Foreign Company Registration in Pakistan

Foreign Company Registration in Pakistan | Step by Step ProcedureRegistration of Foreign Company in Pakistan | Branch & Liaison Office

Foreign Company Registration

Registration of a foreign company in Pakistan is no more complex as we are providing a thorough consultancy with regard to the foreign company registration and its legal and regulatory compliance. However, it requires professional attention and due care.

After commencement of CPEC, multiple international companies registered their Branch / Liaison Offices for the purpose of investments and business. We have assisted hundreds of foreign companies to register their companies as non-resident.

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Our Core Services

Approval from Board of Investment
Name Search & Reservation
Foreign Company Registration
Memorandum & Articles
Legal Documentation
Legal & Regulatory Compliance
Contract & Agreement Drafting
Trademark & Copyright
Tax Management & Consultancy
Registered Business Address
Mail Forwarding Services
Bank Account Opening Services
Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Step by Step Procedure of Foreign Company Registration

Step 1: Name Reservation & Selection of Entity:

You need to reserve company name and entity type i.e. Branch/ Liaison Office, Private Limited etc.

Step 2: Approval from Board of Investment

A foreign company is required to obtain a permission letter from the Board of Investment with a specific validity period for opening and maintaining its branch/liaison office in Pakistan. Copy of such a permission letter is required to be furnished with the documents meant for registration. Renewal/ extension of the permission to open/maintain a branch/liaison office is also required to be obtained from the Board of Investment on the expiry of the validity period of the permission originally granted. Whenever such renewal/extension is granted, a copy must be furnished to the registrar concerned.

Step 3: Pre-Incorporation Compliance

Some businesses require approvals or licensing after registration of the company. We would strongly recommend assessing your qualification as to whether you are qualified or competent to get approval from the concerned department because if after registration of the company, the same is denied that would affect the investment and energy. You can seek our guidance to assess your qualification for the licensing.

Step 4: Documentation & Filing

Once we assess that you are competent to get approval from the concerned regulator, we will compile your file which include following documents.

Principal Line of Business
A correspondence or registered office address in Pakistan (if you don’t have one, we can manage subject to the additional cost)
Name of shareholder(s), Director(s) and Chief Executive along with their notarized copies of passport or CNIC/POC/NICOP in case of Overseas Pakistani
Detail of shares to be subscribed by each shareholder
Authorized and Paid-Up Capital details
Undertaking by the foreign shareholders and directors on the prescribed format
Documents related to a foreign company (in case the proposed shareholder is a company)
- Profile of the company
- Detail of its directors, their nationality and country of origin
- Board Resolution (Approval of investment in a local company)
- Articles of association
- Memorandum of association
- Certificate of incorporation

SECP requires that all documents/information collected regarding the foreign company should be filed with the registrar after they have been:

Certified to be true by the public officer in the country where the company is incorporated/ Notary public of the country where the company is incorporated/ an affidavit of a responsible officer of the company in the country where the company is incorporated.
Authenticated by a Pakistani diplomatic consular or consulate officer

Upon submission of these documents to the SECP, the SECP shall issue a certificate of incorporation and a National Tax Number (NTN) will be issued to the company at the time of incorporation.

Step 5: Licensing & Approvals
If the business requires approval and licensing from the regulator, soon after the incorporation of the company we will file an application for such permission.
Step 5: Statutory Compliance
Company after its incorporation requires statutory compliance by submitting relevant forms and audit reports to the SECP.
Step 6: Regulatory Compliance
No matter the industry or company size, all businesses must adhere to certain laws and regulations as part of operations. Regulatory compliance, in fact, deals with a set of guidelines that the law requires organizations to follow. Regulatory compliance processes and strategies provide guidance for organizations as they strive to attain their business goals.
Step 7: Contracts & Agreements
Contracts are the essence of business relationships. Our commercial contract lawyers provide expert advice on contract law and commercial law surrounding a wide range of commercial contracts including for the supply or purchase of goods, services, works and software/data. We put in place clear, workable and cost-effective commercial contracts to enable our clients to lock down new opportunities and focus on meeting and exceeding their business objectives.
Step 8: Tax Management
We support local and international businesses to achieve their business goals in a most competitive manner. Understanding their business operations and transactions in multiple jurisdictions is of prime importance for a company’s survival in the competitive age. We provide a full range of services to meet their business needs from tax advisory, consulting and cross border restructuring by analyzing the best possible strategies that meet their business objectives through analyzing tax and regulatory implications of transactions and finally implementation assistance, from the perspectives of domestic law and the international tax treaty network.