Registering a Company in Nepal Online (OCR CAMIS Guide 2026)

Quick Answer: Can You Register a Company Online?

Yes. A Private Limited company can generally be registered online through the Office of Company Registrar (OCR) CAMIS portal at camis.ocr.gov.np. The digital workflow covers name reservation, incorporation application, document upload, payment, status tracking, correction queries, and electronic Certificate of Incorporation.

Online incorporation creates the legal company, but it does not automatically make the business fully operational. You may still need Business PAN, VAT if applicable, local municipality registration, industry or sector licenses, Social Security Fund registration for employees, and foreign-investment approval where relevant.

What Are OCR and CAMIS?

The Office of Company Registrar (OCR) is the government authority responsible for incorporating companies and maintaining the company register under Nepal's Companies Act, 2063. It also administers corporate records, amendments, and ongoing company filings.

CAMIS means Company Administration Management Information System. It is OCR's official online portal for:

• Company-name search and reservation
• Online incorporation applications
• MOA, AOA, identity, and supporting-document upload
• Government-fee payment and receipts
• Application status and OCR-query responses
• Digital Certificate of Incorporation download
• Selected post-registration filings and amendments

Types of Companies in Nepal

For most first-time founders, a Private Limited company is the default structure. Sole proprietorships and partnership firms follow different local or sector registration routes and are not the same as OCR incorporation.

What Is a Private Limited Company?

• Separate legal entity: The company can own property, sign contracts, sue, and be sued in its own name.
• Limited liability: Shareholders' liability is generally limited to their share contribution.
• Shareholders: A private company commonly has at least 1 and no more than 101 shareholders under the Companies Act framework.
• Directors: At least one director is required; a shareholder may also be a director.
• Registered office: The company must have an official office address in Nepal.
• Restricted transfer: Shares cannot simply be offered to the general public and transfers must follow the company's constitutional rules.

After incorporation, private companies must track annual returns, AGM obligations, accounting records, tax filings, audits where applicable, and changes to shareholders, directors, or the registered office.

Who Can Register a Company?

• Nepali citizens who meet the age and identity requirements can form a company individually or with co-founders.
• A private company can have individual or corporate shareholders subject to the applicable rules.
• Existing sole proprietorships or partnerships may convert or restructure, but that is not always the same as a fresh CAMIS incorporation.
• Foreign nationals and foreign companies can participate only through the foreign-investment and sector-approval framework.

Before filing, decide the shareholders, share percentages, directors, registered office, business objectives, and authorized, issued, and paid-up capital. Changing these later may require amendments and additional filings.

Requirements Before Starting CAMIS

• Two or three proposed company names in Nepali and English
• Specific business objectives that accurately describe the intended activity
• Registered office address with ward, municipality, district, and contact details
• Shareholder list, ownership percentages, and share allocation
• Director list and contact details
• Authorized, issued, and paid-up capital decisions
• Clear Citizenship and NID information for Nepali shareholders and directors
• MOA and AOA prepared for the chosen company structure
• Witness details and Citizenship copies where required
• Sectoral or foreign-investment approvals where applicable

How to Reserve a Company Name

1. Create or log in to a CAMIS company-user account.
2. Search the company database for similar names.
3. Submit alternative Nepali and English names with the intended business objectives.
4. Pay the current name-reservation fee, commonly listed as Rs 100.
5. Wait for OCR review, often around one to three working days for a clean request.
6. Use the approved name and reference number to start the incorporation application before the reservation expires.

Names may be rejected when they conflict with existing companies or trademarks, use restricted words without sector approval, misrepresent the business activity, or appear unsuitable. Submit alternatives to reduce delay.

Documents Required

• Upload clear, complete, readable files in CAMIS-supported formats and sizes.
• Make sure names, capital, objectives, and share allocations match across every document and form field.
• Ensure shareholders and witnesses sign the documents where required.

MOA and AOA Explained

The Memorandum of Association (MOA) defines the company's external scope and legal foundation. The Articles of Association (AOA) govern how the company operates internally.

Avoid copying an outdated template without updating names, objectives, capital, and shareholding. Vague objectives or discrepancies between CAMIS and the MOA/AOA commonly trigger OCR queries. A single-shareholder company may use a prescribed AOA format where the current rules allow it.

How to Register Through CAMIS

1. Create or log in: Register a company-user account with an active email and phone number.
2. Reserve the name: Submit alternatives, objectives, and the name-reservation fee.
3. Enter company details: Add company type, registered office, objectives, contact information, and capital structure.
4. Add shareholders: Enter names, Citizenship, NID, addresses, shares, percentages, and upload identity documents.
5. Add directors: Select or add directors, enter their details, and upload photographs.
6. Upload MOA and AOA: Submit signed constitutional documents that match the application fields.
7. Upload supporting documents: Add witness and case-specific approvals or agreements.
8. Pay the OCR fee: Use the integrated payment route and save the receipt.
9. Review and submit: Check the full application preview before final submission.
10. Respond to OCR: Monitor status and correct only the issues noted in a returned application.
11. Download the certificate: After approval, download the electronic Certificate of Incorporation and verify its QR code.

