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Why structuring comes before incorporating
Incorporating in Algeria is a documented procedure. Foreign investors rarely fail at it. What they fail at is the set of decisions taken just before, each of which looks administrative and is in fact structural.
| Decision | What it silently determines |
|---|---|
| The corporate vehicle | Whether your holding company can be the sole shareholder at all |
| The capital amount | Whether profits will ever be transferable abroad |
| The object clause and activity code | Whether 100% foreign ownership survives, and whether the transfer guarantee survives with it |
| Who manages | Whether a trip, a residence card and a trader's card enter your timeline |
None of these is corrected by an amendment months later without cost, delay, and in some cases the loss of a right that cannot be recovered at all.
What the assignment covers
What the assignment is not. We do not draw instruments, do not represent you before the administration, do not sign in your name and do not operate your bank account. Those belong to the notary, to your legal representative and to you. Accounting, tax and payroll compliance once the company is running form a separate, recurring engagement.
What timeline should you plan for?
Published timelines describe the administrative core and start after the phase that actually consumes the time.
| Phase | Indicative duration |
|---|---|
| Clearing the blockers abroad: parent company documents, apostille, sworn translations, corporate resolution, beneficial ownership | The variable — often the longest |
| Name reservation, premises, first notarial step | Days |
| Holding account and capital transfer | 3–5 weeks, of which 2–3 for the transfer |
| Final articles, publication, trade register, tax identification | 4–6 weeks |
Our observation is four to seven weeks for the administrative core where the file is complete, and three to four months to operating capability where the shareholder is a foreign legal entity.
Durations are indicative and depend on the notary, the bank, the administration concerned and the completeness of the documents obtained abroad. No assignment carries an obligation of result as to any authorisation, deadline or banking acceptance.
In which language do we work?
Assignments for foreign investors are conducted in English or French, with all correspondence and deliverables in your working language. Documents produced before the notary and the trade register are in Arabic, as the law requires; we provide the translation of what you sign.
Reporting is written for a board that is not in Algeria: what has been decided, what is pending on your side, what is pending on ours, and what the next irreversible decision is.
Before you sign at the notary
Structuring review of your Algerian project — first consultation free, reply within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Outside the activities listed as strategic and outside import for resale in the state, yes. The 49/51 national shareholding requirement ceased to be a general rule with the 2020 supplementary finance law. The choice of corporate vehicle is a separate question and is settled with the notary before the articles are drawn.
Frequently at least once. Notaries generally require the representative in person or a power of attorney certified abroad and translated, covering both the individual and the shareholding company; banks often require the manager in person to open the account. We establish what will be accepted before you book anything.
There is no legal minimum since the 2015 reform, but the figure is not free in practice: the guarantee of transfer of capital and income requires foreign-origin financing at or above a minimum threshold measured against the total cost of the investment. The capital is sized against the project, not against the formalities.
No, for public documents exchanged with the other contracting States. The Hague Apostille Convention entered into force for Algeria on 9 July 2026, and an apostille from the country of origin replaces consular legalisation. Sworn translation into Arabic remains necessary, and documents legalised under the old procedure before that date may have to be reissued.
No. A limited-liability company is managed by one or more natural persons. A natural person must be appointed. Resident or not, and not necessarily a shareholder. Which option suits you affects your timeline, because a foreign manager's cards are a workstream of their own.
Sources and references
- Law no. 22-18 of 24 July 2022 on investment — Article 8 (guarantee of transfer of capital and income) and Articles 18 to 19 (one-stop shop for foreign investments) — Official Gazette of the Algerian Republic no. 50 of 28 July 2022 · Verified on 04/08/2026
- Commercial code, Articles 566, 567, 567 bis 1 and 590 as amended by Law no. 15-20 of 30 December 2015, and Articles 576 and 590 bis 2 — Official Gazette no. 71 of 30 December 2015 — Ministry of Commerce, Book V · Verified on 04/08/2026
- Accession of Algeria to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents — entry into force 9 July 2026 — Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) · Verified on 04/08/2026