Applies to women only: Obtain marriage certificate for national identification card
Agency: Brazzaville City Hall
According to Decree No. 2007-207 from April 2, 2007, married women must have the name of their husband in their ID card. They must present a marriage certificate while requesting their ID card. Marriage certificates may be requested by married woman in the city hall where the wedding was celebrated.
Time and cost: 1 day, no cost
Deposit the legally required capital in a bank and obtain the deposit evidence
Agency: Notary
The legally required capital must be deposited to register a company. The bank account deposit is only formalized after presentation of the RCCM and the NIU (Numéro d’Identification Unique). So in practice the minimum capital requirement is deposited with the notary.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Draft and notarize the articles of association with the public notary
Agency: Notary
The notary prepares and legalizes the articles of association. The notary also issues the authenticated declaration of subscription and payment, which confirms that the entire initial capital has been deposited at the bank. Companies may choose to have the notary draft the articles of association. In this case, the articles would be drafted before the initial capital is deposited. The entrepreneur would then return to the notary to obtain the declaration of subscription (Déclaration notariée de souscription et de versement).
Time and cost: 3 days, XAF 300,000 notary fees + XAF 12,000 for stamps
Register articles of association with tax authorities
Agency: Tax Authorities
The company’s articles of association must be registered with the tax authorities. The Minister of Finance of the Republic of Congo, through the adoption and implementation of the Fiscal Law 2012, abolished the cost for registering the articles of association with the tax authorities.
Time and cost: 2 days, no charge
Register articles of association with the commercial registrar at the Clerk’s Office of the Court
Agency: Commercial Registry (Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce)
To register the articles of association with the Commercial Registrar, the following documents are required:
- Identification of managers.
- Criminal record of the managers.
- Lease (copy).
- Notarized articles of association.
Time and cost: 1 day, included in procedure 6
Register with the Centre des Formalités des Entreprises (One-stop shop)
Agency: Centre des Formalités des Entreprises (One-stop shop)
The Centre des Formalités des Entreprises (CFE) is a one-stop shop that centralizes several registration procedures. By registering with the CFE, the firm is also registered with the Chamber of Commerce and the Centre National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (CNSEE). Although the CFE also organizes commercial registration at the court, in practice, it is faster for companies to register directly with the court.
The Minister of Finance of the Republic of Congo, through the adoption and implementation of the Fiscal Law 2013, eliminated the requirement to obtain a merchant card to start operations.
Time and cost: 14 days, XAF 300,000
Register with the tax authorities
Agency: Tax Authorities (Centre d’Identification Unique)
A limited liability company must be registered with the Centre d’Identification Unique (CIU) to obtain the tax ID or NIU.
Time and cost: 14 days, included in procedure 6
Publish the notice of company incorporation in a legal journal
Agency: Legal Journal (Journal officiel et La Semaine Africaine)
The notice of company incorporation can be published either in (a) the Official Gazette, with a 1-month turnaround; or (b) any legal journal, with a 1-week turnaround. The notice includes the company name, capital, and taxpayer identification number (TIN).
Time and cost: 4 days, XAF 50,000
Notify the Ministry of Labor (ONEMO) of the start of operations
Agency: Ministry of Labor (ONEMO)
Employee contracts must be certified by the labor authorities.
Time and cost: 2 days (simultaneous with previous procedure), no charge
Register with the Regional Directorate of Labor
Agency: Regional Directorate of Labor
All new businesses must register with the Regional Directorate of Labor.
Time and cost: 1 day (simultaneous with previous procedure), no charge
Register with the Social Security Authorities
Agency: Social Security Authorities (CNSS)
To register with the Social Security Authorities, the following documents are required:
- Manager’s identification
- Employees’ contracts, certified by the Ministry of Labor.
- Manager’s commerce card.
- Copy of the lease.
- Notarized articles of association.
Social security contributions are paid one quarter in advance at the rate of 2.8% of the employee’s salary and 3.2% of the employer’s earnings.
Time and cost: 14 days (simultaneous with previous procedure), no charge