OCR Company Registration Fees

For private and public companies, the OCR registration fee is calculated from authorized capital, not paid-up capital. The following planning table reflects commonly published 2026 slabs; confirm the final amount in CAMIS before payment.

• Name reservation is commonly Rs 100 and non-refundable.
• Business PAN registration generally has no government registration fee, but IRD procedures still apply.
• VAT registration may be free where applicable.
• Local registration, industry registration, sector licenses, professional drafting, notary, stamps, and accounting are separate costs.

Authorized, Issued, and Paid-Up Capital

A commonly used planning minimum for a private company is Rs 1,00,000 authorized capital. Public companies have higher founder and capital requirements. Banking, insurance, finance, and other regulated sectors may impose much higher sector-specific minimums.

Processing Time

Statutory administrative timelines and real-world completion times are not always identical. Do not promise same-day incorporation unless the current official portal explicitly does so for your case.

Business PAN After Incorporation

OCR incorporation and IRD Business PAN registration are separate. CAMIS may let you initiate PAN registration alongside incorporation, but the PAN is issued by the Inland Revenue Department and may still require director biometrics or office verification.

1. Use the CAMIS PAN integration if it is available for your application, or open the IRD Taxpayer Portal.
2. Select Business PAN and provide the incorporation number, registered-office details, directors, and company documents.
3. Upload Certificate of Incorporation, MOA/AOA, director documents, office proof, and photographs as requested.
4. Complete IRD biometric verification where required.
5. Receive and save the company PAN certificate before starting formal operations.

A company needs its tax identity for corporate banking, invoicing, hiring, tax returns, and other formal activity. Confirm the current deadline and procedure with IRD rather than relying on an old fixed number.

Company Registration vs PAN, VAT, and Licenses

What to Do After Registration

1. Download and securely store the Certificate of Incorporation, MOA, AOA, and payment receipts.
2. Obtain Business PAN from IRD.
3. Open a corporate bank account using incorporation and PAN documents.
4. Complete municipality or local-business registration where required.
5. Check VAT, industry, and sector-license requirements.
6. Set up accounting records, invoices, and a document-retention system.
7. Register employees for SSF and other employment obligations where applicable.
8. Track AGM, annual returns, audit, and corporate tax deadlines.
9. Update OCR when directors, shareholders, objectives, capital, or registered office changes.

Foreign Investors and Foreign-Owned Companies

Foreign shareholders should not assume that the Nepali-founder CAMIS workflow applies unchanged. Foreign investment is governed by FITTA and related DOI, sector, and Nepal Rastra Bank requirements.

1. Check whether the proposed sector is open, restricted, or closed to foreign investment.
2. Obtain Department of Industry approval before OCR incorporation where required.
3. Meet the current minimum investment or sector threshold, noting that exemptions and rules can change.
4. Prepare passport, foreign corporate, board-resolution, financial-credibility, and attestation documents.
5. Arrange compliant foreign-exchange capital injection and NRB documentation.
6. Reserve the name and file the OCR application with DOI and foreign-shareholder evidence.
7. Complete PAN and sector-specific registrations after incorporation.

Common CAMIS Problems and Solutions

Common Registration Mistakes

• Choosing a name without searching CAMIS first
• Using an old MOA/AOA template without updating it
• Writing vague business objectives that do not match the activity
• Entering shareholder names or NID numbers incorrectly
• Confusing authorized capital with paid-up capital
• Uploading unreadable or cropped documents
• Assuming submission means approval
• Paying an unofficial agent unnecessarily
• Assuming OCR incorporation automatically provides PAN, VAT, or licenses
• Forgetting AGM, annual-return, audit, and tax compliance after incorporation

Complete Registration Checklist

• Preparation: name alternatives, founders, directors, office, objectives, capital, share structure, and documents ready.
• CAMIS: account created, name reserved, company details entered, shareholders and directors added, MOA/AOA uploaded, supporting files uploaded, fee paid, application submitted.
• Review: application number saved, status monitored, OCR queries answered, certificate downloaded and QR checked.
• After incorporation: Business PAN, corporate bank account, municipality registration, VAT check, industry and sector licenses, accounting, SSF, AGM, annual returns, audit, and tax filings.

Official Sources and Disclaimer

Use the Office of Company Registrar and CAMIS portal for current company-registration instructions. Use the Inland Revenue Department for PAN and VAT, the Department of Industry for industry and foreign-investment matters, and Nepal Rastra Bank for foreign-exchange requirements.

Fees, capital rules, document lists, foreign-investment thresholds, portal workflows, and compliance deadlines can change. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm the current requirements with the relevant authority or qualified professional before filing.