A Q&A guide to doing business in Angola.
This Q&A gives an overview of key recent developments affecting doing business in Angola as well as an introduction to the legal system; foreign investment, including restrictions, currency regulations and incentives; and business vehicles and their relevant restrictions and liabilities. The article also summarises the laws regulating employment relationships, including redundancies and mass layoffs, and provides short overviews on competition law; data protection; and product liability and safety. In addition, there are comprehensive summaries on taxation and tax residency; and intellectual property rights over patents, trade marks, registered and unregistered designs.
To compare answers across multiple jurisdictions, visit the Doing business in... Country Q&A Tool.
This article is part of the PLC multi-jurisdictional guide to doing business worldwide. For a full list of contents, please visit www.practicallaw.com/dbi-mjg.
Although Angola has just held its third legislative elections, this did not affect the country’s doing business.
As for new legislation, the legal framework of sole shareholder companies in Angola (Law no. 19/12 of 11 June 2012), which has enabled the possibility for sole shareholder companies to be incorporated by a sole shareholder, was approved in mid-2012 but is still waiting for regulations to be implemented.
Nevertheless, the majority of Angolan notaries have been refusing the incorporation of sole shareholder companies until all the applicable legal framework is approved and enters in force.
Angola has a civil law legal system.
Foreign investment is governed by the Angolan Private Investment Law, approved by Law 20/2011, of 20 May (APIL).
A foreign investor can only repatriate funds and receive tax benefits and incentives if he submits a foreign investment plan of at least US$1 million to the Angolan National Private Investment Agency (ANIP).
After submitting the investment plan to the ANIP, the investor will start a negotiation process with a commission established by ANIP. The ANIP can only approve investments with an amount below US$10 million. Investments above must also be assessed by the Angolan Executive and approved by the President of Angola.
After obtaining approval, the investor must execute an investment agreement with the Angolan authorities, which will monitor the conditions of the investment (including the terms and conditions for the repatriation of funds) and the benefits and incentives granted to the investor.
The APIL is not clear on this point, but it is likely that a foreign investor may only acquire a share of an Angolan company if he invests a minimum of US$500,000.
Foreign investors are expressly excluded by the APIL from benefitting from the repatriation of funds unless they individually invest at least US$1 million (and the investment is approved by the competent authorities) (see Question 6).
There are no restrictions on doing business with certain countries or jurisdictions.
Angolan exchange control and currency regulations are contained in the Angolan Exchange Law (Law 5/97 of 27 June 1997).
The Angolan National Bank supervises all exchange operations. A number of regulations and instructions set the rules applicable to specific transactions such as goods, current accounts and capital transactions.
The APIL provides an extensive number of tax and customs benefits and incentives that any private investor (either domestic or foreign) may apply for, provided that the value of the investment is at least US$1 million.
Such incentives include:
Tax payment deductions, exemptions, reductions and credits.
Accelerated amortisation and depreciation.
Import rights.
Deferral of tax payments.
The granting of such incentives is not automatic and depends on several criteria such as:
The investment sector.
The amount involved.
The area where the investment is taking place.
The term of the investment.
The impact of the investment on the Angolan national economy.
The most common form of business vehicle used by foreign companies are:
Sociedades por quotas (SpQs). SpQs are similar to private limited companies. SpQs are companies in which the share capital is divided into quotas and the shareholders are jointly and severally liable for their capital investment. SpQs must have at least two shareholders.
Sociedades anónimas de responsabilidade limitada (SARLs). These are similar to joint stock companies. SARLs are companies in which the capital is held by its members and divided into shares, and each member owns a number of shares proportionate to his investment. The liability of each partner is limited to the amount of his capital share. SARLs must have at least five shareholders.
After the investment project is approved and licensed under the terms of the APIL (the timing of which will depend on several factors such as the amount of the investment and the sector of activity), all registration formalities related to the incorporation per se of an Angolan company can be executed almost simultaneously using the one stop shop, Guiché Único. The steps are basically the following:
Approval of the new company's name by the companies registry.
