How to Register a Business in Uganda With URSB: Cost and Steps (2026)

Registering a business name with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) online costs UGX 90,000 in total. Incorporating a company starts at UGX 140,000. Both go through URSB's eRegistry portal, and both figures come straight off URSB's own fee page, checked October 2026.

A lot of guides online quote different numbers, some as low as UGX 20,000 for name reservation, others adding a 1% stamp duty that URSB itself doesn't charge. Below is what URSB charges, how the online process works for a business name and for a company, and what to do once you're registered.

Quick facts

Source: URSB's fee schedule, checked October 2026.

Business name or company: which one fits your business?

A business name registers you (or you and a partner) to trade under a chosen name as a sole trader or partnership. It's fast, cheap, and fine for most side hustles, retail shops, salons and small trading businesses. You're personally liable for the business's debts.

A company (limited by shares, or limited by guarantee for non-profits) creates a separate legal entity. It costs more to set up and to maintain, but it protects your personal assets, lets you bring in co-owners through shares, and is usually what banks, government tenders and bigger clients expect to deal with.

If you're not sure, start with a business name while you're testing the idea, then convert to a company once you're hiring staff, signing supplier contracts or looking for investment. URSB lets you re-register later; you don't lose the time you've already put in.

How to register a business name with URSB online

1. Reserve your name. Go to URSB's business registration page and follow the link into the eRegistry portal. Search and reserve a name; this costs UGX 35,000.
2. Create your eRegistry profile and fill in the business name registration form. URSB has separate forms for an individual owner and for a firm or partnership, available on the forms page.
3. Upload your documents. You'll need a valid national ID (or passport, for a foreign owner) and a passport photo for yourself and any partner.
4. Pay the UGX 55,000 registration fee through the portal and submit.
5. Download your certificate once URSB approves the application. You can also order a certified copy later for UGX 35,000 if you need one for a bank or landlord.

URSB doesn't publish a fixed number of working days for this step, so don't bank on a same-day certificate. Check your application status inside your eRegistry account rather than guessing, and keep your reservation and payment receipts until the certificate lands.

How to incorporate a company with URSB online

1. Reserve your company name on eRegistry (UGX 35,000), the same portal used for business names.
2. Pick your company type and pull the matching template. URSB publishes Simplified Memorandum and Articles of Association for four structures: unlimited company with share capital, company limited by shares, company limited by guarantee with share capital, and company limited by guarantee without share capital. Most small businesses use "limited by shares."
3. Fill in your directors, shareholders and registered office in the incorporation form, and attach a valid ID and one passport photo for each director and shareholder.
4. Pay the incorporation fee: UGX 105,000 if your nominal share capital is UGX 5 million or less, or 1.5% of the nominal share capital if it's higher. A company with UGX 10 million in share capital, for example, pays UGX 150,000 at this step instead of the flat rate.
5. Submit and wait for your Certificate of Incorporation. Once it's issued, it's your proof the company legally exists; keep the original safe and get certified copies (UGX 35,000 each) for anyone who needs to see it.

If you ever raise your share capital after incorporation, URSB charges 1.5% of the increase, not the new total, so you're only taxed on what's added.

What registering with URSB really costs in 2026

Beyond the headline fees, URSB charges separately for most other filings. The ones a new business owner is most likely to need:

Source: URSB fee schedule, checked October 2026. If you see a page quoting UGX 20,000 for name reservation or a 1% stamp duty on company capital, it's out of date or wrong; URSB's own page says 35,000 and 1.5%.

URSB also runs mobile "Kiri Easy" registration clinics around Uganda, part of a drive (running since the 2023/24 financial year) to add 873,546 newly formalised businesses by the 2026/27 financial year. The clinics use the same online process and the same fees above; they just bring agents and connectivity to markets and trading centres so people don't have to travel to register.

Get your URA TIN after you register

A business registration certificate from URSB isn't a tax number. You still need a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), and it's free. Our full guide to checking, generating or downloading your URA TIN covers what to do if you already have one but can't find it.

If you're an individual with a National ID, you can get an Instant TIN online in minutes through URA's TIN application page: pick the individual Instant TIN form, enter your National ID details, and your TIN is sent to your phone and email.

For a company, URA asks for your Certificate of Incorporation and company Form 20 alongside signed registration forms and ID copies for directors; this route is checked by URA staff rather than issued instantly. Either way, there's no fee, so don't pay anyone who tells you otherwise.

Mistakes that cost Ugandan business owners money

Letting your registration lapse into deregistration. URSB struck off tens of thousands of companies in 2026 alone for failing to file annual returns for five straight years running, according to Daily Monitor. A deregistered company loses its legal protection, can't sign contracts or hold property, and its name becomes free for someone else to take. Filing your annual return each year is far cheaper than re-registering from scratch.

Paying an agent before confirming the fee yourself. Agents and "business centres" near URSB offices often charge well above the official fee for the paperwork run. Check URSB's own fee page before you agree a price, and ask to see the eRegistry receipt in your own name.

Registering a business name when you need a company. If you plan to bring in a co-founder with shares, apply for a tender that requires limited liability, or raise outside money, a business name won't do it. You'll end up paying to incorporate a company anyway, on top of what you already spent.

Forgetting staff obligations once you're registered. The moment you put someone on payroll, you owe PAYE and NSSF. Run the numbers on our Uganda PAYE calculator before you make an offer, and see our guide to Uganda's PAYE bands for what gets deducted and when it's due.

If registering feels like the first of many steps, it usually is. Businesses like a small bakery or a SACCO go through this same URSB process before anything else, then layer on licences specific to what they do.

Frequently asked questions

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

UGX 90,000 in total: UGX 35,000 to reserve the name and UGX 55,000 to register it, both paid through URSB's eRegistry portal. This is the current fee on URSB's own fee schedule, checked October 2026.

How much does it cost to register a company in Uganda?

From UGX 140,000: UGX 35,000 to reserve the company name plus UGX 105,000 to incorporate, as long as your nominal share capital is UGX 5 million or less. Above that, incorporation costs 1.5% of your nominal share capital instead of the flat UGX 105,000.

How long does URSB take to approve an online registration?

URSB doesn't publish a guaranteed turnaround time for business name or company applications submitted through eRegistry. Track your application's status in your eRegistry account rather than assuming a fixed number of days, and make sure your ID copies and photos are clear before you submit, since incomplete uploads are the usual cause of delay.

Do I still need a URA TIN if I've already registered with URSB?

Yes. URSB registers your business; URA issues the tax number separately, and it's free. Individuals with a National ID can get an Instant TIN online in minutes; companies submit their Certificate of Incorporation and Form 20 for URA to check.

What happens if I don't file annual returns after registering?

URSB can deregister you. In 2026 alone it deregistered roughly 127,000 companies combined (37,702 in June and about 90,000 in August) for missing five straight years of annual returns. A deregistered company loses its legal status and its name becomes available to anyone else.

What's the difference between reserving a name and registering it?

Reserving a name (UGX 35,000) only holds it so nobody else can take it while you prepare your application; it isn't a business licence. Registration or incorporation is the second payment and the step that creates your business name or company on URSB's register.