Name clearance
| Form | Workflow | Outputs | E2E test | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passed | Passed | Passed | Passed | Passed |
- End-to-end test
- 3/3 passed 2026-10-21 (mihud, combined)
- Documentation
- 14 steps, 27 images · Download the DOCX
- Who can apply
- Individual, Organization
- Capabilities
pacra-name-clearance- Catalogue ID
- 10
Fees
| Fee | Case | Amount (ZMW) |
|---|---|---|
| Fee for Name Clearance | New | 83 |
Output documents
- Application form (application)
- GS-2 Notice of Government Action (notice-of-action)
- GF-1 Treasury Invoice (invoice)
- GF-2 Treasury Receipt (receipt)
Test evidence
Name clearance
Service documentation · Republic of Zambia · GSB e-Services
| Owner | Patents and Companies Registration Agency |
| Service key | PACRA/name-clearance |
| Version | service v1, platform eb3a209f |
| Date | 2026-10-16 |
Generated automatically by the service's end-to-end test run. Every screenshot shows synthetic test data on a local test installation, never real personal data.
This document describes the Name clearance service of Patents and Companies Registration Agency as the platform runs it today. It is generated by the service's end-to-end test: every step below was performed by the test, and every screenshot was taken during that run with synthetic data. Regenerate it with npm run docs:services in the e2e suite; do not edit it by hand.
1. Service summary
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Service | Name clearance |
| Owner (MDA) | Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) |
| Purpose | Name clearance is a process of checking for the existence of a proposed company or business name, done to ensure that the name proposed for the company or business, accepted for registration, does not exist or is not confusingly similar or misleading to the public. |
| Who can apply | Individual; Organization |
| How to apply | Online on the national e-Services portal, signed in with ZamPass; pay with ZamPay. |
| Fees | Fee for Name Clearance: ZMW 83.00 |
| Turnaround | Within One (1) hour from the time of application during business working hours. All applications made after business hours will be processed within the first hour of the next business day. |
| Validity of the output | 1 (one) month. |
| Required documents | None |
| Output documents | Application form GS-2 Notice of Government Action GF-1 Treasury Invoice GF-2 Treasury Receipt |
| Legal basis | The Registration of Business Names Act, 2011 (Act No. 16 of 2011), Section (6) (http://www.parliament.gov.zm/sites/default/files/documents/acts/Registration%20of%20Business%20Names%20Act%2C%202011.pdf) The Companies Act, 2017 (Act No. 10 of 2017), Section (39) (http://www.parliament.gov.zm/sites/default/files/documents/bills/Companies%20Act%202017_0.pdf) |
2. Application process, step by step
The process as configured in the back office:
| Step | Role | Task | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Applicant | Apply | form |
| 2 | Applicant | Payment | payment |
| 3 | System | Generate Document | generate-document |
| 4 | Case Officer | Approve | approve |
| 5 | System | Generate Document | generate-document |
| 6 | System | Notify Client | notify |
Who takes part in this journey: Citizen, Case Officer, Anyone (public).
Step 1. Find the service
Citizen · National e-Services portal
On the national e-Services portal the citizen opens All Services and searches for the service by name ("Name clearance"). Each result names the service and the ministry that provides it.
Step 2. Read the service page
Citizen · National e-Services portal
The service page sets out what the service is for, who provides it, the fee, how long it takes and the documents to have ready. "Start application" begins an application (the citizen is signed in with ZamPass).
Step 3. Confirm the applicant details
Citizen · National e-Services portal
The applicant details are filled in from the citizen's ZamPass account. The citizen says whom they are applying for (themself) and continues with "Proceed to Application".
Step 4. Fill in the application form
Citizen · National e-Services portal
The citizen answers the service's own application form, converted from the legacy system (9 answers in this run, all synthetic), for the type of application "New". Questions marked * must be answered; some appear only after an earlier answer. Answers are saved as the citizen types, so an unfinished application can be reopened from My Workplace.
Step 5. Upload the supporting documents
Citizen · National e-Services portal
The service asks for no supporting documents, so the citizen continues straight to the check of the answers.
Step 6. Check the answers and confirm the declaration
Citizen · National e-Services portal
Before sending, the citizen sees every answer and document on one page and can go back to change them. The declaration that the information is true and complete must be ticked.