Execution of the public deed of incorporation before the public notary (which requires the previous deposit in a national bank account of the company's initial share capital).
Publication of the new company's bye-laws in the Official National Gazette.
Registration of the new company before the Ministry of Public Administration, Employment, and Social Security.
Registration of the new company before the tax authorities (and payment of the related taxes).
If the documentation of the new company is previously prepared by all shareholders, it is possible to take all these steps in just one day.
After incorporation, they must obtain the proper operations certificate (Alvará) from the Ministry responsible for the activity to be carried out by the company. The timing related to the approval of the certificate is normally between two and three months but will depend on whether any additional facilities' inspections are required.
For both SpQs and SARLs, there must be an annual general meeting in which the shareholders make resolutions on the management report, the financial year's accounts and make a general evaluation of the company's management and auditing bodies (if any).
The general meeting must be in the first three months of each calendar year. After being approved, the annual accounts must be submitted to the commercial registry.
The minimum share capital of SpQs is equivalent to US$1,000, and each quota must be equivalent to US$100.
The minimum share capital of SARLs is equivalent to US$20,000, and each share must be equivalent to US$5.
There is no maximum share capital.
In both SpQs and SARLs, labour is not allowed as non-cash consideration.
Other contributions in kind are acceptable but require a report made by an independent accountant.
Restrictions on rights attaching to shares. As a general rule, shareholders cannot vote on matters if there is a conflict of interest.
Only shareholders representing 5% of the company's share capital may individually file legal actions against the company's directors to claim for any damages caused to the company.
For SARLs, the following restrictions apply:
Only shareholders representing at least 5% of the company's share capital may use their right to general information about the company's activity.
Only shareholders representing at least 10% of the company's share capital may request information on any specific matter of the company (except in certain circumstances).
Only shareholders representing at least 5% of the company's share capital may call a general meeting or propose a specific resolution on the agenda.
Automatic rights attaching to shares. The following rights attach to both SARLs and SpQs, among other things (Companies Law approved by Law 1/2004, of 13 February):
The right to information (with the restrictions previously mentioned in relation to SARLs).
The right to attend general meetings and to vote.
The right to a share of the profits.
The right to be elected as a member of the company's corporate bodies.
The right to dispute the validity of shareholders' decisions.
The right to participate in share capital increases.
The right to exoneration as a shareholder.
The company's bye-laws may also establish other specific rights for all or some shareholders.
SpQs. SpQs are managed by at least one director (gerentes). There is no maximum number of directors.
SARLs. SARLs are generally managed by a board of directors (conselho de administração) with a minimum of three directors. There must be an odd number of directors but there is no maximum number of directors. SARLs may have a sole director (administrador único) provided that the company's share capital does not exceed US$50,000 and the company's bye-laws provide for such a possibility.
The Companies Law does not foresee any nationality restrictions.
Company directors may be held liable in the following circumstances:
If they do not act with the same diligence as a judicious manager and without prejudice to the shareholders' and employees' interests.
Unless the directors prove that they are without fault, then they are liable to the company for any damage caused by breaching the law and the company's bye-laws.
Directors can be criminally liable for offences such as theft, fraud or extortion, among other things, and are civilly liable to the company, the shareholders and third parties for the damages caused by criminal conduct.
Directors can be jointly and severally liable for all tax and social security debts that cannot be collected from the company, which became due while they were in charge, if the company's assets are not enough for the payment of those debts.
Liability is excluded, if the directors did not participate or, having participated, voted against any board resolution that caused damage to the company, provided that they have subsequently formalised their opposition.
Controlling shareholders and parent companies are liable for the debts of the controlled company. The directors of groups of parent companies must act towards the controlled company with the same diligence as they act as managers of the parent companies.
Apart from the situation of groups of companies, a de facto director has statutory liability in certain circumstances, including in case of the company's insolvency or in case of tax debts.
The Employment Law (Law 2/00, 11 February 2000) is applicable to all employment relationships in Angola and to Angolan citizens working abroad.
