DOING BUSINESS IN MAURITANIA IN 2023
For over a decade, Healy Consultants Group has assisted our Clients with business registration in Mauritania. Our services include i) Mauritania company incorporation ii) government license registration iii) business bank account opening iv) employee recruitment v) visa strategies and vi) office rental solutions.
| Compare different Mauritania entities | Tax resident LLC | Nominee LLC | Free zone LLC | Representative office | Branch office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also known as | Société à Responsabilité Limitée | Société à Responsabilité Limitée | Société à Responsabilité Limitée | Bureau de Représentation | Succursale |
| Best use of company? | All products/ svcs | Close client deal now | Manuf/ export trading | Marketing/ research | Specific projects |
| How soon to invoice Clients? | 2 weeks | 2 weeks | 2 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks |
| How soon can you hire staff? | 2 weeks | 2 weeks | 2 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks |
| How soon can you sign a lease agreement? | 1 week | 1 week | 1 week | 1 week | 1 week |
| How long to supply corporate bank a/c? | 4 weeks | 3 weeks | 4 weeks | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
| How long to supply co. reg / tax numbers? | 2 weeks | 2 weeks | 2 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks |
| Corporate tax rate on annual net profits? | 25% | 25% | up to 0% | Cannot trade | 25% |
| Limited liability entity? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Government grants available? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Govt approval required for foreign owners? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Res. director/partner/ legal rep. required? | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum paid up share capital? | US$28,000 | US$28,000 | US$50,000 | US$1 | US$1 |
| Can bid for Government contracts? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Corporate bank account location? | Attijari Bank | Société Générale | Orabank | BMI | Chinguitty Bank |
| Can secure trade finance? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| VAT payable on sales to local customers? | 16% | 16% | 0% | Cannot trade | 16% |
| Average total business set up costs? | US$15,400 | Request a proposal | Request a proposal | Request a proposal | Request a proposal |
| Average total engagement period? | 2 months | 1 month | 2 months | 2 months | 2 months |
Mauritania company registration summary
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Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of Mauritania company registration
- A limited liability company in Mauritania can be incorporated with a minimum of one shareholder and one director of any nationality. The minimum paid-up capital required for incorporation is US$3,500 and our Client will not have to travel to Mauritania to complete the process;
- Foreign investors can setup business entities in all sectors of the economy. Recently discovered oil and gas in Mauritania provide immense business opportunities for investors who wish to venture into oil and gas industry;
- Business operation costs are low in Mauritania for instance the average monthly salary of the staff in Mauritania is US$82.3 according to the World Bank.
- Mauritania is also known as the “Fortune of Africa” because of the reasons listed below:
- It is the third largest producer of iron in the world;
- The nation extracts approximately 75,000 barrels of oil per day;
- The country has gold and copper mines, as well as wells for natural gas extraction;
- The nation is endowed with 700 km of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, therefore, there lies a massive untapped fisheries industry in Mauritania.
Disadvantages of Mauritania company registration
- Arabic is the official language of Mauritania although French is also widely spoken. All business documents must be translated into Arabic or French prior to incorporation of a company. Entrepreneurs who do not speak either of these languages will encounter a lot of difficulty when doing business in Mauritania;
- Corporate tax in Mauritania is quite high and local businesses are subject to a standard rate of 25%. Branches of foreign companies have to pay an additional 10% withholding tax on foreign transactions;
- Our Clients will encounter a lot of red tape when running their business and dealing with government officials as Mauritania is indeed riddled with corruption bureaucracy and lack of transparency. Obtaining necessary licenses to do business is time-consuming. Healy Consultants will be happy to help you handle your administrative requirements;
- Lack of proper infrastructure makes doing business in Mauritania difficult especially since transportation of goods and services is limited, in a country that is mostly desert. Access to electricity and telecommunication network needs to be improved to enhance productivity and foreign investment;
- Mauritania is politically very unstable.
- Mauritania is not a globally competitive economy. It has a poor ranking of 134 out of 141 nations in the Global Competitiveness Index 2019 edition. This is majorly due to the nation’s inadequately educated labor force as well as unimpressive business sophistication and goods market efficiency.
Best uses for a Mauritania company
- Francophone African headquarters: Mauritania is an ideal location in which to set up a headquarters for business in the former French colonial area of northwestern Africa, sharing borders with Morocco, Algeria, Mali and Senegal. Ports and harbors in the capital city of Nouakchott also provide investors favorable with access to international markets;
- Primary industries (esp. mining): Mauritania is rich in natural resources such as iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphates, diamonds, gold and fish. These provide opportunities for foreign investors in the mining and fishing industries.
