Business and Intellectual Property Authority
Namibia Business Register

Forms & documents

MITSMED – ICSF – BIZREG CLOSE CORPORATION USER GUIDE

Type
Guidance or checklist
Category
Brochure

Download MITSMED-ICSF-BIZREG_CLOSE_CORPORATION_USER_GUIDE_1.000.pdf

The form is always available to download and submit on paper.

MITSMED-ICSF

Registration of Business (Close Corporation)

User Guide

Version 1.000

Prepared by Ecquaria Technologies Pte Ltd

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Document Acceptance

ICSF REGISTRATION OF BUSINESS (CLOSE CORPORATION)

USER GUIDE APPROVAL FORM

MITSMED File Ref : PRN00866

SCE File Ref : 2019/NAM/ICSF/0001

Date : 28 March 2019

Programme Name : INTEGRATED CLIENT SERVICES FACILITIES PROJECT

FOR NAMIBIA INVESTMENT CENTRE, MINISTRY OF

INDUSTRIALIZATION, TRADE AND SME DEVELOPMENT

NAMIBIA

This ICSF Registration of Business (Close Corporation) User Guide (Version 1.0) is

prepared by: ICSF Implementation Team and endorsed by:

___________________________ 28 March 2019

Mr. Soh Chze Keong Date

Project Manager, Ecquaria Technologies Pte Ltd

This ICSF Registration of Business (Close Corporation) User Guide is approved by:

___________________________ ______________

Ms. Angela Dau Pretorius Date

Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development Deputy Director

Page 1 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

About this Document

Document Version History

Version Description Date Created Prepared By

1.000 1st Draft Version 28 Feb 2019 Choo Rui Bin

Page 2 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Document Distribution History

Document Distribution Channel (Electronic / *Copy No. Distributed To Distribution Date

Hardcopy)

1.000 Hardcopy 1 - System Owner

2 - Implementation Team

PM

Page 3 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Table of Contents

1 Overview ....................................................................................................................................................5

2 Accessing the e-service..........................................................................................................................5

3 Application process................................................................................................................................. 7

3.1 Service Description page .......................................................................................................................7

3.2 Fill Form page ........................................................................................................................................... 9

3.3 Document Upload page ........................................................................................................................19

3.4 Confirmation Page .................................................................................................................................21

3.5 Acknowledgment Page .........................................................................................................................22

4 Payment process ...................................................................................................................................23

4.1 Accessing the payment service ..........................................................................................................23

4.2 Verifying the payment amount ............................................................................................................24

4.3 Uploading proof of payment ................................................................................................................26

5 Following up on your application .......................................................................................................30

5.1 Status – Approved .................................................................................................................................31

5.2 Status – Rejected ...................................................................................................................................33

5.3 Status – Pending Amendment .............................................................................................................34

Page 4 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

1 Overview

This document provides a step-by-step guide to the usage of the “Registration of Business (Close

Corporation)” e-service under the BIPA agency in ICSF.

Note that you should have already completed the “Name Reservation” e-service and obtained approval, or

in-principle approval, for a business name before accessing this e-service.

A Close Corporation, generally referred to as a CC, is a legal entity that provides its members with limited

liability (legal responsibility). A CC can be registered by a minimum of one (1) and a maximum of ten (10)

persons. The interest of the members in the CC must always add up to 100% and be expressed as a

percentage.

In the form, you will state the details of the CC members. Upon submitting the online application, an e-mail

will be sent to the stated e-mail addresses of all the CC members. The e-mail will contain a link to the ICSF

portal, where they will log in using their account and make a declaration that they are in agreement to the

setup of the CC. After all the members make the online declaration, you will be prompted to make payment;

thereafter, the application will be forwarded to the BIPA backend for review.

Following review of your application by the BIPA backend officer, they will update the application status –

you will receive an e-mail notification with the outcome of your application.

2 Accessing the e-service

First, log in to the Citizen Centre https://services.icsf.gov.na/egov/.

