Starting a Business in Burundi

This table summarizes the procedures and costs associated with setting up a business in Burundi.

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Legal Form: Société à Responsabilité Limitée (SARL) - Limited Liability Company
City: Bujumbura

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
1	Draft and notarize the articles of association by a notary	4 days	BIF 53000
2	Deposit the legally required initial capital in a bank and obtain deposit evidence.	1 day	no charge
3	Publication in legal journal	1 day for proof of payment. The publication takes up to 6 months	BIF 130000
4	Procurement of two extracts from the criminal record of the first directors in preparation to the registration formalities with the Commercial Registry	2 days simultaneous with the three prior procedures	BIF 10,000 (BIF 1,000 each, two extracts for 5 founders)
5	Registration with the Commercial Registry	2 days	BIF 44900
6	Registration of the Company with the Department of Taxation	1 day	no charge
7	Registration of the Company with the Municipality of Bujumbura	16 days	no charge
8	Registration of the Company with the Ministry of Trade and Industry	1 day	no charge
9	Registration of the Company with the Ministry of Labor, Department of Work Inspection	1 day	no charge
10	Registration of the Company with the National Institute for Social Security	1 day	no charge
11	Make a company seal	2 days	BIF 20000

Procedure 1.: Draft and notarize the articles of association by a notary
Time to complete:: 4 days
Cost to complete:: BIF 53000
Name of Agency:
Comment:: Cost is as follows :
- 3.000 BIF per page of statutes, 12 pages for standard company statutes
- 10.000 BIF for correction of statutes
- 7.000 BIF for preparing acts

Procedure 2.: Deposit the legally required initial capital in a bank and obtain deposit evidence.
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The initial capital is determined by the founders of the company (loi du 16 mars 1996).

Procedure 3.: Publication in legal journal
Time to complete:: 1 day for proof of payment. The publication takes up to 6 months
Cost to complete:: BIF 130000
Name of Agency:
Comment:: On average, standard statutes are 260 lines. The expense of recording with the B.O.B. is about BIF 130,000 (BIF 6,000 per 12 lines). The founder (or an agent) pays the expenses at the Central Bank and returns to the Legal Department with the deposit slip.

Procedure 4.: Procurement of two extracts from the criminal record of the first directors in preparation to the registration formalities with the Commercial Registry
Time to complete:: 2 days simultaneous with the three prior procedures
Cost to complete:: BIF 10,000 (BIF 1,000 each, two extracts for 5 founders)
Name of Agency:
Comment:

Procedure 5.: Registration with the Commercial Registry
Time to complete:: 2 days
Cost to complete:: BIF 44900
Name of Agency:
Comment:: Cost for registering with the Commercial Registry is as follows:
- BIF 20,000 for commercial registration.
- BIF 20,000 for deposit of statutes.
- BIF 500 for first page.
- Remaining pages: BIF 400.

On average, the standard statutes are 12 pages. Fees for commercial registration are about BIF 44,900. Proof of capital must be submitted at the court clerk's office.

Procedure 6.: Registration of the Company with the Department of Taxation
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:
Comment:: All companies must be registered with the Tax Department and get a fiscal number. Founders must file a copy of the company’s statutes and a certificate of registration with the Commercial Registry.

Procedure 7.: Registration of the Company with the Municipality of Bujumbura
Time to complete:: 16 days
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The registration takes 1–30 days.

Procedure 8.: Registration of the Company with the Ministry of Trade and Industry
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:
Comment:

Procedure 9.: Registration of the Company with the Ministry of Labor, Department of Work Inspection
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:
Comment:

Procedure 10.: Registration of the Company with the National Institute for Social Security
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no charge
Name of Agency:
Comment:: Stock companies (S.A.) acquire their legal capacity and begin their existence upon being recorded in the National Institute for Social Security’s registry.