Zambia Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Zambia Business

TL;DR. Zambia’s official business registry is the PACRA Business Registry, operated by the Patents and Companies Registration Agency. Foreign buyers can run free name searches at search.pacra.org.zm without an account. Certified extracts require a PACRA portal account and a fee in ZMW (roughly USD 5-14 depending on document type). The interface is fully English.

What is the official Zambia business registry?

The Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) is Zambia’s statutory registry for companies, business names, intellectual property, and secured transactions. PACRA operates under the Patents and Companies Registration Agency Act, and the Companies Act (Cap. 388 of the Laws of Zambia) defines the filing obligations for registered entities.

PACRA maintains the central public register covering private limited companies, public companies, business names (sole proprietors), partnerships, and foreign company branches operating in Zambia. The agency launched its online portal at portal.pacra.org.zm to allow name clearance, registration filings, annual return submissions, and document downloads.

A free public search interface is available at search.pacra.org.zm, where users can look up any registered entity by entering a minimum of four characters of the business name. PACRA’s records date to the agency’s establishment and cover entities registered under both the current Companies Act and earlier iterations of company law in Zambia.

What can you search?

The PACRA public search portal and the full portal together support the following lookups:

• Company or business name (partial match, minimum 4 characters)
• Company registration number
• Director or officer name (via portal, not the free public interface)
• Business name (sole proprietorship registrations)
• Annual return filing status

Data visible per entity profile includes: registered name, registration number, entity type, registered office address, date of incorporation, current status (active, struck off, in liquidation), principal officers listed, and share capital (for companies).

PACRA updates the registry on a filing-event basis. Registration events, director changes, and address updates are processed and reflected within 1-3 business days of PACRA accepting the relevant filing. Basic name and status data on the public search portal typically lags the full portal by a short interval.

How much does it cost?

Prices sourced from PACRA’s published fee schedule at pacra.org.zm/fees-and-forms, verified May 2026. ZMW/USD conversion used: 1 USD = approximately 25 ZMW (verify at point of purchase, as the kwacha rate fluctuates). PACRA accepts payment online via the portal and by bank transfer.

Note the bifurcated fee structure: foreign requests for certified documents cost substantially more than local requests, a common feature of Zambian government service pricing.

Do you need a local account or ID?

The free public search at search.pacra.org.zm requires no account or identity document. Any user with internet access can run name and status checks.

For certified extracts and computer printouts, you must create a PACRA portal account at portal.pacra.org.zm. The registration process asks for an email address and personal or company details, but does not require a Zambian national identity number. Foreign buyers can complete registration using a passport number and an international email address.

Payment for fee-bearing services can be made online; PACRA’s portal accepts card and bank transfer options.

Is the website in English?

Yes. PACRA’s public search interface, the portal, and all downloadable forms and fee schedules are fully in English. Zambia’s Companies Act and all statutory filings use English as the official language.

What’s the turnaround time?

Free public name and status searches on search.pacra.org.zm are instant. Ordering a computer printout or certified extract through the PACRA portal typically takes 1-3 business days depending on processing volume. PACRA does not currently offer instant electronic certified documents in the way that some more digitised registries do; the document is prepared after order submission and delivered as a PDF or physical copy.

For compliance purposes, the certified extract bearing the PACRA seal is the primary source document for KYC and due diligence files.

Is there an API?

No. PACRA does not currently offer a public API for programmatic registry access. Bulk data requests or integration for compliance platforms should be directed to PACRA at pro@pacra.org.zm to enquire about data-sharing agreements.

For platform-level automation, OpenCorporates indexes Zambia filings and may be sufficient for indicative lookups, but it is not suitable as a primary compliance source.

What you legally cannot do

PACRA’s Terms of Use prohibit bulk automated scraping of the public search interface or the portal. Registry data is made public for individual lookup purposes. Redistribution of certified documents outside the scope of the specific transaction for which they were obtained, or their use for unsolicited marketing, is not permitted.

