Equatorial Guinea Company Formation & Entity Choice

Entity types, share capital and incorporation

Companies in Equatorial Guinea are formed under the OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups. The most common forms are the SARL (limited liability company) and the SA (public limited company).

• Common entity types — SARL (LLC), SA (public limited), SAS (simplified joint-stock), SNC (general partnership), SCS (limited partnership) (OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups)
• Minimum share capital — SARL — XAF 1,000,000 XAF (OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups)
• Minimum share capital — SA — XAF 10,000,000 (shares of at least XAF 10,000 each) XAF (OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups)
• Minimum shareholders — SARL — 1 (sole-shareholder SARL permitted); no statutory maximum (OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups)
• Registered office — A physical registered office in Equatorial Guinea is mandatory; a postal address does not suffice (OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups)
• Local ownership / director requirement — Foreign-owned companies commonly required to have 35% of shares held by EG nationals and one-third of directors EG nationals ((approx — confirm current local-content requirements by sector)) (Equatorial Guinea investment / commercial regulations)
• Capital deposit — Share capital must be deposited in a local bank account; a bank certificate is provided to the notary (OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups)
• Incorporation steps — Notarised articles of association, capital deposit & bank certificate, registration with the Commercial Register (RCCM), tax/NIF registration, and social-security registration ((approx — confirm full sequence and required licences)) (OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies; General Tax Code of Equatorial Guinea)
• Incorporation timeline — Approximately 8 to 16 weeks depending on structure and sector ((approx — confirm)) (Equatorial Guinea company registration practice (OHADA))
• Core annual compliance — Annual financial statements (OHADA SYSCOHADA), annual CIT return, monthly VAT and payroll filings, and Commercial Register updates (OHADA Uniform Act on Accounting (SYSCOHADA); General Tax Code of Equatorial Guinea)