Search and document delivery at a glance
- Search online
- RSE provides a public reports listing for listed issuers. Registry copies are requested separately from ORG/RDB. [6] [3] [14] [2] [11]
- Search language
- Not specified
- Digital documents
- RSE reports have a download route. ORG must confirm electronic delivery of third-party registry copies for the specific request. [6] [3] [14] [15]
- Document language
- Not specified
- Paper and collection
- Not specified
- International delivery
- Not specified
- Fees at a glance
- Register inspection and authenticated copies carry prescribed fees. Request the amount from RDB. Exchange reports are publicly accessible.
- Access
- Request information about other companies from ORG/RDB. The registration portal uses an email and password account. Its “Foreigner” account option requires passport details and a passport copy.
Choose the right register
ORG is the Office of the Registrar General within the Rwanda Development Board. It registers companies and individual enterprises. The official overview separates these from partnerships, foundations and trusts, as well as security interests and intellectual property. This guide mainly addresses companies under the Companies Law. [1] [3]
Responsibilities and links to company and separate registers.
Login and account registration for company transactions.
Current contact for official service requirements and costs.
Official explanation of filing obligations and restricted access.
Public index of published exchange-issuer financial reports.
Names and abbreviations explained
- RDBRwanda Development Board
- The public development and investment body that includes the Registrar General’s office. [1]
- ORGOffice of the Registrar General
- The authority responsible for the company register and official registration information. [1]
- TINTax Identification Number
- The official examples label the identifier Company Code/TIN. Include it alongside the registered company name in an information request. [9] [10]
- BOBeneficial Owner
- The natural person who ultimately owns or controls an entity. This may differ from the directly registered legal shareholder. [4] [5]
- Annual returnYearly registration-data return
- A confirmation and update of company particulars. It is a different document from annual financial statements. [4] [3]
- LtdPrivate limited company
- A private company restricts share transfers and cannot invite the public to subscribe for its shares or debentures. [3]
- PlcPublic limited company
- A company that may offer shares to the public. [3]
- RSERwanda Stock Exchange
- Rwanda’s securities exchange. Its financial-report index covers market issuers, meaning companies that have issued securities on the market. [11]
Search step by step
Obtain official information about another company
Identify the company
Record the full registered name and Company Code/TIN, preferably from an existing incorporation certificate. Distinguish the legal company name from a trading or product name. [3] [9]
Specify the information required
Contact the Office of the Registrar General through RDB at info@rdb.rw. State the relevant record date and the documents needed. For register inspection, the shareholder list or an authenticated copy bearing the official seal, refer specifically to Article 278 of the Companies Law. [3] [6] [7]
Confirm price and delivery before ordering
Ask for the price in Rwandan francs, payment method and delivery method for that precise request. For authenticated copies, also specify the document scope, official seal and any additional certification required. The Service Charter gives 24 hours for a Shareholder Certificate, but neither a price nor a universal turnaround for all file copies. [3] [6]
Compare the response with the starting document
Match the name and registration code. Then check the dates of management and ownership information. An old incorporation document establishes registration at that time; Article 277 provides for an amended incorporation certificate following a name change. [3] [10]
Find publicly released financial reports
Open the exchange’s report index
Use Financial Reports on the Rwanda Stock Exchange website. The index is accessible without an account. It covers published reports of exchange issuers, rather than every Rwandan company. [11] [14]
Select the issuer and reporting period
Choose the issuer under Listed companies. Check the reporting year and whether the title says Annual Report, Full Year Results or Interim Results. [14]
Check the type of document
Follow Download for the relevant entry. If you need accounts filed at the company register, give ORG the exact year and ask which copy is available. [14] [3] [15]
Distinguish legal shareholders from beneficial owners
Request shareholder information
For registered legal holdings, request the list of shareholders or a Shareholder Certificate. Full Registration Information also includes Founding Shareholders Details. [3] [6] [10]
Apply the BO access restriction
The Beneficial Owners Register is a separate filing service. Its FAQ states that only competent authorities may access BO information when carrying out their mandate. The TIN/application-reference field does not create public access to beneficial ownership details. [13] [4]
Documents and fees
| Document / information | Contents and purpose | Fee | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authenticated register copy or extract [3] [6] | Information from the company register; authentication with the official seal supports formal evidential use. | Prescribed fee under Article 278; ask RDB for the amount and delivery costs for the specific copy. | Request from ORG through info@rdb.rw, providing name, Company Code/TIN and the exact document required. |
| Certificate of Domestic Company Registration [2] [3] [9] | Incorporation certificate, stating at least registered name, code, company type and incorporation date. The official example also shows office, management and activity fields. | Initial registration is free according to ORG. Ask separately for the price of a later authenticated third-party copy. | Original certificate for the registration applicant; third parties can request an authenticated copy under Article 278.
