Dealing with Construction Permits in
São Tomé and Príncipe
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:
STD 9,996,535,028
- City: São Tomé
| No. |
Procedure |
Time to Complete |
Associated Costs |
| 1 |
Request and obtain approval of construction from the Directorate of Urbanism and Public Constructions
BuildCo should be registered officially with the the Directorate of Public Constructions (Direcção de Obras Públicas-DOP) from the Ministry of Public Constructions and Natural Resources as a building company and have a permission to operate as such (Alvará para empreitada de construção e obras públicas)
The company needs to submit a request for the approval of construction that should include:
-the design of the project by the architect
- details of the engineering structures
- electricity network details
- water sources
- water and waste management plans
Agency: Directorate of Urbanism and Public Constructions
|
20 days
|
USD 4
|
| 2 |
Request and obtain location map from Geographic Services
BuildCo needs to obtain a location map (croquis) of the land.
Agency: Geographic Services
|
5 days
|
USD 4
|
| 3 |
Request and obtain certification of route measuring from Geographic Services
Additionally, the company would need to request that the project to be built is approved by the Geographic Services, as to verify that it can be built and it is according to the city limits, and ocean limits.
Agency: Geographic Services
|
5 days
|
USD 10
|
| 4 |
Request and obtain construction authorization from Geographic Services
Geographic Services of the Cadastre measures the terrain and verifies whether the project is feasible on that particular plot of land.
Agency: Geographic Services
|
15 days
|
USD 75
|
| 5 |
Request and obtain project approval from the Directorate of Urbanism and Public Construction
The Engineering Association is part of the Directorate of Urbanism and Public Construction. Approval from the Engineering Association is thus also requested and obtained at this point.
Agency: Directorate of Urbanism and Public Constructions
|
7 days
|
USD 60
|
| 6 |
Random inspection I
Agency: Directorate of Urbanism and Public Constructions
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 7 |
Random inspection II
Agency: Directorate of Urbanism and Public Constructions
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 8 |
Request water connection
The time line can vary, depending on the availability of utility networks in the vicinity of the construction site. Utility networks are not available everywhere in the country. In most nonresidential areas, for example, obtaining water or electricity connections is time consuming. Investors thus opt for developing their own water supply and sewage system, and use a generator for electricity.
Empresa de Agua e Electricidade (EMAE) is the local provider of electricity and water.
Agency: Empresa de Agua e Electricidade (EMAE)
|
1 day
|
USD 80
|
| 9 |
Receive inspection for water
Agency: Empresa de Agua e Electricidade (EMAE)
|
38 days
|
USD 28
|
| 10 |
Connect to water services
Agency: Empresa de Agua e Electricidade (EMAE)
|
70 days
|
no charge
|
| 11 |
Request and connect to phone services
Agency: Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicacoes SARL
|
5 days
|
USD 30
|
| 12 |
Request and receive final inspection from the Directorate of Urbanism and Public Construction
Agency: Directorate of Urbanism and Public Constructions
|
13 days
|
USD 292
|
| 13 |
Register building with a Notary
The company has to register the new construction with a notary.
The cost is 1% of the warehouse value.
Agency: Real Estate Registry
|
30 days
|
USD 5,860
|