To establish a Private Limited Company (Pvt Ltd) in Zimbabwe, compliance is mandatory across three primary governmental bodies: the Deeds, Companies and Intellectual Property Office (DCIPO) for incorporation; the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) for tax compliance; and the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) for employer registration.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the requirements for company registration in Zimbabwe:
I. Deeds, Companies and Intellectual Property Office (DCIPO) Requirements
These requirements are necessary for the statutory incorporation of the company under the Companies and Other Business Entities Act (COBE Act).
| Requirement Category | Specific Details and Prerequisites |
| Company Name | Must provide three to five proposed unique names. Names should avoid initials or digits and must not be indecent or likely to mislead the public. The name is reserved for up to one month upon approval. |
| Registered Addresses | The company must provide physical, postal, and email addresses. The physical address must be strictly a Zimbabwean address and cannot be a P.O. Box Number (Form CR6 is used for the registered address). |
| Core Business Objectives | The proposed business activities must be clearly defined (e.g., mining, logistics, or farming). |
| Minimum Directors | A minimum of two directors is required. |
| Director Eligibility | Directors must be at least 16 years old and must not be bankrupt or legally disqualified. |
| Residency Requirement | Crucially, at least one director should ordinarily be a resident of Zimbabwe. |
| Director Details | Full name and National Identity (ID) number for each director must be provided (Form CR6 contains details of directors). |
| Shareholder Details | For individual shareholders, full names are required. For corporate shareholders, the organization’s name and company number are needed. |
| Beneficial Ownership | Full disclosure of the beneficial owner(s) is mandatory, including their full name and addresses. |
| Statutory Documents | Submission of the constitutional documents (historically the Memorandum and Articles of Association, or their modern COBE equivalents), signed by the shareholders, is required. |
| Incorporation Fee | The official statutory fee for a Private Limited Company is USD 40. |
II. ZIMRA (Tax) Registration Requirements
Registration with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) to obtain a Business Partner (BP) Number is mandatory for all new traders and must be completed within 30 days after the business starts trading.
The application is primarily conducted through the ZIMRA SSP.
III. NSSA (Social Security) Registration Requirements
Registration with the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) is compulsory for all employers and must be completed within 30 days of becoming an employer.7
The process is completed via the NSSA portal for “New Company Registration”. Required information and documents include:
- Trade Name and Legal Name.
- Business Activity.
- Start Date of First Employee(s).
- Total Number of Employees and Total Wage Bill.
- Certificate of Incorporation.
- Company Address (CR5/CR6).
- List of Directors (CR6).
- Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association (or COBE equivalents).
- Mandatory Attachment: Employee Details must be attached using a specific Excel template downloaded from the portal.
Upon approval, NSSA issues both an employer BP (Business Partner) number and an SSR (Social Security Registration) number.