From the landing page, select the “Digital Services” dropdown menu in the top banner and click on the

“Registration of Business (Close Corporation)” option.

Page 5 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 2.1: Accessing the e-service from the Citizen Centre

Page 6 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

3 Application process

3.1 Service Description page

The first page of the e-service is the Service Description page. Here, you can get information such as the

required documents that has to be prepared in advance, the estimated turnaround time, the service fee and

a contact person.

An estimated timeframe for completion will also be provided for your benefit.

Page 7 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Commented [KT1]: Replace contact details with

info@bipa.na and 0612994400. Remove Lembey as

contact person.

The applicable fee is N$150.00

Figure 3.1.1: Service Description page

Page 8 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Once you are ready to proceed, click on the button at the bottom of the page.

3.2 Fill Form page

In this page, you are required to input the application information into the respective form fields. Fields that

are marked mandatory must be filled, else the application would not be able to proceed.

The form is divided into 4 sections:

1. Close Corporation Information

a. Registered Address of Close Corporation

b. Postal Address of Close Corporation

2. Contact Information of Business Owner

3. Accounting Officer Information

a. Registered Address of Accounting Officer

b. Postal Address of Accounting Officer

4. List of Corporation Members

3.2.1 Close Corporation Information

The “Close Corporation Information” section contains basic information on your close corporation.

You are required to select an option in the “Business Name” field. The dropdown menu here will be pre-

populated with the business names that you had previously sought, and obtained, approval for in the “Name

Reservation” e-service.

Upon selecting a business name, a few of the following fields will be automatically populated based on the

information that you had input in your application form for this specific business name in the “Name

Reservation” e-service. Note that the fields are no longer editable here.

Thereafter, there are only 3 remaining fields that pend your input – “Literal Translation of Name, if

applicable”, “Shortened Form of Name, if applicable” and “End of Financial Year”.

If you desire to register a shortened form of your business name, you will also have had to obtain prior

approval or in-principle approval for it via the “Name Reservation” e-service. The approved shortened

names will then be displayed in a dropdown menu for selection.

Page 9 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 3.2.1.1: Close Corporation Information section

The following table describes in detail the purpose of each input field.

Field Description

Business Name Name of your close corporation.

Dropdown menu is pre-populated based on your pre-approved

business names.

Translation of Name, if Translation of your business name, if it is not in a nationally

applicable recognized language.

Shortened Form of Name, if Shortened form of your business name, if desired.

applicable

Dropdown menu is pre-populated based on your pre-approved

shortened business names.

Category of Business Industry that your business operates in.

Field is automatically populated based on your selected

business name and is non-editable.

Nature of Business Specific type of your business’ nature.

Field is automatically populated based on your selected

business name and is non-editable.

Description of Principal A brief description of the workings and processes of your

Business business.

Field is automatically populated based on your selected

business name and is non-editable.

End of Financial Year Month representing the end of your company’s financial year.

Page 10 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

3.2.1.1 Registered Address of Close Corporation

In this section, you are required to input the registered address of your close corporation.

A close corporation must have a local Namibian address.

Figure 3.2.1.1.1: Registered Address of Close Corporation section

The following table describes in detail the purpose of each input field.

Field Description

House No./Flat No./Building Number of house/flat and building name, if applicable

Name

Street Name Name of the roadway/lane/avenue

Erf Erf of the location

Suburb Name of the suburb in the city/town

City/Town Name of the city/town in Namibia

Postal Code Postal code of the location

3.2.1.2 Postal Address of Close Corporation

In this section, you are required to input the postal address of your close corporation.

Page 11 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 3.2.1.2.1: Postal Address of Close Corporation section

Field Description

Type Specify whether the postal address is a PO Box or Private Bag

No. Number of PO Box or Private Bag

Suburb Name of the suburb in the city/town

City/Town Name of the city/town in Namibia

Postal Code Postal code of the location

3.2.2 Contact Information of Business Owner

In this section, you are required to input the contact information of the business owner – mobile number and

email address – as well as your preferred collection mode for your business registration documents, if your

application is approved.

