Company formation · Foreign company branch
Open a branch of your foreign company in Kenya
A branch lets your existing company trade in Kenya directly — the parent itself, set up to operate here, not a new subsidiary. We handle it from Nairobi; you never fly in.
- An extension of your parent company
- ~5 working days
- Handled remotely — you don’t fly in
Fixed fee · Branch setup
$500
~5 working days. KRA PIN, banking and a registered address quoted up front.
- Companies formed
- 265+Companies formed
- Years in market
- 10Years in market
- Countries served
- 20+Countries served
- Compliance rate
- 100%Compliance rate
The structure decision
Branch or subsidiary?
Both let a foreign business operate in Kenya — but they are different legal animals, taxed differently, with different liability. Here is the honest comparison, and which one usually fits.
Branch
- Legal personality
- An extension of your parent company — not a separate legal person
- Liability
- The parent carries the liability of the Kenyan operation
- Tax on profit
- 37.5%Non-resident
- Ownership
- Wholly the parent’s — it is the parent, operating here
- Local presence
- A Kenya-resident representative is required
- Set-up
- $500 · ~5 working days
- Documents issued
- Compliance Certificate, CR-12, FC-2 / FC-4 / FC-6, Particulars of Foreign Directors form
Subsidiary (Ltd)
- Legal personality
- A separate Kenyan company, distinct from its owners
- Liability
- Limited — liability stops at the company
- Tax on profit
- 30%Resident
- Ownership
- 100% foreign ownership allowed; min. 1 director + 1 shareholder
- Local presence
- A local director or company secretary is required
- Set-up
- $450 · ~5 working days
- Documents issued
- Certificate of Incorporation, CR-12, CR-1 / CR-2 / CR-8, Beneficial Owners Form 1, Articles of Association
Both are established under the Companies Act 2015
When each fits
Branch — Best for an expense-only presence — preliminary market research, a liaison or representative office, a cost-centre that books little profit in Kenya. The 37.5% rate has little to bite on, and you keep the parent’s identity.
Subsidiary — Best when you’ll trade and keep profit in Kenya — the lower 30% resident rate, and your liability stops at the company.
What a branch is
A branch is your parent company itself, operating in Kenya — one legal entity, in two places. Not a new company.
When you open a branch, your existing company is registered to operate in Kenya directly — it keeps its name, its ownership, and its identity, and simply gains a recognised place of business here.
One legal person
It’s the parent, not a new company
The branch and the parent are the same legal entity. That is why the parent carries the liability of the Kenyan operation — and why it is taxed here as a non-resident company.
Local presence
A Kenya-resident representative
A branch must have a representative who is resident in Kenya, authorised to accept official correspondence and notices on its behalf.
Scope
It carries on the parent’s business
A branch does the parent’s business in Kenya — invoicing local clients, holding a corporate bank account, and employing staff — under the Companies Act 2015.
Transparent pricing · in USD
From$500
No quote wall. Opening a branch is a fixed $500, completed in about five working days. The add-ons a branch needs — a tax PIN, a corporate bank account, a registered address — are priced the same way: you see every fee before you commit.
- Branch of a foreign company~5 working daysExtension of the parent — not a separate legal entity$500
- Tax Setup (KRA PIN)~2 working daysPer director · prerequisite for a work permit$300
- Corporate bank account~2 weeksKYC handled; final approval rests with the bank$200
- Registered legal addressper annumNairobi address for statutory correspondence$150
The $500 is the complete cost to open the branch — statutory government filing fees included, not added later. Each add-on above is fixed and quoted up front; you only pay for what your branch needs.
How it works · remotely
Four steps, handled from Nairobi — you never fly in.
Everything happens by email and WhatsApp. You send your parent company’s documents; our Nairobi team files the branch, obtains the tax PIN, and opens the corporate bank account on your behalf.
- 01
On kickoff
You send the parent-company particulars
Your parent company’s registration documents and the particulars of its directors, plus who will act as its Kenya-resident representative — by email or WhatsApp. We confirm exactly which documents apply to your home jurisdiction.
- 02
~5 working days
Branch established with the Registrar
We file under the Companies Act 2015 and the branch is entered on the register. You receive the Compliance Certificate, CR-12, the FC-2 / FC-4 / FC-6 forms and the Particulars of Foreign Directors form.
