Pakistan Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Pakistani Business

TL;DR. Pakistan’s official business registry is the SECP eServices portal, operated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan at eservices.secp.gov.pk. The interface is in English. Basic company profile searches are free; certified extracts cost PKR 200 to PKR 3,000 (~USD 0.70 to USD 10.50). Foreign buyers can search without a local identity document. Pakistan was removed from the FATF grey list in October 2022 and remained off as of May 2026.

What is the official Pakistan business registry?

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) maintains Pakistan’s central company registry under the Companies Act 2017. SECP is an autonomous regulatory body established under the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Act 1997. The public registry interface is the SECP eServices portal at eservices.secp.gov.pk, which provides online company search, document download, and registration services.

The SECP registers all companies incorporated in Pakistan: private limited companies, public limited companies, single-member companies (SMCs), holding companies, non-profit companies (Section 42 entities), and foreign company branches. Partnerships and sole proprietorships are not registered with SECP; they register with provincial authorities under applicable provincial laws.

The primary company identifier in Pakistan is the Company Incorporation Number (CUIN), a seven-digit number assigned by SECP at incorporation. The CUIN appears on the Certificate of Incorporation and all subsequent SECP filings. Separately, the National Tax Number (NTN), issued by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), serves as the tax registration identifier. The NTN is a separate system from SECP. Both identifiers are important for a complete counterparty profile: CUIN for legal existence and corporate structure, NTN for tax compliance status.

SECP also maintains the register of Licensed Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs), investment advisers, and securities brokers under the securities law framework, but the primary company registry function is the Companies Registry accessed through eServices.

What can you search?

The SECP eServices public portal supports:

• Company name (partial match supported; returns a list of matching entities)
• CUIN (exact match; returns the full company profile)
• Director name (returns a list of entities where the individual holds a directorship)
• Registered address filter

The free company profile view returns: company name, CUIN, company type, date of incorporation, registered office address, registered agent details, company status (active, wound up, dissolved, under liquidation), and authorised capital.

Paid document downloads include:

• Certificate of Incorporation (certified copy)
• Memorandum and Articles of Association
• Annual return (Form A)
• Statement of accounts filed with SECP
• Director appointment and resignation forms (Form 29)
• Charge registration documents
• Special resolutions filed

Detailed shareholding structure and director history require paid document downloads.

Data is updated on a filing-event basis. SECP processes company filings electronically through eServices. Changes to director details, registered address, and capital are reflected shortly after SECP processing, typically within 1 to 5 business days.

How much does it cost?

Prices are as of May 2026 per SECP published fee schedule. PKR/USD conversion used: 1 USD = approximately PKR 285 (verify at point of transaction; the PKR has experienced notable depreciation in recent years). Payment is accepted by credit card, debit card, and online banking on the eServices portal. International Visa and Mastercard are generally accepted.

Do you need a local account or ID?

Basic company name and CUIN searches are available without registration on the SECP eServices portal. Purchasing and downloading paid documents requires creating an eServices account. Account creation requires an email address and a mobile number for OTP verification.

Foreign buyers can create an eServices account using an international email address. OTP delivery to international mobile numbers has been reported as inconsistent. If OTP delivery fails on a foreign number, contact the SECP helpdesk via the contact details on eservices.secp.gov.pk.

No Pakistani national identity document (CNIC, Computerised National Identity Card, or NICOP for overseas Pakistanis) is required for foreign buyers at account creation. International credit and debit cards are accepted for payments, making the self-service extraction workflow accessible to most foreign compliance buyers.

Is the website in English?

Yes. The SECP eServices portal operates entirely in English. All navigation, search fields, form names, status labels, and downloaded corporate documents are in English. Pakistan’s Companies Act 2017 designates English as the working language for company filings, and SECP documentation is uniformly in English. Urdu-language sections, where present, are supplementary and do not affect document content.

What’s the turnaround time?

Free profile data is available instantly. Paid document downloads from the eServices portal are available instantly after payment is processed. Digital documents carry SECP’s electronic certification and are suitable for compliance-grade KYC and counterparty verification workflows.

There is no manual fulfilment queue for standard document downloads on eServices. For documents not yet digitised (pre-2007 filings in some cases), SECP may require a physical visit to its relevant Company Registration Office (CRO). Pakistan has eight CROs covering different provinces and territories. Physical certified copy requests from a CRO may take 3 to 7 business days.

Is there an API?

No public API is available for SECP eServices as of May 2026. SECP has not announced an API access programme for commercial compliance platforms. There is no published bulk data licensing arrangement.

For compliance platforms requiring structured Pakistani company data at scale, the practical options are: manual eServices lookups for individual searches, or engagement of a local Pakistani law firm or corporate service provider with eServices credentials and retrieval capacity.

What you legally cannot do

SECP’s Terms of Use and the Companies Act 2017 prohibit bulk automated extraction from the eServices portal. Pakistan’s Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (enacted by the National Assembly) governs the handling of personal data, including director names and addresses sourced from registry records. Processing this data for unsolicited marketing is prohibited. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the newly established National Commission for Personal Data Protection (NCPDP) supervise data protection compliance.

