Seamless Company Registration
Establish your legal presence in Africa with confidence. We navigate the regulatory landscape, file the paperwork and hand you an operating entity that is registered, tax-compliant and ready to trade.
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Navigating African Regulatory Landscapes
Entering an African market requires a nuanced understanding of diverse legal frameworks. Duara Group provides a structured approach to company formation, covering entity selection, incorporation, tax registration and sector licensing across distinct regulatory environments.
Our teams bridge the gap between global strategic intent and local operational reality, turning a traditionally opaque process into a transparent and predictable workflow. You get a single point of contact, a fixed scope, and a clear view of what each stage costs and how long it takes.
What We Handle
Incorporation is only the first filing. An entity is not usable until its tax registrations, bank mandate and sector permits are in place, so we scope the whole path to trading, not just the certificate.
Entity Selection
Private limited company, branch, subsidiary or representative office: we model the tax, liability and ownership consequences of each before you file.
Incorporation Filing
Name reservation, memorandum and articles, share structure, director and beneficial ownership filings, and the registration certificate itself.
Tax & Statutory
Tax identification, VAT registration where applicable, and enrolment with the statutory social security and health schemes before you hire.
Licences & Permits
County or municipal trading permits, sector regulator approvals, import licences and work permits for expatriate staff.
The Registration Path
1. Structuring
We confirm the jurisdiction, entity type, shareholding split and director requirements that fit your tax position and any local ownership rules in your sector.
2. Documentation
We assemble and notarise the pack of passports, proof of address and parent company documents, apostilled where the registry requires it, then reserve the company name.
3. Filing
Submission to the companies registry, follow-up on queries, and delivery of the certificate of incorporation with the registered constitutional documents.
4. Activation
Tax registrations, bank account introduction, statutory enrolments and the operating licences you need before the first invoice goes out.
Registration, In Numbers
What clients can plan around when they engage us.
7days
Kenya Incorporation
Typical registry turnaround once the document pack is complete.
100%
Foreign Ownership
Permitted in most sectors in Kenya, with defined exceptions we flag up front.
1pt
Single Point of Contact
One adviser owns your file from structuring through to activation.
Before and After Registration
Market Research
Confirm the market is worth entering, and which jurisdiction to register in, before you incorporate.
Africa Market Entry
Operational setup, hiring and launch once the entity exists.
Verify Business
Due diligence on the local partners, suppliers and shareholders you register alongside.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to register a company in Kenya?
Once the document pack is complete and the name is reserved, incorporation itself is usually about a week. The realistic end-to-end timeline is three to six weeks, because assembling notarised and apostilled documents from overseas shareholders, then completing tax registration and opening a bank account, takes longer than the registry filing does.
Do I need a local shareholder or director?
In Kenya most sectors permit full foreign ownership, and there is no general requirement for a local shareholder. Specific sectors, including certain areas of insurance, telecommunications and land holding, carry ownership restrictions. We confirm the position for your activity during structuring so it is settled before any filing is made.
Should I open a branch or a subsidiary?
A branch is an extension of the parent company, so the parent carries the liability and its accounts may become reportable locally. A subsidiary is a separate legal person, which contains risk and is usually preferred where you plan to hold assets, hire staff or take on local partners. We model the tax and liability difference for your circumstances rather than defaulting to one.
What happens after the company is registered?
A certificate alone does not let you trade. You will need a tax identification number, VAT registration if you cross the threshold, enrolment with the statutory social security and health schemes before hiring, a bank account, and any sector or municipal licences. We carry the file through all of these, and can continue with ongoing annual filings.
Establish Your Entity
Tell us the market and the activity. We will confirm the right structure and give you a fixed scope, cost and timeline.