Starting a Business · Senegal
Starting a business in Senegal: foreigner's guide (2026)
Senegal shaded by its starting a business status
Senegal permits full foreign ownership in virtually all sectors with no mandatory local partner requirement, and operates an APIX-run one-stop shop that consolidates company registration, tax enrolment (NINEA), and social-security enrolment. The OHADA legal framework—shared across 17 West/Central African countries—provides regional legal certainty, while a new Investment Code adopted by the National Assembly on 19 September 2025 further streamlines procedures through a dematerialised single window and caps decision timelines at ten working days.
Key points
No statutory ceiling on foreign equity in most sectors; 100% foreign ownership is permitted. Exceptions apply to strategic infrastructure—water distribution, electricity distribution, and port services—where state-owned enterprises dominate but allow private contractors.
Company law is governed by the OHADA AUSCGIE Uniform Act. Senegal has additionally set its own minimum capital thresholds: SARL (LLC equivalent) at XOF 100,000 (~USD 165); SA (joint-stock company) at XOF 10,000,000 (~USD 16,500); SAS (simplified joint-stock company) has no minimum capital under OHADA.
Formation requires: (1) name reservation at CFE/RCCM; (2) notarisation of Articles of Association by a Senegalese public notary; (3) bank deposit of capital; (4) single-window filing at APIX covering commercial registration, tax ID (NINEA), and social-security enrolment (CSS/IPRES); (5) publication in the official gazette (Journal Officiel). Foreign documents must be translated into French and legalised.
The U.S. State Department's 2025 Investment Climate Statement cites a World Bank estimate of approximately six days to register a firm via the APIX one-stop shop. The new 2025 Investment Code mandates a maximum of ten working days for agrément decisions. Notarisation and banking steps can extend total elapsed time to 2–3 weeks in practice.
The National Assembly adopted a new Investment Code on 19 September 2025, replacing the 2004 law. Key changes include: a dematerialised single window, reduced processing timelines, lowered financial eligibility thresholds for incentive access, stronger guarantees on capital repatriation and currency convertibility, and enhanced dispute-resolution mechanisms for investors.
The 2025 Investment Code maintains tax and customs incentives (CIT reductions, import duty exemptions, VAT relief) for qualifying projects in priority sectors including energy, agribusiness, fisheries, digital services, tourism, and infrastructure. Projects outside Dakar are eligible for extended exemption periods. Agrément is processed by APIX within ten working days.
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Last verified 5/24/2026 · Orientation, not legal advice - verify against the primary sources linked above. Explore the full world map →