Obtaining a Certificate of Statutory Compliance (CSC)
Banks, investors, or counterparties sometimes want independent proof that your company is in good standing with SECP — the Certificate of Statutory Compliance is SECP's own answer to that request, introduced by S.R.O. 875(I)/2026.
Steps
- Understand what it actually confirms: based on SECP's own records, that the company is duly incorporated, is active on the register, and has complied with the Act's filing and disclosure requirements as of the date of issuance — nothing more. It is not a legal opinion and does not guarantee the company's financial position, solvency, or compliance beyond what SECP's records show.
- Before applying, check none of the eight refusal grounds apply to your company: inactive status; strike-off, winding-up, liquidation, or dissolution in progress; an unresolved dispute among members, shareholders, or directors over filings or corporate records, or a matter that's sub judice or under Commission investigation; any statutory return or compliance requirement outstanding, or awaiting clearance or a no-objection certificate from a Ministry or Department; a prior document issued with a disclaimer over filing discrepancies; a certified copy previously issued strictly "as filed" without Registrar assurance; incomplete, inaccurate, or inconsistent information on SECP's own records; or any other reasonable cause the Registrar chooses to record in writing.
- If any of those apply, fix the underlying issue first — file the outstanding return, resolve the dispute, or obtain the pending clearance — since the Registrar has no discretion to issue a CSC while a refusal ground exists.
- Apply to the Registrar, either manually or electronically through eZfile, and pay the application fee per the Seventh Schedule. A CSC issued electronically carries a QR code so a third party — a bank, for instance — can verify it independently.
- Know what the certificate will show: your company's name and CUIN, incorporation date and kind of company, any licence held, registered office address, principal line of business, confirmation of active status, confirmation you're not under strike-off/winding-up/liquidation/dissolution, and confirmation that the annual return and financial statements have been filed for the stated year — all as extracted from SECP's records as of a stated date, signed by the Registrar.
- Remember it's a snapshot, not an ongoing guarantee — SECP takes no responsibility for anything in the company's status that changes after the date of issuance, so a CSC obtained today shouldn't be relied on to prove compliance months later.