Obtain a certificate of availability for the company name (certidão da firma)
Agency: One-stop shop (Ficheiro Central de Denominações Sociais, Guichê Único da Empresa)
The availability of the company name must be verified at the commercial registry (Ficheiro Central de Denominações Sociais), affiliated with the Ministry of Justice.
To obtain the company name certificate (certificado de admissibilidade da firma), an application (with copy of identification attached) must be filed with the One-stop shop (Guichê Único da Empresa), as follows:
- State the company’s proposed name
- Request the issuance of a certificate, confirming that such name is acceptable and is not similar to any existing company name
Since March 2019, the fee for the form of the company name certificate was abolished. For name changes or reservations without the incorporation of a new company, the Certificate would have a cost of Kz 29,040.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Pay the registration fee
Agency: One-stop shop (Guichê Único da Empresa)
Fees are paid at the bank counter within the one-stop shop (Guichê Único da Empresa) to facilitate payment of the different fees. Each agency and fees goes to a specific account and payments can be made cash or by card.
The cost of incorporating a Sociedade por Quotas de Responsabilidade Limitada (LDA) is Kz. 12,000 (10,000 for incorporation, 1,000 for GUE service fee and 1,000 for the publication in the official gazette).
Time and cost: 1 day, Kz 12,000
Obtain the company’s articles of association at the One-stop shop (Guichê Único da Empresa)
Agency: One-stop shop (Guichê Único da Empresa)
In order to prepare the company’s articles of association to incorporate a new company, there are have 2 options: either to resort to a lawyer’s services to draft the company documents or to fill in the standard documents offered by the One-stop shop. If the business founder decides to use the standard Statutes of Association from the One-stop shop or Guichê Único da Empresa (2 pages), it can be done directly at the agency. The applicant must enter the required information (associates` ID, address, activities of company) and confirm that the articles are applicable to the type of company as the Guichê has 4 different types of statutes. The business founder will then obtain the prepared documents. In the case statutes are prepared by a lawyer, the process might take an additional time for lawyers` review of the documents.
Time and cost: 1 day, included in procedure 2
Obtain the company’s tax ID (NIF)
Agency: Tax authorities at the One-stop shop (Guichê Único da Empresa)
Once documents are verified and completed, applicants must apply at the section of the National Tax Office (Direcção National dos Impostos) within the One-stop shop to obtain the National Identification Number (NIF).
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Notarize the company’s documents and register the company
Agency: One-stop shop (Guichê Único da Empresa)
The applicant must submit the company’s documents to the Notary Public at the One-stop shop or Guichê Único da Empresa. Once the Notary reviews the dossier, he will have a reading with the applicant present or the accredited person to ensure that there are no mistakes. This service fee is included in the Guichê fees and this takes one day, depending on room availability and complexity of the company’s Articles of incorporation.
Once the documents are reviewed, the notary makes 4 copies which are signed and sent to each of the agencies involved for approval and filing. Copies are distributed to the representatives of the Commercial Registry, the National Press (Imprensa National), National Institute of Statistics, Tax office of the Ministry of Finance, Social Security Institute and the Ministry of Public Administration, Employment, and Social Security.
Each agent from each institution is in charge of sending the files to his/her agency, but this doesn’t impede on the process of registration. For Imprensa National, the receipt is sufficient to continue the process. Despite the fact that law says that documents should be published before getting the license to operate, the system at Imprensa National makes it unlikely for daily or weekly publication, therefore the Ministry of Commerce uses the receipt as proof.
For company and employee registration with Social Security, the required forms must be downloaded, completed and presented to the One-stop shop, so that they can be submitted to the relevant authority.
Each of the organizations mentioned above has a representative within Guichê Único da Empresa with authority to deliver the accreditation that the step has been accomplished.
Time and cost: 2 days, included in procedure 2
Obtain the Commercial Operations Permit from the Ministry of Commerce
Agency: Ministry of Commerce at the One-stop shop (Guichê Único da Empresa)
To carry out commercial activities in Angola, a company must obtain a commercial operations permit (Alvará) from the Ministry of Commerce. To apply for the issuance of the commercial operations permit, the following documents must be filed with the representation of the Ministry of Commerce at the One-stop Shop (Guiché Único):
- Commercial Registration Certificate, with the enrollment of the company’s managers;
- Identification of the managers: copy of ID card for nationals; and copy of residency permit or passport with updated work permit for foreign citizens.
- Number of mobile phone and email.
In order to obtain the license, some inspections to the facilities need to take place in some businesses.
After the application for the Commercial Operational Permit, Ministry of Commerce creates a username and password which enable the applicant to check the status of the process online at SILAC (Sistema Integrado de Licenciamento da Actividade Comercial).
The fee schedule is as follows:
- 199 square meters – Kz 10,000
- 200 – 499 square meters – Kz 35,000
- 500 – 999 square meters – Kz 75,000
- 1,000 – 1,999 square meters – Kz 200,000
- Greater than 2,000 square meters – Kz 350,000
Time and cost: 15-45 days, see procedure details
Legalize the company’s minutes book with the Commercial Registry
Agency: Commercial Registry
The Books for the General Assembly’s minutes (livro de actas) must be legalized by the Commercial Registry.
Time and cost: 1 day (simultaneous with previous procedure), USD 20
Registration of employees with the National Social Security Institute (INSS)
Agency: Instituto Nacional de Segurança Social
Since law n. 07/04 of October 15th has been enacted, social protection is mandatory for every employee in the public and private sectors in Angola as well as for autonomous workers. Companies are required to register their employees with the National Social Security Institute (INSS) within 30 days from the beginning of its activities.
In practice, this procedure has only been mandatory since the full implementation of the INSS online portal, which allowed companies to register their employees online.
Time and cost: 0.5 day (simultaneous with previous procedure), no charge