The employment relationships of foreign non-resident employees are regulated by Decree-Law 6/2001, 19 January, which approves the foreign and non-resident employment regime.
There are no mandatory rules that will prevail over any choice of law in the employment agreement.
A written employment agreement is required for temporary employment agreements and employment agreements entered into with foreign employees.
The employment agreement must be written in a language that both parties and the Angolan authorities are able to understand and speak (in most cases this will be Portuguese).
The employment relationship may be governed by an agreement between the parties, provided that they do not undermine any statutory obligations and do not offer less protection to the employee than the Employment Law.
Only foreign employees with a working visa/residence permit are allowed to work in Angola. The Ministry of Public Administration, Employment and Social Security must always give its consent to the foreign citizen work visa or permit.
Foreign employees must:
Be at least 18 years old.
Not have a criminal record.
Never have been an Angolan national in the past (that is, former Angolan nationals can no longer work in Angola).
Have never received a scholarship granted by Angolan entities or foreign companies operating in Angola.
Have an employment agreement or promise of employment.
Have a certificate of all the necessary qualifications.
The working visa is valid for the entire duration of the employment agreement but can only be issued for a maximum period of 36 months.
By law, working visas should be issued within 15 days, but in practice the authorities usually take between two and three months to issue them. Working visas cost about US$100.
Residence permits can be temporary (issued for one or three years, depending on whether the employee is living for at least five consecutive year in Angola or less) or they can be permanent in which case the foreign citizen is required to have lived for ten consecutive years in Angola.
Foreign employees require a working visa and, as a general rule, are only eligible for a residence permit after living in Angola for 5 or 10 consecutive years.
For corporate transactions such as mergers, the employer cannot terminate labour agreements and/or change the rights of the employees. Therefore, employees are not entitled to management representation or to be consulted, except when it leads to redundancy proceedings.
A redundancy proceeding can only be carried out if the employees have the opportunity to challenge the employer's decision. For this purpose employees are represented by existing unions or employees' associations.
Employers cannot terminate the employment relationship at will. Employers can only terminate employment for the following reasons:
With just cause.
Collective dismissal.
Redundancy due to the abolition of the work position.
Just cause includes:
The employee being unjustifiably absent for more than three days per month or 12 days per year.
Serious disobedience to the employer's orders and instructions.
Serious lack of respect for his superior officers and/or colleagues.
Theft.
In these situations a disciplinary proceeding must be carried out. Once this proceeding is completed the employee can be dismissed without notice or compensation.
Whether the employment agreement is terminated for just or unjust cause, the employee is entitled to judicially challenge the disciplinary penalty. In the case of unfair dismissal, the employer should reinstate the employee or compensate him with the employee's basic salary multiplied by his years of service (but not less than three months). Additionally, the employee will be entitled to compensation for salary up to a maximum of nine salaries.
Both collective dismissals and redundancies due to the removal of the employee's work position are covered by the Employment Law.
Redundancies and mass layoffs are only allowed for the following reasons which must be evidenced by the employer:
Economic.
Technological.
Structural.
Employees are represented by any existing unions or associations and the intervention or supervision of the Ministry of Employment can be requested.
Depending on the seniority of the employee, the employer must give between 30 and 60 days' notice.
Tax residency in Angola is defined as an employee, who, regularly or occasionally, receives income subject to employment income tax and remains in Angola for at least 60 days in the tax year.
However, for the purposes of employment income tax, tax and non-tax residents are subject to the same taxation regime (see Question 17).
The Angolan Tax Reform is currently being introduced and is triggering a wide-range of changes to the Angolan tax system. Reference have been made in the following section to some of these changes although not all possible changes are discussed.
Monthly employment income tax must be paid at progressive rates varying from 5% to 17%, according to the respective income band.
3% of the employee's salary is paid monthly as social security contribution.
The employer must withhold income tax and security contributions on the employees' behalf.
