Applies to women only: Obtain marriage certificate for national identification card
Agency: Municipality
According to the decree N° 2007/254 of September 4th, 2007 regarding the characteristics to obtain a National identity card, married women need to present a marriage certificate when obtaining a national ID. Moreover, women need a national ID when registering a business.
A certified copy of a marriage certificate can be obtained from the Civil Status Office in 1 day on average. There is a cost of XAF 3,000 associated with this procedure.
Time and cost: 1 day, XAF 3,000
A public notary drafts a certificate requesting to a commercial bank to open a bank account for the new company
Agency: Notary
In practice, banks require that a notary public issues a certificate that the company is in the process of creation (attestation d’ouverture de compte de société en création) before the entrepreneur can open a temporary bank account called “account of company in the process of creation”. The registry provides the name-checking service free of charge to notaries or lawyers/attorneys who have access to the court’s information retrieval and relational database.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Deposit the initial capital in a bank and obtain a receipt
Agency: Bank
Under Article 313 of the Uniform Act (the company law of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa), founders are required to deposit the start up capital in a bank or with a notary.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Have an attorney/notary or shareholders draft the memorandum and article of association; sign company bylaws before the notary
Agency: Notary
Article 10 of the Uniform Act of the Organisation pour l’Harmonisation du Droit des Affaires en Afrique (OHADA) states that the articles of association shall be established by a notarial deed or by any other instrument that ensures legal validity in Cameroon where the registered office will be located. Such instrument, together with a certification of the writing and signatures of all parties, should be deposited as originals in a notary’s office. They may be amended only by the same procedure. Based on Decree No. 2017/0877/PM, notarization of the articles of association is not required for limited liability companies with a start-up capital of up to XAF 999,999.
Time and cost: 2 days, 2% of the share capital up to XAF 3,000,000 and 1,5% for the capital from XAF 3,000,001 to 10,000,000 + XAF 1000 per stamp (10 stamps)
Apply for company registration at the One-Stop-Shop (CFCE) and request the publication of a notice of incorporation
Agency: One-Stop Shop (Centre de Formalités de Création des Entreprises, CFCE)
The company documents and forms must be submitted to the front desk of the One-Stop Shop (Centre de Formalités de Création des Entreprises). The staff will register the company with the Registre du Commerce et du Crédit Mobilier and with the Tax Administration. The following documents are required to file an application with the court:
- Articles of association (copy).
- Location plan of business premises to get exoneration of the Patente.
- Criminal record of the directors of the company or sworn declaration.
- Certificate of non conviction (normally for nationals or resident aliens who are shareholders).
- Photocopy of marriage certificates (if any).
- Declaration of regularity and conformity, drawn by the notary public and signed by the business founders, or a notarial statement of subscription and payment in lieu thereof.
Each page of the memorandum and articles of association must also carry the current fiscal year’s fiscal stamp (XAF 1,000 a page).
A notice of incorporation must be published at Cameroun Tribune or another newspaper approved by the Ministry of Telecommunication. The online publication of a notice of incorporation can be requested to the One-Stop Shop. In that case the notice will be published at https://mybusiness.cm/page/annonces.
Time and cost: 8 days, XAF 41,500 for Registration + XAF 13,125 for Publication
Register the company and employees with the National Social Insurance Fund (Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale, CNPS)
Agency: National Social Insurance Fund (Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale, CNPS)
The entrepreneur must register the company and its employees with the National Social Insurance Fund (CNPS) to obtain a company number (numéro d’immatriculation). For this registration it is necessary to present the following documents: taxpayer ID (carte de contribuable), registration certificate and the company’s location map.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
