Not incorporated yet
The company does not exist
Open registration or complete setup. If the vehicle is still open, decide branch versus subsidiary first.
Do not start on digital transformation or tender.
Company Registration in Tanzania
Talk to the desk · +255 788 466 212
Clean registration from day one — name screening, ownership docs, BRELA filings, TIN route, licence mapping and bank-readiness together.
Direct answer
How do I register a company in Tanzania?
Choose a compliant name, prepare director and shareholder documents, file with BRELA, then TIN with TRA, licence mapping and bank KYC. TISEZA is a separate investment file — the certificate is not a licence to trade.
- DocumentsWhat to send firstNames, ownership, IDs and activity description.
- SequenceHow the filing movesName, pack, BRELA, then tax and licence steps.
- ScopeWhat Zatra reviewsIncorporation connected to TIN, licence and bank.
On this page: route snapshot · FAQs. Two-column budget: 2026 setup cost index.
Government, bank and regulator charges are quoted separately. Approvals are not guaranteed. Foreign ownership alone does not require Executive.
Best for
Investors who need BRELA incorporation connected to TIN, licence mapping and bank readiness.
Main delay
Name conflicts, incomplete KYC, unclear ownership, missing corporate resolutions, address issues, and late discovery of regulated activity.
Send first
Proposed names, ownership percentages, director/shareholder IDs, and activity description.
Register the company without disconnecting tax, licence, and bank steps.
Company registration is the first legal step, but not the final operating step. The company name, object clauses, ownership percentages, beneficial ownership records, director details, registered office, and corporate shareholder documents must be prepared carefully because they affect licensing, tax, banking, permits, and future investment.
Zatra coordinates the registration file so incorporation does not become disconnected from the investor’s actual business route.
| Step | Authority | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name and incorporation | BRELA | Creates the company on the register | Not a licence to trade; not a TIN; not a bank account |
| Taxpayer identity | TRA | Issues the company TIN; VAT only if the law requires it | Not a municipal or sector licence |
| Business licence | Ministry / council / sector board | Maps ordinary and sector permissions to the activity | Not a substitute for BRELA or TIN |
| Bank KYC pack | The chosen bank | Reviews incorporation, TIN, owners and activity narrative | Bank approval is never guaranteed — see corporate bank account opening |
What Zatra reviews.
- Name screening and structure notes
- Shareholder and director documentation
- Beneficial ownership awareness
- Constitution/articles support and BRELA filing coordination
- TIN pathway support and licence route mapping
- Bank KYC pack preparation after incorporation
Documents to prepare.
Exact lists vary by investor type and sector. Start with these items, then refine with the desk.
- Proposed company names
- Passport or national ID for directors and shareholders
- Address details and ownership percentages
- Activity description
- Corporate resolutions for corporate shareholders
- Registered office details and source-of-funds notes where relevant
Full checklist: required documents.
Process.
- Name & structure
Screen names and confirm ownership structure.
- Document pack
Assemble KYC, resolutions and office details.
- BRELA filing
Coordinate incorporation filings.
- After incorporation
Align TIN, licence mapping and the bank KYC pack.
What Zatra does not guarantee.
Zatra does not guarantee BRELA acceptance timing, name availability, bank approval, or that registration alone authorises trading.
How to pick a page
One instrument per file. Not the whole inventory.
Most briefs need three or four pages, not forty-six. Start on the formation spine. Advisory sits after the company exists.
Already on the register
The company exists and the year is slipping
Stay on continuity. Standing answers sit on FAQs. Professional fees stay on pricing, separate from government charges.
Formation spine
Frequently asked questions.
Can foreigners register a Tanzanian company?
Yes, subject to sector rules, immigration requirements, beneficial ownership disclosures, and bank KYC.
Is registration enough to start trading?
No. Most businesses still need tax registration, licensing, bank readiness, and sometimes sector permits before operating.
What causes registration delays?
Name conflicts, incomplete KYC, unclear ownership, missing corporate resolutions, address issues, and late discovery of regulated activity.
Can Zatra help after incorporation?
Yes. Zatra can support TIN route, business licence, bank readiness, compliance calendar, corporate services, and advisory.
Does foreign ownership always require a local partner?
Not for every activity. Many ordinary companies can be foreign-owned, but sector rules, local-content requirements and licence classes can require Tanzanian participation. Confirm the activity map before filings.
When do I register a TIN after company registration?
