In Summary: The new URSB mobile application is expected to complement existing online platforms as the Bureau expands its digital service delivery and reduces the need for clients to visit its offices physically.
Kampala, Uganda — The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has launched a new mobile application aimed at easing access to business registration services and reducing the need for entrepreneurs and other clients to physically visit its offices.
The application, branded URSB Connect App, was officially launched on Thursday, November 5, 2026, as part of the Bureau’s ongoing digital transformation efforts to modernise service delivery and improve customer experience.
The platform provides a central digital channel through which users can access information and services relating to company and business name registration, business searches, annual returns and intellectual property services, including trademark-related services.
It also covers services relating to insolvency and receivership, as well as the Chattels Registry, known as the Security Interest in Movable Property Registry (SIMPO).
Speaking at the launch, URSB Acting Registrar General Mustapher Ntale said the application was intended to make the Bureau’s services faster, more accessible and convenient for businesses, entrepreneurs and the general public.
“Our ambition is to make accessing URSB services easier, faster and more convenient for every Ugandan. The URSB Connect App brings us closer to our clients by placing essential services and information in the palm of their hands,” Ntale said.
He added that the innovation marked another important step towards building a more responsive and customer-centred institution.
From long queues to digital service delivery
The launch comes as URSB continues shifting from traditional paper-based processes, which often required multiple office visits and long queues, towards technology-driven service delivery.
Over the years, the Bureau has invested in online registration systems and digital infrastructure to simplify business registration and access to its services.
One of its major milestones was the introduction of the eRegistry, which provides electronic access to various registration services and forms part of the Bureau’s broader efforts to move away from manual processes.
The URSB Connect App is expected to complement these existing platforms by extending access to the Bureau’s services through mobile phones.
The additional digital channel is particularly relevant to entrepreneurs, business owners, company directors, lawyers, intellectual property practitioners and other professionals who regularly require registration information and services.
By making its services accessible through a mobile application, URSB hopes to reduce unnecessary physical visits while improving convenience for clients outside Kampala and other urban centres.
What users can access through URSB Connect
The application brings together several categories of services administered by the Bureau.
These include company and business name registration, searches for registered businesses, filing of annual returns and access to intellectual property services such as trademark-related processes.
Users can also access information relating to insolvency and receivership, alongside services under the Chattels Registry, which facilitates registration of security interests in movable property.
The Chattels Registry is particularly relevant to businesses and lenders because it provides a framework for registering security interests in movable assets used as collateral for financing.
The range of services reflects URSB’s role in administering business registration, intellectual property rights and other statutory registries that support commercial activity in Uganda.
However, the precise transactions that can be completed entirely within the app, as opposed to those for which users are redirected to existing online systems, should be confirmed through the Bureau’s published user guidance.
Digital access and Uganda’s business environment
The launch comes amid growing efforts by government agencies to digitise public services and reduce administrative barriers facing businesses and individuals.
For entrepreneurs, access to registration services is an important part of formalising business operations, meeting statutory filing requirements and protecting commercial identities.
Company registration gives a business a formal legal identity, while business name registration allows individuals and enterprises operating under particular names to meet the relevant legal requirements.
Annual returns, meanwhile, help keep company information updated in the official register. Trademark registration provides legal protection for distinctive signs used to identify goods and services.
By bringing information and services together in a mobile application, URSB is seeking to make it easier for businesses to interact with these processes.
The effectiveness of the platform will, however, depend on its accessibility, ease of use, reliability and the extent to which users can complete transactions without having to revert to manual procedures.
For businesses operating outside major towns, mobile access could provide an additional route to registration information and services without the cost of travelling to URSB offices.
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