- 03
~2 working days
Tax PIN obtained (KRA)
We obtain the KRA tax PIN for the branch — required to open the corporate bank account and to employ staff locally.
- 04
~2 weeks
Corporate bank account opened
We prepare the KYC pack and introduce you to the bank. The bank makes the final approval; we prepare you to clear it first time.
From your first email to an operating branch — a few weeks end-to-end, entirely remote.
What you receive · the dossier
Every statutory document — and every one named.
When your branch is on the register you receive the full statutory set, not a summary email. Here is exactly what we file and what lands in your hands.
Compliance Certificate
The certificate confirming your branch is registered to operate in Kenya, issued once the Registrar accepts the filing under the Companies Act 2015. This is your branch’s proof of registration — the document banks and counterparties recognise.
- CR-12An official extract of your branch’s record from the Companies Registry — its particulars and authorised representative as held by the government. This is the report your bank asks for to open the account.
- FC-2 / FC-4 / FC-6The statutory foreign-company forms the Registrar requires to enter your branch on the register — prepared and filed by our team on your behalf.
- Particulars of Foreign Directors formA filed record of your company’s directors, as the foreign-company registration requires.
Digital copies — yours to keep, wherever you are.
Why work with us
Ten years setting up companies for businesses abroad.
Since 2015 we’ve been the on-the-ground team for international companies entering Kenya — a focused senior practice across finance, strategy and law, led by Edwin Maina.
- Companies formed
- 265+
- Years in market
- 10
- Countries served
- 20+
- Compliance rate
- 100%
Beyond setup
We stay your team on the ground in Kenya — and take the rest off your plate.
Due diligence
Background and counterparty checks before you commit to a partner or a deal.
Hiring & payroll
Put staff on the ground through our Employer of Record — no second entity required.
Compliance calendar
We track every statutory filing and deadline, so penalties never catch you out.
Introductions
Warm introductions to banks, regulators and a vetted local network.
Workspace
A registered address, a virtual office, or help finding physical space.
Tax & books
Accounting and bookkeeping handled, month to month.
Led by Edwin Maina, Principal.
Common questions
The questions foreign companies ask.
Still weighing branch versus subsidiary? Ask us directly — we answer in plain terms.
A branch is your existing company itself, registered to operate in Kenya — one legal entity in two places, so the parent carries the liability and it is taxed as a non-resident at 37.5%. A subsidiary is a separate Kenyan company with its own limited liability, taxed at the resident 30%. A branch suits an expense-only presence; a business that will trade and keep profit in Kenya is usually better as a subsidiary.
No. The whole process runs by email and WhatsApp, and our Nairobi team handles the filing on the ground — you never fly in. A branch does need a representative resident in Kenya to accept official correspondence; we’ll guide you on meeting that requirement.
Your parent company’s registration documents and the particulars of its directors, plus who will act as its Kenya-resident representative. Once we know your home jurisdiction we confirm exactly which documents apply and how they should be prepared.
A branch is taxed as a non-resident company on its Kenya-source profit, at 37.5% — higher than the 30% resident rate a subsidiary pays. That is the main reason a branch suits an expense-only presence rather than a profit-making trade. This is general information, not tax advice.
Yes. A branch carries on the parent’s business in Kenya — it can invoice local clients, hold a corporate bank account and employ staff. If you’d rather put people on the ground without running local payroll yourself, we can do that through our Employer of Record.
Yes — Kenya permits profits to be remitted abroad through the banking system. A branch’s Kenya-source profit is taxed at the non-resident 37.5% first, and a double-taxation treaty with your home country can change the final position; we map that for you before you commit.
Opening a branch is a fixed $500 — statutory filing fees included — completed in about five working days. A tax PIN, a corporate bank account and a registered address are each priced in USD and quoted up front.
Get started
Tell us about your branch.
A short message is all we need to begin. We’ll reply personally with the next steps, the fixed cost, and a timeline.
- Fixed fee from $500 — quoted up front
- Your branch open in about 5 working days
- 100% remote — you never fly in
Prefer to chat? Message us on WhatsApp
We usually reply within a maximum of one business day. No obligation — your details stay private.