Zambia’s Data Protection Act 2021 governs the processing of personal data derived from registry records (such as director addresses). Compliance buyers should document the stated purpose of each search as part of their internal AML/KYC audit trail. For a full framework on cross-border data handling from public registries, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide. For regional comparison, see the Kenya Company Search Guide, which covers another English-language East African registry.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Use the registration number as the anchor. Zambian company names can be abbreviated, transliterated, or changed. The PACRA registration number stays fixed throughout the entity’s life. Confirm the number on any document before relying on a name match alone.
• Distinguish company status codes. PACRA records “Active,” “Struck Off,” “In Liquidation,” and “Dissolved.” A struck-off entity has lost its legal standing. An entity in liquidation may still be operational under a liquidator; confirm the appointed liquidator before engaging.
• Foreign branches. Foreign companies registered to operate in Zambia are listed separately as “External Company” or “Branch” entries. The parent company’s home-jurisdiction registration is not verified by PACRA; you must obtain the parent extract separately.
• Annual returns. Companies are required to file annual returns. Non-filing leads to PACRA issuing a notice and ultimately striking off the entity. Check the annual return filing date on any extract for compliance buyers performing ongoing monitoring.
• Director addresses. Residential director addresses are included in full registry extracts. Handle in accordance with Zambia’s Data Protection Act 2021 and your own data protection obligations.
• FATF context. Zambia is not currently on the FATF grey list or black list as of May 2026. Standard CDD applies.

Alternatives if you cannot access PACRA directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes Zambia company filings but lags official data. Useful for a quick name check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• PACRA portal (portal.pacra.org.zm) for account-based certified extracts.

Local data suppliers

• Dun and Bradstreet Zambia (via dnb.com). D&B provides commercial credit reports on Zambian entities as part of its Africa coverage. Scope includes payment risk and financial indicators not available from the PACRA extract alone. Use when you need credit scoring in addition to the registry filing record.

Use PACRA for the official filing record. Use a commercial credit bureau when you need payment behavior or risk scoring on top of the registry extract.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Zambia registry directly?

Yes. The free public search at search.pacra.org.zm is accessible to anyone globally without registration. Certified extracts require a PACRA portal account, which foreign users can create using a passport and international email address without a Zambian national ID.

What is the PACRA registration number in Zambia?

The PACRA registration number is a unique identifier assigned at incorporation. It typically appears in formats such as “120140012345” for companies or shorter codes for business names. Always use this number rather than the company name when referencing an entity across Zambian government systems.

What entity types are registered with PACRA?

PACRA registers private limited companies, public companies, foreign company branches (external companies), business names (sole proprietorships and partnerships), and cooperatives. Intellectual property rights including patents, trademarks, and industrial designs are also registered with PACRA, though these are separate from the company register.

Does Zambia have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Zambia’s Companies Act requires companies to maintain registers of members and beneficial owners internally. PACRA holds some beneficial ownership information as part of company filings, but there is no fully public UBO register accessible for third-party search at the time of writing. Zambia is aligning with FATF Recommendation 24 standards on beneficial ownership transparency, and requirements have been progressively strengthened.

How current is the data in the PACRA registry?

Data is updated on a filing-event basis. PACRA processes filings within 1-3 business days in most cases. The public search interface reflects accepted filings, though there may be a short lag between the portal and the public search interface. For compliance workflows requiring the most current status, obtain a certified extract from the PACRA portal rather than relying on the public search display.

Is Zambia on the FATF grey list?

No. Zambia is not on the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring as of May 2026. Standard AML due diligence applies. For current FATF list status, refer to fatf-gafi.org.

What’s the difference between the registry and tax/financial filings?

PACRA handles company registration and corporate governance filings (directors, shares, annual returns). Tax registration and filings are handled separately by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) at zra.org.zm, which issues a Tax Payer Identification Number (TPIN). A full compliance file on a Zambian entity may require both the PACRA extract and the ZRA registration confirmation.

Last verified: May 2026. Source: Patents and Companies Registration Agency (pacra.org.zm). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.