Your Company Is Registered.

Company Registration Sri Lanka: The Complete 2026 Guide

AFTER COMPANY REGISTRATION SRI LANKA

Here's What Happens Next.

After company registration Sri Lanka, your work isn’t finished — it’s just beginning. A handful of documents, one urgent registration, and a few recurring deadlines stand between “incorporated” and fully operational. This page walks through exactly what a Private Limited Company needs to sort out in the weeks right after incorporation.

Your Incorporation Documents

The moment your company completes registration Sri Lanka processes at the Registrar, you’ll receive a set of documents. These become the foundation for everything that follows. You’ll need them to open a bank account. You’ll need them to register for tax. You’ll need them to clear goods through Customs, sign a lease, or buy company assets like a vehicle or property. So it pays to know exactly what you’re holding.

Certificate of Incorporation

This is your company’s proof of legal existence. The Registrar of Companies issues it, and you’ll hear it called by several different names depending on who’s asking. Banks might call it a Business Registration Certificate (BRC). Government departments sometimes just say BR. Others say Registration Certificate. They all mean the same document — keep a certified copy on hand, and answer to whichever name comes up.

Form 1

This is arguably the single most important form in the set. Form 1 records your company name, registered address, and share count. It also lists full details of your directors, shareholders, and company secretary, along with the shareholding structure in share numbers. Nearly every institution you deal with — banks, the Inland Revenue Department, Sri Lanka Customs — cross-checks your company against this form. So keep it accurate and accessible.

Form 18

Form 18 is the Consent and Certificate of each director, filed individually. Every director on the company needs one on file.

Articles of Association

Think of this as your company’s internal rulebook. It governs how decisions get made, how shares transfer, and how the board and shareholders operate day to day.

Together, these documents — Form 1, Form 18, the Articles of Association, and your Certificate of Incorporation — will follow you through your company’s first few months. Expect to produce them when you open a corporate bank account, register for EPF/ETF, clear an import or export shipment through Customs, sign a commercial lease, or buy company assets such as land, a building, or a motor vehicle. Keep certified copies on hand from day one, because you’ll need them sooner than you think.

ASAC tip: our incorporation pack bundles all of this together — including 10 certified copies of your Articles of Association and both company seals — ready to go the moment you’re incorporated. More on the seals below.

Your Tax Identification Number (TIN)

Of everything on this page, this one can’t wait. Without a TIN, your company can’t move forward on almost anything. You can’t register for VAT. You can’t fully activate certain bank facilities. And you can’t file the tax returns your company will owe from its very first year. So register for your TIN immediately after incorporation — don’t leave it until it becomes urgent.

Director Seal and Company (Common) Seal

Two different seals, two different rules — and the distinction trips up a lot of new directors.

The Common Seal

Also called the Company Seal, this is an embossed seal. Companies historically stamped it on every resolution and contract they entered into. That practice dates back to the Companies Act No. 17 of 1982. But the Companies Act No. 07 of 2007 removed the requirement — so today, the common seal is no longer mandatory. Many companies still choose to have one anyway, for formality and for banking or high-value contracts. It’s optional, not required, under current law.

The Director’s Seal

This one, by contrast, is essential. Every director needs one. It’s a standard requirement across nearly all of a director’s official duties — signing resolutions, authorising documents, acting on the company’s behalf.

At ASAC, our comprehensive incorporation pack takes care of both in one go. It includes 10 certified copies of your Articles of Association and both seals, ready for you to move forward with immediately after company registration Sri Lanka completes.

Your Compliance Calendar After Company Registration Sri Lanka

Once you’re incorporated, a small set of recurring deadlines start the clock. Here’s the quick-reference version — for full detail on each one, see our complete compliance guide.

Annual Return (Form 15)

Your first Annual Return must be lodged between 15 and 18 months from your date of incorporation. After that, it’s due annually.

Corporate Income Tax

Your tax year runs 1 April to 31 March. Your income tax return is due by 30 November, and any final tax balance owed must be paid by 30 September of the same year. Quarterly estimated tax instalments are also due throughout the year.

VAT (If Registered)

VAT returns are filed either monthly or quarterly, depending on your business category. But VAT payment is always due monthly, by the 20th of the following month, regardless of your filing frequency. Not sure whether you’ve crossed the registration threshold? Check the IRD’s official VAT registration notice and our related blog article for the current figures.

EPF and ETF (If You Have Staff)

Employer and employee EPF and ETF contributions must reach the fund by the last working day of the month following the salary month. Miss this deadline, and surcharges apply — and they increase the longer the delay runs.

For the full breakdown of every compliance obligation — including penalties, filing mechanics, and how ASAC handles each one for our retainer clients — see the complete compliance guide.

How ASAC Can Help

Getting the paperwork right in your company’s first few months sets the tone for everything after. ASAC’s incorporation pack gives you every document and seal you need from day one, and our ongoing Company Secretary retainer keeps your compliance calendar on track year-round — so nothing slips past a deadline.