Last reviewed October 2026
- Issued by
- The county government where the business operates
- Valid for
- One calendar year, usually expiring on 31 December
- Who needs it
- Every business with premises or trading activity in the county
- Where to apply
- The county's revenue portal or licensing office; Nairobi uses its own online system
- Cost
- Set by each county's finance act according to the size and type of business; check the current schedule
What it is
The Single Business Permit is the annual trading licence a county government issues to a business operating within it. It replaced a collection of separate licences with one permit, priced by the type and size of the business. Some counties now call it a unified business permit, but tenders still ask for it by the older name.
It is issued for the calendar year, so a permit obtained in March still expires on 31 December, and every tender closing in January needs the new year's permit.
Who must have it
Every business with premises or trading activity in a county, whether a shop, an office or a yard. A firm with branches in several counties needs a permit in each. Procuring entities list it as a mandatory document in most tenders, and it is also asked for by the AGPO portal and by banks.
Documents you need
- Certificate of incorporation or business name registration
- KRA PIN certificate
- The business premises: physical address, plot or building, and the activity carried out there
- The previous year's permit, for a renewal
- A national ID of the owner or a director, where the county asks
How to apply, step by step
- Open your county's revenue or licensing portal, or visit the sub-county licensing office.
- Register the business and its premises, and choose the business category and size the county's schedule lists.
- Pay the fee shown. Counties take payment through their portals, by M-Pesa paybill or at the bank.
- Download or collect the permit and display it at the premises, as the county's law requires.
- For later years, renew on the same portal before the deadline the county sets, usually early in the year.
Validity and renewal
The permit runs to the end of the calendar year. Counties typically open renewals in January and may add penalties for late payment, so renew at the start of the year rather than when a tender demands it. A tender closing in the first weeks of January may accept the previous year's permit with proof of renewal in progress; read the requirement, and when in doubt ask the entity in writing.
Why bids get thrown out over it
- The permit attached was for the previous year.
- The permit named a different business or a different trading address from the tender forms.
- The firm operates in one county but attached a permit from another where it has no premises.
- A payment receipt was attached in place of the permit itself.
How Tendakazi helps
The vault assumes a 31 December expiry for a business permit and reminds you from early November, so the renewal is done before January tenders close. Our analysts check the permit's year and county against each tender. If you would rather not queue, order the renewal or a first application as a quoted service and we handle it with the county.
Questions
When does a Single Business Permit expire?
At the end of the calendar year, usually 31 December, whatever month it was issued.
Do I need a permit in every county I bid in?
No. You need one wherever you have premises or carry on business. A tender from another county normally accepts the permit from your home county.
Is the Single Business Permit the same as the unified business permit?
Nairobi and some other counties have renamed it; it serves the same purpose and tenders accept it.
Can I bid in January with last year's permit?
Some entities accept the old permit with evidence of renewal in progress; many do not. Renew early in January and read each tender.
Put the permit in your vault and we remind you before December ends, or order the renewal and we handle the county for you.
Read next
General information for suppliers, not legal, tax or financial advice. Procurement law, regulations, thresholds and government systems change: check the current rules with the procuring entity, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), the National Treasury or KRA, and speak to an advocate or tax adviser about your own case.