Starting a Business in Sudan

This section identifies the bureaucratic and legal hurdles an entrepreneur must overcome to incorporate and register a new firm in Sudan.

The country data 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 2009.

The table below provides a summary of the procedures and the associated completion time and cost for setting up a standardized company. The table is followed by additional country-specific information on business registration requirements.

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Standardized company

Legal Form: Private Limited Liability Company
City: Khartoum

Registration Requirements Summary:


  Procedure Time to complete: Cost to complete:
1 Submit application for preliminary approval to Registrar and reserve company name 3 days SDG 120
2 Notarize memorandum and articles of association 2 days SDG 350
3 Notify taxation chambers 1 day SDG 55
4 Register with commercial registry 4 days Stamp duty and other application/administrative fees (see comment)
5 Conduct site inspection 2 days no charge
6 Apply for tax identification number 1-2 days SDG 5
*7 Register for VAT 2 days (simultaneous with previous procedure) no charge
8 Register with labor authorities 14 days SDG 192
9 Enroll employees for social security 3-7 days SDG .25
10 Make a company seal 2 days SDG 40
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Registration Requirements Details

Procedure 1.
Submit application for preliminary approval to Registrar and reserve company name
Time to complete:
3 days
Cost to complete:
SDG 120
Name of Agency:
Comment:
The application for the business name registration is filled stating the name of the owner/ owners whether a company or a natural person, and stating the nature of the Business Name. The memorandum and articles of association and three proposed names must be attached to the application. The application shall then be submitted to the business names registrar after attaching the required stamps, the Business Names Registrar will then study the application and make sure that there are no similar names and issue a Business Names Registration Certificate. The name approval and the preliminary approval for establishing a company must be granted in 3 days.
Procedure 2.
Notarize memorandum and articles of association
Time to complete:
2 days
Cost to complete:
SDG 350
Name of Agency:
Comment:
The memorandum and articles of association and Form C2, the declaration of compliance, must be notarized the preliminary approval at a lawyers' office. The notarized documents are then submitted to the registrar for final approval. Muslim companies must also obtain a Zakat clearance certificate before notarizing the documents at no cost.
Procedure 3.
Notify taxation chambers
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
SDG 55
Name of Agency:
Comment:
Before applying for final approval and registration, the company must submit a preliminary approval to the Taxation Chamber with the memorandum and articles of association, which should be stamped by the Chamber in acknowledgement of the notification.
Procedure 4.
Register with commercial registry
Time to complete:
4 days
Cost to complete:
Stamp duty and other application/administrative fees (see comment)
Name of Agency:
Comment:
Fee schedule for stamp duties:
SDG 55 for workers’ association stamp duty.
SDG 4 for lawyers’ association stamp duty.
SDG 425 for registry fees (0.25% of the nominal Capital for registration fees).
SDG 28 Certificate stamp

Procedure 5.
Conduct site inspection
Time to complete:
2 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Comment:
As of 2005, a Companies’ Registry representative must visit the proposed place of business to confirm its existence. therefore, before delivering the certificate of incorporation, a registry representative may visit the registered office to confirm its existence. It is now also mandatory for the company to obtain and post a signboard outside its place of business.
Procedure 6.
Apply for tax identification number
Time to complete:
1-2 days
Cost to complete:
SDG 5
Name of Agency:
Comment:
The following documents are required to apply for a tax identification number:
- Shareholder information.
- Memorandum and articles of association (notarized).
- Certificate of incorporation (two copies).
- Completed registration forms.
Procedure 7.
Register for VAT
Time to complete:
2 days (simultaneous with previous procedure)
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Comment:
The company registers for VAT in the same building but at a separate department. It is not mandatory to register at the same time.
Procedure 8.
Register with labor authorities
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
SDG 192
Name of Agency:
Comment:
The company must deposit the basic work and penalties regulations with the competent labor office.
Procedure 9.
Enroll employees for social security
Time to complete:
3-7 days
Cost to complete:
SDG .25
Name of Agency:
Comment:
The company must resister itself before the Social Insurance Fund. the required documents for this procedure are:
- Copy of Company Certificate of Incorporation and Memorandum and Articles of Association.
- Completed registration form.
At the same time, the company registers its employees for the social Insurance, registration procedure is free of charge, and the required documents for this procedure are:
- List with employees names and salaries
- Completed registration form.

Procedure 10.
Make a company seal
Time to complete:
2 days
Cost to complete:
SDG 40
Name of Agency:
Comment:
The cost to make a company seal depends on the kind of material used. Costs vary and are as low as SDG 40.