Dealing with Construction Permits in Equatorial Guinea

The table below summarizes the procedures, time, and costs to build a warehouse in Equatorial Guinea.

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Data as of: January 2009
Estimated Warehouse Value: XAF 250,000,000
City: Malabo

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
1	Buy stamped paper	1 day	XAF 4,000
2	Request authorization for building license at the Municipality	15 days	XAF 2,500,000
3	Pay fees at the bank and obtain payment receipt	1 day	no charge
4	Deposit payment receipt at the municipality	1 day	no charge
5	Obtain building permit	30 days	no charge
6	Receive inspection from the Municipality	1 day	no charge
7	Request authorization for water connection	14 days	XAF 75,000
*8	Pay for water connection	1 day	no charge
*9	Deposit proof of payment and obtain final payment receipt from Municipality	1 day	no charge
10	Obtain authorization for water connection	14 days	no charge
11	Receive connection to water services	45 days	no charge
12	Request electricity connection	1 day	XAF 37,500
13	Request and obtain technical assessment by engineers	14 days	XAF 10,000
14	Receive connection to electricity services	31 days	no charge
15	Request telephone line	1 day	XAF 23,000
16	Receive on-site visit and connection to telephone line	22 days	no charge
17	Request and obtain an engineer's assessment of property	14 days	XAF 200,000
18	Register the building	7 days	XAF 7,500,000

* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Procedure 1.: Buy stamped paper
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: XAF 4,000
Name of Agency:
Comment:: License and water connection applications to the municipality must be made on stamped paper.

Procedure 2.: Request authorization for building license at the Municipality
Time to complete:: 15 days
Cost to complete:: XAF 2,500,000
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: The license application includes all architectural and building plans, measurements, and cost assessments. The application must be submitted on stamped paper. The file is forwarded for review to the Technical Office and subsequently passed to the mayor for signature. If the Technical Office doubts that the proposed project budget fits the project size and nature, a site visit might be undertaken. The cost is 1% of warehouse value.

Procedure 5.: Obtain building permit
Time to complete:: 30 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: After the municipality receives the payment receipt, the dossier is again authorized and finally approved by signature of the mayor. If the mayor is traveling, this procedure may take longer than the standard 2–3 days.

Procedure 6.: Receive inspection from the Municipality
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: Inspections are random and occur during construction. A final inspection or occupancy permit is not required.

Procedure 7.: Request authorization for water connection
Time to complete:: 14 days
Cost to complete:: XAF 75,000
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: The water connection is undertaken by the municipality. As with building license application, the application must be made on stamped paper (XAF 2000 each). After the connection, a municipal tax of XAF 100,000 is due twice a year.

Procedure 8.: Pay for water connection
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Commercial Bank
Comment:: A payment receipt is required to obtain authorization for the water connection.

Procedure 9.: Deposit proof of payment and obtain final payment receipt from Municipality
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:

Procedure 10.: Obtain authorization for water connection
Time to complete:: 14 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: After the fees are paid, the mayor approves the application for water connection.

Procedure 11.: Receive connection to water services
Time to complete:: 45 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: Once the authorization is obtained, municipal engineers connect the building to the network.

Procedure 12.: Request electricity connection
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: XAF 37,500
Name of Agency:: SODESA
Comment:: The electricity company, SODESA, forwards the application to the three technical engineers for the technical feasibility study and work assessment.

Procedure 13.: Request and obtain technical assessment by engineers
Time to complete:: 14 days
Cost to complete:: XAF 10,000
Name of Agency:: Technical engineer
Comment:: The engineers assess the required work and cost. XAF 20,000 is the fee for a 20 meter cable.

Procedure 15.: Request telephone line
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: XAF 23,000
Name of Agency:: SODESA
Comment:: Companies must make the request in writing. Payment is done at the phone company, CETESA.

Procedure 16.: Receive on-site visit and connection to telephone line
Time to complete:: 22 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: CETESA
Comment:: The technician visits the site and installs the phone connection. In saturated areas or areas outside of Malabo, it may take up to a year to obtain a phone connection. In addition, connection might be delayed because of heavy rains during the rainy season (July to September).

Procedure 18.: Register the building
Time to complete:: 7 days
Cost to complete:: XAF 7,500,000
Name of Agency:
Comment:: Building registration is not required but is advised. Fees refer to official fees, as published in the Law of Fiscal Fees (Ley de Tazas Fiscales). The amount of fee is 3% of the value of warehouse construction.