Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Africa |
| ISO 3166-1 | ZW / ZWE |
| Registry | CIPZ (Companies and Intellectual Property Office of Zimbabwe) |
| Last updated | 2026-05-04 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Zimbabwe and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | ZIMRA Tax Number | ZIMRA (Zimbabwe Revenue Authority) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | CIPZ Company Number | CIPZ (Companies and Intellectual Property Office of Zimbabwe) |
Sector regulators
RBZ · SECZ · IPEC
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Private Limited Company | (Pvt) Ltd | Closely-held company limited by shares; maximum 50 shareholders; shares not freely transferable to the public. The dominant SME vehicle in Zimbabwe. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Private Business Corporation | PBC | Simplified member-based entity for small businesses, sole traders, and professionals; 1–20 members; provides limited liability without full company formality. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Public Limited Company | PLC | Share-capital company that may offer shares to the public and list on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange; requires a qualified company secretary under the COBE Act. Equivalent to a US C-Corp. |
| Company Limited by Guarantee | — | Members commit to covering company debts up to a guaranteed amount rather than contributing share capital; used primarily by nonprofits, charities, and associations under the COBE Act. Equivalent to a US Nonprofit Corporation. |
| Partnership | — | Association of two or more persons carrying on business together with joint and several liability; registrable under the COBE Act. Equivalent to a US General Partnership. |
| Sole Trader | — | Individual trading under their own name or registered business name; no separate legal personality and no limited liability. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| Cooperative Society | — | Member-owned democratic entity registered under the Co-operative Societies Act (Chapter 24:05); profits distributed as patronage dividends rather than equity returns. Equivalent to a US Cooperative. |
| External Company (Foreign Branch) | — | Company incorporated outside Zimbabwe that registers a local branch with CIPZ; must appoint a local representative and file annual returns. Equivalent to a US 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 & Articles of Association |
| Tax Registration | ZIMRA Tax Clearance |
| Operating Permit | Shop License |
| Ownership Records | All required: Memorandum & Articles of Association + CR11 |
| Governance Records | CR6 |
| 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 (CIPZ) | Legal Registration |
| Memorandum & Articles of Association | Constitutive Documents |
| ZIMRA Tax Clearance (ITF263) | Tax Registration |
| Shop License | Operating Permit |
| Memorandum & Articles of Association | Ownership Records |
| CR11 (Return of Allotments) | Ownership Records |
| CR6 (Notice of Directors & Secretaries) | Governance Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Certificate of Good Standing (CIPZ) | Good Standing |
| Sector-Specific License | RBZ, SECZ, IPEC |
Collection notes
- Good Standing: Issued by CIPZ on request; date-stamped; distinct from the Certificate of Incorporation. Confirms the company is currently registered and in good standing.
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. |