You can now apply for a Certified Copy of Business Registration Certificate online. This is in case you need a certified copy or you have lost your original certificate. Before, one had to go to Sheria House, along Harambee Avenue for an application.
Note that in case of a lost certificate and you had applied for registration via an eCitizen account, it is possible to retrieve it online.
The government introduced the use of the Manual Services platform to address the challenges of e-mail submission. This is only for services that have not been automated on the E-citizen platform. Payments are also done on the digital platform.
Going forward, they have stopped receiving physical documents at the Registry. Lodgment of documents through e-mail has been discontinued.
What Can Be Applied for Using the Manual Services Platform?
- Companies and LLP changes
- Unlimited registration
- Application to the registrar
- Certified copy
- Charge and debentures
- Hire purchase
What You Need to Apply for a Certified Copy
- Make sure you have an eCitizen account
- Registration name of the business
- Registration number
- A request letter
How to Apply for a Certified Copy of Business Registration Certificate
- Log in to your eCitizen account and click on Business Registration icon.
- Click on make application.
- On the new page that opens, scroll down to bottom of page and select manual services. Click on manual application to proceed.
- On the process type, select certified copy. Indicate the company type which can either limited liability partnership, private and public companies, company limited by guarantee, foreign companies or business name registration.
- Enter the registration name and number and click next.
- Upload the request letter and click complete.
Verification Stage
After the above stage, your application will go through the verification stage. After it has been verified, you will be provided with the payment invoice.
What Are the Charges for a Certified Copy?
At the moment, they are charging Kenya shillings 250 to get a certified copy of your business registration certificate.
Make Payment Certified Copy of Business Registration Certificate
After your application has been approved, proceed and make payment. The payment options available are Mpesa, Debit/Credit/Prepaid Card, Airtel Money and E-Agent.
Collect Your Business Registration Certified Copy
After your payment is approved, collect your certified copy from the registrar’s office. Print the payment invoice and present it at the collection desk.
Sample of Request Letter
xxxx ENTERPRISES
P.O Box xxxx – 00219
Nairobi
Date: xxxxxxxxx
REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES
SHERIA HOUSE,
2ND FLOOR,
HARAMBEE AVENUE,
NAIROBI
Dear Sir/Madam,
REF: REQUEST FOR BUSINESS CERTIFIED COPY
We are writing to request a certified copy of the following partnership business;
- xxxxx ENTERPRISES – BN/xxxx/xxxxx
Your quick action on the above matter will be highly appreciated.
Yours faithfully,
XXXX xxxx xxx
For: xxxxxx ENTERPRISES
Help to find it
Hey Elvis, kindly clarify your issue and we will be of assistance to you.
Business certificate
Hello Elvis Mpendulo, kindly confirm exactly what you require so that we can be able to help you.
Where do you download or get the certificate of incorporation?
Hey Daniel. This depends on when you registered your company. If it is before 2015, then you should be having the certificate of incorporation which was issued from Sheria house. If by bad luck it got lost, then apply for a certified copy of the incorporation certificate.
On the other hand, if you registered your company after 2015, you can be able to download your certificate using the citizen portal. Log into your citizen account and next to the registered company, click on the view button. You will be able to see your incorporation certificate together with other documents such as CR12.
Go to your applications and click on the name of the business, scroll down you will get a download link.
Thanks, Sheila for chipping in and helping our brother. It is good to have people like you ready to help.
Hi, what if you dont remember the business name certificate number, what will fill
Hey Charles. You can search using the link a business option found on the home of your business registration portal. Simply click on the link business option and enter the name of the business. You do not have to enter the full name and once you click search, names similar to what you have typed will pop up.
It will now be upon you to select your company or business name and next to it will be the business registration number.
Hi Patrick, Thanks for the Educational Article. Highly commendable..
So my questions are;
1. If I’ve already received my Name search and Reservation Doc sent to me, do I still need to Apply for Apply for a Certified Copy of Business Registration Certificate?
2. After following your step by step application process for How to Apply for a Certified Copy of Business Registration Certificate, On the manual application process, In the application section, company Type:- what should I enter, is it *Private and Limited companies,* or As you’ve done *Business name registration*
I am confused, please clarify.
3. Scrolling on the comment section, I’ve also read that “if you registered your company after 2015, you can be able to download your certificate using the citizen portal. Log into your citizen account and next to the registered company, click on the view button. You will be able to see your incorporation certificate together with other documents such as CR12.” I’ve only registered mine 2days ago, so should I wait for the Certificate of incorporation and CR12 to be uploaded?
Concerned reader..Your assistance is highly appreciated.
Hello Njuguna, thanks for approving what I am doing here. Sorry for late response. Well, I will try to be brief.
1. When you register a business or company, you do not need to apply for a certified copy. A certified copy is applied by a) Anyone who has lost his/her certificate of registration, b) Anyone who has been asked to provide a certified copy – mostly to prove that the document is genuine.
2. For company type this depends with what type your company is – the ones starting with BN… are business names and CPRs are limited companies.
3. After registering your company or business name, it takes like 3-5 days to be approved. It goes through several stages such as reviewing, and approval. You should check the status of your approval from the ecitizen page.
I hope this helps but if you are still stuck, you can reach me at info@winstartechnologies.com for one on one help.
Who verifies? is it me or ecitizen?, there’s a verify output option at the bottom of the page but it’s not helping me. I can’t get to the payment option as well. Help me out with the next steps after uploading the letter. I’m stuck at review.