|
| Full Registration Information of Domestic Company [10] [3] [6] | More detailed registration information, including management, Board Members, capital and Founding Shareholders Details. | Specify information and authentication needs to ORG. | Request current full information from ORG. The example explains the fields, not access to arbitrary company files.
|
| Shareholder Certificate [6] [3] [13] | Official shareholder certificate; distinct from the restricted beneficial ownership register. | Request the cost from RDB. Service Charter: issued in 24 hours; no fee stated against this item. | ORG/RDB; specify the relevant record date and authentication required. |
| Annual return and filed annual accounts [3] [4] [11] | Confirmation of registration data and, separately, financial documents for a specified year. | Ask ORG for the price and availability of each copy. | Specify the year and document type. Also use RSE for publicly released issuer reports. |
| BO information [13] [4] | Information about natural persons who are beneficial owners. | No public purchase or free retrieval according to the BO FAQ. | Access for competent authorities carrying out their mandate; not a general third-party research route. |
| Up-to-date Company Information Confirmation Statement [8] | Blank form for a company to confirm its annual registration particulars. | The official PDF is freely accessible. | Direct form link under examples; the 2021 version explains the data fields. |
Registers and legal forms
The Companies Law distinguishes private and public companies. ORG also registers foreign companies or their operations in Rwanda. Consult the parent company’s home register where appropriate: a Rwandan record does not automatically describe an entire international group. [3] [4]
The ORG overview lists sole traders as Individual Enterprises. Trusts, foundations and partnerships have their own sections. Article 278 concerns the company register; do not automatically apply that inspection provision to every separate register. [1] [3]
What the current online entry provides
The RDB registration portal at urs.rdb.rw requires sign-in. Request information about another company from ORG through the statutory application procedure. [1] [12] [3]
The BO page instead displays Search TIN Number or Application reference id. Its FAQ explains that new-company applicants use their application reference to log in and file BO information. Application lookup and certificate validation would also serve different purposes from a search for arbitrary company names. [13]
Fees and authentication
Article 278 provides for inspection on payment of the prescribed fee. It also permits copies authenticated by the Registrar General’s official seal and an authenticated incorporation certificate. The Law makes such authenticated copies or extracts admissible in legal proceedings with the same validity as originals. Access to original documents is limited to cases where the register’s record is illegible or unavailable. [3]
RDB’s Service Charter directs enquiries about services, requirements and costs to info@rdb.rw. Request a document-specific price for third-party information. Before ordering, ask for a quote that expressly covers any tax, delivery and additional certification. The free-registration statement on the ORG information page does not answer this separate cost question. [6] [2] [3]
Access from abroad
The English and French versions of Article 278 extend inspection to any person without limiting that provision to Rwandan citizens. This supports an information request from abroad. ORG needs to confirm the identification requirements and whether a particular authenticated copy can be delivered entirely electronically. [3] [6]
Applicants needing a RDB registration portal account can choose Rwandese, Local Resident or Foreigner. The Foreigner form asks for nationality, date of birth, passport number, issue and expiry dates, contact details and a passport attachment, among other information. The entry explicitly describes a business-registration platform. Before registering, ask ORG whether this account is the correct route for your third-party information request. [12]
Annual returns and financial statements