Non-tax resident employees must pay the same employment income taxes as tax resident employees on their Angola source income.
Non-tax resident employees are not subject to social security contributions.
Employment income tax is withheld by employers (see above, Tax resident employees). The taxes are submitted to any authorised bank, through the submission of the Model D form until the last day of the month, regarding taxes withheld in the previous month.
Employers must annually submit the Model 2 form, in which employees, income paid and tax withheld in the preceding year is declared. Employers must also maintain records over a five year period of the employee and income paid (or at the disposal of the employee) including the dates the income refers to.
Employers must pay 8% of the value of the employee's salary towards social security each month. Employers must submit a monthly payroll record sheet to the competent social security authority, and pay the amount of self-assessed contributions, before the tenth day of the following month.
The Angolan Tax Reform, currently being implemented, but not yet fully in force, foresees, among other things, changes to the ancillary obligations of employment income tax. These include the requirement that taxes withheld by the employer should be delivered to the tax office local to where the employee is working. In that case the employer would also register all employment income in monthly tax returns (mapas de remunerações) and deliver the referred returns to the Angolan Tax Authorities.
Business vehicles are tax resident if they have either a head office or an effective place of management in Angola.
Commercial or industrial activities carried out by non-tax resident business vehicles are subject to industrial tax, at the same rates as tax resident business vehicles (see Question 19), with respect to profits attributable to a permanent establishment located in Angola.
Profits obtained by the non-tax resident business vehicle from sales or from other commercial activities developed in Angola, of equal or similar nature to those that are sold, or carried out, by a permanent establishment of the non-tax resident vehicle in Angola, are also subject to industrial tax (see Question 19).
This is applied to worldwide income at a standard rate of 35%. Tax rates can be reduced because of the type of activity carried out (such as agriculture) and the location of the company's head-office or effective place of management.
Income arising from construction works and from services (technical assistance, management and other services of equal or identical nature) is subject to industrial withholding tax, respectively, at 3.5% or 5.25% in accordance with the relevant tax regime (Law 7/97, of 10 October) (Law 7/97). This tax should be withheld at source and delivered to the Angolan tax authorities within 15 days of the income payment. One of the effects of the Angolan Tax Reform would be to reduce, by 30%, the rate of industrial income tax and revoke Law 7/97, introducing a withholding tax rate of 6.5% applicable to services rendered to Angolan resident companies.
Industrial Income Tax is provisionally paid in three instalments, based on the company's accounting results (rate of 3.5% over the turnover assessed in the preceding month), in January, February and March of the year to which the income refers to.
Until the end of May of the following year, business vehicles should pay the negative difference between the amount of provisional tax paid and the amount that is due in that given period, as well as submit an annual income tax return (Model 1 form).
Income from capital is subject to tax at between 10% and 15%, according to the type and nature of the income, which includes loan interest, shareholders profits and royalties.
Capital income tax is levied on a business vehicle's Angola source income.
Depending on the nature of the income, capital income tax may be either assessed by the Angolan Tax Authorities or subject to withholding tax.
As of 1 January 2012, Presidential Legislative Decree 7/11, of 30 December, broadened the scope of application of the Consumption Tax to a wide range of realities, such as:
Lease of collective car parking space: 5% rate.
Lease of machinery and other equipment as well as work on tangible assets, except when such income qualifies as royalties as per the Capital Income Tax Code: 10% rate.
Rendering of consultancy services (legal, tax, financial, accounting, IT, engineering, architecture, economy, real estate, auditing and review of accounts) 5% rate.
Lease of passenger vehicles, maritime and aerial transportation of passengers, cargo and containers, carried out in Angolan territory: 5% rate.
The tax is assessed and paid to the Angolan Tax Authorities by the entity rendering the services, although the Consumption Tax can be added to the invoice issued to the client, therefore transferring the tax burden to the latter. Otherwise, the entity rendering the service must bear the tax, which is not a tax deductible cost for purposes of Industrial Tax. Whenever the entity rendering the services is tax resident outside Angola, the Angolan resident entity acquiring the services should assess and pay the tax due.
