Investor guide

ANPI-Gabon is the public agency responsible for attracting, facilitating and promoting private investment. First contact can be made through the official website form, at a forum or trade fair, by telephone or by visiting the head office in Libreville. The request is handled by the Directorate for Investment Promotion and Business Support (DPIAE) or by the Business Facilitation Service (SFADE), which assess the project and direct the investor to the right contacts. The agency can also prepare a visit programme.

Entry into the country requires a visa. According to ANPI-Gabon, there are two options:

• obtain the visa from the Gabonese embassy or consulate in the country of residence, on presentation of original documents;
• for an investment project, request prior entry authorisation through ANPI-Gabon, which applies to the Directorate General of Documentation and Immigration (DGDI). A copy of the request is shown at boarding and exchanged on arrival for the final authorisation. The agency states a fee of about 70 euros.

At the border, travellers must show a valid passport, a return ticket and a yellow fever vaccination certificate, which is mandatory. According to the final communiqué of the Council of Ministers of 23 October 2025 published by Gabonactu, an investor contributing at least 10 billion CFA francs may obtain a ten-year permanent resident card.

Company forms are those of the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) uniform act on commercial companies: sole proprietorship, limited liability company (SARL), public limited company (SA), or branch of a foreign company. Registration goes through the Digital Investment Window (GNI), the ANPI-Gabon platform that handles formalities online. According to ANPI-Gabon, the registration process includes:

1. preparing the file for the chosen legal form;
2. submitting the file on the GNI;
3. validation of the file by ANPI-Gabon;
4. registration of the legal documents by the tax administration;
5. allocation of the Trade and Personal Property Credit Register (RCCM) number by the court registry;
6. allocation of the tax identification number (NIF);
7. issue of the single registration form (FUE).

Some regulated activities require an approval, before or after registration depending on the sector. ANPI-Gabon publishes the list of activities subject to prior authorisation.

Access to land and permits depend on location and activity. In the Nkok special economic zone, the operator GSEZ offers serviced plots and an on-site one-stop shop. Outside the zone, ANPI-Gabon directs investors to the relevant land administrations. Mining activities require an exploration permit and then an operating permit issued by the Ministry of Mines, which runs a platform for tracking mining titles. Regulated products and some exports require specific certificates (conformity, origin, phytosanitary).

Employment relations are governed by Law No. 022/2021 of 19 November 2021 on the Labour Code. Contracts may be fixed-term or open-ended, and temporary work agencies must be approved by the Minister of Labour. The employer registers the company with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) and declares its employees. According to PwC (reviewed on 6 August 2026), employer contributions to the CNSS and to the National Health Insurance and Social Guarantee Fund (CNAMGS) total 20.1%, within monthly ceilings, and the employer withholds employees' income tax every month.

Gabon applies the foreign exchange regulation of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), set by Regulation No. 02/18/CEMAC/UMAC/CM of 21 December 2018, in force since 1 March 2019. It entrusts the management of foreign exchange reserves to the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and makes banks the approved intermediaries that carry out transfers. In practice:

• imports and exports are domiciled with a bank;
• export proceeds must be repatriated and surrendered under the conditions set by the regulation;
• current transfers abroad are carried out on presentation of supporting documents;
• foreign direct investment and some capital operations are subject to declaration or authorisation;
• a resident legal entity may not open a foreign currency account abroad without BEAC authorisation.

Companies in the extractive sector are also subject to specific rules adopted in 2021 and 2022. The ANPI-Gabon GNI presents itself as a one-stop shop for business registration and banking, which eases opening a bank account after registration.

The NIF is allocated during the registration process. The company is then subject to corporate income tax (30% standard rate, 35% for oil and mining according to PwC) and, above the turnover threshold, to value added tax (VAT) at the standard rate of 18%. The 2026 finance law makes standardised electronic invoicing mandatory for companies subject to corporate income tax or VAT. Rates and incentives are detailed on the taxation page.

ANPI-Gabon offers post-investment follow-up: regular reviews, mediation with administrations when problems arise and support for expansion projects.