Gabon - Apply for Business Certificate

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Procedure

A business certificate in Gabon is obtained during the process of incorporating entities in the country, therefore an applicant must go through the business registration steps in order to obtain the certificate and these are as follows:-

1.An applicant should starts by finding a legal person (a notary / an attorney / a lawyer) who will assist in the registration / incorporation procedure;

2.The applicant together with the contracted legal person starts the registration process by reserving a name for the company. In this case, a name is suggested and the applicant together with the contacted lawyer makes a search to assess availability of a name and if the name is available, the applicant proceeds with the registration process;

3.The applicant then proceeds with opening up an account for the company. The account must be under the name reserved and if a name is not yet reserved, the account should opened up under the phrase company under registration.

4.After an account has been opened, the applicant must then deposit the companys initial capital which should be not be below the minimum capital required for incorporation of business in the country, and proof of deposit of the capital should be obtained;

5.Thereafter, the applicant proceeds with drafting, signing and registering the articles of association of the company. At this stage, the contracted legal person assists in the drafting of the articles of association and the directors of company sign them in the presence of the legal person.

6.After the signing, the signed articles of association are deposited and registered with the public notary who in return issues a certificate of payment of the initial capital;

7.Thereafter the applicant proceeds with registration at the Investment Promotion Agency ("Agence de Promotion d'Investissement") the Centre de Dveloppement des Entreprises. Here the applicants submits required documents for registration with various institutions which include registration of the company laws at the Ministry of Finance (Administration de Domaines), registration with the court clerk at the Ministry of Justiceand registration with the tax authority. In this case, when documents are received, the Centre de Dveloppement des Entreprises forwards the documents to the relavant institutions, which view the documents, assess them and either approve or deny registration;

8.When registration is approved, the applicant can now pay required fees and a receipt is issued as proof of payment;

9.Thereafter a notice of company registration is published in a legal journal for a given period of time. This is done to allow an one who does not agree to the registration to submit their objection;

10.If no objection is received, the company is fully registered and a business certificate is issued;

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Required Documents

1.Copy of the company laws

2.Copies of identification documents of all directors

3.Police clearance certificates for the directors

4.Initial capital deposit slips

5.Payment slips

6.Signed articles of associations

Office Locations & Contacts

The Agence de Promotion des Investissements Privs (APIP),

BP 13740 Libreville GABON

Telephone No.: (241) 76 87 66.

Minister of Small-Medium Sized Enterprises & industries

Bote Postale 3096,

Libreville

Telephone : 241 (1) 745-425

Eligibility

Anyone trader who meets requirements can obtain a business certificate in Gabon

Fees

1.Reserving company name CFA 25,000

2.Opening up bank account and depositing initial capital No fees

3.Deposit and register the companys articles of association with the public notary XAF 375,000

4.Registration at Investment Promotion Agency ("Agence de Promotion d'Investissement") CFA 190,000

• Investment Promotion Agency (APIP) fee CFA 50,000
• Registration fees CFA 60,000
• Stamps CFA 80,000
• Publish the notice of company formation in a legal journal (Hebdo-informations) XAF 60,000

Validity

Registration may be cancelled if a company acts contrary to the laws of the country.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

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Processing Time

i.Reserving company name one (1) day

ii.Opening up bank account and depositing initial capital three (3) days

iii.Deposit and register the companys articles of association with the public notary fourteen (14) days

iv.Police Clearance Certificates for the Directors two (2) to ten (10) days

v.Registration at Investment Promotion Agency ("Agence de Promotion d'Investissement") thirty (30) days

vi.Publish the notice of company formation in a legal journal (Hebdo-informations) two (2) days

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
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Instructions

1.An applicant must ensure that the entity to be incorporated has the minimum capital required;

2.Ensure that the entity meets the minimum number of initial directors;

3.An applicant is argues to ensure that the name chosen for his / her entity is not confusing and misleading;

4.Before applying ensure that the new company meets the minimum capital requirements (XOF 1,000,000);

5.A chosen name should not be against the copyright laws, trademarks or intellectual property considered in Gabon;

6.Directors should be of good character;

Required Information

1.Name applicant under incorporation process;

2.Type of goods / service for which incorporation is being made / activities the company wishes to perform;

3.Physical and contact address;

4.Names and addresses of directors of the business being incorporated;

5.Nationality of directors;

6.Company laws;

7.Amount of start-up capital of the company;

8.Details of bank account;

9.Details of a legal person assisting in the process of registration;

Need for the Document

A business certificate in Gabon is a legal document issued to business entities registered with government thus it is obtained upon incorporating business in the country. Incorporation of business in the country is done at the Centre de Dveloppement des Entreprises known as Investment Promotion Agency Agence de Promotion d'Investissement (APIP).

Information which might help

• A business certificate legalizes operations of a given company;
• A company with a business certificate is formally recognized by government;
• The registration process enables the government to obtain detailed information about a given business;
• When businesses are registered, jobs are created in the country;

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

http://www.alloexpat.com/gabon_expat_forum/doing-business-in-gabon-gabon-business-guide-t481.html

http://www.afribiz.info/content/2010/starting-registering-a-business-in-gabon

http://www.healyconsultants.com/africa-incorporation/gabon-company-registration/

http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/gabon/

http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/gabon/starting-a-business

Others

More information which might help people.