Figure 3.2.2.1: Contact Information of Business Owner section

The following table describes in detail the purpose of each input field.

Field Description

Mobile Number Mobile number of business owner.

Email Address Email address of business owner

Collection Mode Desired method of collection for the business registration

documents, if your application is approved

Page 12 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

3.2.3 Accounting Officer Information

All close corporations are required to have an accounting officer to monitor the financials. The accounting

officer can be either an individual or an entity.

The accounting officer must be a member of an accredited accounting body in Namibia – this information,

as well as the associated membership number, must be provided.

Figure 3.2.3.1: Accounting Officer Information, if it is an individual

Page 13 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 3.2.3.2: Accounting Officer Information, if it is an entity

Field Description

Type Specify whether the accounting officer is an individual or entity

(if individual)

Surname of Accounting Surname of the accounting officer

Officer

First Name of Accounting First name of the accounting officer

Officer

Gender Gender of the accounting officer

Nationality Nationality of the accounting officer

Identity Number Identity number of the accounting officer, if local

Passport Number Passport number of the accounting officer, if foreigner

Date of Birth Date of birth of the accounting officer

Mobile Number Mobile number of the accounting officer

Email Address Email address of the accounting officer

(if entity)

Name of Firm Name of firm that is serving as the accounting officer

Short Name of Firm Short name of firm that is serving as the accounting officer

Firm Registration Number Registration number of firm that is serving as the accounting

officer

Firm Incorporation Date Incorporation date of firm that is serving as the accounting

officer

Full Name of Association or Accredited accounting body that the specified accounting

Body of which Accounting officer is a member of

Officer is a Member

Membership No. Membership number of the accounting officer with the

accredited accounting body

3.2.3.1 Registered Address of Accounting Officer

In this section, you are required to input the registered address of your accounting officer.

Page 14 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Similarly, the accounting officer must have a local Namibian address.

Figure 3.2.3.1.1: Registered Address of Accounting Officer section

The following table describes in detail the purpose of each input field.

Field Description

House No./Flat No./Building Number of house/flat and building name, if applicable

Name

Street Name Name of the roadway/lane/avenue

Erf Erf of the location

Suburb Name of the suburb in the city/town

City/Town Name of the city/town in Namibia

Postal Code Postal code of the location

3.2.3.2 Postal Address of Accounting Officer

In this section, you are required to input the postal address of your accounting officer.

Figure 3.2.3.2.1: Postal Address of Accounting Officer section

Field Description

Page 15 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Type Specify whether the postal address is a PO Box or Private Bag

No. Number of PO Box or Private Bag

Suburb Name of the suburb in the city/town

City/Town Name of the city/town in Namibia

Postal Code Postal code of the location

3.2.4 List of Corporation Members

The final section would be for you to input the details of all the members of the close corporation. In addition

to the members’ personal particulars, the share and contribution amount of each member is also required to

be input.

The input share percentages across all the corporation members must sum up to 100%.

Page 16 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 3.2.4.1: List of Corporation Members

Depending on the nationality of the corporation member, there will be slight variations in the input fields as

displayed in the below images.

Figure 3.2.4.2: If the corporation member is a local

Figure 3.2.4.3: If the corporation member is an entity

Page 17 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Field Description

Corporation Member

Surname Surname of corporation member

First Name First name of corporation member

Gender Gender of corporation member

Nationality Nationality of corporation member

(if local)

Identity Number Identity number of corporation member

(if foreigner)

Passport Number Passport number of corporation member

Date of Birth Date of birth of corporation member

Email Address Email address of corporation member

Percentage of Interest Percentage of the member’s share in the close corporation

Details of Contribution (N$) Amount contributed by the member to the setup of the close

corporation

Registered Address (Corporation Member)

House No./Flat No./Building Number of house/flat and building name, if applicable

Name

Street Name Name of the roadway/lane/avenue

Erf Erf of the location

Suburb Name of the suburb in the city/town

City/Town Name of the city/town in Namibia

Postal Code Postal code of the location

To add an additional “Corporation Member” sub-section, click on the button.

