Online Business License Registration in Ethiopia

ByStaff Writer

May 28, 2022 #How to get new business license online in Ethiopia?, #Online Business License Registration in Ethiopia

Online Business License Registration in Ethiopia

Ministry of Trade and Industry has launched the first-ever online trade registration and licensing system in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen and other high ranking government officials

The new system is said to enable members of the business community to get their trade registered and licensed without physical presence to headquarters of ministerial and regional bureau of service providing institutions.

It is stated on the occasion that the business people can access the service through mobile phones of personal computers from wherever they are.

The online trade registration and licensing system would help traders save time, labor and cost and further transform the sector, it is learned.

Foreign‑invested companies in Ethiopia can now obtain trade licences and register their businesses online, following the launch of the etrade.gov.et platform.

The online trade registration and licensing system was officially launched on 30 January 2021 by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. According to Ethiopia’s Trade and Industry Minister, Melaku Alebel, the global business community will be able to use the system to apply for company registration and licence services from anywhere in the world, using their computers, mobile phones or other devices. The new system should speed the process of registration and trade certification. In particular, it should improve the competitiveness of businesspeople at continental and international trade, according to the minister.

The registration services offered by the e‑trade platform include commercial registration and commercial registration amendment, replacement and cancellation. Licensing services include requesting new trade licences and their renewal, amendment, replacement or cancellation. Requesting, changing, replacing or cancellation of trade names are also possible through the new system.

Foreign participants wishing to use the service will need to register on the platform. The website lists all registration documentation required for foreign‑invested and domestic entities, depending on the type of corporate entity. These include private limited companies; share companies; commercial representatives; public enterprises; partnerships; and trade sector associations, among others.

Foreign individuals invested in a private limited company, for example, will need to provide scans of their passports or IDs, their investment licences, and the address of their branch office, if any, in addition to the documents required from local registrants. For a foreign corporate investor, an authorised copy of its legal certificate of incorporation or other similar document issued by the country of incorporation, is also required.

The Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration is officially launch online services in order to make its services easily accessible to its customers. All trade registrations and license services will be handled through the online E*TRADE system as of last Friday.