Understand the Jurisdictions of the Company Registration Process In Morocco
Ever wondered what it is like to do business in Morocco? With a Casablanca Finance City status, foreign-owned businesses can enjoy tax exemption of up to five years and a reduced corporate income tax rate of 10%. This article looks at how foreigners can proceed with registering a company in Morocco.
Prepare for Possible Language Barriers
Before anything, since the official language in Morocco is Arabic, you’ll need to prepare beforehand for communication difficulties. Also, the official documents must be in French, and the growing English-speaking population is higher nowadays.
Having said this, depending on where you will register your Moroccan company, engaging with a local company incorporation expert will be the safest option.
Proposing Company Name
First, you need to decide on a company name and propose it to your local business set-up expert. The local expert will register the proposed company name with the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property (OMPIC) to verify the uniqueness of the name. You will then receive a Negative Certificate, which is compulsory for registration in the commercial register.
Registered Office
Any company incorporated in Morocco must have a registered physical office. The office premise address is for official correspondence, and business owners can obtain an office address through a couple of ways:
Sign a Commercial Lease Contract
Obtain a certificate of domiciliation from a domiciliation company. Different places in Morocco may charge differently for a domicile address.
Drafting the Constitution Documents
The key document of a company is the articles of association. The document defines all legal and contractual provisions of the company. It includes rules of management and administration, the relationship between shareholders, and relationships with third parties. The articles of association must contain mandatory information.
This mandatory information is the company name, chosen legal entity, the identity of all shareholders, the share capital amount and their contribution. Usually, chartered accountants or notaries or business lawyers draft articles of association. They can offer this service if you are engaging with a local company incorporation services.
After drafting, shareholders of the company must sign it to register them with the Registry and Stamp Office of the Regional Tax Department within the exact location of the company’s headquarters. Recently, the Moroccan tax administration set up an e-registration platform accessible to chartered accountants, and registration can complete within 24 hours.
Blocked Funds
If your LLC has a share capital higher than MAD 100,000, you, as the investor, must deposit in a blocked bank account one-quarter of the share capital. The bank will produce a certificate of blocking to be attached to the incorporation file.
Submitting Company Incorporation File
There are two ways to do this. One begins with registration with tax authorities, followed by registration with the commercial register and applying to the National Social Security Fund after a month of hiring the first employee.
The other method is registering the company via the Regional Investment Centers (CRI). The CRI is a one-stop service centre that groups all the above registration authorities together. Companies can expect a complete registration within ten days.
Publicity Formality
After registration, your company must go through public formalities such as publication in the official bulletin and the legal gazette. After all these, the company is now valid, and now you can open a bank account to begin your business.
If you require assistance or consultation, please feel free to get in touch and we will promptly reply to you within 24 hours.