Zimbabwe company search: CIPZ (cipz.pfms.gov.zw)

TL;DR. Zimbabwe’s official company registry is operated by the Companies and Intellectual Property of Zimbabwe (CIPZ). https://cipz.pfms.gov.zw returned an error page reading Oops! Something went wrong… when last checked, and its /login and /search paths did the same. The legacy address https://cipz.gov.zw still exists in the domain system but never completes a connection. Neither is a working search, and neither replaces the other. Fees, turnaround and beneficial ownership are unknown rather than free; confirm at source.

What is the official Zimbabwe business registry?

Zimbabwe’s company registry is operated by the Companies and Intellectual Property of Zimbabwe (CIPZ), an executive government department under the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. The named portal is https://cipz.pfms.gov.zw (Public Financial Management System host for CIPZ).

That host returned an error page reading Oops! Something went wrong... and We seem to be having some technical difficulties. Hang tight. Its certificate is valid and issued to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. The error page is what loads, not a search form, and /login, /search, /portal, /Account/Login, /Home and /index.html all show the same thing.

The legacy address https://cipz.gov.zw, with or without www, still exists in the domain system and points at a live address, but the connection never completes. The domain has not been withdrawn; it simply does not answer. It is not a working search and not an official replacement.

https://www.justice.gov.zw is online, titled Ministry of Justice, and carries a heading Deeds, Companies and Intellectual Property. That page links to no CIPZ address and carries no company-search form, so it is not a replacement. https://www.pfms.gov.zw shows the same error page as the registry host. Neither is a replacement search.

CIPZ holds statutory authority under the Companies and Other Business Entities Act (Chapter 24:31), in force from 2019. The Act covers private business corporations (PBCs), private limited companies, public limited companies, and partnerships registered with CIPZ.

CIPZ records cover private business corporations (PBCs, a Zimbabwe-specific entity type), private limited companies (Pvt Ltd), public limited companies, unlimited companies, external companies (foreign company branches), partnerships, and registered cooperatives. How far older files have been digitised could not be confirmed; confirm at source.

What can you search?

Nothing on cipz.pfms.gov.zw, which shows an error page, and nothing on cipz.gov.zw, which does not answer. Company-name, registration-number and director fields therefore cannot be confirmed, and nor can the CR14 or CR6 screens. Confirm at source.

No beneficial-ownership field could be confirmed either.

How much does it cost?

Figures of USD 15, 100-170, 180-260 and 30-100, and turnarounds of 2-5 and 5-10 days, have been reported, but none could be confirmed while https://cipz.pfms.gov.zw shows an error page and cipz.gov.zw does not answer. The table above therefore reads unknown rather than free, and no payment method is published; confirm at source.

Zimbabwe has used USD for many government charges, with Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) also in circulation since 2024. That is a currency fact and not a CIPZ fee.

Do you need a local account or ID?

Account, passport and identity rules could not be confirmed: https://cipz.pfms.gov.zw shows an error page, including on /login and /Account/Login. A CIPZ account has been reported as needing an email, with foreign users registering by passport; confirm at source. Whether a CAPTCHA or a two-factor step applies could not be confirmed; confirm at source.

Is the website in English?

The error page that loads is in English (Oops! Something went wrong...). The CIPZ search screens, the form names CR6 and CR14, and any status labels could not be seen behind it, and cipz.gov.zw returned no page at all.

What’s the turnaround time?

Unknown. https://cipz.pfms.gov.zw shows an error page and no download path could be seen. Turnarounds of 2-5 and 5-10 business days have been reported; confirm at source.

Is there an API?

No public CIPZ API could be confirmed. Neither the host that shows an error page nor the legacy address that does not answer is an API.

For the broader due diligence framework applicable across African jurisdictions, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

What you legally cannot do

The CIPZ terms have restricted bulk automated scraping and commercial redistribution of registry data without authorization. They could not be read for this guide, because neither host produced a page; confirm at source.

