Gabon employment visas in 2022
Foreign professionals, in order to work in Gabon, will be required to apply for business visa. Bejarano ADF Consultants will prepare the visa application on behalf of our Clients to be submitted to the local Gabonese embassy. Our fee for this service is US$3,950. Please note that visa application fee can be different based on your country of origin.
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Employee visas
- All non-Gabonese individuals will be required to obtain a work permit in Gabon for the purpose of employment;
- Documents required are i) a valid passport ii) employer’s letter of sponsorship iii) business letter iv) certificate of vaccination against yellow fever and v) copy of airline tickets;
- Please note a Gabonese resident company cannot hire more than 10% foreigners.
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Visitor visas
- This visa is issued for 1 month for the purpose of tourism;
- Documents required are i) a valid passport ii) copy of hotel reservation in Gabon iii) certificate of vaccination against yellow fever and iv) copy of airline tickets;
Gabon corporate banking options in 2022
Before approving Gabon business formation, the Gabonese authorities will request evidence that our Client has opened a corporate bank account in Gabon and injected the paid-up capital on a frozen account. Bejarano ADF Consultants will be pleased to assist our Client to choose the optimal bank in Gabon for their business needs and to complete the due diligence and account opening procedures.
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General considerations
- To receive the best Internet banking and customer service, Bejarano ADF Consultants recommends our Clients to open their business bank account in Gabon with international banks such as Citibank Gabon and EcoBank. BGFI Bank and other local banks can be used when deemed appropriate;
- Bejarano ADF Consultants’ compliance team can open a corporate bank account in Gabon within an average of four weeks;
- Where possible, Bejarano ADF Consultants bank account opening team will liaise with the Gabon banks to prevent our Client having to travel for an account opening interview. However, the managing director of the company will have to travel to Gabon for a meeting at the branch in Libreville;
- Bejarano ADF Consultants assists our Client open a Gabon business bank account. Our Client then deposits the paid up share capital of capital (minimum level of at least US$1,700) and supplies Bejarano ADF Consultants with a certificate of deposit and bank statement before we can proceed further with Gabon company formation.
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Trade finance
- Gabonese banks will provide finance to resident companies, provided the following conditions are met i) good business-plan ii) availability of assets as collateral to the loan iii) experience of business owners iv) last 3 years audited financial statements v) realistic feasibility study and vi) project strength and weaknesses analysis (SWOT);
- To support their new Gabon business, Bejarano ADF Consultants assist our Clients to secure trade finance instruments, including i) bank guarantees ii) letters of credit iii) finance against trust receipt and iv) document against payment and against acceptance;
- Securing corporate finance in the form of a loan, overdraft or simply preferential credit terms are other corporate banking related aspects of doing business in Gabon.
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Capital controls and other regulations
- Gabon is not on the FATF blacklist, the OECD’s ‘blacklist’ of tax havens;
- There is no limitation on the inflow or outflow of funds for remittances of profits, debt service, capital, capital gains, and returns on intellectual property or imported inputs, although remittance of large amounts is subject to the Central Bank prior approval (usually straightforward to obtain).