Step 7. Application sent
Citizen · National e-Services portal
The portal confirms the application with the ministry's reference number (PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 in this run). The fee is due now: it is taken with the application, so the invoice was raised when the application was sent.
Step 8. See that the fee is due
Citizen · National e-Services portal
The application shows "Waiting for your payment" in My Workplace with a Pay button (K83.00). The fee is taken with the application; the invoice was raised on ZamPay.
Step 9. Pay with ZamPay
Citizen · National e-Services portal
Pay opens the invoice (K83.00, the amount set by the platform, never by the page) with its PDF preview; the citizen pays at ZamPay by mobile money or bank card.
Step 10. Payment received
Citizen · National e-Services portal
ZamPay reports the payment; the dialog says "Paid. Thank you" and the application moves on to the ministry's officers.
Step 11. Take the new application on
Case Officer · Back office
The application arrives in the case queue of the ministry that owns the service (Patents and Companies Registration Agency); only its staff see it. The officer opens it by its reference number - answers, documents and process are on the case - assigns it to themself and takes it on.
Step 12. Decide: Record the decision of PACRA (processed in its own system)
Case Officer · Back office
At "Record the decision of PACRA (processed in its own system)" the Case Officer records the decision: approve, with a comment kept in the case history. Approving moves the case on; the last decision completes it and issues the document.
Step 13. The document in My permits
Citizen · National e-Services portal
The issued document (PACRA-NC-2026-00001 in this run: "Name clearance") is listed in "My permits and licences" with its validity and a download of the sealed PDF.
Step 14. Verify the document
Anyone (public) · Public verification page
The QR code on the document opens the public verification page: genuine and current, to whom it was issued, and whether the electronic seal is valid. No sign-in is needed.
3. Payment
| Item | In the test run |
|---|---|
| Fee (as published) | Business Name Clearance - 111.20 ZMW, Local Companies Name Clearance – 120 ZMW, Foreign Companies Name Clearance – 266.67 ZMW. |
| Invoice 1 | 1331188771639060 |
| Amount 1 | ZMW 83.00 |
| Paid at 1 | with the application |
On screen: step 8 (See that the fee is due), step 9 (Pay with ZamPay), step 10 (Payment received) in section 2.
4. Output documents
Name clearance (sealed PDF)
Issued when the case was approved, from the service's output configuration (permitDocument/issued@1), filled from the application and the decision, sealed with the platform's electronic seal and stored as the issued version. The holder downloads it from My permits; the verification page checks it.
The issued PDF has 1 page; the image shows the first.
Fields
| Field | Value in the test run |
|---|---|
| Document title | Name clearance |
| Permit / licence number | PACRA-NC-2026-00001 |
| Holder | Chanda Mwila |
| Valid from | 2026-10-16 |
| Valid until | 2026-11-16 |
| Status | active |
| Verification code (printed with a QR code) | KXF6-XL82-Y6 |
Seal
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Seal status | sealed |
| Signature level | PAdES-B-T |
| Sealed by | the platform seal (development key in the test run) |
| Signed at | 2026-10-16T22:25:19.078Z |
| Trusted time-stamp | 2026-10-16T22:25:19.837Z (time-stamping authority) |
| Document fingerprint (SHA-256) | fba8dc27b36dbba2... |
Verification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where | The public verification page of the national portal, <portal>/verify/<verification code>, opened by scanning the QR code on the document. |
| What it shows | Whether the document is genuine and current, its holder and validity, and whether the electronic seal is valid and who sealed it. |
| Checking a copy | Anyone can upload a PDF they were given; the page says whether it is exactly the document that was issued. A changed copy is reported as not matching. |
On screen: step 13 (The document in My permits), step 14 (Verify the document) in section 2.