Redistribution or resale of SECP-certified documents as a commercial data product without SECP authorisation is not permitted. Compliance buyers accessing SECP data for their own CDD, KYC, or AML workflows are within the intended use, subject to documentation of the stated purpose.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• CUIN is the anchor identifier. The Company Incorporation Number is unique and static. Request the CUIN from your counterparty. It appears on the company’s Certificate of Incorporation and should be on official letterhead. Name-based searches can return multiple similar names.
• NTN is separate. The National Tax Number issued by FBR is distinct from the CUIN. An active company on SECP may or may not be NTN-registered. For trade counterparties, request the NTN alongside the CUIN. NTN status can be verified via the FBR’s Iris portal at iris.fbr.gov.pk.
• FATF status. Pakistan was placed on FATF Increased Monitoring (grey list) in 2018 and was removed in October 2022 after meeting FATF’s action plan requirements. As of May 2026, Pakistan is not on the FATF grey list. Compliance buyers should continue applying standard CDD and monitor fatf-gafi.org for any future changes, particularly given Pakistan’s complex AML enforcement environment.
• Status field meanings. Active companies appear as “Registered.” Companies being wound up appear as “In Winding Up.” Dissolved companies appear as “Dissolved/Struck Off.” Confirm status before proceeding with any counterparty engagement.
• Single-member companies (SMC). Pakistani SMCs have a single shareholder. This concentrates ownership and UBO risk in one individual. Conduct enhanced due diligence on the sole shareholder when transacting with an SMC.
• Branch offices. Foreign company branches registered with SECP are listed separately from their parent. Confirm whether your counterparty is the parent entity or a Pakistan-registered branch when reviewing agreements and obligations.

For a broader global registry framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide. For adjacent South Asia registry environments, the Bangladesh Company Search Guide and India Company Search Guide provide comparable detail.

Alternatives if you cannot access SECP eServices directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes some Pakistani company data sourced from SECP. Data lags the primary source. Useful for a preliminary name existence check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• Local corporate service providers: Pakistani law firms and corporate secretarial companies maintain eServices accounts and can retrieve documents on behalf of foreign clients. This is the most reliable channel for high-volume or time-sensitive extract requests.

Local data suppliers

• Dun & Bradstreet Pakistan (dnb.com). D&B issues D-U-N-S Numbers for Pakistani entities and provides company intelligence reports covering incorporation data, financial indicators, and trade payment history. Widely used for international trade credit and supply chain due diligence.

• Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA) (pacra.com). PACRA is an SEC-registered credit rating agency providing entity-level credit ratings for Pakistani financial institutions and corporates. Use when you need a formal credit rating or risk grade for a larger Pakistani counterparty.

Use SECP eServices for the authoritative legal filing record. Use PACRA or D&B when you need credit ratings or payment behaviour layered on top of the registry extract.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Pakistan SECP registry directly?

Yes. The SECP eServices portal is accessible internationally. Free company profile searches require no registration. Paid document downloads require an eServices account, which can be created with an international email address. OTP to foreign mobile numbers can be inconsistent; the SECP helpdesk is the fallback. International credit and debit cards are accepted for payment.

What is the CUIN number in Pakistan?

The Company Incorporation Number (CUIN) is the seven-digit unique identifier assigned to every company registered with SECP at the time of incorporation. It appears on the Certificate of Incorporation and all SECP filings. CUIN is the primary search anchor on the eServices portal and should be the first thing requested from a Pakistani counterparty in a compliance workflow.

What entity types are registered with SECP?

SECP registers private limited companies, public limited companies, single-member companies, Section 42 companies (non-profit), foreign company branches, and certain other regulated entities such as NBFCs and investment funds. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships are not registered with SECP; they operate under provincial licensing and tax registration frameworks.

Does Pakistan have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Pakistan introduced beneficial ownership disclosure requirements under its AML/CFT framework as part of its FATF action plan commitments between 2018 and 2022. Companies are required to maintain a beneficial ownership register and file declarations with SECP where applicable. However, as of May 2026, there is no publicly searchable centralised UBO register accessible to third parties. UBO information can appear in SECP filings for entities that have filed declarations. For compliance, beneficial ownership must be verified directly with the counterparty or through a formal disclosure request.

How current is the data in SECP eServices?

The eServices portal reflects filings as processed by SECP. Companies are required to file annual returns within a statutory period after their AGM. In practice, filing compliance varies. The free company profile view (status, address, capital) is generally kept current as SECP processes change filings electronically. Paid documents (annual returns, director lists) reflect the last filed version, which may lag the current state for companies with late filing patterns.

Is Pakistan on the FATF grey list?

No. Pakistan was removed from FATF Increased Monitoring (grey list) in October 2022 after completing its 34-point FATF action plan. As of May 2026, Pakistan is not on the FATF grey list. FATF acknowledged Pakistan’s material progress on AML/CFT technical compliance and effectiveness. Compliance buyers should monitor fatf-gafi.org for any future changes to Pakistan’s status and should continue applying risk-based CDD given the regional operating environment.

What is the difference between SECP and the FBR tax system?

SECP is the company registrar and securities regulator, maintaining the legal filing record: incorporation documents, directors, shareholders, and annual returns. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) maintains the tax system, including NTN (income tax) and Sales Tax Registration Number (STRN/NTN for sales tax). These are linked by company name but not by a shared identifier. A valid SECP registration does not confirm tax compliance. For complete counterparty due diligence, verify both SECP registration status and FBR tax registration and compliance status.

Last verified: May 2026. Source: Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan eServices (eservices.secp.gov.pk). For FATF status see fatf-gafi.org. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.