Private company registration in Pakistan: agree the founders’ details
When several people form a company, the application should reflect the arrangement they actually intend. Prepare a shared decision sheet before entering names, shares and capital into the portal.
Confirm the company type
SECP's incorporation FAQ describes a multi-member private company as formed by two or more persons. It separately describes the single-member route. Decide which arrangement matches the intended ownership before preparing the company documents. SECP incorporation FAQ
Complete a founders' decision sheet
| Decision | Record clearly |
|---|---|
| Ownership | Each subscriber's identity, intended shares and relevant share rights |
| Contributions | What each person will contribute, when, and how it will be documented |
| Management | Proposed directors, chief executive and day-to-day responsibilities |
| Pay and distributions | Working pay, expense reimbursement and distribution policy as distinct questions |
| Future funding | How the founders will consider additional capital or borrowing |
| Departure | What should happen if someone leaves the business, wants to sell or dies |
This is a preparation tool, not a substitute for enforceable documents. Where founders disagree, resolve the issue before describing the proposed arrangement as settled.
We handle the computation, the minimum-tax comparison, statutory accounts and the annual filings together.
Avail our corporate tax servicesPrepare the application documents
SECP's online-incorporation guidance describes completing the application, attaching promoter identities, reviewing generated memorandum/articles and paying the fee. The exact additional evidence depends on the applicant and activity. SECP document guidance
- Check each name and identity number against the relevant identity document.
- Confirm the proposed name, company type and principal business activity.
- Reconcile share subscriptions and capital information with the founders' decision sheet.
- Check the office and contact details and who will monitor communications.
- Identify any required authority, consent or special approval before submission.
Review the filing together
- Use the name-reservation guide to prepare the name and record its expiry.
- Follow the SECP incorporation guide for the application sequence.
- Circulate the generated documents to the founders for review before the required signing stage.
- Correct inconsistencies in the application and generated documents together.
- Confirm the official fee demand, submit and retain payment and application references.
- Monitor objections or returned items and obtain the approved incorporation certificate.
The SECP manual supports the portal process. A consultant's invoice is separate from the official incorporation decision.
Avoid a misleading control shortcut
Do not assume that a single shareholding percentage answers every control question. Identify the particular decision, who votes, the rights attached to the shares, and the required procedure. The Act treats director elections, removal and share transfers in specific provisions. Companies Act, sections 76 and 159–163
Illustrative example: two founders each hold half the shares, but one manages routine purchasing under an agreed authority. A disagreement about a major new investor and a decision to buy office supplies need not follow the same approval route. Write down the authority and reserved decisions instead of assuming either that everything is blocked or that management can decide everything.
Ask useful questions about the shareholder agreement
- Which decisions need additional consent, and how is that consent recorded?
- What information will each founder receive and when?
- What happens if a working founder stops providing services?
- How will a departing interest be valued and funded?
- What practical dispute-resolution steps will precede litigation?
- Do the proposed terms work with the Act, articles and relevant share rights?
Discuss minority protections, director arrangements and transfer rules with an adviser who can review the actual documents. A copied clause or a recommended ownership split is not a universal solution.
Finish with a usable company file
Retain the certificate, final constitutional documents, application record and agreed founder arrangements. Check the FBR NTN outcome and assign responsibility for accounts, audit assessment and later filings. Record changes through their proper process; updating a spreadsheet between founders alone does not establish that company records were updated.
Source check: 14 September 2026. Registration references are official SECP material. The linked Act consolidation is labelled updated 7 October 2022; bespoke governance provisions and subsequent legal changes require review.
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: incorporation FAQs, September 2025 PDF
- SECP: company registration
- SECP: stepwise online incorporation manual
- Companies Act 2017 — Pakistan Code consolidation updated 7 October 2022
Questions people also ask
Can we put equal shares in the form and decide the rest later?
Agree the intended contributions and ownership before filing. Also discuss management, pay, future funding and departures; equal shares do not answer those questions.
Does holding 51% let a founder decide everything?
No. Review the decision, voting rights, articles, applicable law and any agreement. Director elections, removals and reserved matters should not be reduced to one percentage rule.
Do standard articles settle every founder dispute?
Read what they actually provide. Ask a qualified adviser to reconcile any additional shareholder agreement with the Act and the articles.
Which guide covers the complete portal sequence?
Use the linked SECP incorporation guide for the shared filing sequence. This guide focuses on the founder information and document review needed for a multi-member private company.
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