How to Register a Business in Ghana: ORC Costs, Steps and Timeline

Despite the adverts, you can't register a business in Ghana entirely online yet, but it is cheap. A business name costs GHS 130 at the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC), and a limited company costs GHS 585 plus 1% capital duty.

You can search and reserve your name online. After that, you take the signed form to an ORC counter and pay there. The steps are below, as of October 2026.

This guide walks through both routes, sole proprietorship (business name) and limited company, with the real ORC fees, the documents you need, and what trips people up. It's one of several money and tax questions new business owners in Ghana run into; see our other Ghana guides for the rest.

Quick facts: what it costs and takes

Source: ORC fee schedule, checked October 2026.

You'll also need a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). For individuals, that's simply your Ghana Card PIN, as the Ghana Revenue Authority's TIN page confirms. Once you're trading, check whether you also need to register for VAT. The rules changed in 2026: businesses selling goods only register once turnover passes GH₵750,000, while service businesses must register whatever their size.

Step 1: Decide which structure you need

Most small traders (a boutique, a phone repair shop, a provisions store, a freelance service) register a business name. It's cheaper and faster, with no board, no shares and no capital duty. The downside: you're personally responsible for the business's debts.

Register a company limited by shares if you want to raise outside capital, bring in co-founders as shareholders, or protect your personal assets from business debt. A limited by guarantee structure is for NGOs and non-profits that don't distribute profit.

A partnership sits in between: two or more people sharing ownership and responsibility without forming a company, for GHS 270 (ORC fees).

Step 2: Search and reserve your name (this part is online)

This is the one online step. Go to the ORC's name search portal and check your proposed name isn't taken, too similar to an existing one, or misleading. The ORC's own guidance says final approval of names is at the Registrar's discretion, so have two or three options ready.

Step 3: Register a business name (sole proprietorship)

Once your name clears, the ORC's process is:

1. Get Form A from the ORC's in-house bank or download it from the site.
2. Fill it in and sign it.
3. Submit it in person at the Business Names Registration Counter at ORC's Accra office (or a regional office) for verification and capturing. This step isn't done online.
4. Pay GHS 130 at the in-house bank. An optional VIP service adds GHS 520 (GHS 650 total) if you want it processed faster.
5. Collect your Certificate of Registration and a certified true copy of Form A once the Registrar approves it.
6. Renew every year for GHS 70, paid by dialling *222# on your phone. It's the one part of the whole process you can do from home.

Step 4: Incorporate a company limited by shares

For a limited company, the ORC's incorporation steps are heavier:

1. Check the name is available (Step 2 above).
2. Complete Form 3C, the company profile and incorporation form.
3. Get an auditor's consent letter from a chartered accountant registered with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana.
4. Complete statutory declaration forms for each director, witnessed by a Commissioner for Oaths, a Notary Public, or self-declared.
5. Set your stated capital and who owns which shares.
6. Appoint at least two directors (each submits a declaration and consent letter) and a secretary (who submits a consent letter).
7. Declare the beneficial owners, the people who ultimately control the company, as the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992) requires.
8. Submit everything at the Company Registration Counter for verification.
9. Pay GHS 585 plus 1% capital duty on your stated capital. A VIP service costs GHS 1,885 in total, which the ORC pitches as faster processing.
10. Collect your Certificate of Incorporation, certified copies of your constitution and Form 3C, and your beneficial ownership profile.
11. File annual returns with a financial statement starting 18 months after incorporation, then every year, at GHS 175.

A limited by guarantee company (for an NGO or association) follows a similar path at GHS 490, without the shares and capital duty steps.

Step 5: Get your TIN

If you register a business name or a company, GRA issues an organisation TIN at the TIN Centre in the same building as the ORC, once your ORC registration is done, as GRA's TIN page confirms. You don't apply separately. It follows your ORC certificate.

As an individual director or sole trader, your own TIN is simply your Ghana Card PIN, which has been the case since April 2021. See our guide on checking your TIN number in Ghana if you need to confirm or find yours.

Step 6: Register with SSNIT if you'll have staff

As soon as you hire your first employee, you must register as an employer with SSNIT and start the 18.5% pension contribution: 5.5% from the worker's pay and 13% added by you. Our SSNIT contributions guide explains the split and how staff check their balance. Once you know a new hire's gross pay, use our Ghana PAYE calculator to see what they take home and what you owe GRA.

If you're not Ghanaian: GIPA and minimum capital

Foreign-owned businesses used to face strict minimum capital rules under the old GIPC Act. That changed with the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority Act, 2025, passed by Parliament on 4 April 2026 and assented to on 15 July 2026, per Clyde & Co's legal alert on the new law:

• The old USD 200,000 minimum capital for joint ventures with a Ghanaian partner, and USD 500,000 for wholly foreign-owned enterprises, have both been scrapped.
• A wholly foreign-owned trading company still needs minimum capital (cut from USD 1,000,000 to USD 500,000) and must now have at least 75% skilled Ghanaian staff, up from the old fixed requirement of 20 skilled Ghanaians.

If you're setting up as a non-citizen, register with the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority alongside your ORC registration, and check the current rules directly with GIPA before you invest. The law is only a few months old, and guidance is still catching up.

Common registration mistakes

• Don't pay anyone who promises "instant online registration" for a fee outside the ORC's own channels. Form A submission and payment still happen at an ORC counter or its in-house bank; be wary of agents quoting figures well above GHS 130 (business name) or GHS 585 (company) without the VIP add-on.
• Missing your yearly renewal cancels your business name registration. It's only GHS 70 a year by *222#, which is cheaper than registering again from scratch.
• Don't confuse a reserved name with a registered one. Reserving a name on the ORC portal doesn't make you a legal business; you still have to complete registration or incorporation.
• Capital duty catches people out. If you set your stated capital high "to look serious" to investors, remember that 1% of it is due upfront as capital duty. There's no benefit in inflating it before you need to.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to register a business name in Ghana?

GHS 130 at the ORC, plus GHS 70 a year to renew it. An optional VIP service for faster processing brings the total to GHS 650. Figures confirmed on the ORC fee schedule, October 2026.

How much does it cost to register a limited company in Ghana?

GHS 585 for the incorporation and filing fee, plus 1% capital duty on whatever stated capital you choose. A company limited by guarantee (for NGOs) costs GHS 490. Source: ORC fees.

Can I register a business in Ghana fully online?

Only the name search and reservation happen online, through the ORC's portal. You still submit Form A (business name) or Form 3C and supporting documents (company) at an ORC counter and pay at the in-house bank.

Do I need a TIN to register a business in Ghana?

Yes, but for individuals it's simply your Ghana Card PIN, used since April 2021. For a registered company or business name, GRA issues the organisation's TIN automatically once ORC registration is done: see GRA's TIN page.

What's the difference between a business name and a limited company in Ghana?

A business name is cheaper and faster to set up, but you're personally liable for its debts. A limited company costs more to register (GHS 585 plus capital duty) and needs directors, a secretary and beneficial ownership disclosure, but protects your personal assets if the business owes money. Still deciding what to register? See our roundup of low-capital businesses worth starting in Ghana first.

Do foreigners pay more to register a business in Ghana?

Not at the ORC, where the fees are the same. But under the new Ghana Investment Promotion Authority Act (2026), a fully foreign-owned trading company must invest at least USD 500,000 and employ at least 75% skilled Ghanaians, according to Clyde & Co's analysis. Joint ventures with a Ghanaian partner no longer have a fixed minimum capital.