Djibouti

Starting a Business in

Djibouti

Listed below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles an entrepreneur must overcome in order to incorporate and register a new firm, along with their associated time and set-up costs.  It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with up to 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy's per-capita gross national income (GNI).

The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.

  • Standardized Company

  • Legal Form: Limited Liability Company
  • City: Djibouti Ville

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Deposit the initial capital at the bank and obtain a receipt

The bank must check the origin of the funds and the purpose of the initial capital. The parties must submit a document stating their intent to start a new business. If during the company’s life the capital should change, the company’s registrar must be notified.
2 days no charge
2 Verify the uniqueness of the company name

The uniqueness of company name is searched manually. It takes about 5 days to search by number and longer to search by name.

The following documents are required to verify the uniqueness of company name: proposed company name; address of company headquarters; list of client(s); description of business activities; name of manager; duration (up to 99 years); capital (each share must represent a minimum of DJF 25,000; if capital is the minimum of DJF 1 million, it can be divided into 40 shares at most).
5 days no charge
3 Notarize company statutes

Fees to notarize company statutes are negotiated between the notary public and the client.
3 days DJF 100000
4 Obtain criminal record of managers

This procedure is obligatory.
2 days DJF 500F stamp duties per page (depending on number of records)
5 Register statutes with the Direction des Impôts


2-5 days 5% of capital + DJF 500 per page stamp duties (x16 or 17 pages).
6 Publish notice in La Nation

A notice should be published twice, with a company description including its capital, the name of the manager, and the nature of its activities. La Nation is published twice a week.
7 days DJF 20,000 to 40,000 depending on the length
7 File documents with the Commercial Registry at the Greffe du Tribunal

The entrepreneur must bring a certificate of deposit and receipt from the Service des Domaines.
Time: 7 days (plus 1 day to go back to the Service des Domaines for confirmation of the registration).
8 days DJF 32,800 registration fees (l’immatriculation)
8 Register for taxes and obtain professional license (patente)

Entrepreneurs must go to the Service des Patentes to obtain a license, using the registration number obtained at the registrar. This registration also serves as tax registration.
2 days DJF 100,000 to 300,000.
9 Create a company seal, letterhead and books


3 days DJF 2000 - 3000 (for seal and letterhead) + DJF 5000 - 7000 (books)
10 Obtain signature of the President of the Court on the company books


2 days no charge
* 11 Register employees with Organisation de Protection Sociale (OPS)

The company must register each employee.
1-2 days (simultaneous with previous procedure) no charge
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
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