Hey Sheila. Thanks for reaching out. Well verification is done by the officials at Sheria House. After you apply, you have to wait for your application to be verified. After verification ,an invoice will then be generated and you will be able to pay.
I hope this now clears the air.
Hi Patrick, so from the portal ,the system says, stage: collected, after I made payment. What should be the next step for me. do I get to collect the certificate in person or will I be able to download it from my account?
Hey Sheila. Your certified copy of business certificate is ready. However you have to collect the certificate in person. And I hope you are aware that Companies Registry relocated from Sheria House, Harambee Avenue to the 16th floor on 316 Upper Hill Chambers along 2nd Ngong Avenue.
Company was founded in 2012.
Hey Sheila. Noted and as discussed above, visit the Companies Registry Offices and collect your certified copy of business certificate.
Hello Patrick
What happens after getting the name reservation certificate, or how do i get the incorporation certificate. Am stuck, kindly help
Hello Steve. So far so good. If you have gotten the reservation certificate, it means you are on the right track. What you have to do is to wait for the final approval of your incorporation certificate. The application process as you might have noted goes through a number of stages such as verifying and approval. Yours is in the very last stage, so keep checking and it will be approved soon.
Thank You very much, this was very helpful
Thank you Tony for stopping by and commenting. I am glad that you found this post about certified copy of business license useful. Cheers and all the best.
Hello Patrick,
I have been asked to provide CPR 12 and a Certificate of Registration. I already have a Certificate of Incorporation. What are the steps to follow?
Hello Alex, since you have a certificate of incorporation, you should then apply for CR12. CR12 shows a list of current director(s) of a company. Here is a link to help you through the process https://discover.hubpages.com/technology/How-to-Link-a-Business-on-Ecitizen-Portal-and-How-to-Get-a-CR12-Form
Hey, I have made the application and made the payment. It indicates pending approval. What is next stage for me?
Hey Nimo. When you see the status pending approval, it means someone is verifying the details you have entered. You only have to wait for the verification process to be complete.
How do I download my Articles of Incorporation?
Hello Serah, this is how you download your company documents such as certificate of incorporation, CR1, and CR2 among others.
1. Log in to your eCitizen account.
2. Once logged in, click the “Business Registration Service” option on the eCitizen dashboard.
3. You will then see a list of your registered businesses. Find the business for which you need the certificate of incorporation under my applications and click on the “View Details” button next to it.
4. The business application details page opens and on the far right-hand side, the documents link.
5. Locate the document you want and download it.
Hi Patrick,
I registered a company limited by guarantee and later changed its name. How can I get a certificate of incoporation with the new name as what i have is a certificate of change of name and the other certificate with the old name. I would like to start trading but I need the certificate showing the new name. Also how can i amend the KRA PIN to the new name. I will appreciate you advice on this.
Thanks
Hello Sophie, this is how you download your company’s certificate of incorporation.
1. Log in to your eCitizen account.
2. Once logged in, click the “Business Registration Service” option on the eCitizen dashboard.
3. You will then see a list of your registered businesses. Find the business for which you need the certificate of incorporation under my businesses and click on the “View Details” button next to it.
4. You should be able to see some links about the change of name at the bottom.
5. Locate the certificate of incorporation and download it.
For changing name on iTax, it is a two-way process you can opt to pay them a visit or you request a change of name through the various social media channels such as sending them an email to callcentre@kra.go.ke
I am located in Nakuru so it it necessary to go to harambee house Nairobi to collect my business registration certificate or it can be downloaded from online?
Hey Hhawin. The certificate is downloaded online after the registration process is complete.
Hey there !, I have my cert of reservation, Incorporation and cr 12,what’s remaining to open the company account,kindly explain the procedure about moa and article of association until ready to open the cmpny bank account, your help will be greatly appreciated.
Hello Edasher,
By mentioning those documents that you have, I can see you are ready to open a bank account. What you need is to visit the specific bank and check with them what they need. Hoping you already have the KRA pin for the company. For moa and article of association, it depends on how you did your company registration. There is usually that option of accepting the MOA the have on the system, amending it slightly, or providing your own. So unless you check what option you used.
Thanks and I hope this helps.
Hello Edasher,
What you need is to visit the specific bank and check with them what they need. Hoping you already have the KRA pin for the company. For moa and article of association, it depends on how you did your company registration. There is usually that option of accepting the MOA the have on the system, amending it slightly, or providing your own. So unless you check what option you used.
Thanks and I hope this helps.
Hello, I already have name and reservation certificate valid for 30 days. How do I go to get business registration certificate, Kindly assist.
Hey Festus, to get your business certificate, you must complete the whole process up to the stage of paying 950/=. After payment, you can wait for 3 – 5 days for your business registration certificate to be approved.
Hello, are there any charges for application of a Cerified Copy of Registration Certificate?
Hello Justus. At the moment, they are charging Kenya shillings 250 to get a certified copy of your business registration certificate.
Hello. I followed the process and applied for cr1, cr2 and cr8. I was approved and changed to collected. I received no documents though. How can I get them.
Hello Mike. Once you make this application online, after they have gone through, you are supposed to go for the documents physically. Visit Sheria house offices for your documents.
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Hello Patrick,
I applied for Business name and was approved. However, I’m not able to see the Business name Certificate. Been trying to check around ecitizen and BRS where the document is downloaded but dont seem to see any. I applied through BRS link 2 weeks ago.
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me. https://www.binance.com/sk/join?ref=W0BCQMF1
Hello Patrick Kamau,
How does one go about removal of one director in a limited company. Or what is needful for such a process.
i like your article