The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has increased documentation requirements for the registration of foreign companies operating in Pakistan.

The SECP has issued S.R.O. 530 (I)/2023 and S.R.O. 532 (I)/2023 on Tuesday to amend the Foreign Companies Regulations, 2018 and Companies (Incorporation) Regulations, 2017. Under the S.R.O. 532 (I)/2023 issued by the SECP, the certification of documents are now required to be filed by foreign companies.

In this regard, a copy of any charter, statute, memorandum, articles or other instrument, constituting or defining the constitution of a foreign company required to be filed with the registrar under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 435 and 436 and any other document required to be filed under Part XII of the Act and these regulations, shall be duly – (i) certified to be a true copy by the public officer in the country where the company is incorporated to whose custody the original is committed; or (ii) certified to be a true copy by a Notary public of the country where the company is incorporated; or (iii) certified to be a true copy by an affidavit of an authorized officer of the company duly authorized in the country where the company is incorporated; or (iv) apostillised by the designated competent authority of the state of origin of the foreign public document, who have acceded to the Hague Convention abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents (Apostille Convention) of 1961 and such state is also recognized by the Government of Pakistan for receiving of apostillised documents, the SECP revised regulations added.

According to the revised regulations under S.R.O. 530 (I)/2023, in case the subscriber is a foreign company or a foreign body corporate, the registrar shall require additional information including but not limited to, the profile of the foreign company or foreign body corporate, detail of its directors, their nationality and country of origin, copy of its charter, statute or memorandum and articles, etc.

Provided that the copy of any charter, statute, memorandum, articles or other instrument, constituting or defining the constitution of a foreign company or a foreign body corporate required to be filed with the registrar shall be duly – (i) certified to be a true copy by the public officer in the country where the foreign company or foreign body corporate is incorporated to whose custody the original is committed; or (ii) certified to be a true copy by a Notary public of the country where the foreign company or foreign body corporate is incorporated; or (iii) certified to be a true copy by an affidavit of a responsible officer of the foreign company or foreign body corporate in the country where the company is incorporated; or (iv) apostillised by the designated competent authority of the state of origin of the foreign public document, who have acceded to the Hague Convention abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents (Apostille Convention) of 1961 and such state is also recognized by the Government of Pakistan for receiving of apostillised documents: Provided further that the signature and seal of the official or the certificate of the Notary Public shall be authenticated by a Pakistan diplomatic consular or consulate officer and the certificate of the officer of the foreign company or foreign body corporate shall be signed before a Pakistan diplomatic consular or consulate officer, the SECP added.

Source: Pro Pakistani