TIN registration with TRA usually follows BRELA incorporation. Banks and VAT reviews typically ask for the company TIN. See TIN and VAT registration. Confirm live TRA forms before you file.
How much does it cost to register a company in Tanzania?
Budget two columns: desk support from USD 999 (or from USD 199 for a Market-Entry Assessment, or USD 49 for a Senior Advisory Session) and separate BRELA, TRA, licence, bank and notary charges. See the 2026 setup cost index. Confirm live authority fees before you pay.
Is TISEZA the same as company registration?
No. Company formation is a BRELA filing. TISEZA registers an investment project and any incentive class that applies. You can need both, but a TISEZA certificate does not replace incorporation, TIN, licences or bank KYC.
Before you file
Unsure of the route? Start with a USD 49 Senior Advisory Session or a Market-Entry Assessment from USD 199.
Confirm ownership, document gaps and licence / TISEZA exposure before committing package fees or third-party spend.
Free handbook
The Post-Registration Handbook
Registered is not compliant.
Every filing, rate, deadline and penalty a registered business carries in Mainland Tanzania, on one calendar with named owners and a stated cost for each missed date. Struck on the Finance Act 2026.
- The monthly clock — the 7th, the 20th, the 25th and the four instalment dates
- Rate card, withholding matrix and the penalties each default carries
- Thirty chapters and twelve working appendices, 95 pages
2026/27 edition · PDF · free, no sign-up
Ready to proceed?
Brief the company registration desk.
Share ownership, activity and documents so we can confirm the route, gaps and next paid action. Map the route before capital moves.
Guides from this desk.
Operating files written by the Company Setup desk for the questions that arrive before a brief. Full library: Company Setup guides.
- Share Transfer Tanzania: Steps, Stamp Duty and CGTHow to transfer shares in a Mainland Tanzanian private company: the R.E. 2023 sections, the instrument of transfer, 1% stamp duty, tax on the gain, the section 56 change in control rule, the BRELA notice and BO forms, FCC and sector consents, Zanzibar and a worked TZS 200 million example.
- Annual Return Tanzania: BRELA Filing, Fees and PenaltiesEvery BRELA company, dormant ones included, files a yearly annual return on ORS. Here are the R.E. 2023 sections, Form 131 under GN 82 of 2026, the 28-day window, accounts, beneficial ownership forms, fees and penalties, strike-off, Zanzibar and a worked arrears example.
- Business Licence Fees Tanzania: Class A, B and USD RatesThe definitive guide to Mainland business licence fees under the Cap. 101 Schedule: who collects them, principal and branch columns, location tiers, foreign-owned USD rows, GN 487A, renewal, the late penalty, the service levy and Zanzibar.
- Company Secretary Tanzania: Rules, Duties and BRELA FilingsThe company secretary in a Tanzanian company: the section 190 requirement, the 2021 qualification rule, sole director and corporate secretary questions, duties, BRELA forms and fees, penalties, Zanzibar and a costed in-house versus outsourced comparison.
- Directors Duties Tanzania: Care, Conflicts and LiabilityWhat a director of a Tanzanian company owes and risks: the four statutory duties, conflicts and loans, BRELA forms and fees, personal liability for tax, payroll and insolvency, and how Zanzibar differs.
- Memorandum and Articles of Association Tanzania: 2026 GuideWhat the memorandum and the articles of a Mainland private company must say, how BRELA ORS takes them, what TRA and BRELA charge, and how to change them by special resolution.
- Scratch Cards Tanzania: TCRA Pilot Phase-Out 1 Jan 2027TCRA notice PN010/2026 starts a pilot phase-out of airtime scratch cards on 1 January 2027 in Dar es Salaam and parts of Dodoma, Arusha, Mwanza and Mbeya.
- Annual General Meeting Tanzania: Rules, Notice and FilingWhen a Mainland company must hold its AGM, how to call it, what members decide and how the meeting feeds the BRELA annual return on Form 131.
- Critical Information Infrastructure Registration TanzaniaBanks, telecoms, utilities, mines and public bodies running critical ICT systems must register them on the Ministry's CII portal by 19 December 2026. What is settled, what is not, and how to plan.
- BRELA Company Forms 2026: GN 82 Guide and FeesGN No. 82 of 2026 renumbered every Mainland company form. The annual return is now Form 131, director changes use Form 213a to 213c and BO forms are 15b to 15f.
