which you will get your certificate of incorporation.