Dividends paid to foreign corporate shareholders?
Dividends received from foreign companies?
Interest paid to foreign corporate shareholders?
Intellectual property (IP) royalties paid to foreign corporate shareholders?
Dividends paid to foreign corporate shareholders are subject to capital income tax, at a single withholding tax rate of 10%.
Dividends received by tax resident individual shareholders are not subject to taxation in Angola. Dividends received by corporate shareholders are included in their taxable income, for industrial tax purposes, and are taxed at the standard rate of 35%.
Interest paid by entities with a residence, head-office, effective place of management, or a permanent establishment to which the payment is attributable in Angola, is subject to capital income tax, at a 15% single withholding tax rate.
Royalties paid by entities with a residence, head-office, effective place of management, or a permanent establishment to which the payment is attributable in Angola, is subject to capital income tax, at a 10% single withholding tax rate.
There are no tax rules referring to thin capitalisation. However, the arm's-length principle applies to commercial or financial transactions made between related parties.
There are no controlled foreign company rules in Angola.
Transactions that take place between companies with a special relationship must follow an arm's-length principle. Conditions established should not be different than those that are normally agreed between unrelated parties or result in an accounting profit different from the profit that would be accounted for by unrelated parties. Angolan tax authorities can make any adjustment necessary to work out the taxable basis.
Imports are subject to customs duties, stamp duty, consumption tax and other customs fees.
Import duties have ad valorem (that is, according to value) tariffs with rates that vary between 2% and 30%, which are determined according to the product classification. Some imports may be subject to an ad valorem 1% surcharge (for example, luxury goods).
Since 1 January 2012, stamp duty is levied at a standard rate of 1% (previously 0.5%) applied over the custom value of the imported goods.
Consumption tax is levied at a general rate of 10%. Some imports may be subject to a reduced rate of 2% (such as, domestic supplies) or to the maximum rate of 30% (such as luxury goods).
Generally, exports are not subject to customs duties. Some exports are subject to customs duties at an ad valorem tariff with rates that vary between 10% and 20%, according to the product classification.
Since 1 January 2012, exports are no longer subject to stamp duty.
Currently, Angola has not entered into any double tax treaties.
Angola does not have a competition law but it is possible to occasionally find references in statute to the prohibition of certain restrictive agreements and practices. For example, the law regulating the press expressly forbids situations of monopoly or oligopoly that may prejudice the independence of the media, pluralism and fair competition.
However, given the creation of the Pricing and Competition Bureau in 2011 (which was created following Presidential Decree 162/11, of 22 June), developments in this area are expected in the near future.
Single-firm conduct is not specifically regulated in Angola.
Mergers and acquisitions are not specifically subject to merger control in Angola (see Question 26).
Nature of right. The invention must be all of the following:
New.
Imply an inventive step.
Have an industrial application
Protection. Patents are only protected if registered. Registration should be sought with the IAPI (Instituto Angolano de Propriedade Industrial).
Enforcement. Patent holders or licensees (if the respective license agreements expressly foresee such a right) can claim civil damages and bring criminal proceedings against infringers. However, licensees are only authorised to claim civil damages or bring civil proceedings if this is expressly stated in the license agreement.
Length of protection. Patent registrations are granted for a 15 year term, which is non-renewable.
Nature of right. A trade mark can consist of a sign or group of signs capable of being graphically represented, provided they are adequate to distinguish the products or the services of an entity.
Protection. Trade marks are only protected if registered. Registration should be sought with the IAPI.
Enforcement. Trade mark holders or licensees (if the respective license agreements expressly foresee such a right) can claim civil damages, bring criminal proceedings and request that the Angolan Customs Authorities or the Angolan Economic Police seize any goods that infringe rights granted by registered trade marks.
Length of protection. Trade mark registrations are granted for a ten year term, and can be renewed for consecutive ten year terms, without any restriction.
