Two separate decisions
BPRA registers the company. ZIPA considers investment approval. A company registration certificate is not a Certificate of Investment.
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INVESTOR SERVICES 01 / 06
Set up your Zanzibar company.
From incorporation to investment readiness.
Establishing a company in Zanzibar is more than registering a name. Ownership, business activities, capital, licensing and investment status should be considered together. We coordinate the process from an initial structure through registration and operational readiness.
START HERE
What you need
- Shareholder nationalities, residency and proposed ownership.
- Business activities, intended location and operating model.
- New company, foreign company, joint venture or project-specific vehicle.
- Funding readiness, preferred launch sequence and appointed advisers.
REGULATORY · VERIFY BEFORE SUBMISSION
ZIPA Investment Approval & Certificate
The ordinary route leads to a Certificate of Investment with project-specific terms and conditions. A separately negotiated project or land agreement must be identified by its actual instrument; it must not be assumed from incorporation.
Capital and current filing requirements
BPRA Practice Directive No. 2 of 2025 addresses minimum share capital for foreign shareholding and specified sectors. Confirm the current capital and compliance requirements against BPRA’s latest directives before filing. Subject to current verification with the competent authority.
A CLEAR SEQUENCE
The process
Our coordination workflow is tailored to your project. Steps can run in parallel where appropriate; authority decisions and project dependencies govern the sequence.
Investor & activity assessment
Confirm the investor profile, activity, location, investment scale and whether foreign ownership or sector restrictions need specialist review.
Company structure
Agree the company type, shareholders, directors, ownership percentages, governance and capital requirements before filing.
BPRA incorporation
Prepare and submit through BPRA’s Online Registration System. BPRA lists foreign, private and public company categories; select the route appropriate to the facts.
Registration & banking readiness
Coordinate applicable ZRA and Union registrations, corporate records and bank onboarding documentation. Banks make their own acceptance decisions.
Business & sector licensing
Identify the operating licence and any sector-specific permissions. Incorporation alone does not authorise every activity.
ZIPA investment approval
Where eligible, begin with the Investment Intention and site/project appraisal; proceed to the Certificate of Investment application if accepted.
Site, environment & personnel
Coordinate land/lease, environmental, building, work and residence pathways where applicable. The exact sequence follows the project dependencies.
Ongoing compliance
Set a calendar for corporate filings, renewals, relevant clearances and ZIPA investment-service obligations.
BUILD YOUR FILE
Document checklist
An initial preparation list. Exact forms, certification and additional evidence depend on the application and current requirements.
Company incorporation
- Applicant, shareholder and director identification, address and contact particulars.
- Passport or appropriate NIDA identification for foreign nationals; TIN for each director under BPRA’s published checklist.
- Company Constitution, Integrity Form and Consolidated Form.
- Ownership, director, registered-office and capital particulars; route-specific certified documents where requested.
ZIPA application — where applicable
- Incorporation or compliance certificate and constitutional documents.
- Business plan and proof of funding.
- Shareholder/director identification, photographs and police clearances as required by the current application.
- Project location information and responses to site-appraisal questions.
Operational readiness
- Applicable registration and licensing records.
- Bank onboarding documents and authorised signatories.
- Land/lease evidence and project approvals where relevant.
- A named owner for the compliance calendar.
How we help
- Coordinate the structure, document collection, submissions and follow-up.
- Arrange qualified legal and accounting input where formal opinions or reserved professional work are needed.
- Maintain one authority map and next-action list across the workstreams.
CONCRETE OUTPUTS
What you receive
- Recommended ownership structure
- Incorporation document checklist
- Authority and licence map
- ZIPA eligibility roadmap, where applicable
- Permit and compliance sequence
- Target timeline and next-action list
OFFICIAL REFERENCES
Sources & review notes
Read the underlying authority material. External sources open in a new tab and may contain additional statutory information.
- BPRACompany registration: requirements and online process ↗
- BPRAOfficial company forms ↗
- BPRAPractice Directive No. 2 of 2025 — share capital ↗
- BPRACurrent regulations and practice directives ↗
- ZIPAZanzibar Investment (General) Regulations, 2025 ↗
- House of RepresentativesZanzibar Investment Act No. 10 of 2023 ↗
- Zanzibar Revenue AuthorityZRA registration guidance ↗
Information last reviewed:
The information on this page is provided for general investor orientation only and may change. Requirements depend on the activity, ownership, location, project size and decisions of the competent authorities. Current requirements must be verified with the relevant authority before any submission. Discover Zanzibar does not guarantee approval and does not present this content as legal, tax or investment advice.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Discuss your investment.
Tell us the project stage, location and support you need. We will use your brief to understand the appropriate next steps.
This form prepares a draft in your email application. It does not send or store your enquiry on this website. Review the draft and send it yourself. Please do not include passports, bank records or other sensitive documents.