Compliance & Legal

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Business compliance in Pakistan, without the red tape.

We take on Pakistan's regulatory complexity — tax, SECP, banking, IP and cross-border — so you can focus entirely on building.

What we cover

One team for every regulatory need

From your first tax return to cross-border structuring, every compliance task lives in one place with a specialist on it.

Tax Filing

Annual returns, sales tax and withholding — with automated reminders and guided FBR filing.

Banking Setup

Corporate accounts with major Pakistani banks, opened through a digital documentation process.

IP Protection

Trademark, patent and copyright registration handled through IPO Pakistan.

SECP Compliance

Annual returns, board resolutions, share transfers and statutory filings, kept current.

Cross-Border

SBP regulations, FX compliance and clean structuring for cross-border transactions.

Legal Templates

Shareholder agreements, employment contracts, NDAs and other essential documents.

Peace of mind

Never miss a deadline again

Reminders, a shared calendar and audit-ready records mean nothing slips through the cracks — across SECP, FBR and SBP.

  • Automated filing reminders
  • Deadline calendar in your dashboard
  • Document vault & e-signatures
  • Dedicated compliance specialist
  • Audit-ready records
  • SECP + FBR + SBP coverage
The statutory calendar

What the Companies Act actually requires

Taken from the Act itself rather than from summaries of it — the section is cited against each item so you can check.

  1. Hold your first annual general meeting

    s.132(1)

    Within 16 months of incorporation

    Single member companies are exempt from the AGM requirement entirely — s.132(4).

  2. Hold every subsequent AGM

    s.132(1)

    Once each calendar year, within 120 days of your financial year end

    The registrar may extend this by up to 30 days for a special reason.

  3. Give notice of the AGM to members

    s.132(3)

    At least 21 days before the meeting

  4. File the annual return with the registrar

    s.130(3)

    Within 30 days of the AGM

    Where no AGM is held, the 30 days run from the last day of the calendar year. Listed companies may be granted up to 15 further days.

Nothing changed? You may not need to file at all.

Section 130 does not apply where there is no change of particulars since the last annual return you filed. Companies other than single member companies, and private companies with paid-up capital of no more than PKR 3 million, must still tell the registrar that nothing has changed — but the return itself is not required. (s.130(5))

What a default actually costs

LevelMaximum penaltyPer day in default
1Up to PKR 25,000Up to PKR 500
2Up to PKR 500,000Up to PKR 1,000
3Up to PKR 100 millionUp to PKR 500,000

Missing the annual return is a level 1 offence for an unlisted company and level 2 for a listed one (s.130(6)). The figures are statutory maximums plus a daily amount while the default continues — not a fixed fine.

Source: Companies Act 2017 (Act XIX of 2017), as published by Pakistan Code. Section references given per item. General information, not legal advice — SECP’s regulations carry the procedural detail and its fee calculator governs filing fees.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Within 30 days of your annual general meeting (s.130(3)). The AGM itself must be held within 120 days of your financial year end, or within 16 months of incorporation for the first one (s.132(1)), so for most companies the return follows about five months after year end.

For an unlisted company it is a level 1 offence: up to PKR 25,000, plus up to PKR 500 for each day the default continues. For a listed company it is level 2: up to PKR 500,000 plus up to PKR 1,000 a day (s.130(6) with the standard scale at s.479(2)). These are maximums the registrar may impose, not automatic fixed fines.

No. Section 132(4) states that nothing in the annual general meeting section applies to a single member company. The annual return obligation under section 130 is separate and still applies, subject to the no-change exemption in section 130(5).

Not necessarily. Section 130(5) disapplies the section where there is no change of particulars since your last annual return. A single member company, or a private company with paid-up capital of no more than PKR 3 million, need not even notify; any other company must inform the registrar that nothing has changed.

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Stay compliant, stay building.

Hand off the filings, deadlines and paperwork to a dedicated specialist — and keep your focus on the company.