What it costs to register your businesses with URSB, why you should

Every day across Uganda, small businesses open their doors, serve customers and build loyal brands. Salons in Kampala and online shops running through WhatsApp and Instagram show how entrepreneurs invest time, money and reputation in names they believe they own. But many later discover that belief alone offers no protection.

This concern sits at the centre of a new digital campaign by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), which is urging business owners to rethink how secure their enterprises really are.

Dubbed “Ganyulwa Mu Business”, the campaign forms part of URSB’s broader Kiri Easy mass formalisation drive. Its message is clear: if a business is not registered, the brand behind it can easily be copied, challenged or taken away.

Uganda’s informal sector remains large. Many businesses operate successfully without registration, generating income and creating jobs. But informality also carries risks.

Without official documentation, owners often struggle to open corporate bank accounts, take part in public procurement, access loans or partner with larger companies. More importantly, they may have no legal claim to the name customers associate with their work.

In cases of disputes, registration is often the first document authorities request. Without it, entrepreneurs can be locked out of premises, forced to rebrand or pushed aside when another entity registers the same name.

URSB says this problem appears frequently.

“Many people are building real businesses, but without registration, ownership can be hard to prove,” said Walid Kule, Assistant Commissioner, Registration Services. “Whether it is a startup or a side hustle, once you start serving customers, you are building a brand. Registration is the only way to grow that brand with confidence.”

The campaign also explains the difference between business registration and brand protection, two ideas many entrepreneurs confuse.

Registration gives a business legal status. Through URSB’s Online Business Registration System, entrepreneurs can search for available names, reserve them and register sole proprietorships or companies without visiting a physical office.

However, registration alone does not prevent others from using a similar name, logo or slogan.

“If you’ve worked hard to build customer trust around a name, a trademark is how you protect that name,” Kule notes. “The process is online.”

A trademark legally protects brand elements such as logos, slogans and product names, preventing competitors from copying them. Applications are processed through the IP Online portal, another digital platform promoted under the campaign.

Legal experts say this difference is important. A business can be registered but still lose its brand if it fails to trademark its key identifiers.

URSB says the campaign gained strong attention on its first day, attracting thousands of views and a noticeable rise in inquiries from business owners seeking clarification about registration and trademark processes. Many entrepreneurs believed registration automatically protected their brand, an assumption that can prove costly.

According to URSB records, more than 535,000 previously informal businesses have been registered since the programme began.

The bureau has supported the effort through registration clinics held in busy areas of Greater Kampala across the five divisions, including Luzira, Kireka and Banda, as well as regional commercial centres such as Mbale and Soroti.

For many participants, formalisation offers more than compliance. Registered businesses can bid for tenders, sign enforceable contracts, attract investors and plan for long-term growth.

Registering a business in Uganda costs less than UGX 90,000, a figure URSB says is small compared to the potential losses caused by disputes, forced rebranding or missed opportunities. Trademark fees vary depending on the class of goods or services involved.

Business owners can complete the process online through URSB’s digital platforms for business registration and trademark applications.

For Uganda’s growing community of entrepreneurs, the campaign’s message is simple: if your business name matters to you, ensure the law recognises it as yours.