Nature of right. The design must both:
Be new (that is, it cannot correspond to any design previously disclosed to the public. Protection is also granted to designs that, not being entirely new, are constituted by a combination of existing elements, provided they have singular character).
Be applied to a product, defined as any industrial or craft item.
Protection. Registered designs are only protected if registered with the IAPI.
Enforcement. Registered design holders or licensees (if the respective license agreements expressly foresee such right) are allowed to claim civil damages from infringers and to bring criminal proceedings against such infringers.
Length of protection. Registration is granted for five years, which can be renewed for two consecutive five year terms. After the second renewal has lapsed, the registered design is no longer protected.
Nature of right. Protection does not depend on registration, but only on the creation of the work (literary, scientific and artistic creations), which must be original.
Protection. The protection of copyrighted works does not depend on any registration, being subject to common law.
Enforcement. Enforcement, upon infringement of copyrighted works by unauthorised third parties, can be sought by the holder of the respective patrimonial or moral rights.
The heirs of moral rights are allowed to enforce them and, in the event these successors unreasonably do not enforce these rights, the Angolan Culture State Secretary can claim the right to enforce them.
Civil damages and criminal proceedings can be brought against infringers.
Length of protection. The protection of the moral rights for copyrighted works is not protected.
However, patrimonial rights last for fifty years after the author's death for most works (25 years in the case of photographic works and applied arts).
Nature of right. Angolan law only addresses confidential information in relation to the infringement of industrial property and, more specifically, as a form of unfair competition. Protection is granted to trade secrets of a competitor that are not generally known or easily accessible (in whole and in the connection and configuration of their elements) by people acting in the environment that normally deals with this information. These trade secrets must have a commercial value inherent to their secrecy and must have been the object of relevant actions aimed at ensuring secrecy.
Protection. The protection of confidential information is guaranteed either by means of non-disclosure agreements or by common law.
Enforcement. The owners of any confidential information are allowed to claim civil damages and to bring criminal proceedings against infringers.
Length of protection. Confidential information is protected for as long as it remains confidential.
Agency, franchising and commercial concession agreements are governed by Law 18/03, of 12 August.
An agency agreement is where the agent undertakes to promote the execution of agreements on behalf of the principal, acting autonomously, stably and in return for pay.
The agency agreement can assign to the agent a group of clients or area and the agent is only empowered to execute agreements on behalf of them if expressly authorised in writing.
The commercial concession agreement under which the right to distribute a determined product in a determined area and to promote its resale is granted, allows both parties to benefit from the results of the activity.
If acting independently from the distribution the holder of the concession or grant acts on their own behalf (in its own name and at its own risk).
The franchise agreement is defined as an agreement in which the franchisor licenses the franchisee the distribution rights of its goods or services using the franchisor's trade mark and other distinctive marks and according to the franchisor's plan, method and guidelines.
Similarly to the agency agreement, the franchisor may assign to the franchisee a determined area or circle of clients.
E-commerce is regulated by the Information Society Technologies and Services' Regulation (Presidential Decree 202/11, 22 July), which also deals with:
Legal effectiveness of electronic signatures and cryptography and electronic documents.
Intellectual property rights and protection regarding software and databases.
Domain names.
The liability of information society service providers.
The Regulation contains consumer protection provisions relating to the sale of goods or services over the internet, covering the following main aspects:
Minimum information to be provided prior to the conclusion of any contract.
Electronic advertising and commercial communications (spam).
Distance selling provisions in the Retail Commerce Organisation, Execution and Functioning' Regulation (Presidential Decree no. 263/10, 25 November), are also applicable. These provisions deal with:
Licensing of distance sales.
The minimum information to be provided prior to the conclusion of any contract.
The right of withdrawal (seven days, counting from the day of delivery).
Carrying out the activity of Advertisement Agency depends on formalities that must be fulfilled with the National Advertisement Office of the Ministry of Media.
The Advertisement Law (Law 9/02, 30 July) is applicable to all kinds of advertisement irrespectively of the media used to communicate the same.
The Consumer Protection Law (Law 15/03, 22 July) contains a general provision forbidding misleading advertisement which is considered a crime under the terms of Article 43 of the Penal Code.
Specific press, radio and television advertisement requirements are provided in the Media Law (Law 7/2006, 15 May).
Outdoor advertisement requirements are set by Outdoor Advertisement Regulation.
Direct marketing requirements and limitations (spam) are dealt in the Data Protection Act (Law 22/11, of 17 June) and in the Information Society Technologies and Services' Regulation (Presidential Decree 202/11, 22 July).
Advertisement of sports facilities is ruled by Decree 41/87, dated 20 July.
A legislation packet is being prepared that is aimed at amending the Advertising Law and create a Journalism Law, a Radio Law and a Television Law.
The Data Protection Act (Law 22/11, of 17 June) sets out the rules that data processors must comply with, most notably:
The requirement to notify the Data Protection Agency of every data processing.
Special provisions regarding a particular category of sensitive data.
Specific formalities for international data transfers.
The Electronic Communications and Information Society Services Law (Law 23/11, 20 June) contains specific data protection rules regarding the personal data generated from electronic communications.
The Consumer Protection Law (Law 15/03, 22 July) provides that the seller, producer, manufacturer, constructor or service provider whether they are Angolan or non-Angolan are liable, independently of guilt, for the damages caused to consumers arising from defects of the following goods or services:
Design.
Manufacturing.
Building.
Assembly.
Handling.
Presentation.
Packaging.
Insufficient or inadequate information regarding its usage and/or risks.
Products and services are considered defective whenever they are not as safe as a consumer may reasonably expect, taking into consideration all the relevant circumstances, namely their presentation, usage and risks that may be reasonably anticipated, and the state-of-the-art at the time they were placed on the market.
Main activities. The ANIP is the governmental agency responsible for the implementation of the national policy related to (foreign and domestic) private investment, as well as its promotion and supervision.
Main activities. The Guiché Único is commonly referred to as a one-stop office where, the incorporation of a local entity may take place and all the relevant authorities (including the Official National Gazette, the National Institute of Statistics, the tax authorities, the Social Security and the Ministry of Public Administration, Employment, and Social Security) will be notified of such fact without the necessity of any further action by the new company’s shareholders. All further actions related to the Angolan entities that were incorporated therein (for example, transfer of shares, amendments to the company’s bye-laws, appointment of directors, dissolution of the company) may also take place at the Guiché Único.
Main activities. The Ministry of Commerce is responsible for granting all necessary permits for a company to undertake any trading activity in Angola, as well as to import goods from foreign countries.
Main activities. The SME is the Angolan immigration governmental agency.
Main activities. The MAPESS is the Angolan Ministry responsible for the definition and implementation of the governmental policies related to social security, employment relations and vocational training.
Jurisdiction | Work permit/residency permit requirements for foreign employees |
Angola | Only foreign employees with a working visa/residence permit are allowed to work in Angola. Foreign employees must:
Have a certificate of all the necessary qualifications. |
Description. Subscription based site containing all legislation in force maintained by the Angolan Bar Association.
W www.minfin.gv.ao/docs/dspGenLeg.htm
Description. Ministry of Finance’s official website containing the majority of the tax and customs legislation currently in force (in most cases there is only available a reference to the legislation and not the complete text).
W www.pert.minfin.gv.ao/legislacao.php
Description. Tax Reform Committee’s official website containing the list (but not the text) of the Angolan tax legislation currently in force.
Head of F. Castelo Branco & Associados – Sociedade de Advogados’s Angolan Desk
T +351.21.358.75.00
F +351.21.358.75.01
E jmr@fcblegal.com
W www.fcblegal.com
Professional qualifications. Portugal, Lawyer graduated in 2002, post-graduate in Landlord and Tenant Law (Leasehold) in 2006 and post-graduate in Corporate and Commercial Law in 2008.
Areas of practice. Corporate; commercial and M&A; real estate; banking & finance, O&G
