Before you can register a business in Kenya, you need to check if your name is available. Here's how the name search and reservation process works on eCitizen.
Registering a business in Kenya starts with a name. Before you can officially register, you need to search whether your proposed name is already taken, reserve it, and then complete the full registration. All of this happens through the Business Registration Service (BRS) on eCitizen.
The BRS maintains a register of all registered business names and companies in Kenya. If a name is already registered or reserved, you cannot register it. The search also helps you avoid names that are too similar to existing entities — BRS can reject names that are confusingly similar to registered names even if not identical.
1. Go to ecitizen.go.ke and navigate to the Business Registration Service 2. Select Name Search 3. Type your proposed name and search 4. The result will show whether the name is available, already registered, or reserved
The search is free. You can do as many searches as you like.
Once you've found an available name, you can reserve it to prevent others from registering it while you prepare your full application. Reservation costs KSh 150 and is valid for 30 days.
After reservation, you proceed to the full registration: - Business name (sole proprietorship/partnership): KSh 850 fee; quick turnaround, typically 1–2 days - Private limited company: KSh 10,650 for up to 1 million shares; takes 3–7 days
Both applications are completed online through eCitizen. The Certificate of Registration (for business names) or Certificate of Incorporation (for companies) is downloaded from eCitizen once issued.
With your certificate, you can: - Apply for a business bank account - Register for a KRA PIN as a business - Apply for business licences at county level (trading licence, health certificate depending on your business type) - Register your M-Pesa Paybill or Till number with Safaricom
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