Rwanda

Dealing with Construction Permits in

Rwanda

Listed below is detailed summary of the procedures, time and costs to build a warehouse —including obtaining necessary licenses and permits, completing required notifications and inspections and obtaining utility connections. 

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.

  • Building a warehouse

  • Estimated Warehouse Value: RWF 156,072,000
  • City: Kigali

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Apply for location permit and building permit

In Rwanda, the state owns most of the land, including all undeveloped land. At the beginning of the construction process, it is necessary to ask for an attribution of the land. BuildCo holds only a lease until the construction is completed.

Agency: City Hall, Kigali (Mairie de la ville de Kigali)
1 day no charge
2 Receive inspection of the land plot

The municipality usually inspects the site to ensure that the size of the plot for which an attribution has been requested is suitable for the project. Currently, this inspection as well as that done by the water and electricty national company- EWSA to estimate the cost of connection are done together.

Agency: City Hall, Kigali (Mairie de la ville de Kigali)
1 day no charge
3 Obtain location permit and building permit

The first requirement for building in Kigali is filing an application for the right to use a land plot, followed by a plan marking the boundaries. The leasehold, appended to the survey map, is then granted. The municipality must verify that the size of the plot is suitable for building a warehouse. The application is accompanied by the following documents: - An area map. - Architectural plans and sketches of the building with four elevations, one cross section, layout plan, and plan of the septic tank and color projections. - Estimated construction cost. Most of the land in Rwanda is publicly owned. BuildCo must obtain a demarcation plan to facilitate the drafting of a ground lease before obtaining the site plan. Assuming that BuildCo has been holding a land title in Rwanda for 10 years, all requirements for obtaining the lease would already have been met.

Agency: City Hall, Kigali (Mairie de la ville de Kigali)
45 days RWF 698,170
4 Receive excavation inspection



Agency: City Hall, Kigali (Mairie de la ville de Kigali)
1 day no charge
5 Receive final inspection and obtain occupancy permit

After construction has been completed, the municipality inspects the warehouse and issues an occupancy permit within 14 business days (21 calendar days).

Agency: City Hall, Kigali (Mairie de la ville de Kigali)
21 days no charge
6 Register the warehouse and obtain title deed

In Rwanda, a title deed or a registration certificate is obtained only after the registration of the warehouse upon completion of construction.

Agency: City Hall, Kigali (Mairie de la ville de Kigali)
60 days RWF 195,090
7 Apply for water connection



Agency: Electrogaz
1 day no charge
8 Receive an inspection by Electrogaz to prepare an estimate of water connection fees



Agency: Electrogaz
1 day no charge
9 Pay fees and obtain water connection



Agency: Electrogaz
30 days RWF 65,000
* 10 Apply for a telephone line



Agency: Electrogaz
1 day no charge
* 11 Telephone company inspects the site to prepare an estimate of fees



Agency: Rwandatel
1 day no charge
* 12 Pay fees and obtain connection to the telephone network

It is difficult to obtain a fixed telephone line, so people normally apply for wireless telephone service, which costs RWF 60,000.

Agency: Rwandatel
30 days RWF 30,000
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.