Checking a company on the SECP register takes two minutes and prevents a large share of commercial fraud in Pakistan. People routinely transfer money to businesses whose only evidence of existence is a letterhead and a professional-looking website. The register is public, free to search, and tells you whether the entity you are dealing with exists at all.
Running the search
- Go to the SECP website and open the company search facility.
- Search by name or registration number. The registration number is more reliable, because names can be similar.
- Use the exact legal name including "(Private) Limited" or "Limited" as applicable. Trading names will not appear.
- Review the result - registration number, date of incorporation, status, registered office and company type.
- Screenshot it with the date visible and file it with the contract.
Ask the counterparty for their exact registered name and incorporation number rather than searching what is on the invoice. A business unwilling to give you those two items is telling you something useful.
Reading the result properly
| Field | What it tells you | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Registration number | Unique identifier | Should match what they gave you |
| Date of incorporation | How long it has existed | Incorporated last month but claiming ten years of trading |
| Status | Active, dormant, defaulting, struck off, in liquidation | Anything other than active warrants questions |
| Registered office | Official address | Different city from where they claim to operate |
| Company type | Private, public, SMC | Should match how they present themselves |
The status field is the one people skip. A company that has not filed its statutory returns may show as defaulting; one being wound up may show in liquidation. Both are registered, and neither is a counterparty you would choose without asking questions first.
What the register does not tell you
Existence is a floor, not a recommendation. The register does not tell you whether a company:
- Is solvent or has any assets.
- Actually trades, or has any employees.
- Owns the brand it is using - that is a trademark question.
- Is a filer with FBR - check the Active Taxpayers List separately.
- Is registered for sales tax and entitled to charge it - see NTN and tax verification.
- Has litigation or judgments against it.
For anything significant, run the corporate check, the tax check and, where relevant, a trademark check together. Each answers a different question.
Warning signs before you pay
- No registration number offered when asked directly.
- Name on the invoice differs from the registered name, with no explanation.
- Payment requested to a personal account rather than the company's.
- Incorporated very recently while claiming a long track record.
- Registered office is a different city from every address they have given you.
- Status is not active.
- Sales tax charged by an entity not registered for it.
- Bank account change requested by email - verify by phone on a known number.
The personal-account request is the strongest single signal. A genuine company invoicing you has a company bank account. Payment to an individual's account leaves you with no corporate counterparty to pursue and is characteristic of both fraud and undocumented trading.
If something is wrong
Depending on what you find:
- Company does not exist: do not transact. If you have already paid, treat it as fraud - see reporting payment fraud, where speed determines recovery.
- Status not active: ask for an explanation in writing before proceeding.
- Details do not match: ask them to reconcile it. Honest businesses can.
- They refuse to identify themselves: walk away.
- Money already gone: act on the banking channel immediately, then consider a recovery suit if the entity is real but not paying.
Keep your dated search result either way. If a dispute follows, evidence of what the register showed when you contracted is genuinely useful.
Checking a business that is not a company
A great deal of Pakistani business is conducted by sole proprietors and partnership firms, neither of which appears on the SECP company register. Finding no record does not automatically mean fraud - it may simply mean they are not a company.
| Business type | Where to verify | What you can confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Private or public company | SECP register | Existence, status, registered office |
| Sole proprietor | FBR - NTN and ATL | Tax registration and filer status |
| Partnership firm | Registrar of Firms, provincially | Registration of the firm and partners |
| Any of the above | Sales tax verification | Whether they may lawfully charge sales tax |
The practical consequence matters: dealing with a sole proprietor means your counterparty is an individual, with unlimited personal liability but also no corporate assets to pursue beyond that person. That is not necessarily bad, but you should know which you are dealing with before you extend credit.
Recording the check so it is useful later
A verification you cannot evidence is worth very little if a dispute arises. Build the habit:
- Screenshot the register result with the date visible.
- Save it with the contract, not in a general folder.
- Record who gave you the registration number and when.
- Re-check annually for ongoing relationships, since status changes.
- Re-check on any change of invoicing entity, bank account or address.
If a counterparty later turns out to be something other than they claimed, the question becomes what you knew and when. A dated screenshot showing the company was active and correctly named at the time you contracted puts you in a materially better position than a recollection.
Who should be running these checks
Company verification is usually framed as a due diligence exercise for large transactions. In practice the people who most need it are the ones least likely to do it.
| You are | Check before | What you avoid |
|---|---|---|
| A supplier extending credit | Shipping goods on account | Delivering to an entity that does not exist |
| A customer paying in advance | Transferring a deposit | Paying a shell or an individual posing as a company |
| A job applicant | Resigning from your current role | Joining a company that is not incorporated |
| A landlord | Signing a commercial lease | A tenant with no corporate substance |
| An investor | Transferring funds | Investing into the wrong or non-existent entity |
| A contractor | Starting work | No enforceable counterparty when you are not paid |
The job applicant case is worth highlighting. People resign from secure employment to join companies that turn out never to have been incorporated, with no employment contract and no entity to pursue. A two-minute search on the SECP register before resigning is worth doing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a company is registered in Pakistan?
Search the SECP company register by exact legal name or registration number. A genuine company returns its registration number, incorporation date, status, registered office and company type.
Is the SECP company search free?
Yes, the public company search facility on the SECP website is free to use.
What does it mean if a company shows as defaulting or dormant?
It is registered but not in good standing - typically statutory filings are outstanding, or it is not currently trading. Both are reasons to ask questions in writing before dealing with them.
Can I find a company by its trading name?
Generally no. The register holds legal names, so search the exact registered name including (Private) Limited. Ask the counterparty for their registered name and incorporation number.
Does SECP registration mean a company is legitimate?
It means the company exists. It says nothing about solvency, whether it trades, whether it owns its brand, or whether it is a tax filer. Run the tax and trademark checks separately for anything significant.
A supplier wants payment to a personal account. Is that normal?
No, and it is the strongest single warning sign. A genuine company invoicing you has a company bank account. Paying an individual leaves you with no corporate counterparty to pursue.
Sources & official references
- Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan - company registration, fee schedule and the searchable company register
- Companies Act 2017 - the governing statute on the official Pakistan Code
- Federal Board of Revenue - NTN registration, which follows incorporation