Business in Comoros

Formal business creation in Comoros usually begins with ANPI, the Agence Nationale pour la Promotion des Investissements. Its Guichet Unique, or single business formalities center, supports creation, approvals and investor facilitation, with offices serving Ngazidja/Moroni, Ndzuani/Ouani and Mwali/Badar Salam. The commercial register is the RCCM. The tax administration, known as AGID, handles the NIF, tax matters and the patente. CNSPS affiliation connects the business with the relevant social protection system. An individual trader is registered as a commerçant. Companies can use OHADA forms such as the société en nom collectif (SNC), société en commandite simple (SCS), société à responsabilité limitée (SARL), société anonyme (SA) or société par actions simplifiée (SAS). A groupement d'intérêt économique (GIE) allows businesses or participants to cooperate for a defined economic purpose. Cooperatives follow a separate OHADA regime. A company may have one associate where the applicable rules permit it. The choice affects liability, governance, capital, accounting, transfer arrangements and the documents required. The usual creation sequence is an ANPI filing, preparation of statutes, capital deposit where required, issuance of the RCCM certificate, application for the NIF or taxpayer card, declaration and payment of the patente, and CNSPS affiliation. Documents commonly requested include identification, the creation form, a criminal record or declaration, proof of residence, a lease or ownership document, three signed copies of the statutes, proof of capital deposit and any prior sector authorization. Commercial and legal persons generally seek RCCM registration within one month of starting the activity or constituting the company. A regulated activity needs its own authorization; RCCM registration does not automatically grant that permission. The ANPI and eRegulations guide lists KMF 15,000 for individual-trader registration, with an indicative duration of about 16.5 to 33.5 days. The listed fee is KMF 61,000 for an SARL, SNC or comparable company form and KMF 180,000 for an SA, with indicative company timing of about 15.5 to 32.5 days. Notarial authentication can raise a company fee to approximately KMF 86,000. These figures come from an administrative guide rather than a universal guarantee, so the current tariff, island office practice and sector requirements should be checked before filing. NIF issuance is listed as free. The same guide lists minimum capital of KMF 100,000 for an SARL and KMF 7,500,000 for an SA. SAS and GIE capital is fixed by the associates under the applicable rules. Current local legislation should be checked because OHADA default rules operate together with Comorian provisions. The Code des Investissements 2020 can provide tax and customs incentives for a new enterprise or a new activity in an eligible sector, but an agrément, meaning formal investment approval, is required. Régime A concerns Comorian investors with investment of KMF 20 million to KMF 100 million before tax and 5 to 30 local jobs. Régime B covers investment above KMF 100 million up to KMF 1 billion and 25 to 100 local jobs. Régime C starts at about KMF 1 billion in a priority sector with 80 to 300 local jobs, while Régime D concerns investment of about KMF 10 billion in a priority sector with 150 to 500 local jobs. The listed periods are 5, 7, 10 and 15 years respectively, with possible extensions of up to two years when the investment, activity or priority-zone conditions support them. Approved imports may receive exemptions or suspensions, and the approval can provide fiscal and customs stability. An approved investor receives economic freedom and equal treatment under the investment framework, subject to Comorian law. After tax, profits, dividends, interest, royalties and liquidation proceeds can be transferable abroad under the applicable rules. The business must still follow consumer, environmental, public-order and sector requirements. Agrément holders may have duties concerning priority for local citizens or residents and local skills training. Disputes may proceed through an amicable attempt, Comorian courts or arbitration options identified in the Investment Code, including CACOM, CCJA, CIRDI, IBA or CNUDCI mechanisms where applicable. While operating, a business must maintain its NIF, patente, CNSPS affiliation, invoices, sector permits, accounting records and tax filings. OHADA accounting rules and the AUDCIF financial-reporting framework apply. Accounting books carry the RCCM number, and legal persons prepare annual financial statements. The standard corporate income tax rate is 35 percent. The 2023 General Tax Code lists a minimum corporate tax of 1.5 percent of turnover, a 3 percent minimum for companies with a foreign seat based on Comorian turnover, and instalments due on 30 June, 30 September and 31 December, followed by annual settlement by 31 March. The published TCA threshold is turnover above KMF 20 million, but the latest finance law should be checked before relying on that threshold. Finance and business support remain uneven. ANPI's diaspora platform offers incubation, administrative, legal and tax support, finance searches, mentoring, export assistance, coworking and help with bank-account opening. SOGAK provides a credit-guarantee interface for small and medium-sized businesses; published products indicate guarantees of about 50 to 70 percent, with caps of KMF 10 million to KMF 40 million depending on the product and sector. APILE, UNIDO and EU programmes have supported temporary entrepreneurship and small-business projects in areas such as agri-food, poultry, cosmetics, construction and public works, textiles, cash crops and wood. Grants and programmes are not permanent entitlements, and no universal startup grant is evidenced. Geographic isolation, logistics, limited finance and informality can materially affect costs and market access. Formalization is especially relevant for registered employers, importers, larger small and medium-sized businesses and investment projects. Available enterprise survey data for 2025 cover only formal private establishments with at least five employees and exclude cooperatives, collectives and informal units, so they do not measure the whole business economy. OHADA permits arrangements concerning governance, capital access and transfer of ownership. Comoros has no evidenced dedicated local acquisition procedure. A transfer therefore requires the applicable OHADA company or share-transfer documents and the corresponding RCCM modification. Voluntary cessation generally requires RCCM radiation within one month. After a commerçant dies, heirs generally request radiation or modification within three months. A company declares its dissolution within one month, and the liquidator requests radiation within one month after liquidation closes. Dissolution normally involves publication or a legal notice and an RCCM modification; the company's legal personality continues for liquidation. When a business cannot meet its obligations, the OHADA Uniform Act on insolvency proceedings, known as AUPC, provides mechanisms including conciliation, preventive settlement, judicial restructuring and liquidation of assets. Simplified procedures exist for smaller entities. Local filing fees and processing times for these proceedings were not established in the reviewed material. The formal system therefore combines business registration, tax and social compliance, sector authorization, accounting, financing and eventual closure, while many micro- and own-account activities remain mainly informal.