Search and document delivery at a glance
- Search online
- Business Search shows the public preview without an account. Get Printout leads to a PACRA account. [8] [1]
- Search language
- The public PACRA search is in English. Enter the registered name or registration number using at least four characters. [11]
- Digital documents
- You can request a Legal Entity Printout through PACRA or the government service at eservices.gov.zm. The government portal provides online application, payment and delivery of the report. Foreign users are also eligible for this service. [1] [10]
- Document language
- Not specified
- Paper and collection
- Not specified
- International delivery
- Not specified
- Fees at a glance
- Free guest preview · entity printout from ZMW111.20 · Form 59 from ZMW120
- Access
- Search without an account · sign in for printouts · Form 59 also covers overseas applicants
Choose the right register
The Patents and Companies Registration Agency, known as PACRA, administers Zambia’s business registration system. It also handles intellectual property and a separate registry of security interests in movable assets. Use Business Search for identifying an entity. Trade marks and collateral require their respective services. [5] [8]
Results distinguish Local Companies, Business Names and Foreign Companies. A Foreign Company is an entity formed outside Zambia and registered in Zambia. The higher printout price relates to the entity being researched, not to the nationality of the person ordering the document. [8] [3] [1]
Free search by registered name or number.
Sign-in reached through Get Printout.
Form 59 and the current breakdown for information requests and certified pages.
Separate search for registered security interests.
Names and abbreviations explained
- PACRAPatents and Companies Registration Agency
- The Zambian authority responsible for business registration and intellectual property services. [5]
- Local Company / Foreign CompanyLocally incorporated / foreign registered company
- The entity category determines, among other things, the price of its detailed printout. [3] [8] [1]
- Public CompanyCompany with share capital under section 7 of the Companies Act
- A statutory company category. Private Company refers to the separate private company forms. [3]
- Legal Entity PrintoutA printout of registered entity information
- A detailed register snapshot containing the officer and ownership information identified by PACRA. [1]
- Annual ReturnAnnual filing updating company particulars
- A register filing distinct from the financial statements themselves. [3] [4]
- BOBeneficial Owner
- A natural person ultimately connected with ownership, effective control or substantial economic benefits. [4]
- NRCNational Registration Card
- A Zambian identity document. Form 59 lists additional document options, including passports, for non-Zambian applicants. [2]
Search step by step
Identify an entity without signing in
Enter a registered name or number
Open Business Search and enter at least four characters into “Enter Registered Name or Registration Number”. Use the search icon to submit. A name fragment can provide a starting point. Use the registration number to distinguish similar names once you have found a possible match. [8]
Select the result group and entity
Filter with All, Local Companies, Business Names or Foreign Companies. Compare the registered name, number and incorporation or registration date. Open the relevant result. [8]
Read each type of status separately
Entity Summary shows Business Status and entity type. Compliance Status can separately cover annual returns, nominal capital, share structure and beneficial ownership. Active and Non Compliant can appear together. A compliance problem is therefore not automatically deregistration. [8]
Obtain a detailed printout
Select the correct entity
Open the identified result and choose Get Printout. This leads to the official PACRA sign-in page. Get Compliant is a different function concerned with an entity’s own registration obligations. [8]
Sign in and check the product price
Sign-in offers email and password or Google. The initial account-creation screen asks for an email address, first, middle and last names, and a password with confirmation. It includes acceptance of terms of use. None of this is needed for the free preview. [8]
Treat the printout as a dated snapshot
PACRA publishes ZMW 120 for local companies, ZMW 266.67 for foreign companies and ZMW 111.20 for business names. It lists registration date, financial year-end, officers, shareholders and beneficial owners among the printout’s contents. PACRA describes its validity as the day on which it is obtained. [1]
Request specified filings or certified copies
Choose Form 59 and the type of request
