Puerto Rico (U.S.)

Ease of Doing Business in

Puerto Rico (U.S.)

This page shows summary Doing Business 2012 data for Puerto Rico. The first table lists the overall "Ease of Doing Business" rank (out of 183 economies) and the rankings by each topic. The rest of the tables summarize the key indicators for each topic and benchmark against regional and high-income economy (OECD) averages.

Economy Overview

Region Latin America & Caribbean
Income Category High income
Population 3,980,064
GNI Per Capita (US$) 17,280.00
Doing Business 2012 Rank Doing Business 2011 Rank Change in Rank
43 42 down -1
Topic Rankings DB 2012 Rank DB 2011 Rank Change in Rank
Starting a Business 12 15 up 3
Dealing with Construction Permits 152 166 up 14
Getting Electricity 35 34 up -1
Registering Property 126 128 up 2
Getting Credit 24 21 up -3
Protecting Investors 17 16 up -1
Paying Taxes 113 110 up -3
Trading Across Borders 101 102 up 1
Enforcing Contracts 97 100 up 3
Resolving Insolvency 27 25 up -2

Economy Profile

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Starting a Business

Info

The challenges of launching a business are shown below. Included are: the number of steps entrepreneurs can expect to go through to launch, the time it takes on average, and the cost and minimum capital required as a percentage of gross national income (GNI) per capita.

DB 2012 Rank 12 DB 2011 Rank 15 Change in Rank up3
Indicator Puerto Rico (U.S.) Latin America & Caribbean OECD

The total number of procedures required to register a firm. A procedure is defined as any interaction of the company founders with external parties (for example, government agencies, lawyers, auditors or notaries).

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Procedures (number)
6 9 5

The total number of days required to register a firm. The measure captures the median duration that incorporation lawyers indicate is necessary to complete a procedure with minimum follow-up with government agencies and no extra payments.

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Time (days)
6 54 12

Cost is recorded as a percentage of the economy’s income per capita. It includes all official fees and fees for legal or professional services if such services are required by law.

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Cost (% of income per capita)
0.6 37.3 4.7

The amount that the entrepreneur needs to deposit in a bank or with a notary before registration and up to 3 months following incorporation and is recorded as a percentage of the economy’s income per capita.

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Paid-in Min. Capital (% of income per capita)
0.0 4.3 14.1
No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Check online the uniqueness of the company name and Register online at the PR Department of State to obtain a business certificate 1 day USD 100 + USD 10 for the issuance of the Certificate of Existence
2 Apply for an employer identification number (EIN) with the Internal Revenue Service of the United States and the PR Department of Treasury 1 day no charge
3 Apply for a municipal business license (patente municipal) 1 day no charge
4 Request unemployment and disability account numbers from the PR Department of Labor and Human Resources (Departamento del Trabajo y Recursos Humanos) 1 day no charge
5 Subscribe to a workmen’s insurance policy 1 day no charge
6 File with the Registry of Merchants and Business, the Commercial Development Administration 1 day no charge

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