Business in Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea recognises free markets and private enterprise within public, mixed, cooperative and private sectors. Minerals and hydrocarbons, water and electricity, postal services, telecommunications, transport, radio and television are reserved public areas; private participation can require delegation, a concession or an association with the public sector. Check the sector rules before investing, because ordinary company registration does not by itself authorise a regulated activity. Equatorial Guinea has applied OHADA, the Organisation for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa, since the treaty entered into force for the country on 14 August 1999 after ratification on 16 April 1999. Commercial companies follow OHADA business-law acts and register in the Registro de la Propiedad y Mercantil, also called the RCCM. Available forms include the S.L. limited-liability company, the S.A. public limited company, the SAS simplified joint-stock company, the SNC general partnership, the SCS limited partnership and the GIE economic interest grouping. An individual using the OHADA entreprenant status declares the activity rather than registering as an incorporated company. The usual formal process starts with the legal form, activity, business address and capital. The applicant submits a dossier to the Ventanilla Única Empresarial (VUE), whose Technical Office reviews it. A Notaría handles authentication, the company name, articles and publication; the Registro Mercantil then issues the registration certificate, the tax authority assigns the NIF, and the Treasury receives the applicable tax payment. A complete current digital application process and a universal timetable for every permit are not confirmed, so the VUE and the responsible authority should verify the process for the chosen activity. Requirements vary by form and applicant. A local S.L. or S.A. file generally includes identity documents or passports, a signed location plan, the source of funds, the founding act and three or four photographs. The founding act states the form, name, business purpose, capital, registered office, duration, shareholders, participation, operating rules and dividend rules. Foreign partners generally provide original criminal-record certificates. A legal-person founder additionally provides a legalised parent deed and NIF together with a board resolution. A branch requires legalised parent statutes and RCCM evidence, a board resolution and manager details. A national Autónomo generally provides a business plan, identity document or passport, a location plan and photographs; a foreign Autónomo additionally needs a passport, valid residence or alternative visa, a legalised criminal record from the country of origin and proof of the source of funds. Documents are accepted in Spanish, French or Portuguese under the applicable requirements. National and foreign entrepreneurs can access the formal process. Under Decreto 72/2018, a local partner is not generally mandatory for a foreign non-oil investor, but hydrocarbons and related subcontracting are subject to national-participation rules. The reviewed framework reports a minimum of 35% local capital for relevant activities; verify the current sector rule and any additional licensing condition before signing contracts or transferring funds. An older procedural guide gives an approximate processing time of five weeks for a company and one week for an Autónomo. Those figures are not a confirmed current official service level, and permits, tax registration and sector licences can take different amounts of time. Keep copies of every submission and obtain written confirmation of the requirements and expected decision date. The 2025 Ley de Tasas schedule lists an exempt Acta de Constitución, a 1.5% fee for a capital increase, 30,000 for a capital reduction, 1% for a share sale, 1% for a participation transfer and 1.5% for liquidation. Branch fees listed are 1,000,000 for opening, 300,000 for renewal, 800,000 for late renewal and 280,000 for closure. A company certificate is listed at 75,000 and a validity certificate at 25,000. Annual commerce fees listed are 150,000 for wholesale, 50,000 for medium-scale commerce, 6,000 for retail and 30,000 for itinerant commerce. Annual S.L. fees are listed at 60,000 for small and 80,000 for medium companies; annual S.A. fees are 300,000 for small, 500,000 for medium and 800,000 for large companies. Business-promotion fees include 5,000 for a change of activity, expansion authorisation of 30,000 for micro, 60,000 for small and 30,000 for medium businesses, and business-expansion fees of 20,000 for micro, 10,000 for small and 15,000 for medium businesses. These amounts are presumed to be XAF and should be confirmed with the VUE or Tesorería before payment. The fee and support information reflects a review dated 9 September 2026. Corporate income tax is 25% of net profit. The Cuota Mínima Fiscal (C.M.F.) is a minimum tax calculated at 1.5% of gross income for each semester, with payment windows from 1 to 15 July and from 1 to 15 January. VAT is generally 15%, with a 5% reduced rate. Resident businesses subject to VAT are required to show VAT on every sales or service invoice; omitting it can make the invoice void and trigger sanctions under articles 406 and following of the tax legislation. The usual tax process uses a form, bank payment and submission to Hacienda. A fiscal-statistics declaration has a six-month filing window according to the reviewed material; confirm the calculation and filing start date with the tax authority. During operation, a company keeps its NIF and tax records, places its RCCM number on commercial books, prepares annual OHADA financial statements and renews its annual commerce registration. Depending on the activity, separate trade, import or export, industrial, transport, health or tourism permits may apply. CEMAC rules, including the common external tariff, affect regional trade. Hiring staff creates employment and social-security duties that require separate compliance checks. Formal micro, small and medium businesses are especially visible in services, tourism and communications, while the wider economy remains strongly influenced by hydrocarbons and large firms. Informal activity is substantial, but reliable current figures for informal firms are limited. Informal trading may avoid some initial formal procedures, but it does not provide equivalent legal status, access to credit or limited-liability protection. Businesses also face practical constraints involving legal uncertainty, land titles, credit, digital public services, logistics and discriminatory or other entry barriers. A CEMAC credit snapshot from the second quarter of 2023 reported that private firms received 67.57% of credit by amount, while SMEs received 5.4 billion XAF and had an average effective lending rate of 19.10%. Those figures are historical and do not guarantee a current BANGE or other bank offer. Compare the current interest rate, collateral, fees, repayment schedule and currency exposure directly with the lender. The Ministerio de Comercio, Promoción de Empresas e Industrias and PNUD launched an MIPYMES programme on 19 June 2026. Its six modules cover management, human resources, finance and accounting, marketing and communication, business plans, and regulation and advantages. The programme targets more than 100 formalised or formalising MIPYMES, with attention to women, youth, cooperatives and strategic sectors. It offers training and formalisation support, not an automatic grant or credit entitlement. A BANGE-PNUD memorandum signed on 12 April 2026 also covers MIPYME support, agribusiness and youth-led innovation. Acquiring, transferring or closing a business requires attention to OHADA governance, changes in the RCCM and the applicable current fees. Keep ownership, management, capital, activity and address records aligned across the founding documents, Registro Mercantil, NIF and tax files. A business name, domain name or informal trading licence does not replace company registration, tax compliance or any sector authorisation.