How to Register a Business in Namibia (and Get It Online)

Sole Trader, CC or (Pty) Ltd: Choosing Your Business Form

BIPA registers close corporations and companies. A sole trader (sole proprietor) is not a separate legal entity: the business is simply you, trading under your own name or a trading name. Here is how the main options compare.

Sole trader

The simplest way to start. There is no entity to register at BIPA, no founding documents and no BIPA annual duty. The catch is that you and the business are one and the same in law, so the business's debts are your personal debts. You still need to register with NamRA for tax and, where your local authority requires it, obtain a fitness certificate for your premises.

If you want to protect a name before you incorporate, BIPA offers a defensive name: N$ 75 to reserve the name (form CM5) and N$ 300 to register it (form CM8) for two years, renewable once for another two years (N$ 160). Some older BIPA material presents this as the route for sole proprietors, but BIPA's defensive-name page is clear that, by law, a defensive name should not be used for trading. It protects a name; it does not create a business.

Close corporation (CC)

A CC is registered under the Close Corporations Act 26 of 1988, and BIPA itself describes it as ideal for small business owners. It has one to ten members, who own and manage it; their interests are expressed as percentages that add up to 100%. A CC is a legal person separate from its members, which gives them limited liability, although members can be held personally liable if they act negligently. Every CC needs an accounting officer, which is why BIPA asks for a consent letter from a registered accountant.

Private company (Pty) Ltd

A private company is registered under the Companies Act 28 of 2004. It can have up to 50 shareholders, who appoint directors to run it. That makes it the better fit when you plan to bring in investors or partners who hold shares. It is also more work: the memorandum and articles of association must be certified by a notary public, an auditor must be appointed, and BIPA recommends using a legal practitioner to prepare the documents.

BIPA also registers public companies, not-for-profit Section 21 companies and external (foreign) companies, which are rarely the starting point for a small business.

How to choose: start as a sole trader if you are testing an idea and the risks are small. Choose a CC if you want limited liability with simple administration. Choose a (Pty) Ltd if you will have investors or several owners, or if a client or funder asks for one. A registered accountant can tell you how each option affects your tax.

How to Register a Close Corporation With BIPA, Step by Step

1. Search for your name. Use the Business Name Search on bipa.na to see whether the name, or one very like it, is already registered. BIPA checks every application against its name guidelines and protects the public against names that are confusingly similar or undesirable.
2. Reserve the name. Apply on form CC8 (form CM5 for a company). The fee is N$ 75. Give BIPA alternatives in case your first choice is refused: its FAQ advises six optional names. BIPA states that a name reservation takes 3 working days, and a reserved name stays valid for 60 business days while you prepare the registration.
3. Complete the founding statement. Fill in form CC1 in triplicate with the members' details and their percentage interests.
4. Collect the supporting documents:
   • a copy of the approved name reservation;
   • an original signed consent letter from the CC's accounting officer, a registered accountant;
   • certified copies of the IDs of all members and witnesses (foreign nationals: a passport copy notarised by a notary public, or carrying an apostille);
   • a beneficial ownership declaration (form BO1) for all owners, since BIPA will not process a new registration without one;
   • where your sector requires it, consent from the regulator concerned, such as NAMFISA or the Namibia Tourism Board.
5. Pay and lodge. Pay the N$ 150 registration fee into one of the bank accounts listed on BIPA's website, using the payment reference BIPA prescribes, and lodge the documents with BIPA. You can follow progress with the Application Status Check on bipa.na.
6. Receive your registration documents. BIPA's stated turnaround for a close corporation is 5 working days.

Registering a (Pty) Ltd

The name step is the same, on form CM5. Once the name is approved, the company documents are lodged together: the memorandum and articles of association booklet (forms CM1, CM2, CM44 or CM44A, and CM44C) in triplicate, one original and two notarised copies, plus separate forms for the registered and postal address (CM22), the register of directors, auditors and officers (CM29), the auditor's consent (CM31), each director's statement on the adequacy of capital (CM47) and the certificate to commence business (CM46), with certified copies of the directors' IDs and the beneficial ownership declarations. BIPA's stated turnaround for companies is 25 days.

