The AAPI one-stop shop: who sits there, what the deadlines are, and what the documents are worth

1. Two one-stop shops, two jurisdictions

Article 17 of Decree no. 26-153 establishes two categories of one-stop shop within the Agency.

Decentralised shops are set up by the Agency "as required", on the director general's proposal, after board deliberation and the approval of the supervisory authority.

Article 18 defines their role: they constitute "the investor's single point of contact" and are responsible for reception and information, registration of investments, management and monitoring of files, support with the administrations, and "the issuance of decisions, authorisations and any other document connected with the investment project".

2. Who sits at the counter, and how it is organised

Article 19 lists the permanent services brought together "in one place", alongside Agency staff:

• the national trade register centre;
• the tax administration;
• the state property administration;
• the administration responsible for urban planning;
• the administration responsible for the environment;
• civil protection;
• the administration responsible for energy;
• the Algerian electricity and gas distribution company;
• the bodies responsible for labour, employment and social security;
• banks and financial institutions.

The customs administration additionally appoints a permanent representative to the one-stop shop for large projects and foreign investments, and non-permanent representatives to the decentralised shops. Further administrations may be added by board deliberation.

Eight specialised facilitation hubs

Article 20 provides that these services "may be organised into specialised facilitation hubs":

The seniority of the representatives

Article 21 sets a requirement that attracts little comment but carries real weight: at the one-stop shop for large projects and foreign investments, representatives of public administrations "are appointed from among officials holding at least the rank of director of central administration". A counterpart at that level can bind their administration — the practical precondition for the delegation set out in Article 22.

Article 26 also provides that these representatives receive a performance bonus, the amount and terms of which are fixed by a separate text.

3. The deadlines: fifteen days, twenty for classified establishments

Article 30 is the provision of most direct use to an investor:

Article 23 reinforces the framework: representatives of the administrations "are empowered to issue, within the deadlines set by Article 30 below, all decisions, documents and authorisations connected with the realisation and operation of the investment, and to give the related opinions". They are also "required to act with their home administrations or bodies with a view to removing any difficulties encountered by investors".

When the clock starts

The period runs "from the date of receipt of the files". That apparently unremarkable wording is the real issue: it is the completeness of the file submitted that starts the count. An incomplete file does not extend the deadline — it simply never starts it.

Article 31 accordingly establishes, within the one-stop shop, "a reception and guidance centre responsible for receiving applications for investment-related authorisations and forwarding them to the representatives of the administrations and bodies concerned".

4. The legal weight of what is issued on the spot

Two articles give the one-stop shop its real reach, beyond the convenience of a single location.

A document obtained at the counter cannot therefore be challenged by the home administration on the ground that its own services did not issue it. That is the difference between a filing desk and a decision-making counter.

What each representative can actually do

Article 27 sets out the powers administration by administration. A few of the most useful at start-up:

Finally, Article 29 provides that "the collection of all duties, taxes and fees for issuing authorisations and any other document connected with the realisation of the investment project takes place at the one-stop shop": payment is made on site, with no additional trip.

5. What starts the clock — and what does not

Observations from our advisory practice, not regulatory provisions.

1. File a complete application, not a work in progress. The period runs from receipt. A partial filing intended to "secure a date" secures no date at all.
2. Identify the right counter before travelling. Large projects and foreign investments on one side, decentralised shops on the other: filing at the wrong counter means filing again.
3. Anticipate the classified establishment category. It determines the deadline — twenty days instead of fifteen — and follows from the environmental constraints described in the techno-economic study, as we explain in our article on the Annex V template.
4. Prepare for payment. Duties, taxes and fees are settled at the counter; planning for them avoids a second visit.
5. Keep proof of receipt. It is what evidences the starting point of the fifteen days.

This article sets out the applicable regulatory framework; it constitutes neither legal advice nor a guarantee that an authorisation will be obtained within any given period. The text may be amended: verify it with AAPI or in the Official Gazette.

FAQ — Frequently asked questions

BENSAID Farouk

Financial & Economic Research Consultant — ProfitPilot NextGen Consulting

Certified sole trader and expert in financial studies, risk analysis and market research for SMEs, startups and investors in Algeria. View full profile →