KENYA · GUIDE 0543 · EDITION 4.2
Business card design in Kenya: Registration and Activity Checks
Define the activity that authorities need to assess
Design business cards with verified contact information and printer-ready output.
Prepare cards for a defined contact purpose, verifying names, roles, phone formats, email addresses, brand assets, print finish, and who authorizes each person's details before production.
Describe that exact operation when checking requirements. State where the work takes place, whether customers enter the premises, who performs technical tasks and whether you manufacture, resell, deliver or coordinate the service. Requirements can change with these facts; a broad business category is not a complete permit determination.
Sector questions to investigate
- Agree copyright ownership, permitted uses and third-party asset licences in the client contract.
- Protect private manuscripts, financial documents and personal information entrusted for layout.
- Check any product-specific labelling or publishing requirements with the responsible authority; design approval is not regulatory clearance.
Keep registration separate from permission to operate
A registered business name does not itself establish approval of premises, products or professional work. Use the Business Registration Service to check the appropriate registration route. Ask the relevant county office which premises and trading checks apply to the actual activity. Confirm tax and invoicing obligations with KRA for your circumstances rather than copying another trader's treatment.
Prepare a written enquiry
| Information to provide | Business-specific starting point |
|---|---|
| Proposed output | Design business cards with verified contact information and printer-ready output. |
| Scope and exclusions | Prepare cards for a defined contact purpose, verifying names, roles, phone formats, email addresses, brand assets, print finish, and who authorizes each person's details before production. |
| First operating step | Verify the clients exact name, contacts and role, then confirm card dimensions, printer requirements and included design options in the brief. |
| Quality and acceptance | Ask each named person to proof their own contact details and test any scannable link from a physical sample before approving the full printing quantity requested. |
Add the county, location, premises arrangement, scale, equipment and responsible person's qualifications. Ask which authority handles an issue if it falls outside the first office's remit. Record the answer, reference link, date checked and any renewal or inspection condition. A guide's reference list is a route to verification, not an approval document.
Decide what must wait
Do not offer a regulated service or make a safety, accreditation or certification claim that you cannot substantiate. Resolve an unanswered prerequisite before accepting work that depends on it. A demand interview can often precede trading; a paid or physical trial still needs the appropriate permissions and safe arrangements.
A card becomes wasted stock when an approved-looking proof contains a mistyped phone digit or a decorative finish makes the essential contact information difficult to read.
No universal licence package, current fee or exemption is asserted here. The official links below support only their stated scope.
Prepare a precise activity enquiry
Describe this actual operating scope to the relevant authority or competent adviser: Fictional card-design CARD-43 prepares one 85×55 mm double-sided business card for a bicycle mechanic, with three staff-name versions. Front carries the approved logo, name and role; back carries phone, address and a website QR code. Deliverables are three named print PDFs, editable source and a six-face proof sheet. Printing and logo creation are excluded. The 85×55 mm size is an example selected for this brief; the actual printer must confirm its trim, bleed and safe-area requirements before release.
Use these operating details to make the enquiry specific:
| Detail to disclose | Why it can affect the answer |
|---|---|
| Approved logo/font files - Vector logo and licensed text fonts. | Explain the actual premises, scale, use and who will perform the task. Ask which current rule applies to these facts. |
| Printer artwork specification - Written trim/bleed/safe-area and colour requirements. | Explain the actual premises, scale, use and who will perform the task. Ask which current rule applies to these facts. |
| Actual-size proof - One A4 page carrying all six faces and QR samples. | Explain the actual premises, scale, use and who will perform the task. Ask which current rule applies to these facts. |
Keep the reply date, official source, exact activity facts and any conditions together. This is an enquiry preparation method, not a determination that a licence, exemption or fee applies. The earlier source dates do not mean legal requirements were rechecked today. Resolve these outstanding checks before relying on a broad business description:
- Real contact information, printer size and QR performance remain unverified.
- No physical card proof or live website test conducted.