All BIPA registration forms can be downloaded free of charge from bipa.na, including the close corporation forms, and BIPA publishes a checklist for new private companies on its “How to” page.

Can You Register a Business With BIPA Online?

Partly. As of November 2026, this is what BIPA offers online:

• Business name search on the bipa.na home page.
• Online name reservation through BIPA's online registration portal (WEB-ICRS). You create a BIPA account with your email address and activate it from the confirmation email. You then submit the reservation, pay by EFT or direct deposit using the reference number the system generates, and upload your proof of payment. BIPA emails you the approval or rejection, within 3 working days according to its own guide, and you print the approval to lodge with your registration documents.
• Application status check for both online and physical applications, using your reference number.

The registration itself is a different story. BIPA's instructions for close corporations and companies still call for forms in triplicate, original signatures, certified ID copies and, for companies, notarised documents, all lodged with BIPA. An earlier online registration route has not been available for some time: in May 2025 the Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy said that BIPA's existing online registration system was not working and that a new one was coming. In January 2026 BIPA held the kick-off meeting with the developer of its new Integrated Business Registration System (IBRS). Until BIPA announces that the new system is live, plan for paper lodging and check bipa.na for updates.

Be realistic about time, too. BIPA's published turnaround times are short, but in January 2026 the Namibia–Kenya Chamber of Commerce said that business registration and related approvals often take months and remain heavily paper-based. A complete, correctly certified application is your best protection against delays.

After BIPA: Tax, Social Security, Licences and a Bank Account

The BIPA certificate makes your CC or company a legal entity. BIPA itself reminds new businesses that other registrations follow: tax, labour, the Social Security Commission, the local authority and, where relevant, regulators such as NAMFISA or the Namibia Tourism Board.

1. Register with NamRA for tax

Every business, whether a company, close corporation, partnership, sole proprietor or informal trader, must register with the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) for a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) before carrying out taxable activities. You can register online on NamRA's ITAS portal, as a walk-in at a NamRA office, or through assisted registration. NamRA says a complete application can expect approval within 7 working days.

• Income tax. Companies and CCs are registered automatically as provisional taxpayers when they register for tax, and file their annual return within seven months of their financial year-end. A sole trader earning more than N$ 50 000 a year in taxable income that is not a salary must register as a provisional taxpayer.
• VAT. Registration is compulsory once your taxable supplies exceed, or are expected to exceed, N$ 1 000 000 in any 12-month period; below that, voluntary registration may be possible. Some older NamRA pages still show the previous N$ 500 000 threshold, so confirm with NamRA. NamRA's VAT page lists proof of banking details, a fitness certificate, the founding statement and your expected 12-month turnover as supporting documents. Our guide to tax invoice requirements in Namibia explains what changes once you are VAT-registered.
• Employee tax (PAYE). If you employ staff, you must apply to register as an employer with NamRA within 14 days of becoming one.

2. Register with the Social Security Commission

Under the Social Security Act 34 of 1994, every employer must register with the Social Security Commission (SSC) and register every employee; failing to do so is an offence. Employers use SSC Form 1. Employees then belong to the Maternity Leave, Sick Leave and Death Benefit Fund, which costs 1.8% of the basic wage, shared equally: 0.9% from the employer and 0.9% from the employee, on wages from N$ 500 up to a ceiling of N$ 12 500 a month. That works out at a minimum of N$ 4.50 and a maximum of N$ 112.50 a month each. Self-employed people may register voluntarily and pay the full 1.8%.

3. Get a fitness certificate from your municipality

Local authorities control where and how businesses may operate. In Windhoek, every business within the municipal boundaries must obtain a fitness certificate for its premises and renew it every year, under the regulations on the registration of businesses (GN 202 of 2006). The City asks for your ID, proof that you own or lease the premises (or the owner's consent), proof of registration such as your BIPA documents, a paid-up municipal account, and either a town planning certificate or, in a residential area, a consent letter; food businesses also need medical certificates. You can apply at the City's Customer Care Centre or through its e-portal. Other towns have their own rules and fees, so check with your local authority before you open.