Download Companies Form 59. Part A offers For Information, For Search, Certificate of Status and Computer Printout. In Particulars of Request identify the entity by name and number and specify the documents required. For financial statements, state the financial years. Say expressly whether certification is required. [2] [7] [3]
Provide the applicant details
Part B asks for personal details, identification type and number, contact details, a physical address including country, signature and date. For non-Zambians it lists NRC, Passport, Driver’s Licence or Resident Permit. This is an information-request form that accommodates foreign applicants, rather than a company-incorporation form. [2]
Establish the cost and delivery format
The current Form 59 dialogue states a minimum consolidated filing fee of ZMW 120 plus ZMW 46.67 per certified page. Two certified pages therefore give a minimum calculation of ZMW 213.34 on that basis. Before paying, confirm the available documents, page count and output format. The fee dialogue contains no separate tax or delivery line. [7]
Documents and fees
| Document / information | Contents and purpose | Fee | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public entity preview [8] | Registered identity, entity type, activity and individual compliance indicators. | ZMW 0 | Business Search without sign-in. |
| Legal Entity Printout: Local Company [1] [8] | Detailed register snapshot with the officer and ownership fields described by PACRA. | ZMW 120 | Open result → Get Printout → PACRA account. |
| Legal Entity Printout: Foreign Company [1] [8] | Printout concerning a foreign entity registered in Zambia. | ZMW 266.67 | Use the Foreign Company’s Zambian registration number. |
| Legal Entity Printout: Business Name [1] [8] | Printout of the particulars filed for a registered business name. | ZMW 111.20 | Select the relevant Business Names result. |
| Information request and certified document copies [7] [2] [3] | Specified lodged documents, such as financial statements for particular years. | Form 59 minimum ZMW 120; certification adds ZMW 46.67 per page. | Submit a Request for Information specifying documents and certification. |
| Certificate of Status [7] [2] | A separate status-certificate option in the request form. | Form 59 minimum ZMW 120. The dialogue does not state a separate final price for this certificate. | Choose Certificate of Status in Part A and specify the confirmation required. |
Entities and records covered
The Companies Act distinguishes public and private companies. Private forms include companies limited by shares, companies limited by guarantee and unlimited companies. The live search also has separate groups for Business Names and registered Foreign Companies. [3] [8]
A current printout may not answer a historical question. Section 21 provides for a chronological record and lodged documents. In an information request, identify the particular event or filing you need, such as an earlier change in officers or shareholding. [3] [4] [2]
Prices and evidential form
The printout figures are the amounts published on PACRA’s information page on 15 September 2026. The current Forms and Fees dialogue confirms a ZMW 120 minimum for Form 59 and an additional ZMW 46.67 per certified page. The per-page amount is not a flat price for an entire company file. [1] [7]
Certification attests to a copy of a register document. Section 353 addresses its use as evidence. An ordinary Computer Printout and a Certificate of Status are separate choices in the request form. If a bank, court or foreign authority requires a particular form of evidence, specify that form. [2] [3]
Access from outside Zambia
Public name search and company previews require neither sign-in nor a Zambian identity document. A detailed online printout requires an account. [8]
Form 59 provides the official route for an individual information request. Its identification choices for non-Zambians and Country address field directly address foreign applicants. Requirements imposed on founders, shareholders or people managing their own registered entity should not automatically be applied to a third-party information request. [2] [7]
Annual returns and financial statements
For companies incorporated in Zambia, section 270(1) generally requires an annual return within 90 days after the financial year-end. The 2025 amendment requires adequate, accurate and up-to-date beneficial-owner information and the employee count in that filing. “Annual Return Filling Compliant” in the preview is a compliance indicator, not a downloaded financial statement. [3] [4] [8]
Act 23 of 2025 replaced section 273. Private companies must now lodge financial statements with the annual return. For public companies, the provision lists certified current and, where applicable, outstanding financial statements, a statement of comprehensive income, group accounts where applicable, and the directors’ and auditors’ reports sent to members and debenture holders. [4]