Zimbabwe’s Cyber and Data Protection Act (2021) governs use of personal data, including director names and addresses in company filings. That data is not for unsolicited marketing. Compliance buyers should document the purpose of each pull as part of an AML/KYC audit trail. Screen Zimbabwe-linked counterparties against sanctions lists before transacting (see Practical tips). That screening is separate from the CIPZ registry.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• cipz.pfms.gov.zw shows an error page. It is not a working search.
• cipz.gov.zw does not answer. The domain still exists, but the connection never completes. It is not a replacement.
• justice.gov.zw is not the CIPZ search. It is the Ministry of Justice site, with a Deeds, Companies and Intellectual Property heading but no link to CIPZ.
• No USD fee is published. A USD 15 figure has been reported; confirm at source.
• Registration number is the anchor. A format such as 1234/2019, or a PBC prefix, could not be confirmed on a working page.
• Private Business Corporation (PBC) is Zimbabwe-specific. It is the statutory simplified form under Chapter 24:31. PBC filings could not be seen; confirm at source.
• Sanctions screening is separate from CIPZ. The OFAC Sanctions List Search is online. There is no Zimbabwe-specific OFAC programme page, and the OFAC programmes index lists Global Magnitsky without naming Zimbabwe. No current designations are listed here; confirm at source. The UK OFSI consolidated list is at gov.uk/government/publications/financial-sanctions-consolidated-list-of-targets.
• The FATF lists were not read for this guide. The FATF Zimbabwe page blocked automated checks. Zimbabwe has been reported as leaving FATF increased monitoring in 2022; confirm at source.

Alternatives if you cannot access CIPZ directly

• Aggregator search (indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes some Zimbabwe company filings but coverage is partial and may lag official records. Useful for a quick name check only; not for compliance-grade verification.
• There is no replacement register. cipz.gov.zw does not answer, and justice.gov.zw is the ministry site, not a registry search.

Local data suppliers

• Compuscan Zimbabwe (formerly Transunion Zimbabwe). Provides consumer and commercial credit reporting in Zimbabwe. Use when you need payment behavior data or credit risk indicators on top of the CIPZ filing record.

Use CIPZ for the official filing record when the host is reachable. Use a credit bureau when you need payment behavior or risk scoring on top of the registry extract.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Zimbabwe registry directly?

Not at https://cipz.pfms.gov.zw, which shows an error page including on /login, and not at https://cipz.gov.zw, which does not answer. No foreign-account path behind either could be confirmed.

What is the registration number format in Zimbabwe?

Private limited companies have been reported as numbered sequentially by year (for example 1234/2019), PBCs with a PBC prefix, and external companies on an EC series. Those formats could not be confirmed on a CIPZ page; confirm at source.

What entity types are registered with CIPZ?

CIPZ registers private business corporations (PBCs), private limited companies (Pvt Ltd), public limited companies (Ltd), unlimited companies, external companies (branches of foreign entities), registered partnerships, and cooperatives under the Companies and Other Business Entities Act (Chapter 24:31, 2019). That list could not be confirmed against a working search screen.

Does Zimbabwe have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

No beneficial-ownership search could be confirmed, because neither host produced a page. A central public beneficial-ownership register covering all entity types has been reported as not operational; confirm at source.

How current is the data in the CIPZ registry?

Not confirmed. Neither host produced a page, and no statement of how current the data is could be read.

Is Zimbabwe on the FATF grey list?

The FATF lists were not read for this guide: the Zimbabwe country page and the black and grey lists page both blocked automated checks. Zimbabwe has been reported as removed from increased monitoring in 2022; confirm at source at fatf-gafi.org. OFAC SDN screening remains a separate step from FATF list status.

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

CIPZ holds incorporation documents, annual return filings, and officer/shareholder records under the Companies and Other Business Entities Act. Tax registration and returns are held by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA). These are separate systems. ZIMRA was not checked for this guide, and it does not replace CIPZ.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: cipz.pfms.gov.zw, which shows an error page on its home, /login and /search; cipz.gov.zw, which does not answer; justice.gov.zw, which is online but is not the CIPZ search; and the OFAC Sanctions List Search, which is online with no Zimbabwe-specific programme page. No USD fees and no beneficial-ownership data are published. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.