Business name, partnership or company: which should I choose?
Three structures, three different sets of obligations. How to choose the one that fits what you are building, and what each costs to register.
6 min read
Resources
Guides, checklists, and what changed.
Plain-English explanations of the rules for starting and maintaining a Ghana business, written from the law and the Registrar’s published schedule. General guidance, not legal advice.
Guides
Start with the question you have.
Each guide shows the date it was last reviewed and the sources it relies on, with their verification status.
What is a beneficial owner?
Every company must disclose the real people who ultimately own or control it. What that means, who counts, and when the information must be updated.
5 min read
Annual returns explained
Every company in Ghana files an annual return with the Registrar. What goes in it, how the due date is worked out, what it costs and what happens if you miss it.
5 min read
Registering a Ghana business from abroad
You can register a Ghana business without travelling home. How identity checks, signing and the registered office work when you live abroad, and what it costs in US dollars.
6 min read
Foreign investors and the GIPA Act, 2026
The Ghana Investment Promotion Authority Act, 2026 (Act 1173) changed the rules for foreign participation. What changed, what still applies, and how our pathway works.
6 min read
Checklists
What you will need, before you start.
The people and documents for each structure. When you start, we turn this into a checklist for your exact situation, and you can save it and come back.
Business name
GHS 350 service fee + GHS 160 government fees
People
- You, the ownerGhana Card for identity and TIN
Documents and details
- Ghana CardYour number doubles as your TIN
- Business digital addressGhanaPost GPS, for example GA-123-4567
- Two proposed namesWe run the name search for you
- What the business doesOne or two plain sentences
Partnership
GHS 750 service fee + GHS 300 government fees
People
- At least 2 partnersEach with a Ghana Card
- One contact partnerReceives updates and signs first
Documents and details
- Ghana Card for every partnerNumbers double as TINs
- Partnership agreementYour own, or a partner-firm draft
- Business digital addressGhanaPost GPS
- Two proposed namesWe run the name search for you
Company limited by shares
GHS 1,800 service fee + GHS 615 government fees + stamp duty
People
- At least 2 directorsOne ordinarily resident in Ghana
- A qualified company secretaryWe can introduce a partner firm
- ShareholdersNames and number of shares each
- Beneficial ownersAnyone who ultimately owns or controls it
Documents and details
- Ghana Card or passport for each personPlus TIN where they have one
- Registered office digital addressGhanaPost GPS
- Stated capital amountStamp duty is a percentage of this
- ConstitutionOur standard one, or your own
- Two proposed namesWe run the name search for you
Living abroad or a foreign founder? The checklist adds remote verification, witnessing and, for foreign founders, GIPA details. Start from abroad
Regulatory changelog
All changesWhat changed, and when.
Fees, rules and deadlines change. We record each change with its source and how far it has been verified.
Secondary source · to verify
GIPA Act, 2026 (Act 1173) assented
A new investment promotion law for enterprises with foreign participation, replacing the previous Act. Published summaries report the following changes.
- Repeals the previous law (Act 865); the Authority is now GIPA, formerly GIPC
- Removes blanket minimum capital requirements for most foreign participation
- Keeps a US$500,000 cash requirement for trading
- Makes GIPA registration annual
What it means for you
- Foreign founders can realistically set up at smaller sizes than before
- Enterprises with foreign participation gain a yearly renewal to keep track of
- Regulations and forms are still being published, so confirm details with a lawyer
What we changed
- Our foreign-founder pathway includes a partner lawyer who confirms what applies before you pay
- Annual GIPA renewal is part of our compliance rules for enterprises with foreign participation
Source: Mondaq and Firmus Advisory FAQ (August 2026); Adomonline and GhanaWeb (July 2026), quoting the GIPC chief executive; Global Law Experts. Status: Verify against the Gazette and the GIPA regulations once published.
Glossary
The abbreviations you will meet.
- Act 992
- The Companies Act, 2019 of Ghana
- Act 1173
- The Ghana Investment Promotion Authority Act, 2026
- BO
- Beneficial owner: the natural person who ultimately owns or controls a company
- BOP
- Business Operating Permit, issued by a Metropolitan, Municipal or District Assembly
- DPC
- The Data Protection Commission of Ghana
- GIPA
- Ghana Investment Promotion Authority, formerly GIPC
- GRA
- Ghana Revenue Authority
- MMDA
- Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies
- MoMo
- Mobile money
- ORC
- Office of the Registrar of Companies
- PSP
- A payment service provider licensed by the Bank of Ghana
- SSNIT
- Social Security and National Insurance Trust
Start today. Finish when it suits you.
No account needed until you’re ready to save. Most people finish the questions in about 12 minutes.
Private company · Not a government agency · Government fees shown separately