Registered Foreign Companies have a separate accounts provision in section 306. Annual accounts and an auditors’ report concerning their Zambian operations and assets are generally due within nine months after the financial year-end. Section 306(4) additionally covers accounts that the entity must circulate or present to members under its home law or constitution: a certified copy is due within 28 days after meeting that requirement, with a certified English translation if needed. Section 306(6) allows the Registrar to modify requirements for individual circumstances. Specify whether you need the Zambian business figures or the foreign entity’s overall accounts. [3]
Request the financial statements actually held for specified years using Form 59. Sections 326 and 348 provide for inspection and requests for publicly accessible lodged documents on payment of the prescribed fee, subject to the Act’s limitations. [3] [2] [7]
Shareholders and beneficial owners
A shareholder can itself be a legal entity. A beneficial owner is a natural person. Under the definition introduced by Act 23 of 2025, alternative grounds include at least 5% of shares held directly or indirectly, ultimate effective control, or a substantial interest or substantial economic benefits through the connections specified by the law. A simple 25% ownership threshold does not describe this definition. [4]
The guest preview shows a beneficial-ownership compliance indicator. That is not the identity of a beneficial owner. PACRA expressly lists beneficial-owner information among the contents of its Legal Entity Printout. This describes the product offered; the information registered for a particular entity may still be incomplete or out of date. [8] [1] [4]
New section 356C additionally regulates information access for specified authorities, reporting entities and procurement bodies. The fee exemption for the bodies expressly named in that provision is not a universal right to free beneficial-owner information. Ordinary researchers should distinguish the guest preview, the printout and an individual document request. [4] [8] [1]
Search collateral separately
The Movable Property Registry System records security interests in movable assets. PACRA’s FAQ lists searches by debtor name or identification number, or by a collateral item’s serial number. It publishes a fee of ZMW 20 for an official search. The separate guide distinguishes a free non-official search with basic information and states that a search does not require an account. Its certificate concerns a collateral registration. [6] [9]
Obtain the report online from abroad
The government portal expressly includes foreign users among those eligible for its reporting services. Select “Certificate of Existence (Printout)”. The application, payment and report delivery take place online. Certified file copies and a separate certificate of status follow their respective ordering procedures. [10] [2]
Official samples and reading guides
Official blank information request: Companies Form 59
Shows the four request types and the applicant and identity fields. Particularly useful when requesting records about another company from abroad. [2]
Avoid common mistakes
- Get Compliant concerns registration obligations. For third-party research, use the preview, Get Printout or Form 59. [8] [2]
- Check spelling and use a registration number where possible. [8] [2]
- Compliant relates to a particular registration obligation in the search dialogue. It is not a general assessment of creditworthiness or ability to pay. [8]
Frequently asked questions
Can I research someone else’s company?
Yes. The public search is designed to preview registered entities. PACRA describes Form 59 as a request for documents about any registered company. Section 348 provides for requests by any person for publicly accessible documents on payment of the prescribed fee. [8] [7] [3]
Do I need a Zambian identity card?
Not for the guest preview. Form 59 includes passports among identification options for non-Zambians. For online products, distinguish account sign-in from any later identity requirements and the payment process. [8] [2]
Original sources
Sources reviewed: 15 September 2026. The guidance is based on the linked information published by registers and public authorities.
- Legal Entity Printout: Inhalte und Preise Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA)
- Companies Form 59: Request for Information PACRA
- Companies Act No. 10 of 2017 Government of Zambia; amtliche Wiedergabe in WIPO Lex
- Companies (Amendment) Act No. 23 of 2025 Government of Zambia, Gazette; Originaldokument bereitgestellt von ZambiaLII
- PACRA Annual Report 2025 PACRA
- Movable Property Registry System: FAQ PACRA
- Forms and Fees: Companies Form 59 PACRA
- PACRA Business Search und Anmeldung PACRA
- Movable Property Registry System: How To PACRA
- ZamPortal: Reporting & Taxes Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA)
- PACRA: öffentliche Suchmaske Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA)