How to start a business in Côte d'Ivoire as a foreigner (2026)
Starting a business in Côte d'Ivoire as a foreigner: moderate.
Côte d'Ivoire permits 100% foreign ownership in most sectors and has substantially digitised company formation through CEPICI's single-window platform (225invest.ci), reducing registration to 24-48 hours for a complete dossier. However, foreign investors must obtain a separate investment-approval decision from CEPICI (issued within 19 working days of an admissibility certificate) and comply with sector exclusions and documentation requirements that add procedural layers beyond a simple filing.
Legal framework
OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies (AUSCGIE); Investment Code as amended by Ordinance No. 2024-857 of 30 September 2024; administered by CEPICI (Centre de Promotion des Investissements en Côte d'Ivoire)
Key points: starting a business in Côte d'Ivoire
Foreign ownership
The Investment Code imposes no equity cap on foreign investors; 100% foreign shareholding is permitted in most sectors. National treatment is guaranteed under Article A of the Code, and fund repatriation is unrestricted.
Registration via CEPICI one-stop shop
All formation formalities, commercial registry (RCCM), tax identification number (NIF), and employer ID, are processed at CEPICI's Guichet Unique des Formalités d'Entreprises (GUFE) online via 225invest.ci. A complete dossier can be approved in 24-48 hours; CEPICI targets a further reduction to 6 hours.
Key formation steps
Steps include: (1) reserve company name on the CEPICI portal; (2) notarise articles of association (required for SARL/SA); (3) open a bank account and deposit share capital; (4) upload all documents and submit the dossier online; (5) receive registration certificate, RCCM number, and tax ID. Foreign investors additionally apply for investment approval (two regimes: declaration or agrément).
Minimum capital & legal forms
Under OHADA, the SARL (private limited company) requires a minimum share capital of XOF 1,000,000 (approx. €1,500). The SA (public company) requires XOF 10,000,000. A single-member SARL (SURL) is also available. The SARL is the most common vehicle for foreign investors.
2024 Investment Code reform
Ordinance No. 2024-857 of 30 September 2024 revised the Investment Code, introducing a dual-incentive system (tax exemptions plus tax credits), strengthening SME provisions, and simplifying administrative procedures. The investment-approval decision must be issued within 19 working days of an admissibility certificate from CEPICI.
Sector exclusions
Article 6 of Ordinance 2024-857 excludes certain activities from Investment Code incentives, including tobacco cultivation/processing, alcoholic beverage production, and activities harmful to human or animal health. Foreign ownership in these areas is not banned but incentives do not apply.
Timeline of decisions
- DecisionRecord 26,948 New Businesses Registered in 2025
CEPICI reports 26,948 companies created in 2025, a 6% rise over 2024, with the one-stop-shop processing roughly 150 files per day and 24-hour online registration now standard. This marks a dramatic shift from around 20 registrations per day when GUFE launched in 2013.
CapMad (citing CEPICI data)
- Law · officialOrdinance 2024-857 Amends the Investment Code, SME Advantages Introduced
Ordinance N° 2024-857 revised the 2018 Investment Code to rationalize fiscal and customs incentives, refocus tax advantages on priority sectors, and create dedicated incentive categories for SMEs. CEPICI's role as national investment promotion and one-stop-shop body was simultaneously reinforced under a 2024-2026 reform agenda.
CEPICI (Centre de Promotion des Investissements en Côte d'Ivoire)
- Law · officialDigital Startup Promotion Act (Law No. 2023-901) enacted
Law No. 2023-901 established a comprehensive incentive framework for AI-enabled digital startups, including a government-issued Digital Startup Label, tax and customs advantages, an electronic portal for administrative procedures, and a dedicated ministerial labelling committee. The law created the legal and fiscal scaffolding for the domestic AI innovation ecosystem that SNIA 2030 would later formalise.
Université Virtuelle de Côte d'Ivoire / Journal Officiel
- Law · officialStartup Act Enacted, Official Startup Label Created
Côte d'Ivoire adopted a Startup Act establishing an official 'label of merit' that grants qualifying startups a favorable legislative and regulatory framework, streamlined administrative procedures, and targeted incentives, placing Côte d'Ivoire among the African countries with dedicated startup legislation.
