The Startup Legal Checklist

1. 01Run your proposed name through SECP eZfile name reservation and the prohibited-terms list before you order signage or print anything.
2. 02Choose between a single-member company and a private limited company deliberately — an SMC needs a nominee on record, and converting later costs time.
3. 03Draft the principal line of business in the memorandum to match what you actually do — banks and FBR read it during onboarding.
4. 04Issue share certificates promptly after allotment [STATUTORY PERIOD TO BE VERIFIED] and open the register of members the same week.
5. 05Hold the first board meeting and minute the appointment of the chief executive, bank signatories, and the auditor if your paid-up capital requires one [THRESHOLD TO BE VERIFIED].
6. 06File Form 29 within fifteen days [PERIOD TO BE VERIFIED] every time a director, chief executive, or company secretary changes — stale filings surface later at the worst moment.
7. 07Notify SECP whenever the registered office moves; official notices are served there whether or not you read them.
8. 08Print the company's full name, registration number, and registered office on letterhead, invoices, and the website, as the Companies Act, 2017 requires.
9. 09Register for an NTN on FBR's IRIS portal as soon as the certificate of incorporation issues — banks will not open the account without it.
10. 10Register for sales tax where you make taxable supplies: federal on IRIS for goods, and with SRB, PRA, KPRA, or BRA for services, depending on where you work.
11. 11Open the company bank account early and stop routing revenue through founders' personal accounts — unwinding that later is painful.
12. 12Sign a founders' agreement covering equity split, vesting, roles, decision deadlocks, and what happens to shares when someone leaves.
13. 13If a foreign founder or investor subscribes for shares, complete State Bank of Pakistan reporting through your bank's authorized dealer desk at issuance, not years later.
14. 14Classify each early role correctly as 'workman' or management before you draft terms — most Pakistani labour statutes protect only workmen.
15. 15Register as an employer on the EOBI portal once you cross the coverage threshold [THRESHOLD TO BE VERIFIED], not when the inspector calls.
16. 16Register with your provincial social security institution — SESSI in Sindh, PESSI in Punjab — when you hire covered staff.
17. 17Set up salary tax withholding under section 149 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 from the first payslip, not the first notice.
18. 18Sign written IP-assignment and confidentiality agreements with every freelancer and agency — under the Copyright Ordinance, 1962 an assignment is only effective in writing.
19. 19Adopt a standard services or supply agreement before the first customer signs — scope, payment terms, termination, and a liability cap in every deal.
20. 20Put late-payment consequences in the contract itself; an invoice on its own is weak evidence of agreed terms.
21. 21Send a signed NDA before sharing your deck, code, or financials with any prospective partner or vendor.
22. 22Pay stamp duty on agreements through your province's e-stamping system — an unstamped contract can be objected to in evidence under the Stamp Act, 1899.
23. 23File a trademark application for your name and logo with the Trade Marks Registry at IPO Pakistan before you build brand equity you do not own.
24. 24Register your .pk domain through PKNIC in the company's name, with a company-controlled email as the contact.
25. 25Publish website terms of use and a privacy policy that describe what you actually do with user data — exposure under PECA, 2016 starts at launch.
26. 26Register with the Pakistan Software Export Board if you export IT or IT-enabled services — concessional tax treatment depends on it [REGIME DETAILS TO BE VERIFIED].
27. 27Check sector approvals before launch — PTA for telecom-adjacent products, SBP for anything touching payments or e-money.

This checklist is general information, not legal advice on your facts. Each item is covered in depth in The Startup Legal Hub.