Doing business in Gabon: Construction Permission

Obtain a topographical survey

Agency: Private Firm

For the requirement of establishing the site plan, a topograhical survey is required to obtain a better understanding of the land plot.

Time and cost: 7 days, XAF 125,000

Obtain a fire safety approval from the Fire Department

Agency: Fire Department

BuildCo must obtain a fire safety report (rapport Sapeur-Pompier) prior to requesting the building permit.

Time and cost: 7 days, XAF 50,000

Request the building permit at the Agence Nationale de l’Urbanisme

Agency: Agence Nationale de l’Urbanisme, des Travaux Topographiques et du Cadastre (ANUTTC)

BuildCo must request the building permit at the Agence Nationale de l’Urbanisme. First the application form must be bought. When applying, the following documents must be provided: 5 copies of the building plan, one copy of the title, and other documents depending on the usage, the complexity and location of the project (fire report, plans safety and fire, soil studies, studies of environmental impact review of civil aviation etc.).

The application must include either a land title or a provisional decree, a certificate from the Directorate of Taxes which certifies that the company is currently in the process of obtaining a land title, with single copies of cadaster enough that a final deed of sale.

The examination of the file is FCFA 50,000. Once the request has been approved, the file is transmitted to the City Hall for further examination.

There is a site visit by the City Hall and the final approval is given. The cost is FCFA 5,000.

Time and cost: 60 days, XAF 55,000

Obtain the building permit from City Hall

Agency: Municipality of Libreville

The building permit application is reviewed by a committee of the building which includes 14 representatives and is chaired by the mayor. The Commission meets every Wednesday and usually works on 10 files each time. On average, the Commission received 15 applications a week. So if BuildCo submits an application on a Monday and among the first 10 applicants, the application will be considered during that week. Otherwise, the application will be discussed the following week. BuildCo can therefore provide between 3 and 10 days to see its application approved by the Commission. The Commission will verify, among other things, that the plans have been designed by an architect who is either a member of the Order of Architects of Gabon and is a graduate of one of the leading universities in the region. If the request is approved, the Head of Department will send a “be transmitted” to the cadastre asking him to conduct an inspection (implantation). The topographer will visit the proposed site for the construction and mark the location of the building on the lot to ensure that the plans conform to the plan of the lot (boundary plan) that was submitted. If the service manager sends the “be sent” a Thursday, it usually happens on Friday. The Cadastre will then send a bill for the establishment to the applicant. Zoning is one of the stages of the Commission’s evaluation process that takes more time. There is no separate zoning process, but applicants must indicate in their application the usage of the building: residential, commercial or industrial purposes, and must verify that this is consistent with the zoning map Planning the city.

Time and cost: 30 days, XAF 50,000

Receive random inspection by City Brigade – I

Agency: City Brigade

The city brigade will randomly check companies to ensure they are building legally. In practice these random inspections rarely happen.

Time and cost: 1 day, no charge

Receive inspection after construction is completed by the Direction Generale de l’Urbanisme

Agency: Agence Nationale de l’Urbanisme, des Travaux Topographiques et du Cadastre (ANUTTC)

When the construction is completed, a representative from the Direction générale de l’Urbanisme will inspect the warehouse to verify that it was built according to the plans.

Time and cost: 1 day, no charge

Obtain certificate of conformity

Agency: Agence Nationale de l’Urbanisme, des Travaux Topographiques et du Cadastre (ANUTTC)

Without the certificate of conformity, BuildCo cannot start using the building.

Time and cost: 14 days, no charge

Receive on-site visit by the Cadastre for the “constat de mise-en-valeur”

Agency: Cadastre

The Cadastre will inspect the property to check that there is a building on the land (Constat de mise en valeur de la propriété). After that, they will issue a certificate of “mise en valeur.”

Time and cost: 10 days, no charge

Register the property with the Land Registry

Agency: Land Registry

With the final decree (Decret final du certificat de mise en valeur), the owner will register the building with the Land Registry (Service des Domaines) and a property title is issued to the owner. The following documents must be presented at the Land Registry: