Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Africa |
| ISO 3166-1 | NA / NAM |
| Registry | Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) |
| Last updated | 2026-05-04 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Namibia and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | TIN | NamRA (Namibia Revenue Agency) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | BIPA company number | BIPA (Business and Intellectual Property Authority) |
Sector regulators
BoN · NAMFISA
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Private Company | (Pty) Ltd | Closely-held company limited by shares with 1–50 shareholders and restricted share transferability; the default SME incorporation vehicle governed by the Companies Act 28 of 2004. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Public Company | Ltd | Share-capital company whose shares may be offered to the public and listed on a stock exchange; governed by the Companies Act 28 of 2004. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Close Corporation | CC | Member-interest entity with 1–10 members and limited liability; a simplified, lower-cost alternative to the private company for small businesses, governed by the Close Corporations Act 26 of 1988. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Section 21 Company | — | Not-for-gain association incorporated under section 21 of the Companies Act 28 of 2004; may not distribute profits to members. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation (501(c)(3)). |
| External Company | — | Foreign company incorporated outside Namibia that establishes a place of business within Namibia and registers with BIPA under the Companies Act 28 of 2004. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office of a foreign entity. |
| Sole Proprietorship | — | A single natural person trading under their own name or a registered trade name (defensive name); no separate legal entity and the owner bears unlimited personal liability. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
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 | Memorandum & Articles of Association |
| Tax Registration | TIN Certificate |
| Operating Permit | All required: Fitness Certificate + Trade License |
| Ownership Records | Memorandum & Articles of Association |
| Governance Records | CM29 |
| Signing Authority | Board Resolution |
| Address | Any one of: Lease Agreement · Utility Bill · Bank Statement |
| Good Standing | Certificate of Existence with Status in Good Standing |
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 (BIPA) | Legal Registration |
| Memorandum & Articles of Association | Constitutive Documents |
| TIN Certificate (Inland Revenue) | Tax Registration |
| Fitness Certificate | Operating Permit |
| Trade License | Operating Permit |
| Memorandum & Articles of Association | Ownership Records |
| CM29 (Directors) | Governance Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Certificate of Existence with Status in Good Standing (BIPA) | Good Standing |
| Sector-Specific License | BoN, NAMFISA |
Collection notes
- 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.
- Good Standing: BIPA issues two types since January 2021: Confirmation of Registration Certificate (annual duty compliance only) and Certificate of Existence with Status in Good Standing (all statutory/voluntary amendments in order). The latter is the KYB-tier CoGS. Per research finding r1.
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 | Board member. |