4. Open a business bank account

Keep business money separate from day one; NamRA's VAT registration also asks for proof of banking details. Under the Financial Intelligence Act, banks must verify a business and the people behind it, so expect to provide your BIPA documents, the IDs of the members or directors and of everyone who will sign on the account, and proof of address. Ask your bank for its current list before you apply.

5. Stay compliant with BIPA

Every CC and company must lodge an annual return and pay annual duty: N$ 120 a year for a CC (form CC7); for a private company (form CM23), a minimum duty of N$ 130 plus a N$ 160 submission fee, and N$ 300 more if it is late. Beneficial ownership details must be confirmed with each annual return (form BO2 if nothing has changed) and updated within seven working days of any change. BIPA sends two reminders to entities that do not pay and then starts deregistration; in May 2025 BIPA said about 141 000 organisations risked deregistration over beneficial ownership disclosure alone. Entities whose annual returns are paid up qualify for a BIPA certificate of good standing.

How Much It Costs and How Long It Takes

BIPA's fees below come from its published fee schedule, effective since 1 January 2020 and still shown on bipa.na in November 2026. The times are the official ones; allow extra time in practice.

For a simple CC, BIPA's own fees therefore come to N$ 225. Most of the real cost lies in professional help: the accounting officer for a CC and, for a company, notarisation, the auditor and legal drafting. BIPA does not regulate these fees, so ask for a written quote. Fees change: confirm the current amounts on BIPA's close corporation fees and company application fees pages before you pay.

Getting Your New Business Online

Once your business name is approved, secure it online too. Customers will search for it, and a matching web address and email make a new business look established from day one.

Register your domain

A .com.na address is the natural choice for a Namibian CC or company, and registration costs N$ 1 040 excluding VAT. Check that the domain is free while you wait for BIPA's name approval, and register it in your business's name. Our guide on how to register a .na domain explains the options, or you can register your domain with PHOENIX straight away.

Use a professional email address

An address like info@yourbusiness.com.na looks far more trustworthy on quotes and invoices than a free webmail account. With business email hosting your mailboxes run on your own domain and work in Outlook, in webmail and on every phone. Our guide to setting up a professional email address walks you through it.

Put up a website

Whether your business is a salon, a guesthouse, a bakery, a cleaning service or a consultancy, the first online job is the same: one page that says who you are, what you offer, what it costs and how to reach you. Our Presence package does exactly that for N$ 2 990 a year including VAT (about N$ 250 a month), with hosting included: one page with up to 20 products or services and their prices, a WhatsApp button and a yourname.business.na address, and we write the text for you. Need your own .com domain, more pages and mailboxes? The Business package (N$ 4 890 a year) covers that. Compare all our website packages.

Your Business Registration Checklist

1. Choose your business form: sole trader, CC or (Pty) Ltd.
2. Search the name on bipa.na and check that the matching .com.na domain is free.
3. Reserve the name (CC8 or CM5, N$ 75), online or on paper, and keep the approval.
4. Get the accounting officer's consent letter (CC), or have a legal practitioner prepare the company documents.
5. Certify the IDs of all members or directors and witnesses, and complete the BO1 declaration.
6. Pay BIPA's fee, lodge the documents and track the application status.
7. Register with NamRA for a TIN, and for VAT and employee tax where they apply.
8. Register with the Social Security Commission as soon as you employ someone.
9. Apply for your municipal fitness certificate and any sector licence.
10. Open a business bank account.
11. Register your domain, set up business email and publish your website.
12. Diarise BIPA's annual return, your NamRA returns and the fitness certificate renewal.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. The official requirements and current fees are published by BIPA (bipa.na) and NamRA (namra.org.na), and a registered accountant or legal practitioner can advise you on your situation.