Register a Business in Ghana: Registrar of Companies Guide (2026)

If you want to register a business in Ghana, you deal with two public bodies. The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) registers your business name or company, and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) handles tax registration. Online sellers in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale are often asked for both by banks, buyers and marketplaces. This guide explains the entity types, the business name process, the cost items listed by the ORC and how the GRA tax number works for individuals and organisations.

All details come from ORC and GRA pages read in October 2026. Fees, forms and procedures change, so confirm with the authorities before you pay. We do not give legal or tax advice.

Choose the right type of business

The ORC's homepage lists the entities it registers, including:

Business names, also called sole proprietorships
Subsidiary business names
Incorporated private partnerships
Companies limited by shares
Companies unlimited by shares
Companies limited by guarantee
External companies and professional bodies

For a small online shop, the usual choice is between a business name and a company limited by shares. The ORC's business registration page describes a business name as registered by one person who takes all business decisions, with unlimited liability, so the owner keeps all profits and bears all losses. A company is a separate entity, which suits owners with partners or larger plans. If you are not sure, speak to a lawyer or accountant before you choose.

How to register a business name in Ghana

The ORC's business registration page sets out the steps:

Search to confirm that your preferred name is available.
Get Form A from the in-house bank, or download it from the resources section of the website.
Submit the completed and signed Form A at the Business Names Registration Counter for verification and capture.
Pay the processing fee at the in-house bank.
The Registrar examines and approves the application and issues a Certificate of Registration and a Certified True Copy of Form A.

The page lists the office inside the Registrar-General's Department premises in Accra, opposite the Ghana News Agency, open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. It describes the counter process and does not say you can complete a business name registration online, so check orc.gov.gh for the current options. The page gives no processing time, and the ORC homepage mentions a Prestige Center that offers faster delivery of certificates and profiles. Ask the ORC what it covers and what it costs.

What the ORC lists as fees

The ORC's fees page lists the following, as read in October 2026:

Registering a business name: GHS 130. Annual renewal of a business name: GHS 70.
Registering a company limited by shares: GHS 585, plus capital duty of 1% on stated capital.
Registering a company limited by guarantee: GHS 490.
Filing annual returns for a company: GHS 175.

The fees page also lists extra amounts for the Prestige service and for late annual returns, and the fees shown on different ORC pages are not identical, so always use the current fee page. Renewal matters. The ORC's business registration page describes the yearly renewal as mandatory and says it can be paid by USSD using *222#.

Registering a company

For a company, the ORC fee list shows that registration includes the constitution, a Form 3 and a beneficial owner profile. The pages we read did not set out a step-by-step company process, so open the ORC's services overview and forms pages, or visit the office, for the current checklist. Many founders use a lawyer or a company secretary service for this step. If you do, ask for copies of everything filed and check that the details match your Ghana Card information.

Getting your TIN from the Ghana Revenue Authority

Ghana's tax number arrangement is different for people and for organisations, and the GRA's own pages explain it:

Individuals. The GRA says the Ghana Card Personal Identification Number (PIN) has replaced the TIN issued by GRA to individual taxpayers from 1 April 2021. Your Ghana Card/ECOWAS Card PIN is your Taxpayer Identification Number (GRA, TIN).
Organisations registered with the Registrar-General's Department. Register at the Registrar first. The GRA says its TIN Centre at the Registrar-General's Department in Accra offers a one-stop service for directors, shareholders and board members of business names, companies limited by shares or guarantee, external companies, partnerships and subsidiary business names.
Organisations not registered with the Registrar (such as cooperatives and trusts) submit an Organisational TIN Form with an introductory letter at a GRA Taxpayer Service Centre.

The GRA's tax registration page adds that businesses of any form, including sole proprietorships and partnerships, should register, either online through the GRA taxpayer portal with a Ghana Card PIN or offline at a Taxpayer Service Centre. For businesses it mentions a certificate of incorporation or business registration, the Ghana Card of owners or directors, business location details and financial statements, and says the required documents may vary (GRA, tax registration). The pages give no fees or timelines for tax registration.

Practical checklist before you go

Choose two or three name options, and search each one.
Have your Ghana Card (or the documents the ORC asks for if you are not a citizen) and your business address ready.
Decide who the owners, directors and shareholders are, and collect their details.
Take cash or payment details for the stated fees, and keep receipts.
Keep the certificate, Form A copy and TIN details in one folder, in print and in a backed-up scan.
Diary your annual renewal or annual return date.

After registration: banks, buyers and marketplaces

Banks, suppliers and platforms often ask for your registration and tax details. On Comilmart, vendors sign up at /register/vendor in five steps. Business verification, which asks for legal name, registration number, tax number, address and documents, is a separate step later in the vendor dashboard and does not block you from creating an account or listing. Suppliers and manufacturers apply at /apply-manufacturer with a company registration number, a tax number, a business licence and a registration certificate. If you plan to sell in Ghana, read best products to sell online in Ghana and product standards and certification. Neighbouring countries have their own processes: see our guides for Nigeria and Kenya.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register to sell online in Ghana? Banks, buyers and platforms commonly ask for registration, and the GRA says businesses of any form should register for tax. Confirm your obligations with the authorities.

Is a business name the same as a company? No. The ORC describes a business name as a sole proprietorship with unlimited liability for the owner.

Do I still need a TIN if I have a Ghana Card? For individuals, the GRA says your Ghana Card PIN is your TIN. Organisations still use a GRA-issued TIN.

How long does registration take? The pages we read gave no processing times for standard registration. Ask the ORC.

Can Comilmart register my business? No. We can only ask for your registration details during verification.

Next step

To register a business in Ghana, search your name, choose your structure, file through the Registrar and then complete your tax registration with the GRA. When your certificate and tax details are ready, open your seller account at /register/vendor. Our marketplace seller checklist shows how to prepare the rest, and you can ask questions through /contact-us.