Mauritania company registration

DOING BUSINESS IN MAURITANIA IN 2024

pay fee by instalmentsbusiness setup without travelGuaranteed solutions

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

    new business registration in Mauritania

    1. 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;
    2. 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;
    3. 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.
    4. 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

    1. 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;
    2. 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;
    3. 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;
    4. 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;
    5. Mauritania is politically very unstable.
    6. 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

    1. 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;
    2. 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.

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Contact us

For additional information on our company registration services in Mauritania, please contact our in-house country expert, Ms. Chrissi Zamora, directly:
client relationship officer - Chrissi
ministry of finances central bank chamber of commerce invest in mauritania