- Mandatory Electronic Payments Tanzania: GN 158C GuideGN No. 158C requires nine kinds of payment, from hotel bills to school fees, to move off cash. Existing businesses have until 31 December 2026 on our count.
- BRELA Strike-Off Notice 2026: 5,277 Companies, 90 DaysBRELA has listed 5,277 companies for strike-off. Directors have 90 days from 18 September 2026 to check the Gazette and lodge an objection.
- Tanzania Inbound Travel Insurance 2026: The USD 44 RuleA USD 44 policy is now an entry condition. Tour operators, hotels and companies flying in foreign staff need it in the booking flow, not at the counter.
- List of Official Government Fees in Tanzania for All Businesses and Sectors404 fee lines from BRELA, TRA, TISEZA, the councils and the sector regulators, each marked Confirmed or Confirm with the authority, citizen and foreign rate side by side.
- 2,938 Licences, 19 Apps: Checking a Digital Lender in TanzaniaA microfinance licence lets a company lend. It does not let that company lend through an app. The second approval is the one borrowers have never heard of.
- The Register, Not the Blacklist: Spotting a Pyramid Scheme in TanzaniaThe question asked in the group chat is whether anyone has heard the name before. The question that settles it is which regulator licensed the business to take money.
- The Protection Ladder: Where Savings Are Actually Protected in TanzaniaOne rung sits behind a statutory insurance fund with a stated limit. The others sit behind a supervisor, a constitution and the honesty of whoever holds the key.
- Nobody Has Authority: Wills and Inheritance in TanzaniaUntil the court makes a grant, nobody has authority over the estate. Not the widow, not the eldest child, not the person who paid for the funeral.
- The 25% Nobody Chooses: Local Shareholding in a Tanzanian CompanyThe dispute is not caused by the local shareholder. It is caused by the twelve weeks before the money moved, when nobody wrote anything down.
- CMSA Licensing: Investment Adviser, Dealer or Fund ManagerThe class is the wording printed on the licence. The fee is not the one in the regulations.
- Credit Reference Bureau Licence: The BoT Capital and Data FileThe capital is TZS 600,000,000. The harder gate is the data file behind it.
- The Cap. 46 Industrial Licence: Who Must Register a FactoryTen workers on any day brings the Act in. The investment figure decides which document is issued.
- The Online Content Services Licence in Tanzania: Who Must Hold ItPublishing as a service is licensed. Selling goods online is not.
- Private Security Company Licence in Tanzania: The Police FileA BRELA certificate proves the company exists. The Inspector General's approval is what lets it guard.
- SACCOS Licensing in Tanzania: Category A or B Sets the CapitalOne word in the by-laws — savings or deposits — moves the floor from ten million to two hundred.
- Registering a VICOBA in Tanzania: GN 678/2019 and WEZESHATier 4 is registered, not licensed. The council holds the pen and charges nothing for it.
- Licence Refusal or Revocation in Tanzania: Which Desk Hears ItThe Act that issued the licence names the forum, and the clock starts at the letter.
- A Licence for a Now-Reserved Activity: What Happens at RenewalA saved licence is a clock: it runs to the date printed on it, and no further.
- Duty Exemptions on Capital Goods in Tanzania: Who QualifiesMost plant already enters at nil duty. The certificate is for what the tariff still charges.
- E-Commerce in Tanzania: Registration, Payments, Consumer RulesFive desks behind one checkout button, and custody of the money decides the licence.
- Serving Tanzanian Customers From Abroad: Which Registers Catch YouThree registers, three triggers — only one of them needs a company here.
- Foreign NGOs in Tanzania: Registration, Reporting and PermitsCap. 56 registration comes first: the certificate is not a TRA exemption and not a permit.
- Property in a Company or in Your Name: One Title, Two FilesThe land interest never changes. The tax, the filings and the exit do.
- Leasing Commercial Premises in Tanzania: What the Lease Must CoverThe land interest, the stated use, the consents and the rent — settled before the keys move.
- Incorporation of Trustees at RITA: What Cap. 318 Actually ConfersWhat the Administrator-General’s certificate makes corporate — and what it leaves behind.
- Land Rent and Property Rates: The Bills That Follow OccupancyTwo annual public bills follow occupancy, and a recharge clause moves neither off the register.
- Local Content in Tanzania: NEEC Coordinates, the Regulator BindsNEEC coordinates. The Mining Commission and PURA are the desks that can stop a contract.
