Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Africa |
| ISO 3166-1 | LS / LSO |
| Registry | Registrar of Companies (OBFC) |
| Last updated | 2026-05-06 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Lesotho and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | TIN (Tax Identification Number) | Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | Company Registration Number | Registrar of Companies (OBFC) |
Sector regulators
CBL · FIU Lesotho · RSL
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Private Company | (Pty) Ltd | Closely-held share-capital company; maximum 50 shareholders with restricted share transfer; cannot offer shares to the public. Minimum 1 director. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Public Company | Ltd | Share-capital company with unlimited shareholders; may issue shares to the public and list on a stock exchange. Minimum 2 directors. Equivalent to a US C-Corp. |
| Non-Profit Company | NPC | Incorporated entity with no share capital; income and assets must be applied solely to stated non-profit objects; no dividends may be declared. Equivalent to a US Nonprofit Corporation (501(c)(3)). |
| Sole Trader | — | Single natural person carrying on business in their own name or under a registered trade name; no separate legal personality and unlimited personal liability. Registered under the Business Licensing and Registration Act 2019. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| Partnership | — | Two or more persons carrying on business together for profit; each partner bears joint and unlimited personal liability for partnership debts. Registered under the Business Licensing and Registration Act 2019. Equivalent to a US General Partnership. |
| External Company | — | Foreign company that has established a place of business in Lesotho and must register with the Registrar of Companies within 10 days. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office of a foreign corporation. |
How documents combine
For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below.| Evidence area | Documents needed |
|---|---|
| Legal Registration | Certificate of Incorporation |
| Constitutive Documents | Articles of Incorporation |
| Tax Registration | TIN Certificate |
| Operating Permit | Trading License |
| Ownership Records | Company Share Register |
| Governance Records | Register of Directors |
| Signing Authority | Any one of: Board Resolution · Power of Attorney |
| Address | Any one of: Lease Agreement · Utility Bill · Bank Statement |
Documents to collect
The physical documents you’ll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil’s Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed.| Document | Proves |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Incorporation (OBFC) | Legal Registration |
| Articles of Incorporation | Constitutive Documents |
| TIN Certificate (RSL) | Tax Registration |
| Trading License (BLRA 2019) | Operating Permit |
| Company Share Register | Ownership Records |
| Register of Directors | Governance Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Power of Attorney | Signing Authority |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Sector-Specific License | CBL license |
Collection notes
- Legal Registration: Issued by Registrar under Companies Act 2011 s.7; conclusive evidence of incorporation.
- Constitutive Documents: Filed with Registrar at incorporation (Companies Act 2011); Memorandum of Association abolished. Model articles in Schedules 2–4.
- Tax Registration: Issued by Revenue Services Lesotho after company tax registration; required for all business operations.
- Operating Permit: Issued by OBFC / Ministry of Trade under Business Licensing and Registration Act, 2019; max 14 days to issue.
- Sector-Specific License: CBL issues licenses for banking, insurance, and microfinance under Financial Institutions Act 2012; payment services currently under Payment Systems Act 2014 (replacement Payment Systems Act 2025 progressing through National Assembly — July 2025 amendments; royal assent unconfirmed as of 2026-05-06).
- Ownership Records: Share register maintained by the company under the Companies Act 2011.
- Governance Records: Maintained by company under Companies Act 2011; director details filed with Registrar at OBFC; extractable from online registry.
- Signing Authority: Board resolution for account-opening and transactions; notarized PoA for external signatories. Notary public must sign and affix seal for documents used cross-border.
- Address: Conduit universal policy: lease (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement, with utility/bank dated within 90 days. Same evidence satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks.
Person roles
When you submit a person on the application body, set theirrole to one of Conduit’s canonical BusinessPersonRole values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role.
| Local role | Canonical API role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Director | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Appointed to manage company; at least 1 required (private), 2 (public). |
| Authorized Signatory / PoA Holder | LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE | Person authorized by board resolution or notarized PoA to bind the company. |
Notes
- The Memorandum of Association no longer exists under the Companies Act 2011 — the Articles of Incorporation is the sole constitutive document; do not request a MEMART.
- Foreign businesses where any proprietor, shareholder, partner, or director is not an “indigenous citizen” (ancestry traceable to at least three generations of Lesotho citizenship) are barred from reserved sectors under Business Licensing and Registration Regulations, Regulation 34; full enforcement was targeted for January 2026.
- Lesotho is a Hague Apostille Convention party by succession effective 4 October 1966 (succession declared 24 April 1972); foreign documents require an original apostille.