Starting a Business in Democratic Republic of Congo : Guide
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 Congo Democratic. 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 | Obtain a certificate confirming headquarters location | 7 days | CDF 1000 |
| 2 | Notarize the articles of association | 7 days | USD 53 per document, assuming 5 documents |
| 3 | Register with the Commercial Registry | 5 days | USD 120 for the registry and USD 40 to deposit the document |
| 4 | Publication of the company’s statutes in the official journal | 1 day (receipt only) | CDF 300 per line |
| 5 | Obtain a national identification number from the Ministry of Economy | 15 days | USD 50 |
| 6 | Register the company for tax with the Direction Générale des Impots | 7 days | no charge |
| 7 | Declare the establishment of the company with the Inspectorate of Labor (l’Inspection du Travail) and the National Office of Employment (l’Office National de l’ Emploi) | 1 day | no charge |
| 8 | Receive inspection by the inspection officials from the Ministry of Labor | 1 day | no charge |
| 9 | Register with the National Institute for Social Security | 7 days | no charge |
| 10 | Obtain operational permit from the Municipality | 7 days | USD 50 |
