Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Africa |
| ISO 3166-1 | TZ / TZA |
| Registry | Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA) |
| Last updated | 2026-05-04 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Tanzania and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | TIN | TRA (Tanzania Revenue Authority) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | BRELA registration number | BRELA (Business Registrations and Licensing Agency) |
Sector regulators
BoT · CMSA · TIRA · TCRA
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Private Limited Company | Ltd | Closely-held company limited by shares with 2–50 shareholders; shares are not freely transferable and cannot be listed on a stock exchange. The standard SME vehicle registered with BRELA under the Companies Act 2002. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Public Limited Company | PLC | Share-capital company with at least 7 shareholders whose shares are freely transferable and may be listed on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange. Registered with BRELA under the Companies Act 2002. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Company Limited by Guarantee | — | Incorporated without share capital; members’ liability is limited to a guaranteed amount stated in the memorandum. Typically used for NGOs, professional associations, and clubs. Registered with BRELA under the Companies Act 2002. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation. |
| General Partnership | — | Two or more persons carrying on business together with unlimited joint and several liability; registered as a business name with BRELA under the Business Names (Registration) Act (Cap. 213). No separate legal personality. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership (GP). |
| Limited Partnership | LP | Partnership with at least one general partner bearing unlimited liability and one or more limited partners whose liability is capped at their capital contribution; registered with BRELA under the Business Names (Registration) Act (Cap. 213). Closest US equivalent: Limited Partnership (LP). |
| Sole Proprietorship | — | Single individual trading under their own or a registered business name; registered with BRELA under the Business Names (Registration) Act (Cap. 213). No separate legal personality; owner bears unlimited personal liability. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| Cooperative Society | — | Member-owned entity formed under the Cooperative Societies Act for mutual economic benefit; registered with the Commissioner for Cooperative Development. Common in agriculture, savings, and credit sectors. Closest US equivalent: Cooperative. |
| Branch of a Foreign Company | — | An overseas-incorporated company registered with BRELA to operate in Tanzania; not a separate legal entity from its parent. BRELA issues a Certificate of Compliance. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office. |
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 and Articles of Association |
| Tax Registration | TIN Certificate |
| Operating Permit | Any one of: Business License · TIC Certificate |
| Ownership Records | Any one of: Memorandum and Articles of Association · Annual Return · Return of Allotment |
| Governance Records | All required: Memorandum and Articles of Association + Annual Return |
| Signing Authority | Board Resolution |
| Address | Any one of: Lease Agreement · Utility Bill · Bank Statement |
| Good Standing | Certificate of 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 (BRELA) | Legal Registration |
| Memorandum and Articles of Association | Constitutive Documents |
| TIN Certificate (TRA) | Tax Registration |
| Business License (BRELA) | Operating Permit |
| TIC Certificate (if foreign investor) | Operating Permit |
| MemArts | Ownership Records, Governance Records |
| Annual Return | Ownership Records, Governance Records |
| Allotment | Ownership Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Certificate of Good Standing (BRELA) | Good Standing |
| Sector-Specific License | BoT, CMSA, TIRA, TCRA — Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (telecom/broadcasting; required for digital-channel FinTech) |
Collection notes
- Operating Permit: TISEZA Certificate of Incentives applies only to foreign investors seeking investment incentives. Not required for all entities.
- Address: Lease (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement 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 | Board member. Minimum 2. |
Notes
- TIC Certificate (issued by TISEZA since the 2025 merger) only applies to foreign investors seeking incentives — minimum US$500K foreign capital.