Dealing with Construction Permits in Angola

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

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Data as of: January 2009
Estimated Warehouse Value: AOA 102,942,082
City: Luanda

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
1	Obtain a Proof of Title of Property for the Land	15 days	AOA 3,000
2	Obtain permission to build from Fire department	5 days	no charge
3	Request License to Build from the Provincial Governor	180 days	AOA 13,200
*4	Receive on-site inspection from the Provincial Government	1 day	no charge
*5	Obtain approval from telephone provider (Angola Telecom)	1 day	no charge
6	Hire inspection firm	1 day	AOA 632,640
7	Obtain occupancy permit and request inspection by provincial authorities	30 days	AOA 2,000
*8	Receive final inspection by provincial authorities	1 day	no charge
9	Obtain electric power connection	16 days	AOA 1,107,134
*10	Obtain telephone connection	15 days	AOA 7,908
*11	Obtain water and sewage connection	10 days	no charge
12	Register the building with the real estate registry	90 days	no charge

* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Procedure 1.: Obtain a Proof of Title of Property for the Land
Time to complete:: 15 days
Cost to complete:: AOA 3,000
Name of Agency:: Real Estate Registry of Luanda
Comment:: BuildCo must obtain this document from the Real Estate Registry in Luanda. The proof of ownership is valid for 6 months.

Procedure 2.: Obtain permission to build from Fire department
Time to complete:: 5 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Fire Department
Comment:: The fees, varying according to project size and location, must be paid to the fire department. To estimate the fees, the fire department requires details about the warehouse location. The fees are not regulated and appear to be assigned in a relatively random fashion.

Procedure 3.: Request License to Build from the Provincial Governor
Time to complete:: 180 days
Cost to complete:: AOA 13,200
Name of Agency:: Provincial Government
Comment:: To obtain the license to build, BuildCo must file with the provincial government its application and all required documents (listed in the procedures above).

Procedure 4.: Receive on-site inspection from the Provincial Government
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Provincial Government
Comment:: After receiving the application for construction permit, the Urban Department (Luanda Province) visits the prospective site to confirm whether the applicant’s information is accurate.

Procedure 5.: Obtain approval from telephone provider (Angola Telecom)
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Angola Telecom
Comment:: Angola Telecom sets the approval fee according to request processing time.

Procedure 6.: Hire inspection firm
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: AOA 632,640
Name of Agency:: Private Inspection Firm
Comment:: The company must hire an inspection firm to closely follow construction progress and to ensure compliance with all statutory rules. The inspection firm’s fees usually vary between 3% and 5% of the price provided in the agreement with the construction contractor.

Procedure 7.: Obtain occupancy permit and request inspection by provincial authorities
Time to complete:: 30 days
Cost to complete:: AOA 2,000
Name of Agency:: Provincial Government
Comment:: Once construction is completed, several departments and provincial authorities must inspect the building: the fire department, the engineering department, and the town services department.

Procedure 8.: Receive final inspection by provincial authorities
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Provincial Government
Comment:: Once the building is completed, the Luanda provincial government conducts a final inspection. Several departments and provincial authorities are involved in the final inspection and issue their technical opinions. After the inspection, the occupancy permit will be issued.

Procedure 9.: Obtain electric power connection
Time to complete:: 16 days
Cost to complete:: AOA 1,107,134
Name of Agency:: Empresaa de Distribuicao de Electricidade (EDEL)
Comment:: To request electric service, the building owner sends a letter to Luanda’s power company (Empresa de Electricidade de Luanda, EDEL). Along with the letter, the owner submits a certificate of building location and a copy of the construction permit. The connection fees vary according to the warehouse size.

Procedure 10.: Obtain telephone connection
Time to complete:: 15 days
Cost to complete:: AOA 7,908
Name of Agency:: Angola Telecom
Comment:: To request a telephone connection, BuildCo must send a letter with a copy of the building permit. The telephone service fees vary by warehouse size and the requested number of phone lines.

Procedure 11.: Obtain water and sewage connection
Time to complete:: 10 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Empresa Provincial de Agua de Luanda (EPAL)
Comment:: To request a water and sewage connection, BuildCo must send a letter to the public sector water company in Luanda (Empresa Publica de Aguas de Luanda, EPAL). Along with the letter, the developer must submit a certificate of building location and a copy of the building permit. The connection fees vary according to warehouse size.

Procedure 12.: Register the building with the real estate registry
Time to complete:: 90 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:: Real Estate Registry of Luanda
Comment:: The Real Estate Registry charges building registration fees that are in line with taxes assessed on the building by the tax authorities.