Formal registration of companies has many immediate benefits for the companies and for business owners and employees. Legal entities can outlive their founders. Resources are pooled as several shareholders join forces to start a company. Formally registered companies have access to services and institutions from courts to banks as well as to new markets. And their employees can benefit from protections provided by the law. An additional benefit comes with limited liability companies. These limit the financial liability of company owners to their investments, so personal assets of the owners are not put at risk. Where governments make registration easy, more entrepreneurs start businesses in the formal sector, creating more good jobs and generating more revenue for the government.
Below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles faced by entrepreneurs wishing to incorporate and register a new firm in Tunisia. It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with up to 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy's per-capita gross national income.
| No. | Procedure | Time to Complete | Associated Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deposit capital in a bank opened in the name of the company to be incorporated | 1 day | no charge |
| 2 | Register the Articles of Association with the tax administration in Guichet Unique (API) desk and obtain a certificate attesting that a declaration has been filed | 1 day | TND 100 |
| 3 | File declaration of existence with the Tax Control Desk (Contrôle des Impôts) and obtain carte d’identification fiscale | 1 day | no charge |
| 4 | Deposit documents at the Greffe du Tribunal | 1 day | TND 15 |
| 5 | Advertise in the Official Gazette (JORT) with the Government Printing Office | 7 days | TND 100 |
| * 6 | Register with the Registre du Commerce at the Greffe du Tribunal | 1 day (simultaneous with procedure 5) | TND 5 per excerpt, 3 excerpts are needed |
| * 7 | Register for social security | 1 day (simultaneous with procedure 5) | TND 5 |
| * 8 | Get inspected by the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) | 1 day (simultaneous with procedure 5) | no charge |
| * 9 | File a declaration with the labor inspectorate | 1 day (simultaneous with procedure 5) | no charge |
| * 10 | Make company seal | 1 day (simultaneous with procedure 5) | TND 5 |