How to Register a Company in Sri Lanka (2025 Guide)

May 23, 2025

Start Strong Legally & Build Your Online Presence with SriLanka Hosting

Starting a business in Sri Lanka offers great potential—but it starts with registering your company correctly under the country’s legal framework. This guide walks you through the entire process of company registration in Sri Lanka and shows you how to take your new business online with SriLanka Hosting, the leading name in domain registration, web hosting, and business email solutions in Sri Lanka.

Why Choose a Private Limited Company?

Key Benefits:

• Name protection
• Limited liability for owners
• Higher trust and recognition in the market

This legal structure is ideal for entrepreneurs looking for long-term growth and scalability.

Business Structures at a Glance

 Important Things to Decide Before You Register

Before starting the process, decide on the following:

✅ Your company name
✅ A registered address
✅ Names of directors
✅ Details of shareholders and their ownership percentages
✅ Your company secretary

Step-by-Step Guide to Company Registration in Sri Lanka

Step 1: Reserve Your Company Name (via eROC)

Use the eROC Portal to check for name availability and reserve your preferred business name. The Registrar of Companies usually processes this within 2–3 working days.

Naming Restrictions

You cannot register names that:

• Are identical to an existing company name
• Include restricted words (e.g., “President”, “National”, “Municipal”, “Chamber of Commerce”) without proper authorization
• Could mislead the public

The system also ignores:

• "The" at the beginning of a name
• Case, spacing, punctuation, and conjunctions like “&” or “and”
• Common suffixes like "Ltd", "PLC", etc., in determining name similarity

Step 2: Prepare Required Documents

Once your name is approved, you must prepare and submit:

• Form 1: Company registration form
• Form 18: Director’s consent
• Form 19: Secretary’s consent
• Articles of Association: Management structure and rules

You can use the standard Articles provided in the Companies Act or draft custom ones.

Step 3: Sign and Scan Documents

All key parties must sign:

• Form 1: All directors (1 signature each) and shareholders (2 signatures each)
• Form 18: Each director signs
• Form 19: Secretary signs
• Articles of Association: Signed by all shareholders on the last page

Ensure documents are:

• In A4 PDF format
• Clear and legible
• Properly scanned before uploading

Step 4: Submit to Registrar & Make Payment

After signing, upload the documents on the eROC system and make the registration fee payment using a debit or credit card.

Step 5: Approval & Certificate Download

In 2–3 business days, you’ll receive:

• Company registration approval (visible in your eROC dashboard)
• Digital Certificate of Incorporation (no physical copies issued)
• A QR code on the certificate for authenticity verification

📢 As of August 6, 2019:

• No need to publish Gazette notices yourself
• Registrar handles paper publication automatically

What to Do After Registration

Once registered, take the following steps:

✅ Get certified copies of Forms 1, 18, 19, and Articles (optional)
✅ Issue share certificates to shareholders
✅ Make official company stamps (company, director, secretary)
✅ Apply for Tax Identification Number (TIN)
✅ Open corporate bank accounts
✅ Register for EPF and ETF if you have employees

Take Your Business Online with SriLanka Hosting

Once your company is officially registered, it’s time to build your digital identity—crucial for modern business success.

Register Your Domain Name

Protect your brand with a custom domain (.lk, .com, .store, etc.). SriLanka Hosting offers fast, affordable domain registration.

👉 Register Your Domain

Launch Your Website

Choose from Shared, VPS, Reseller, or Pay-As-You-Go Hosting. All our servers are optimized for speed, security, and uptime.

👉 Get Hosting Plans

Set Up Professional Business Email

Impress clients with a custom email like [email protected]. We offer flexible Pay-As-You-Go Business Email solutions.

👉 Create Business Email

Final Thoughts

Registering a company in Sri Lanka is now a fully online process and simpler than ever. But your company’s success also depends on how professionally you present your brand online.

From domain names to business email, trust SriLanka Hosting—the nation’s #1 web hosting provider—to help you grow from the ground up.

Start smart. Stay compliant. Go digital.  Build your business with SriLanka Hosting – trusted since 2015.