São Tomé and Príncipe

Ease of Doing Business in

São Tomé and Príncipe

This page shows summary Doing Business 2012 data for São Tomé and Principe. 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 Sub-Saharan Africa
Income Category Lower middle income
Population 165,397
GNI Per Capita (US$) 1,200.00
Doing Business 2012 Rank Doing Business 2011 Rank Change in Rank
163 174 down 11
Topic Rankings DB 2012 Rank DB 2011 Rank Change in Rank
Starting a Business 105 178 up 73
Dealing with Construction Permits 134 140 up 6
Getting Electricity 74 79 up 5
Registering Property 160 164 up 4
Getting Credit 177 177 No change
Protecting Investors 155 153 up -2
Paying Taxes 113 137 up 24
Trading Across Borders 94 94 No change
Enforcing Contracts 179 179 No change
Resolving Insolvency 159 162 up 3

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 105 DB 2011 Rank 178 Change in Rank up73
Indicator São Tomé and Príncipe Sub-Saharan Africa 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)
4 8 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)
10 37 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)
24.5 81.2 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)
336.0 129.8 14.1
No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 At the Guiche Unico Empresas (GUE), check the uniqueness of the proposed company name and reserve a name, register the company, obtain a tax payer identification number, publish the incorporation record in the Official Gazette or in the special Official Gazette of the OSS or in a national newspaper. 7 days USD 294
2 Deposit minimum capital in a bank and obtain deposit evidence 1 day no charge
* 3 Register employer and employees with the social security 1 day, simultaneous with procedure 6 no charge
* 4 Obtain and legalize the special company books 1 day, simultaneous with procedure 6 no charge
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

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