BRELA Online Registration System: Login and Business Registration Guide
BRELA now runs two online systems, and that catches a lot of people out. The old one is ORS. The newer one is BOS, and it has been live since 8 April 2026. Which one you log in to depends on what you want to register. Pick the wrong one and you'll waste time on a login that doesn't show your application.
Quick Access Links
Which system do you need: BOS or ORS?
When BOS launched, BRELA said it would start with new business name registrations and industrial licences. Group A business licences were moved over shortly afterwards. Everything else stayed on ORS for the time being. Here is how that looked in BRELA's April notice and the news coverage of it:
| What you want to do | System |
|---|---|
| Register a new business name | BOS |
| Industrial licence, Group A business licence | BOS |
| Register a company | ORS |
| Trademarks, service marks, patents | ORS |
| Annual returns, changes of particulars, annual maintenance fee, applications already in progress | ORS |
There's one wrinkle. The BOS homepage now advertises company and trademark services as well. I couldn't find a BRELA notice saying those have moved. So for company registration, open the BRELA news page and read the latest notice before you start. Don't rely on this table or on a blog post.
How to log in
On BOS: Go to the BOS login page and type in your email address and password. That's the whole login. There's no separate username like on ORS.
On ORS: You'll need the username BRELA emailed you when you created the account, plus your password. Many people forget that ORS uses a username, not an email address.
Already have an ORS account? Don't make a second one. BRELA's advice is to open BOS, use "Forgot Password", and enter the email linked to your ORS account. A confirmation email follows, and that gives you access to BOS. Creating a fresh BOS account also works, but you'd end up with two accounts under your name, which gets confusing.
Creating a BOS account
Have these ready first: your NIDA number (20 digits), a phone number that is actually yours, and an email address you check. BRELA says the phone number should be registered in your own name. If you're using someone else's SIM, the NIDA check will probably fail.
- Open the BOS registration page.
- Choose your nationality. Tanzanians enter their NIDA number and click Validate National ID.
- NIDA may ask a security question. Answer it and validate again. The form also asks for your mobile number and sends a six-digit OTP.
- Your name, gender and date of birth are pulled from NIDA, so you don't type them.
- Add your email and set a password. It needs at least 12 characters, with uppercase, lowercase, a number and a special symbol. Avoid the underscore.
- Complete the reCAPTCHA and submit.
Foreigners use a passport number in place of NIDA.
Two things trip people up. If your NIDA record has a spelling error or a wrong date of birth, the system pulls it in as it is, so sort that out with NIDA first. And if the OTP never arrives, check that the number you typed is the one linked to your NIN.
Registering a business name
A business name suits a sole trader or a small partnership. Take someone selling second-hand clothes at Majengo market in Dodoma who needs a name in order to open a bank account. That's the usual case. BRELA allows one person, or a group of up to 20, to register a name.
To qualify, BRELA lists these requirements:
- You're a Tanzanian and at least 18.
- You have a NIDA number and a personal phone number.
- You have an active personal email.
- You can give a business address and your residential address.
Then:
- Log in to BOS and choose the business name service.
- Select the type of service, then the type of business name (individual or partnership, for example).
- Fill in the business details and upload the attachments the system asks for.
- Pay by mobile money (M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money), bank (CRDB, NMB and others) or card.
- Wait for BRELA to process it. Nothing moves until payment is received.
Choose the name carefully. BRELA rejects names that are too close to an existing one. That includes names that sound alike, such as skuli and School, and names that mean the same in Swahili and English. Its guide recommends a similarity score below 50% when you run a name search. If you're picking between three ideas, test all three before paying.
According to BRELA's published FAQ, a correct application gets a certificate within two days. If something's wrong, they should tell you within that time. Your certificate and status updates show up in the account you applied from, and BRELA also emails you.
What does it cost?
BRELA's FAQ gives TZS 20,000 to register a name and TZS 5,000 a year to maintain it. Closing a name costs TZS 10,000. One older BRELA newsletter shows a TZS 15,000 application fee, though. Fees do change, so trust the amount on your payment bill (the control number) over any blog or WhatsApp message. Skipping the annual payment doesn't attract a fine, but you'll have to pay for every missed year.
Registering a company
Company registration is a longer job. BRELA's FAQ describes it like this on ORS:
- Prepare first. You need NIDA numbers for Tanzanian directors and shareholders (passport copies for foreigners), emails and phone numbers for everyone, an address, and your Memorandum and Articles of Association. BRELA's guide asks for at least two directors and at least two shareholders, plus a company secretary.
- Optionally reserve the name. This costs TZS 50,000 and holds the name for 60 days, per BRELA's FAQ. Some guides online say 30 days, so check the current terms when you apply.
- Log in, then start a new company e-service. Choose "Registration of a new company" and pick the type, such as a private company limited by shares.
- Fill in every section: company details, registered office, business activities, directors, secretary, share capital and shareholders. Click Save often. Sessions time out.
- Download and sign the forms. The system generates a consolidated form and an integrity form. Sign them (the integrity form also gets the company stamp), scan them, and upload them with your Memorandum and Articles.
- Pay. You'll get a GePG control number and pay through mobile money or a bank.
- Download your certificate from the same account once BRELA approves. BRELA's FAQ says three days if everything's correct.
The registration fee depends on the share capital in your Memorandum. Per BRELA's FAQ:
- Above TZS 20,000 up to 1 million: TZS 95,000
- Above 1 million up to 5 million: TZS 175,000
- Above 5 million up to 20 million: TZS 260,000
- Above 20 million up to 50 million: TZS 290,000
- Above 50 million: TZS 440,000
Filing fees, stamp duty and an advocate's charges come on top. That FAQ dates from early 2024, so confirm the figures on the payment page.
After you get the certificate
- Go to TRA for your TIN certificate.
- Within 30 days, file beneficial owner details (anyone holding 5% or more, or with real control). BRELA's FAQ says this goes through a separate portal, bo.brela.go.tz, with its own account. The fee was TZS 22,000 per form. Not filing can mean a fine of TZS 5 to 10 million.
- File Form 128, the annual return, every 12 months on your registration anniversary. Late filing costs TZS 2,500 a month, and persistent neglect can get the company struck off.
Common problems
"My ORS username doesn't work on BOS." It won't. BOS uses your email. Use Forgot Password as described above.
"My application disappeared." Applications started on ORS stay on ORS until finished. Log in to the system where you started.
NIDA validation fails. Usually it's a wrong NIN, a phone number not linked to the NIN, or an error in your NIDA record. BRELA can't fix NIDA data.
Your session expires mid-form. Save each section as you go, especially on the company form.
Payment made, status unchanged. Give it a little time, then check the control number and the account you applied from. If it still hasn't moved, call support.
Cautions
- Use only addresses ending in brela.go.tz. Search results also show lookalike domains, including one carrying very old fee figures. Never enter your NIDA number on a site you're unsure about.
- Don't pay anyone for a "login" or for a control number sent by WhatsApp. Control numbers come from the system itself.
- If you use an agent or lawyer, make sure your name and NIDA number are on the application and that the certificate lands in an account you can access.
- Don't trust old screenshots. Both systems have changed layout and steps.
Also worth knowing: strike-off notice
On 28 September 2026, BRELA announced a final notice to strike 5,277 companies off the register. The list is in Government Gazette No. 38 of 18 September 2026. Companies have 90 days from that date to object, which lands around mid-December. If you're a director of an older company you haven't touched for years, check that list.
Contact BRELA
BOS lists technical support on 0735 331 000 and +255 22 2212800.
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