The annual return under Article 143 as amended in 2023 confirms registration particulars. Dormant companies also file annually in the allocated month. No annual return is required in the calendar year of incorporation. Annual accounts under Article 142 contain financial information. The basic filing periods are seven months after the accounting reference date for private companies and four months for public companies. Article 210 allows an audit opt-out for specified private-company categories prescribed by ministerial order, subject to a unanimous resolution. [3] [4]
ORG’s guidance lists income statements and statements of financial position among the financial filings. Depending on the company category, further accounting records and an auditor’s report are required. Ask ORG for the file copy you need. For exchange issuers, RSE provides a separate public financial-report index. [2] [11] [14]
Beneficial ownership
The 2023 rules cover natural persons holding at least 25% of shares or voting rights, directly or indirectly. Control through other means may also qualify. Keep the central BO register separate from the legal shareholder list available through an Article 278 request. The current BO FAQ expressly excludes public access to beneficial owners’ details. [5] [4] [13]
Individual enterprises are not required to file BO information according to the FAQ. For companies, statutory shareholder information remains the relevant starting point for legal holdings; a beneficial ownership filing is a separate matter. [13] [3]
Official samples and reading guides
Incorporation certificate with blank identity fields
The official sample is in English. Official illustrative document printed on 27 March 2026. It shows registered-office, management and activity fields. The attached general tax and filing notes are not the current filing-deadline guide. [9]
Full registration information with blank identity fields
The official sample is in English. Official illustrative document printed on 9 April 2026. It shows management, capital and founding-shareholder fields. The attached general tax and filing notes are not the current filing-deadline guide. [10]
Blank annual information confirmation
Two-page ORG form from 2021. Useful for understanding registration particulars; current filing duties follow the amended law. [8] [4]
Avoid common mistakes
- Founding Shareholders means the initial shareholders. Ask for the current position and subsequent changes when checking present ownership. [10] [4]
- An incorporation certificate, a Good Standing Certificate and financial statements answer different questions. ORG’s Good Standing guidance includes outstanding annual returns and current financial documents among its requirements. [3] [2]
Frequently asked questions
Can I search by company name without an account?
The RDB registration portal requires sign-in. For information about a particular company, you can apply to ORG under Article 278. [12] [3]
Can someone outside Rwanda request information?
The English and French versions of Article 278 refer to any person. Ask RDB to confirm the practical access, price and delivery method for the particular request. [3] [6]
Original sources
Sources reviewed: 15 September 2026. The guidance is based on the linked information published by registers and public authorities.
- Office of the Registrar General: Register und Aufgaben Rwanda Development Board
- Business registration: Gründung, Jahresunterlagen und Good Standing Rwanda Development Board
- Law N° 007/2021 of 05/02/2021 governing companies Official Gazette / Rwanda Development Board
- Law N° 019/2023 amending the Companies Law Official Gazette / Rwanda Development Board
- Instructions N° 001/2023/RG: BO threshold Official Gazette / Rwanda Development Board
- One Stop Center Service Charter Rwanda Development Board
- RDB e-Services Rwanda Development Board
- Up-to-date Company Information Confirmation Statement Office of the Registrar General
- Certificate of Domestic Company Registration: amtlich veröffentlichtes Anschauungsdokument RDB Business Procedures
- Full Registration Information of Domestic Company: amtlich veröffentlichtes Anschauungsdokument RDB Business Procedures
- Financial Performance Reports of Listed Companies Rwanda Stock Exchange
- URS: Anmeldung und Kontooption für ausländische Staatsangehörige Rwanda Development Board
- Beneficial Owners Register: öffentliche FAQs Rwanda Development Board
- RSE: öffentliche Finanzberichte und Unternehmensfilter Rwanda Stock Exchange
- RSE: öffentlich ausgelieferter Jahresbericht, Dokumenttyp und Berichtsjahr Rwanda Stock Exchange / berichtender Emittent