Starting a business in Algeria: every step, in order

The steps at a glance

This is the route for a SARL (limited liability company) or an EURL (single-member limited liability company), the two forms most founders choose. Order matters: each body asks for the document issued at the previous step. Skip one and you go back to the counter.

Before the first step: three decisions

Three choices shape the whole file. Changing them after registration means amending the articles and the trade register entry, which costs money. Make them before you pay anything.

• The legal form. On your own: EURL, or sole trader for a small business. With partners: SARL, with 2 to 50 members. Large project with many investors: SPA (joint-stock company), with at least 7 shareholders.
• The activity. It must match an entry in the trade register's list of activities. Some activities are regulated and need a licence or approval before registration.
• The capital. For a SARL or an EURL, the amount is free. At least one fifth of cash contributions is paid in at the start, the rest within five years of registration.

The steps in detail

1. 1

   Choose the legal form, activity and capital

   Write down the exact activity, the number of members, the manager's name and the amount of capital. The notary and the CNRC will ask for all of this. If the activity is regulated, get the required licence first.

2. 2

   Find a registered office

   The CNRC requires proof of address for the registered office: a rented space, premises you own, or a domiciliation contract. Domiciliation spares you renting an office you would not use. At Neuron, in Dely Brahim, it costs 6,000 DA a month and the notarised contract is ready within 3 days at most.

3. 3

   Reserve the company name at the CNRC

   You propose up to four names in order of preference. The CNRC (National Centre of the Trade Register) checks they are not already taken and issues a name certificate valid for six months. You can apply online, at a CNRC branch or through your notary.

4. 4

   Sign the articles before a notary and deposit the capital

   Commercial companies are formed by an authenticated deed, so the articles of association are drawn up by a notary. Each member pays in their share of the cash contributions, at least one fifth. The funds stay with the notary until registration.

5. 5

   Publish the incorporation notice in the BOAL

   An incorporation notice must appear in the BOAL (Official Bulletin of Legal Notices). The notary can publish it online. Proof of publication is part of the trade register file.

6. 6

   Register in the trade register

   The file lodged with the CNRC includes the signed form, a copy of the articles, proof of BOAL publication, proof of the registered office and the receipt for registration fees. Registration gives the company its legal personality: before that, it does not legally exist.

7. 7

   Declare beneficial owners

   Every company under Algerian law declares to the CNRC the natural persons who control it or hold at least 20% of the capital or voting rights. This is done within one month of formation.

8. 8

   Get the NIF and file the declaration of existence (G n°8)

   The tax identification number (NIF) is requested on nifenligne.mf.gov.dz, then finalised at the competent tax office with the acknowledgement of receipt. The declaration of existence (form G n°8) is due within 30 days of starting the activity: file it in the first week after the trade register extract. You leave with the certificate of existence, which the ONS and CASNOS offices in Algiers ask for.

9. 9

   Enrol the manager with CASNOS

   A manager who is not an employee is enrolled with CASNOS, the social security fund for the self-employed, within 10 days of starting the activity. The period runs from the date of the trade register extract, so do not wait for the NIS. The annual contribution is 15% of declared income, with a minimum equal to 15% of the annual guaranteed minimum wage (SNMG), that is 43,200 DA.

10. 10

    Get the NIS from the ONS

    The National Statistics Office (ONS) assigns the statistical identification number (NIS), issued as an identification notice. No legal deadline is published for this request, but the bank and CNAS ask for the NIS: apply right after the tax office.

11. 11

    Open the bank account and recover the capital

    Once the company is registered, the notary releases the capital to the manager, who pays it into the company account. To open the account, banks usually ask for the articles, the trade register extract, the NIF and the NIS. The bank then gives you the account details (RIB).

12. 12

    Register with CNAS if you hire

    From the first employee, the company declares its employer activity to the CNAS (social insurance fund for employees) office of the wilaya within 10 days of hiring, then registers each employee within 10 days of their start. The file asks for the company's RIB, so open the bank account first.

Documents to prepare

The exact list depends on the legal form and the activity. For a SARL or an EURL, plan at least for:

What can be done online in 2026

Several steps have an online component, but each body keeps its own file. In practice, a company formation still goes through several counters.

• Company name: application and follow-up on the CNRC portal.
• BOAL notice: the notary can publish the incorporation notice remotely.
• NIF: the request is entered on nifenligne.mf.gov.dz, then the acknowledgement is taken to the tax office.
• Trade register: the CNRC portal describes the formalities and offers online services. Check with your local branch which originals you must present.

Mistakes that cost weeks

• Filing a regulated activity without the prior licence: the file is blocked.
• Letting the name certificate (6 months) expire before the articles are signed.
• Giving a registered address without valid proof.
• Spelling a name or birth date differently from one document to another.
• Forgetting the declaration of existence (G n°8): the 30-day deadline starts with the activity.
• Forgetting the beneficial owner declaration, due within one month of formation.
• Waiting for the NIS before enrolling the manager with CASNOS: the 10 days run from the trade register date.

Do it yourself or get help

This guide is enough to handle the file yourself. If you prefer, we fill in the setup forms (5,000 DA for a company, 2,000 DA for a sole trader) and you file them. Or we follow the whole process, from name reservation to CASNOS: this full support costs 50,000 DA for a sole trader and 60,000 DA for a company, 10,000 DA less with domiciliation at Neuron (official fees excluded).