- NGO, Society, Trust or Guarantee Company: Choosing the VehiclePurpose picks the registrar — and no certificate, at any desk, is a tax exemption.
- Failing to Register with the PDPC: What It Actually Exposes You ToThe certificate is a KYC line now — the stall shows at the bank and the tender opening.
- Pharmacy and Clinic Licensing in Tanzania: The Council, Not TMDATMDA registers the product. A different desk registers your premises — and your people.
- Pre-Arrival Declaration in Tanzania: Clearing Before the Ship ReportsThe entry can be settled while the box is still at sea; the permits cannot be rushed.
- Property Valuation in Tanzania: Who May Sign, and Why It MattersCap. 138 puts the signature behind a register, and the Chief Government Valuer behind that.
- Registering as a Government Supplier: PPRA, NeST and the Tender RouteThe registrations that must exist before the advert appears — and the ones PPRA never issues.
- Registering an NGO in Tanzania: Which Registrar, Which RouteTwo registrars, three levels: Cap. 56 or the Societies Act decides where the file goes.
- One Group, Two Registrars: Running Mainland and Zanzibar TogetherTwo registrars, two licences, two payroll funds — one TIN, and no consolidated return.
- Setting Up a Trust in Tanzania: Uses, Limits and RegistrationThe deed creates it, RITA incorporates only the trustees, and TRA taxes the result.
- TCRA Licensing for Online Business: Which Class, If AnyA website is not a licensable service. A stream, a title or a parcel arm is.
- Tourism Activities Reserved for Citizens: The Mainland Ownership LineGuiding, travel agency and car hire are shut to non-citizens; tour operating is only conditioned.
- Wholesale and Retail Trade: What GN 487A Closed and Left OpenGN 487A closed the shop counter to non-citizens — and left exactly three doors open.
- Zanzibar Tourism Licensing: The Four Layers Before the First GuestTourism is non-Union: the island Commission grants the class, and TALA stops at the water.
- Arbitration or Litigation: Decide It in the Tanzanian ContractForum, seat, rules and language — settled in the clause, long before the breach.
- Your Company Name Is Not a Trade Mark: Two Registers, One RightName clearance guards the register. Only Cap. 326 guards the word on the pack.
- Copyright and COSOTA: What Registration Does and Does Not Give YouThe right starts at creation. The certificate proves only what you declared, and when.
- Debt Recovery in Tanzania: Commercial Options Before LitigationFour levers that move a receivable before a plaint is filed.
- Enforcing a Foreign Judgment or Award: Which Door Tanzania OpensCap. 8 registration, Article V refusal grounds, and execution under Order XXI.
- FCC Merger Notification: Tanzania’s Threshold and Consumer DutiesTZS 3.5 billion triggers Form FCC.8, and consumer duties are the same desk’s second file.
- Investor Protection in Tanzania: What the Treaty Does Not CoverTreaty standards, statutory guarantees, and the 2017 Acts that send resource disputes home.
- MOU vs Binding Contract in Tanzania: When an MOU Creates ObligationsWhich clauses of a non-binding MOU still bind, and what conduct does to the heading.
- NDAs and Non-Circumvention Agreements: What Cap. 345 Will EnforceSection 27 voids the promise not to deal; section 74 turns the penalty into a ceiling.
- Patents and Utility Models in Tanzania: What Can Be ProtectedWhat Cap. 217 will actually register, which of the two forms to file, and why Zanzibar is separate.
- BRELA, ARIPO or Madrid: The Route That Survives a Tanzanian CourtOnly the Cap. 326 register carries a suit here — what ARIPO and Madrid designations really buy.
- Registering a Trademark in Zanzibar: The Filing BRELA Cannot MakeA BRELA certificate is a foreign document at a BPRA counter. The island takes its own filing.
- Data Controller or Data Processor: Which One You Register AsThe role attaches to each processing operation, not to the company — so most firms hold two.
- Consent, Retention and Transfer: Three Tests, Not One PolicyThree tests: the lawful ground, the keeping clock, and what permits data to leave Tanzania.
- ERB Firm Registration in Tanzania: Who Holds the Shares DecidesERB registers the firm, not only the engineer — and control by registered engineers decides it.
- Fire Safety Certificates in Tanzania: Which Premises Need OneThe Fire and Rescue Force certificate your licence, occupation permit and insurer all ask for.
- Tanzania Privacy Policy Requirements: What the Notice Must SayThe notice is the easy half: PDPC registration and the retention floor are what stall.
