Home How to register a company in Sierra Leone, including online with NIB
To register a company in Sierra Leone, you register it with the National Investment Board (NIB), online or in person, then get a TIN from the National Revenue Authority, open a bank account and register with NASSIT before you employ staff. SLONEC, in Freetown and London, prepares the documents, checks them and manages each step for you.
The National Investment Board (NIB) Act 2022 brought business registration and investment promotion under one body. Under the Act, NIB's Corporate Affairs Directorate administers the Companies Act 2009, and its Business Facilitation Directorate runs a one-stop shop and administers the Registration of Business Act 2007, which covers business names. The Act also transferred the work of the former Corporate Affairs Commission to NIB and amended the Companies Act so that it refers to NIB instead.
The Companies Act 2009 is still the law that governs companies, as amended by the Companies (Amendment) Act 2014 and by the NIB Act 2022. NIB's current registration forms are still issued under the 2009 Act. In 2026 NIB published a draft Companies and Allied Matters Bill for consultation, which would repeal and replace the Companies Act 2009, the Registration of Business Act 2007 and the General Law (Business Start-Up) (Amendment) Act 2007. Among other changes, the draft would remove the minimum share capital for private companies and let a private company have a single director without a company secretary. As of 11 November 2026 we have found no record that Parliament has passed it, so the 2009 Act as amended still applies. We will update this guide if the Bill becomes law.
For most new businesses the order is similar:
NGOs follow their own route through the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development; see our guide to setting up a charity or NGO in Sierra Leone.
It depends mainly on how quickly complete documents are available and on the authorities' own processing. Incomplete or inconsistent documents are the most common cause of delay, especially when owners live abroad. That is why we start with a written checklist for your structure, check every document before it is filed, and keep you updated as each step is completed. We will not promise a date we do not control.
NIB's own registration forms set out what it asks for. For a new private limited company, expect to provide:
Originals must be shown when the copies are submitted, so they can be checked. Because the form asks non-Sierra Leonean shareholders for a residence permit, we check with NIB how this applies to you before filing if you do not live in Sierra Leone.
A company already incorporated abroad that sets up a branch in Sierra Leone uses NIB's foreign company registration form instead. It asks for a copy of the foreign certificate of incorporation, a certified copy of the company's constitution (with a certified English translation if needed), a valid passport copy for each foreign national named, and details of the person who will manage the company in Sierra Leone and of a person in Sierra Leone authorised to accept notices.
You can also register online. NIB's Online Business Registration System lets you open an account with your National Identification Number, or your passport number if you are a foreign national, reserve a name, upload documents and pay, with certificates issued in your account.
If you cannot travel, we explain which documents need to be certified or notarised abroad and how to send them, so you do not have to make repeat trips.
Yes. Registration is only the start, and getting tax set up correctly from day one avoids penalties later.
Once you are trading, we can take over your monthly and annual filings so nothing is missed.
If you are setting up in Sierra Leone to deliver a donor-funded contract or to bid with a local partner, you may need a registered branch or company, tax clearance, NASSIT registration and work permits before contract signature. We can coordinate all of these, and act as your local JV partner where that suits the bid. See partnering and JV bids in Sierra Leone.
If you only need to employ a few people, an employer of record in Sierra Leone may be quicker than setting up a company. It does not by itself stop your business from having a taxable presence in Sierra Leone, so we check that as part of the proposal.
Annual returns to NIB, monthly PAYE and NASSIT, GST once turnover reaches NLe500,000 a year, company income tax at 30%, or the 2% minimum alternate tax on turnover if that is higher (not in the first three years) and tax clearance renewals. See tax compliance in Sierra Leone.
If you are a Sierra Leonean living abroad, we can register the company from Freetown while you remain overseas, and explain which documents to certify and how to send them. See the Invest back home hub and our Sierra Leone invest-back-home guide for diaspora company set-up.
Yes. If you are based in the UK, Europe or the US, you can contract with SLONEC Advisory Group, with delivery in Sierra Leone by our Freetown team and one point of contact outside Africa. See Route into Africa.
Scope is agreed in writing before work starts. Read more about our market entry and investor support services.
Related guides: GST registration and returns in Sierra Leone · Payroll, PAYE and NASSIT services in Sierra Leone · Work and residence permits in Sierra Leone · Mining licences in Sierra Leone
Through the National Investment Board's Online Business Registration System. You open an account with your National Identification Number, or your passport number if you are a foreign national, reserve a name, upload your documents and pay, and the certificates are issued in your account. SLONEC can prepare the documents and handle the application for you.
The National Investment Board. Under the NIB Act 2022, its Corporate Affairs Directorate administers the Companies Act 2009 and its Business Facilitation Directorate handles business names. The former Corporate Affairs Commission's work moved to NIB under that Act.
A draft Companies and Allied Matters Bill was published for consultation in 2026; as of 11 November 2026 the Companies Act 2009 as amended by the Companies (Amendment) Act 2014 and the NIB Act 2022 still applies. We have found no record that Parliament has passed the Bill.
It depends on having complete documents and on processing by the authorities. We give you a checklist at the start and keep you updated at each step. We will not promise a date we do not control.
Yes. Foreign and diaspora owners register companies here regularly. NIB's forms ask for identification for each shareholder and director: Sierra Leoneans can use a national ID card, passport or driver's licence, and the form asks non-Sierra Leoneans for their passport and residence permit, so we check with NIB how this applies before filing if you do not live in Sierra Leone. You also need director declarations, the memorandum and articles, and a business address in Sierra Leone.
Not necessarily. We explain which documents to certify abroad and how to send them, and our Freetown team handles the filing.
Yes. We register you with the NRA for a TIN, for GST when you need it, and with NASSIT before you employ staff.
Yes. We can take over monthly PAYE, NASSIT and GST filings, annual returns and accounts.
Yes, using NIB's foreign company registration form.
Not always. An employer of record can employ people for you, although your business may still need to register for tax in Sierra Leone depending on what it does there.
Usually a registered entity, TIN and tax clearance, NASSIT registration and permits for foreign staff, depending on the contract.
When taxable turnover reaches NLe500,000 a year.
Tell us about your plans and we will set out the checklist for your structure. Book a call or request a proposal. Call +232 73 253666, message us on WhatsApp or email hello@slonec.com. Our office is at 1 Hannah Benka-Coker Street, Freetown. Checked on 11 November 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