5. Notifications
| When | Channel | To | Message | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment due (invoice raised) | in-app (portal bell) | the applicant | Payment due for application PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 - The fee of ZMW 83.00 for Name clearance (PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26) is now due. Invoice 1331188771639060. | shown |
| Application received | in-app (portal bell) | the applicant | Application PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 received - Your application PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 for Name clearance has been received by Patents and Companies Registration Agency. | shown |
| Payment received | in-app (portal bell) | the applicant | Payment received for PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 - Your payment of ZMW 83.00 for PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 (Name clearance) has been received. Receipt: <ZamPay>/pdf?documentType=receipt&invoiceNumber=1331188771639060 | shown |
| Licence / permit issued | in-app (portal bell) | the applicant | Your Name clearance document has been issued - PACRA-NC-2026-00001 has been issued for Name clearance and is valid until 17/11/2026. | shown |
| Decision: approved | in-app (portal bell) | the applicant | Application PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 completed - PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 (Name clearance) is complete. Your documents are ready. | shown |
| Invitation to rate the service | in-app (portal bell) | the applicant | How was Name clearance? - How was Name clearance? Tell us in about a minute. | shown |
| Payment due (invoice raised) | sms | +260 97* *** 567 | Fee of ZMW 83.00 due for PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26. Invoice 1331188771639060. Pay: <ZamPay>/pay-for-service/get-invoice/1331188771639060 | delivered |
| Payment due (invoice raised) | e2e.c***@example.test | Payment due for application PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 | skipped | |
| Application received | e2e.c***@example.test | Application PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 received | skipped | |
| Application received | sms | +260 97* *** 567 | Application PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 for Name clearance has been received. Track it: <portal>/my-workplace | delivered |
| Payment received | sms | +260 97* *** 567 | delivered | |
| Invitation to rate the service | sms | +260 97* *** 567 | skipped | |
| Invitation to rate the service | e2e.c***@example.test | How was Name clearance? | skipped | |
| Decision: approved | e2e.c***@example.test | Application PACRA-NC/00001/10-17-26 completed | skipped | |
| Licence / permit issued | sms | +260 97* *** 567 | delivered | |
| Licence / permit issued | e2e.c***@example.test | Your Name clearance document has been issued | skipped | |
| Decision: approved | sms | +260 97* *** 567 | delivered |
Delivery: shown = in the portal's notification bell; delivered = the SMS gateway (a test double in this run) reported the text delivered; skipped = not sent on that channel (e-mail is not configured on the test installation, and some notices go out on one channel only); sent by the national portal = a ministry node handed the notice to the national portal, which texts and e-mails the citizen under its own name and the citizen's preferences. Addresses written <portal>, <ZamPay> stand for the national portal and ZamPay.
6. Legacy mapping
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Replaces | Name clearance in the legacy ZIGS e-Services directory (ZIGS_Services) |
| Legacy service id | 10 |
| Legacy provider | Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) under Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry |
| Legacy process | not recorded |
| Fee in the legacy system | Fee for Name Clearance: ZMW 83 (New) |
| Fee taken before submission | yes (as in ZIGS) |
| Time to issue (legacy) | not recorded |
| Legacy output templates | Application form: ZIGS_Forms_PACRA / PACRA_NameClearance GS-2 Notice of Government Action: ZIGS_Forms_Notices / GS-2.NoticeOfAction GF-1 Treasury Invoice: ZIGS_CustomForms / GF-1 Invoice GF-2 Treasury Receipt: ZIGS_CustomForms / GF-2 Receipt |
| Legacy address | none recorded |
| How it was brought over | Imported by the platform's legacy catalogue importer (zcm-backend scripts/zigs/importLegacy.js) from the ZIGS snapshot: form, case types, fees, documents, process and output templates, then served by the new platform. |
7. Version and date
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Document version | service v1, platform eb3a209f |
| Generated | 2026-10-16T22:25:27Z (by the end-to-end run, not edited by hand) |
| Service version | not versioned (configured directly) |
| Platform snapshot | backend eb3a209f portal 6b49da8 back office a975a2c |
| Test suite | e2e 591ae63; one installation (combined); seed profile mihud |
| Journeys | 30-catalogue-service.spec.js: citizen finds the service, answers its form, uploads its documents and sends the application - passed 30-catalogue-service.spec.js: the case goes through every step of its process: payments by the citizen, each officer step by its role - passed 30-catalogue-service.spec.js: the grant document is issued, sealed, filled in and verifiable; the citizen has it in My permits - passed |
| Result | 3 of 3 journey tests passed |
| Data | Synthetic test data on a local test installation; provider test doubles for ZamPass, ZamPay, SMS and signing. |