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Starting a Business in Mauritania

 

Starting a business, or company, in Mauritania takes approximately 19 days as compared to about 46 days for the Sub-Saharan Africa region. This piece outlines the general technical procedures for starting a company in Mauritania, according to the Doingbusiness.org database by the World Bank. It includes details and requirements to be in good standing with all relevant agencies beyond the company registrar like social security agencies.

Use this as a guide while you complete the process and consult with agents carrying out work on your behalf.  Additional notes may be found here.

Technical Procedures

The steps involved in registering a company [Société à Responsabilité Limitée (SARL) – Limited Liability Company]  
in Mauritania are:

1. Deposit the legally required initial capital in a bank and obtain deposit evidence.
2. Deposit the company’s deed and articles of association with the notary.
3. Register the statutes with the Direction des Domaines.
4. Register with the Clerk’s Office for Commercial Registry (Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce)
5. Publish a notice of  the incorporation in a newspaper.
6. Register with the Tax Department (Direction Générale des Impots) and get a fiscal number.
7. Register for social security with the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale.
8. Apply to the Ministry of Labor for a permit to start a lucrative business.
9. Send a notification letter of starting the business to the Labor Inspector

No.		Procedure	Time to Complete	Associated Costs
	1	Submit the company’s deed and articles of association to the notary Agency: Notary The law in Mauritania does not require the notarization of the statutes for limited liabilities companies. However, the Commercial Court has always required this document to be notarized. The notarization fee is based on a scale by company capital: Fee schedule for depositing incorporation documents: • MRO 1–2 million capital: 2%. • MRO 2–3 million capital: 1.5%. • MRO 3–7 million capital: 1%.	1 day	2% of capital up to MRO 1,000,000 + 1.5% of capital from MRO 1,000,001 to MRO 3,000,000 + 1% of capital from MRO 3,000,001 to MRO 7,000,000.
	2	File the company statutes with the "Direction des Domaines" Agency: Direction des Domaines The "Direction des Domaines" records the registration number, the date, and the denomination of this legal act. A specimen of the act is preserved indefinitely, in theory. The fee schedule for registering the statutes is 0.25% of the capital plus MRO 200 per page for the stamps.	1 day	0.25 % of capital + MRO 200 per page for stamps
	3	Register with the Commercial Registry (Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce) and the National Social Security Fund (Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale) Agency: Commercial Registry Business founders can register with the Commercial Registry (Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce) and the National Social Security Fund (Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale) at the Commercial Registry.	2 days	included in previous procedure
	4	Register with the Tax Department (Direction Générale des Impots) and obtain a tax identification number Agency: Tax Department Registration with the Tax Department (Direction Générale des Impots) and obtaining a tax identification number can be done in 1 day at the Tax Department.	1 day	no charge
*	5	Apply for a business permit from the Ministry of Labor Agency: Ministry of Labor Any person conducting a lucrative activity in Mauritania must apply for a business permit from the Ministry of Labor. The permit has an unlimited duration.	4 days, depending on complexity of drafting and availability of notary (simultaneous with previous procedure)	no charge
*	6	Notify the Labor Inspector of business commencement Agency: Labor inspectorate office The company sends a letter to the Labor Inspector as a notification of the commencement of business operations.	1 day (simultaneous with previous procedure)	no charge