Updated 14 November 2026
To register a Kenya company as a non-citizen you use the same Business Registration Service process as a Kenyan founder, then you complete the extra tax and immigration steps that KRA and the Directorate of Immigration set for foreign investors.
In outline: reserve a name and incorporate on the official portal, get a KRA PIN with the documents KRA lists for a non-Kenyan investor, seek a KenInvest endorsement if the investment exceeds USD 100,000, and apply for a Class G permit if you will be in Kenya running the business.
Checked on 12 November 2026 against the KRA Foreign Investors Tax Guide, the Directorate of Immigration Services Service Delivery Charter 2025 (Class G fees), and our existing primary-sourced guides to how to register a limited company at BRS and to BRS fees. Confirm fees and document lists on the official BRS, eCitizen, KRA and eFNS pages before you pay. This is not legal, tax or immigration advice.
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What is different when you register a Kenya company as a non-citizen
When you register a Kenya company, incorporation itself is a BRS process on eCitizen, described in our limited company registration guide and in the BRS fees guide. You will also reserve a business name if that is the first step for your structure. The extra work when you register a Kenya company as a non-citizen is not a second companies registry. It is tax registration and, if you will live or work in Kenya, an immigration permit.
KRA’s Foreign Investors Tax Guide is clear that investors expecting to earn income from Kenya must have a PIN, and that a PIN is also required for a list of transactions that includes company registration, opening accounts with financial institutions, and several licensing steps.
Eight steps, from name reservation to a bank account
- Choose the structure. A private limited company is the usual vehicle if you register a Kenya company for a trading business. Our BRS registration guide sets out the official steps and what BRS asks for. This page does not repeat those fees; use the BRS fees guide and the live eCitizen tariff.
- Reserve the name on the official eCitizen or BRS channel, following the name-reservation guide.
- Incorporate the company and obtain the certificate of incorporation and a CR12 (KRA’s Foreign Investors Tax Guide describes a CR12 as official confirmation by the Registrar of who the directors and shareholders are).
- Get a KRA PIN for the company and, where KRA requires it, for the non-Kenyan director or investor. The document list for a non-Kenyan is in the next section and in how to get a KRA PIN.
- Apply for a Class G permit if you will be in Kenya conducting the trade, business or consultancy. Fees are in the 2025 charter and in our work permit fees guide.
- Seek a KenInvest endorsement where KRA says one is required: the Foreign Investors Tax Guide states that a KenInvest endorsement letter is given to registered companies with an investment exceeding USD 100,000, and lists it among the PIN documents for a non-Kenyan investor.
- Open a Kenyan bank account in the company’s name. Banks will want the incorporation papers, the CR12 and the PIN. Our guide to opening a Kenyan account from abroad covers the diaspora path.
- Stay tax compliant once the company earns income in Kenya: file on iTax, and register for the taxes that actually apply to the activity (VAT, PAYE, and so on). Use KRA’s current registration tests, not a guessed threshold.
The KRA PIN documents KRA lists for foreign investors
The Foreign Investors Tax Guide sets out two lists. For a non-Kenyan, non-resident investor living outside Kenya, KRA lists: a letter of introduction from a tax agent; the tax agent’s PIN; the tax agent’s valid tax compliance certificate; a letter appointing the tax agent; documentary proof of investment (certificate of incorporation or compliance, CR12, project proposal, KenInvest endorsement and similar); a KenInvest endorsement letter for a registered company whose investment exceeds USD 100,000; and the applicant’s original valid passport.
For a non-Kenyan investor who is residing in Kenya (other than a refugee), KRA adds an investor’s permit endorsed on a valid passport, and says the company name on the permit should match the incorporation documents. Residents who complete the online form receive the PIN certificate instantly, according to the same guide; the non-resident path is document-based. Follow the official KRA registration links in that guide when you register a Kenya company and apply for the PIN.
After you register a Kenya company, immigration and investment-promotion steps sit alongside the registry work. You do not need them to register a Kenya company, but you often need them to operate it.
Class G and KenInvest
Class G is the work or residence permit for a specific trade, business or consultancy. The 2025 Service Delivery Charter charges a KSh 20,000 non-refundable processing fee and a KSh 250,000 issuance fee per year, with a 21-working-day target for a new permit and 10 working days for a renewal. East African Community nationals are gratis. See Kenya work permit classes for the full class table.
A Kenya special pass can cover a short temporary period, including while a permit is being processed, at USD 200 a month for non-East Africans; that is a different product, described in our Kenya special pass guide (live from 11:00 on 14 November 2026).
KenInvest (the Kenya Investment Authority) is the body KRA names for the endorsement letter above the USD 100,000 investment threshold. Use the official KenInvest process for an investment certificate if you are applying for one; this page only reports what KRA’s guide says about that letter as a PIN document.
Declaring cash on arrival
The same KRA Foreign Investors Tax Guide says currency above USD 10,000 or its equivalent must be declared at Customs on arrival in Kenya. That is a customs declaration rule, not a ban on bringing in capital. If you are moving funds to pay up share capital or to buy assets, use a licensed bank or money-remittance channel and keep the paper trail, and declare cash above that threshold when you fly in.
To register a Kenya company as a non-citizen, then, use BRS for incorporation, KRA’s foreign-investor PIN list, a Class G permit if you will run the business in Kenya, and a KenInvest letter above USD 100,000. Those are the official steps to register a Kenya company; confirm each fee on the live portal before you pay, and do not treat this page as a substitute for the BRS or eFNS forms when you register a Kenya company.
Frequently asked questions
Can a non-citizen register a Kenya company without living in Kenya?
Incorporation is a BRS process and can be started from abroad. KRA’s PIN list for a non-resident investor is built around a tax agent, incorporation documents and, above USD 100,000, a KenInvest endorsement. If you will be in Kenya running the business, you also need the correct permit.
Do I need a Class G permit just to be a shareholder?
Class G is for a person conducting a specific trade, business or consultancy in Kenya. Shareholding alone is not described as Class G on the Directorate’s class pages. If you register a Kenya company and will work in or manage the business from Kenya, read the Class G page and the charter fees and apply if that class fits.
When is a KenInvest letter required?
KRA’s Foreign Investors Tax Guide says a KenInvest endorsement letter is given to registered companies with an investment exceeding USD 100,000, and lists it among the PIN documents for a non-Kenyan investor. Confirm the current KenInvest threshold on the official KenInvest and KRA pages.
How much is a Class G permit?
The 2025 charter: KSh 20,000 processing and KSh 250,000 a year issuance, 21 working days for a new permit, gratis for EAC nationals. Confirm on immigration.go.ke before you pay.
Related: How to register a limited company at BRS
Related: Kenya work permit fees 2026
Related: How to get a KRA PIN online
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