Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Africa |
| ISO 3166-1 | ZM / ZMB |
| Registry | Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) |
| Last updated | 2026-05-04 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Zambia and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | TPIN | ZRA (Zambia Revenue Authority) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | PACRA registration number | PACRA (Patents and Companies Registration Agency) |
Sector regulators
BoZ · SEC ZM · PIA
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Private Limited Company | Ltd | Closely-held company limited by shares; separate legal personality with liability capped at share value. The default SME incorporation vehicle in Zambia. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Public Limited Company | PLC | Share-capital company authorised to offer shares to the public; listed or listable on a stock exchange. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Company Limited by Guarantee | — | Company with no share capital whose members’ liability is limited to a fixed guarantee amount; used primarily by nonprofits, associations, and professional bodies. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation. |
| Private Unlimited Company | — | Incorporated company with no cap on shareholder liability; rare form used where unlimited liability is acceptable in exchange for reduced disclosure obligations. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership (incorporated variant). |
| General Partnership | GP | Unincorporated association of two or more persons carrying on business together; all partners bear unlimited joint and several liability. Registered with PACRA under the Business Names and Partnerships registration regime. Equivalent to a US General Partnership. |
| 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 PACRA. Equivalent to a US Limited Partnership. |
| Business Name (Sole Proprietorship) | — | A single natural person trading under a registered business name; no separate legal entity and the owner bears unlimited personal liability. Registered with PACRA via BN Form. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| External Company (Branch) | — | A foreign company registered with PACRA to conduct business in Zambia; not a separate legal entity—the parent foreign company remains liable. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office. |
| Cooperative Society | — | Member-owned organisation registered under the Cooperative Societies Act; governed on one-member-one-vote principles for mutual benefit. Closest US equivalent: Cooperative. |
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 | TPIN Certificate |
| Operating Permit | Trading License |
| Ownership Records | All required: Articles of Incorporation + Annual Return |
| Governance Records | All required: Articles of Incorporation + Annual Return |
| Signing Authority | Board Resolution |
| 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 (PACRA) | Legal Registration |
| Articles of Incorporation | Constitutive Documents |
| TPIN Certificate (ZRA) | Tax Registration |
| Trading License | Operating Permit |
| AoI | Ownership Records, Governance Records |
| Annual Return (Allotment) | Ownership Records, Governance Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Sector-Specific License | BoZ, SEC ZM, PIA |
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. |