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Doing business
Doing business in Guinea-Bissau
The official bodies a foreign company, investor or professional deals with in Guinea-Bissau – linked to their own websites – plus the treaties that matter for contracts and disputes, and law firms there that list business work.
Key facts
Key facts for business in Guinea-Bissau
The short answer
We could not confirm the company registry’s website for Guinea-Bissau. Tax authority: Direcção Geral das Contribuições e Impostos (DGCI). Requirements, fees and timelines change – confirm them with the body concerned and a lawyer admitted in Guinea-Bissau before you act.
| Legal system | Civil law (Portuguese-based, with customary law) |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Portuguese |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Regional blocs | ECOWAS, UEMOA (WAEMU) |
| OHADA business law | Yes – the OHADA Uniform Acts apply |
| AfCFTA (continental free trade) | Ratified (instrument deposited) |
| New York Convention (arbitral awards) | Not a party (checked October 2026) |
| ICSID Convention (investment disputes) | Signed in 1991, not ratified |
| Apostille Convention (public documents) | Not a party – documents usually need legalization |
Treaty status from the official depositary records (UNCITRAL, ICSID, HCCH), regional blocs from their own websites, AfCFTA from tralac – checked October 2026. Not legal advice.
Official bodies
Who does what in Guinea-Bissau
| What for | Official body | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | Direcção Geral das Contribuições e Impostos (DGCI) | dgci.mef.gw |
| Central bank, currency and foreign exchange | Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (BCEAO) – Central Bank of West African States | bceao.int |
| Official business procedures portal | eRegulations Guiné-Bissau | guineebissau.eregulations.org |
We could not confirm an official website for: registering a company, investment promotion, work and residence permits, courts and justice. We only link to sites we could open and confirm as the body’s own in October 2026.
Each link was opened and checked as the body’s own website in October 2026. Links to official sites only – never to agents or look-alike sites.
Getting started
What foreign businesses usually sort out first
- Choose how you will operate. A subsidiary, a branch, a representative office, or working through a local partner or distributor. The options and their conditions are set by the OHADA Uniform Act on commercial companies and national rules.
- Register the business. Company registration: the national company registry.
- Register for tax. Tax registration: Direcção Geral das Contribuições e Impostos (DGCI).
- Check investment rules and incentives. Some sectors have licensing, local-ownership or registration rules, and some investors qualify for incentives. Investment agency: the national investment agency.
- Permits for foreign staff. Work and residence permits: the national immigration authority.
- Banking and foreign exchange. Rules on accounts, moving money in and out and paying dividends abroad come from the central bank (Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (BCEAO)) and the banks.
- Contracts and disputes. Agree the governing law, the courts or arbitration seat, and the language. Guinea-Bissau is not a party to the New York Convention – take advice on how a foreign judgment or award would be enforced.
A general checklist, not legal advice. What applies to you depends on your sector, structure and nationality.
Law firms
Law firms in Guinea-Bissau for business matters
Amine Saad & Advogados
Bissau
1 firm in Guinea-Bissau list corporate, tax, employment or other business work on their own websites. See every firm in Guinea-Bissau.
Checking a lawyer in Guinea-Bissau
We could not find an official online source for who admits lawyers in Guinea-Bissau. Ask any lawyer you consider for their bar or law-society membership and admission details, and confirm them with that body or with the courts.
Questions
Doing business in Guinea-Bissau: questions
Is Guinea-Bissau a party to the New York Convention?
No, according to the UNCITRAL status table checked October 2026.
Does Guinea-Bissau accept apostilles?
Guinea-Bissau is not a party to the Apostille Convention (HCCH status table, checked October 2026), so foreign public documents usually need legalization – typically through the issuing country’s foreign ministry and Guinea-Bissau’s embassy or consulate. Confirm with the authority that will receive the document.
What currency is used in Guinea-Bissau?
West African CFA franc (XOF).