Starting a business in Congo: foreigner's guide (2026)

The Agence Congolaise pour la Création des Entreprises (ACPCE), established by Law n°16-2017, serves as a single window handling all formalities—RCCM registration, tax ID (DGID), statistics (CNSEE), and social security (CNSS)—with an official target of 48 hours for completion. Offices exist in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, N'kayi, Ouesso, and Dolisie.

Despite the 48-hour official target, the World Bank's Doing Business data placed the realistic timeline at approximately two months. Registration fees scale with capitalisation, ranging from roughly $244 (capitalisation below $2,000) to $4,500 (capitalisation above $200,000); the ACPCE flat filing tax for a SARL is 300,000 XAF.

There are no general statutory limits on foreign ownership or control in most sectors. A local partner is not legally required for standard business formation, but a ministerial note issued in February 2024 reminded the business community that Law 19-2005 reserves certain commercial activities solely for Congolese nationals, and selective enforcement resumed from March 2024.

In petroleum, foreign companies must form a joint venture with the state-owned Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (SNPC). In oil sub-contracting, at least 30% of share capital must be held by a Congolese national. In mining, a convention or operating permit between the foreign company and the government is mandatory.

Country managers (directeurs généraux) must be either Congolese nationals or foreign nationals who have been resident in the Republic of Congo for two or more years, which can complicate immediate foreign-led operations.

The Republic of Congo is an OHADA member state; the 2014 Revised Uniform Act on Commercial Companies governs company types (SARL, SA, SNC, SCS, etc.). The OHADA default minimum capital for a SARL is 1,000,000 XAF; Decree n°2017-41 removed the requirement to use a notary for SARL bylaws, reducing cost and complexity.