Anytime you wish to save your progress and continue your application at a later stage, click on the

button.

Once you are ready to proceed, click on the button at the bottom of the page.

Page 18 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

3.3 Document Upload page

The next step in the application process will be to upload the supporting documents for your application.

The mandatory documents are:

1. Consent Letter from Accounting Officer – your accounting officer must acknowledge your registration

of a close corporation

2. Copy of applicant’s ID/Passport – a copy of your ID/passport

3. Copy of ID/Passport for all members – a copy of the ID/passport for all corporation members; all the

copies should be combined into a single PDF file for upload

4. Power of Attorney/Member Witness Form

If you are a foreigner, you have to submit a written statement to specify so.

If you are signing on behalf of a minor, you have to submit a written statement to this effect as well as

provide a copy of said minor’s birth certificate.

If you are signing as a representative of another party, you have to provide proof of it in the form of a Power

of Attorney document.

Page 19 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 3.3.1: Document Upload page

Once you are ready to proceed, click on the button at the bottom of the page.

Page 20 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

3.4 Confirmation Page

The Confirmation Page is for you to review all the information that you have entered and to ensure that they

are correct and accurate.

If you wish to make any amendments, click on the button to be directed back to the Fill Form

page.

If you are satisfied with all your input information, check the declaration checkbox. This serves as your legal

certification that the application details are true and correct as of your knowledge.

Figure 3.4.1: Declaration checkbox

Then, click on the button to proceed.

Page 21 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

3.5 Acknowledgment Page

After the declaration is made and the button is clicked on the Confirmation Page, the

application will be placed into a “holding pool”. The final action is to make the requisite payment for the

application before it will be formally submitted to the BIPA backend.

The application number displayed on the page can be used to track the status and progress of your

application.

Figure 3.5.1: Acknowledgment Page

Page 22 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

4 Payment process

After the application form is completed, the final action will be to make payment for the application. The

payment process can either be:

1. Done immediately after completing the application form – access from the Acknowledgment Page

2. Postponed after completing the application form till a later stage – access from the Citizen Centre

4.1 Accessing the payment service

4.1.1 From the Acknowledgment Page

To make payment for the application immediately after completing the application form, you can click on the

button on the Acknowledgment Page as displayed above in Figure 3.5.1.

That will immediately redirect you to the payment service.

4.1.2 From the Citizen Centre

If you had completed the application form portion but decided to continue the payment process at a later

stage, you can access and continue your application from the Citizen Centre. It will be displayed with a

“Pending Payment” status under the “My Applications” tab.

Figure 4.1.2.1: Application with “Pending Payment” status in the Citizen Centre

Clicking into the application will display the following details page.

Page 23 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 4.1.2.2: Details page of an application with “Pending Payment” status

Clicking the button will then re-direct you to the payment service.

4.2 Verifying the payment amount

The first page of the payment service contains the application number and the amount to be paid.

Page 24 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 4.2.1: Payment Service – Acknowledgement on the payment amount

There is only the manual payment method available. Clicking on the button will bring you to a

confirmation page, where the transaction reference number is listed.

Figure 4.2.2: Payment Service – EFT Payment Confirmation Page

Clicking on the button redirects you to the next page, where the payment slip is displayed.

You may choose to print out this payment slip and quote it as a reference number while you perform the

payment, either via cash or EFT.

Page 25 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 4.2.3: Payment Service – Payment Slip

Clicking the button ends the flow for the first part of the payment service. At this stage, you will

have a payment slip number, which you can quote while making your payment via a cash transfer or EFT.

4.3 Uploading proof of payment

After you make your payment, you should receive a document that verifies the transaction. You are then

required to upload this document representing your proof of payment back into ICSF.