- Missing the Beneficial Ownership Filing in Tanzania: What FollowsThe register default that surfaces at the bank counter, not in a letter from the Registrar.
- Beneficial vs Legal Ownership: Why BRELA Asks for BothThe extract names the holder. The second register names the person behind the holder.
- Board Meetings and Resolutions: What Cap. 212 Requires on PaperQuorum, notice, minutes and the filing that makes a board decision stick.
- Business Succession in Tanzania: Shares Vest in the EstateNo grant, no transfer: what the court and BRELA need when a shareholder dies.
- Changing a Tanzanian Company Name or Office: Where Service LandsA special resolution, an ORS filing, a certificate — then every desk that must be told.
- Dormant Companies in Tanzania: What You Must Still FileCap. 212 knows no dormant status: annual return, audit and nil tax returns all continue.
- Registering a Tanzanian Company: Why BRELA Does Not Make You LocalA certificate of incorporation is not citizenship: who owns and controls still decides.
- Increasing Share Capital in Tanzania: What Actually Has to Be FiledMost capital increases are allotments from headroom — check before paying for a resolution.
- Joint Venture Shareholders’ Agreement: The Clauses Tanzania EnforcesThe articles bind everyone; the agreement binds only who signs. Know which clause goes where.
- Nominee Shareholders and Beneficial Ownership: Name the PrincipalA nominee can hold the shares. The register must still name the person behind them.
- Nominee Shareholder Agreements: Making the Paper Trail HoldThe deed, the transfer and the BRELA beneficial-ownership filing must tell one story.
- Shareholders’ Agreement in Tanzania: What the Articles Cannot DoFiled articles bind every holder. A private agreement binds only signatories.
- Statutory Registers in Tanzania: What the Registered Office Must HoldThe books BRELA does not keep for you, and the desks that ask to see them.
- Structuring Around Ownership Restrictions: What Actually HoldsA nominee shareholder is not a structure. What BRELA, TISEZA and the bank actually accept.
- Holding Land in Tanzania: Derivative Rights and Investor LeasesSection 20, the TISEZA derivative right and the approved lease: how a foreigner lawfully holds land.
- Which Businesses Foreigners Cannot Own in Tanzania: The Restricted ListGN No. 487A of 2025 is reported to close fifteen categories to non-citizen control from 28 July…
- Investing through ZIPA: Zanzibar’s Door — Not a Mainland TISEZA PhotocopyZIPA facilitates Zanzibar investments. TISEZA is Mainland. BPRA incorporates the company…
- Register a Company in Zanzibar: BPRA, Not BRELAZanzibar companies file at BPRA. BRELA is the Mainland registrar. ZIPA is investment…
- Tourism Licensing in Tanzania: TALA Classes Sit on Top of the CompanyMainland tourism businesses need the TALA class the live list names. BRELA is identity. Confirm…
- Restoring a Struck-Off Company in Tanzania: BRELA’s File, Not a New IncorporationA struck-off company is restored at BRELA, not by forming a twin. Tax, land and bank files stay…
- Buying an Existing Tanzanian Company: The Diligence File, Not the Share Transfer FormShare transfers need TRA, BRELA, licences, land, labour and BO. CGT is a sibling. Confirm live…
- EAC Citizens and Reserved Classes: A Passport Is Not an Exemption This Desk Will InventEAC nationality is not automatically a GN 487A exemption. Confirm the gazetted Order and EAC…
- Change of Land Use in Tanzania: Planning Consent, Not a New TitleChange of land use on Mainland Tanzania is planning consent plus the occupancy file. Confirm…
- Trademark Registration in Tanzania: BRELA IP, Not the Company-Name CertificateA BRELA company name is not a trademark. Marks are a separate IP filing. Zanzibar is another…
- Tanzania Hotel Licence Tourism Class, Not BRELAHotels need tourism classification/licensing, local health/fire, plus land/building…
- Huduma Za Ushauri Wa Biashara TanzaniaUshauri wa biashara Tanzania: usajili, kodi, leseni na uwekezaji. Angalia ada tofauti na…
- Tanzania Sector-Licence Finder Activity To ApprovalA decision map from activity verbs to Zatra guides and official portals. Not a substitute for…
- Tanzania Product Sourcing And Outsourcing MandatesSourcing and outsourcing are Custom Mandates scoped after assessment — not a published package…