International Trade Centre (ITC/UNCTAD/WTO)
- Decision · officialWorld Bank Names Côte d'Ivoire a Top-10 Global Improver in Doing Business 2019
Doing Business 2019 ranked Côte d'Ivoire among the ten economies with the most notable overall improvement globally, crediting sustained simplification of business registration, construction permits, and tax compliance; the 'Start a Business' indicator improved from 155th to 44th place over the full CEPICI reform period.
World Bank
- Law · officialNew Investment Code Enacted (Ordinance 2018-646)
Ordinance N° 2018-646 replaced the 2012 code with a zone-based and sector-based incentive architecture, mandatory local-content requirements, and enhanced investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms, attracting more structured foreign direct investment and broadening eligible investment categories.
UNCTAD Investment Policy Hub
- Law · officialDecree 2016-1120 Operationalizes Agence Côte d'Ivoire PME
Decree N° 2016-1120 gave the Agence CI PME (mandated by Law 2014-140) full legal standing and defined its attributions to promote SME creation, improve SME access to financing and markets, and foster entrepreneurial culture, establishing a dedicated institutional pillar for the small-business sector.
Ministère en charge des PME, Côte d'Ivoire
- Law · officialLaw 2014-140 Creates the National SME Policy and Agence CI PME
Law N° 2014-140 of 24 March 2014 defined the legal status of SMEs (fewer than 200 employees; annual turnover ≤ 1 billion CFA francs) and mandated the creation of Agence CI PME to coordinate support, formalizing small-business promotion as a core government priority with a dedicated institutional framework.
Ministère en charge des PME, Côte d'Ivoire (official text)
- Decision · officialCEPICI's GUFE One-Stop Shop Becomes Operational
Under Decree 2012-867, CEPICI launched the Guichet Unique de Formalités d'Entreprises (GUFE), consolidating the commercial registry (RCCM), tax authority (DGI), and social security (CNPS) into a single window; average creation time fell from 40 days (2008) to 7 days within a few years, and registration cost was cut from CFAF 50,000 to CFAF 15,000 for corporate entities.
CEPICI (Centre de Promotion des Investissements en Côte d'Ivoire)
- Law · officialDecree 2012-867 Formally Establishes CEPICI as Investment One-Stop Shop
Presidential Decree N° 2012-867 created CEPICI as a public administrative institution under the President's authority and designated it as the national single window for all investment formalities, replacing a fragmented multi-agency process that had required separate visits to the commercial court, tax office, and social security fund.
Secrétariat Général du Gouvernement, Côte d'Ivoire
- Law · officialFirst Post-Conflict Investment Code Enacted (Ordinance 2012-487)
Ordinance N° 2012-487 introduced a structured fiscal-incentive regime for investors in post-crisis Côte d'Ivoire and laid the institutional groundwork for the CEPICI one-stop-shop reforms; it was later expanded and superseded by the 2018 Investment Code.
UNCTAD Investment Policy Hub
- Law · officialOHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies Adopted
OHADA adopted its first Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups, standardizing the SA, SARL, and GIE legal forms across all member states including Côte d'Ivoire, replacing fragmented national company codes with a single, directly applicable regional law governing how businesses are formed and governed.
OHADA (Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires)
Sources
- cepici.gouv.ci/creation_entreprise
- cepici.gouv.ci/infos_creation_entreprise
- cepici.gouv.ci/web/docs/code-des-investissements.pdf
- cotedivoire.eregulations.org/menu/1?l=fr
- cotedivoire.eregulations.org/procedure/93/95?l=fr
- investmentpolicy.unctad.org/investment-laws/laws/284/c-te-d-ivoire-code-des-investissements-c-te-
- investmentpolicy.unctad.org/investment-policy-monitor/measures/3340/adoption-of-new-investment-co
- state.gov/reports/2025-investment-climate-statements/cote-divoire
- worldbank.org/en/businessready/economy/cote-d-ivoire
- legal500.com/guides/chapter/ivory-coast-investing-in/
- fr.apanews.net/cote-divoire/cote-divoire-le-cepici-optimise-les-procedures-de-creati
- mondaq.com/shareholders/1471386/business-registration-in-ivory-coast-a-step-by-s
- c2zadvisory.com/company-incorporation-in-ivory-coast/
- koaci.com/article/2025/01/23/cote-divoire/economie/cote-divoire-de-nouvelles-di
- fr.apanews.net/not-to-be-missed/cote-divoire-reforme-du-code-des-investissements/
Next for Côte d'Ivoire: Crypto & Digital AssetsUnclear
Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026