Click on the “My Applications” tab in the Citizen Centre. The status of your Close Corporation registration

remains at “Pending Payment”.

Page 26 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 4.3.1: Application with “Pending Payment” status in the Citizen Centre

Clicking into the application will display the following details page.

Figure 4.3.2: Details page of an application with “Pending Payment” status

Page 27 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Previously, in Section 4.1Error! Reference source not found., the middle button was a

button.

Now, it is replaced by a button. Clicking on this button will redirect you to the

“Update Payment Status” page.

Figure 4.3.3: Update Payment Status page

In this page, there are 3 fields for you to input:

• Method

o Select either cash or EFT

• Supporting Document

o Your bank receipt/other document showing proof of payment

• Remarks

o Personal remarks regarding your payment

Page 28 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 4.3.4: Sample input in the Update Payment Status page

After filling in the required fields with valid input, click on the button to submit your application to

the BIPA backend.

You will be redirected back to the Citizen Centre. Click on the “My Applications” tab to view your application

with its updated status of “Pending Approval”.

Figure 4.3.5: Application with “Pending Approval” status in the Citizen Centre

Page 29 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

5 Following up on your application

After the application is submitted, you can continue to track its progress and status updates in the Citizen

Centre.

In the Citizen Centre, navigate to the “My Applications” tab. Your application will be displayed there, along

with an accompanying status.

Figure 5.1: “My Applications” tab in the Citizen Centre

Clicking into the application will display the following page.

Page 30 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 5.2: Details of my application

To view the form details that you have input, click on the button.

To view the attached documents, click on the button.

Upon a change in the status of your application, you will receive a notification – either via e-mail or post,

depending on the selected option in the form.

5.1 Status – Approved

Upon approval of your application, it will be displayed under the “My Applications” tab in the Citizen Centre

as follows.

Page 31 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 5.1.1: Application with “Approved” status in the Citizen Centre

Clicking into the application will display the following details page.

Figure 5.1.2: Details page of an application with “Approved” status

Page 32 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

As your application has already been approved, no further action will be required.

5.2 Status – Rejected

If is your application is rejected, it will be displayed under the “My Applications” tab in the Citizen Centre as

follows. You will receive an email with reasons as to why your registration has been rejected.

Figure 5.2.1: Application with “Rejected” status in the Citizen Centre

Page 33 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 5.2.2: Details page of an application with “Rejected” status

You will also receive an e-mail notification notifying you of your application result. This e-mail will contain the

backend officer’s comments on why your application has been rejected.

If you wish to re-submit your application, you will have to restart from the beginning.

5.3 Status – Pending Amendment

An application’s status can be updated to “Pending Amendment” by the agency staff for a variety of

reasons. Some plausible reasons include:

• Insufficient information provided, i.e. request for additional details

• Typo mistakes in the application form

• Any queries the staff might have

Page 34 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

The backend officer’s comments will be included in your email notification, as well as displayed under the

“My Messages” tab in the Citizen Centre. You may refer to the comments for guidance on the specific

details to amend.

If is your application is updated with the status “Pending Amendment”, it will be displayed under the “My

Applications” tab in the Citizen Centre as follows.

Figure 5.3.1: Application with “Pending Amendment” status in the Citizen Centre

Clicking into the application will display the following details page.

Page 35 of 37

MITSMED-ICSF- User Guide Version 1.000

Registration of Business (Close Corporation) Restricted

Figure 5.3.2: Details page of an application with “Pending Amendment” status

To amend the application information, click on the button. This will bring you back to the

Fill Form page as detailed in Section 3.2. Note that the form will already be pre-populated based on the

information that you had submitted during the initial application.

Thereafter, you can adopt the same sequence of steps as when you were submitting the application. Input

or amend the required details in the Fill Form page, upload the documents in the Document Upload page,

verify your input information in the Confirmation Page and finally, send it back again for approval.

The application will then be back at “Pending Approval” status.

Page 36 of 37