Reserve a company name with SECP: application to approval
Prepare a name application when you can explain both the proposed name and the business behind it. The useful outcome is a reservation confirmation that identifies the approved name and the period available for incorporation.
Check the proposed name first
Use SECP's company-name search. Investigate close spellings and similar-sounding names as well as exact matches. A clear result is useful screening evidence, but SECP says the final availability decision rests with the Registrar. SECP name FAQ
| Prepare | What makes the application clearer |
|---|---|
| Preferred name and alternatives | Different distinctive names, not only changes in punctuation |
| Meaning or significance | Explain an invented word, initials or the reason for using a particular expression |
| Principal business activity | A specific description of what the company will sell or provide |
| Existing affiliation | Evidence supporting any claimed connection to another company |
| Restricted or regulated wording | Identify the approval question before submitting |
Submit the appropriate application
- Start from the official SECP registration page and follow its eZfile link.
- Choose a standalone name reservation, or the combined name-and-incorporation process if that fits your application.
- Enter the company type, proposed name, business activity and explanation consistently.
- Review the application and any requested supporting documents before completing the signing/submission stage.
- Check the generated fee demand, pay through an offered official channel and retain the application reference and receipt.
- Monitor the application for a decision or request for clarification. Save the final confirmation rather than only the payment screen.
The registration page and SECP's stepwise manual explain the filing route. For physical filing, obtain the current application form; the FAQ still contains references to older incorporation regulations and form names.
We handle the computation, the minimum-tax comparison, statutory accounts and the annual filings together.
Avail our corporate tax servicesRecord the reservation period
The published FAQ gives 60 days for a company and 30 days for an LLP, and describes reapplication after expiry subject to availability. Enter the approval and expiry dates from your own confirmation into your checklist. SECP reservation periods
Set an internal reminder well before the stated expiry. Collect the remaining incorporation documents while the reservation is active. If the notice and your calculated date differ, resolve the difference with SECP; do not assume that an extra payment extends the reservation.
Verify the fee for this application
Open the Seventh Schedule publications and compare the applicable name-reservation entry with your portal demand. Record the publication date, filing channel and amount. Ask SECP to clarify any discrepancy before using an older FAQ figure. Separate official payments from an adviser's service charge and any payment-channel charge.
Respond to the actual objection
Illustrative example: a software business proposes a name containing a term that implies a regulated financial activity. Adding “Services” may not answer the objection. The founders should review the stated reason, decide whether the activity and approvals support that wording, or choose an alternative that accurately describes the business.
Keep the original objection, your response and the later decision together. Do not promise an acceptance time or describe a suggested name as approved. After reservation, continue to the incorporation guide.
Source check: 14 September 2026. Reservation periods are attributed to the published SECP FAQ; current fee and physical-form details remain to be confirmed for the application.
Rank names by legal fit, not preference alone
Prepare several genuinely distinct options. For each, note the proposed business activity, any regulated word, similarity found in official searches and whether supporting approval may be needed. Descriptive additions such as “Pakistan,” “International” or “Group” may not cure a conflict with the distinctive part of an existing name.
Submit spelling and legal suffix carefully because the reserved name must flow into incorporation documents. A reservation is time-limited and does not itself create the company or a trademark. Before spending on branding, perform the separate trademark and domain checks. Save the reservation approval, expiry date, payment receipt and exact approved wording so every drafter uses the same name.
Sources
This guide is written against the official and clearly labelled professional references below. Rates, thresholds and portal procedures change between reviews, so open the primary source before relying on a figure.
- SECP: name-reservation FAQs (fee and old-form references require checking)
- SECP: Seventh Schedule fee publications
- SECP: company registration
- SECP: stepwise online incorporation manual
Questions people also ask
Does a clear search result guarantee approval?
No. SECP identifies its search result as informational; the Registrar decides the application. Save the actual reservation confirmation.
What should I do if the reservation expires?
The published FAQ describes a fresh application subject to availability, rather than extension. Check the live process before relying on the same name again.
Why does this guide not quote Rs 200 as the current fee?
The official FAQ still contains older figures and references. They have not been established as the fee currently payable. Check the latest applicable fee publication and the demand generated for your application.
Does this protect my trademark too?
Keep trademark clearance and registration as a separate task. A company-name reservation document does not demonstrate that IPO has registered your brand.
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