Botswana - Register Business Name

Advertisement

Procedure

Apply Online

1. To Register a Business Name online, you have to submit your application through the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) online portal called OBRS by visiting the CIPA website:Link
2. On the website, click on “Login to OBRS” under the information bar to go to the Logon page
3. Enter your Username and Password and click on the “Logon” button if you already have an account or click on the “Create a profile now” hyperlink under the question “Don't have a profile yet?” to create your account
4. Upon clicking on the hyperlink “Create a profile now”, you will be directed to the Create a Profile page.
5. On the first page, you will be required to enter your Login details and click on the “Next” button to go to your Name and Identity page
6. On this page complete the required details and upload your Identity evidence then click on the “Next” button to go to your contacts details page
7. Enter the required contact details and location information and click on the “Next” button to go to the review page
8. On the review page, you will be able to see all the information you have proved in creating your profile, go through the information and if it is satisfactory to you click on the “Save” and if the information is not ok, you can cancel your application by clicking on the “Cancel” button
9. After clicking on the “Save” button you will be directed to the 2-step verification page, on the blank boxes, enter the logon security code sent to you by CIPA and click on the “Next” button. At this point, your account will be ready for you to use
10. Go to your dashboard and click on the “Start a Business” hyperlink and select “Register a Business Name” under Business Names
11. While the page is opening you will be asked if you want some of your details to be auto-filled, select “yes” if want the autofill or “No” if you don’t want the autofill
12. You will then be directed to the Register a Business Name page where you will be required to enter your General Details. Complete the required details as requested and click on the “Continue” button to go to the Address page
13. Enter the address information of the principal place of the business as required i.e., “Plot Number”, “Ward/Street/Location”, “City/Town/Village”, and click on the “Continue” button to go to the postal address page
14. Select your address or you can opt to use a different address by selecting the “A different address” option and complete your address details then click on the “Continue” button to go to the Contact details page. Enter your Telephone number, Mobile Number, and Email address and click on the “Continue” button to go to the next page
15. On this new page, under “Add a Proprietor” choose the Proprietor you wish to add i.e., Individual or Registered Company or Other Incorporated Entity. Upon selecting the type of proprietor, a pop-up page will be displayed, on the page complete the required information or the information will be auto-filled by the system using the information you previously entered when creating your account
16. Confirm if the details provided are correct or enter the required details and upload the required documents and then click on the “Continue” button to complete entering the Proprietor’s details. The pop-up page will be saved and will go back to the contact details page
17. On this page, click on the “Continue” button to be directed to the Proprietors confirmation page. Read the provided information and click on the “Check Box” to confirm the declaration and then click on the “Submit” button to be directed to the Payment Page
18. Select the payment method you wish to use for paying for the service i.e., “Credit/Debit Card or Mobile Payment” or “Deposit Account” enter the details of your payment method and choose to pay at the moment or pay later by click on “Pay Now” or “Pay Later”
19. Proceed and make the required payments and upon payment, the CIPA will review your application and the Business name
20. If the business name is available for registration CIPA will register it and send you the registration details via your email address

Advertisement

Required Documents

• Identification document

Office Locations & Contacts

Companies and Intellectual Property Authority
Address: Plot 54358, Prime Plaza, CBD, Gaborone, Botswana
Tel: +267 367 3700
Fax: +267 318 8130
Email: [email protected]
Contact numbers:

• (+267) 3673797
  
• (+267) 3673758
  
• (+267) 3673783
  
• (+267) 3673748
  
• (+267) 3673700
  

CIPA Website: Link

Eligibility

• Individuals above the age of 18 and corporate bodies are eligible to register business names

Fees

• Statement of Particulars 150
• Application for Reservation of Business Name 20
• The total fees to be paid is P 170

Validity

• A registered business name is valid for the lifetime of the business

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• The application will be processed within five working days

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• If you reserve a business name approved by CIPA, you will have thirty days to register it. Failure to register the name within 30 days shall render the proposed name invalid and you will be required to submit a new application

Required Information

• General details
• Addresses
• Proprietor’s information

Need for the Document

• Registration of a business name is important because it gives you exclusive rights to the use of the registered business name and it also gives it recognition as a legal entity as required by Botswana law

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• CIPA: Link

Others

More information which might help people.