The amendment clarifies how the applicable registrar is identified for corporate filings. It retains territorial jurisdiction while accommodating a Commission-designated registrar for special classes or categories of companies.
The exact amendment
Through S.R.O. 1974(I)/2026, issued under section 512(1) of the Companies Act, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan substitutes clause (xxxvii) of regulation 2(1) of the Companies Regulations, 2024. The previous proposed amendment was published through S.R.O. 1774(I)/2026 on 30 September 2026. The notification itself is dated 26 October 2026 and appeared on SECP's website on 30 October 2026.
The amended definition states that the “registrar concerned” includes the registrar in charge of the Company Registration Office with territorial jurisdiction over the company's registered office, or a registrar designated by the Commission for a special class or category of companies at its head office or the relevant Company Registration Office. The alternative is the operative change: the applicable registrar need not invariably be identified by registered-office geography alone.
What the change does—and does not—do
This is an amendment to a definition governing which registrar is treated as the registrar concerned for purposes of the Companies Regulations. It provides for Commission designation of a registrar for a special class or category of companies. It does not, by itself, create a new company class, change filing deadlines, amend financial thresholds, or confer a general exemption from the Companies Act. Those matters require their own legal authority.
Companies should not assume that all filings have moved to a central office. The territorial rule remains the first limb of the definition. Whether the alternative limb applies to a particular company requires evidence of a designation by the Commission and consideration of the particular filing or proceeding. This makes the designation document and current SECP filing instructions important operational evidence.
Practical consequences for company secretaries and advisers
When preparing an incorporation, post-incorporation return, rectification request, statutory inspection response or application under the Companies Regulations, first identify the relevant company category and check whether SECP has designated a specific registrar. Where no applicable designation is evident, follow the ordinary territorial mechanism and the current electronic filing instructions.
Internal legal and compliance teams should update process manuals that rigidly assign every matter by registered-office location. Before disputing an instruction or arguing lack of jurisdiction, confirm the underlying Commission designation, its effective date and subject-matter reach. A designation for one category cannot safely be extended by analogy to every registration function.
Status, source and next checks
The notification is a final amendment, not a draft consultation paper. The statutory text is short and specific: it replaces the single definition of “registrar concerned”. The date of the signed notification (26 October) should be distinguished from SECP's website posting date (30 October). Readers should consult any subsequent Commission designations and consolidated Companies Regulations before applying it.
Practical review: retain a copy of S.R.O. 1974(I)/2026, verify the precise company category, obtain the applicable registrar designation if relevant, reconcile internal authorisations and update filing routes. The official notification is linked below; this note does not suggest that SECP has already redesignated every existing Company Registration Office matter.
What affected companies should consider
Confirm whether a valid SECP designation applies to the company and the filing in question. Preserve the official designation and reconcile the correct filing channel before relying on territorial jurisdiction alone.
Source: SECP S.R.O. 1974(I)/2026 — original notification.
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