Key facts
Key facts for business in Mali
The short answer
Company registry in Mali: Guichet Unique de création d'entreprises – API-Mali. Tax authority: Direction Générale des Impôts du Mali (DGI). Requirements, fees and timelines change – confirm them with the body concerned and a lawyer admitted in Mali before you act.
| Legal system | Civil law (French-based, with customary and Islamic law in personal matters) |
|---|---|
| Official languages | National languages (since the 2023 Constitution), French (working language) |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Regional blocs | UEMOA (WAEMU), Confederation of Sahel States (AES) |
| OHADA business law | Yes – the OHADA Uniform Acts apply |
| AfCFTA (continental free trade) | Ratified (instrument deposited) |
| New York Convention (arbitral awards) | Party – in force since 1994 |
| ICSID Convention (investment disputes) | Contracting state – in force since 1978 |
| 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 Mali
| What for | Official body | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Registering a company | Guichet Unique de création d'entreprises – API-Mali – Company creation one-stop shop run by API-Mali | apimali.gov.ml |
| Investment promotion | Agence pour la Promotion des Investissements au Mali (API-MALI) – Investment Promotion Agency of Mali | apimali.gov.ml |
| Tax | Direction Générale des Impôts du Mali (DGI) – Directorate General of Taxes of Mali | dgi.gouv.ml |
| 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 |
| Courts and justice | Cour Suprême du Mali – Supreme Court of Mali | coursupreme.ml |
| Official business procedures portal | Portail des démarches administratives du Mali – Mali government administrative procedures portal | demarchesadministratives.gouv.ml |
We could not confirm an official website for: work and residence permits. 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: Guichet Unique de création d'entreprises – API-Mali.
- Register for tax. Tax registration: Direction Générale des Impôts du Mali (DGI).
- Check investment rules and incentives. Some sectors have licensing, local-ownership or registration rules, and some investors qualify for incentives. Investment agency: Agence pour la Promotion des Investissements au Mali (API-MALI).
- 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. Mali is a party to the New York Convention, so arbitral awards made in other member states can be recognized there under it.
A general checklist, not legal advice. What applies to you depends on your sector, structure and nationality.
Law firms
Law firms in Mali for business matters
Cabinet Abouba Aly Maïga & Associés
Bamako
Cabinet Juri-Partner
Bamako
CLG & Associés
Bamako
FSD Conseils
Bamako
SCPA Satis Partners
Bamako
5 firms in Mali list corporate, tax, employment or other business work on their own websites. See every firm in Mali.
Checking a lawyer in Mali
We could not find an official online source for who admits lawyers in Mali. 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 Mali: questions
Where do you register a company in Mali?
With Guichet Unique de création d'entreprises – API-Mali (apimali.gov.ml). Requirements change, so confirm them with the registry and a lawyer admitted in Mali.
Is Mali a party to the New York Convention?
Yes – in force since 1994 (UNCITRAL status table, checked October 2026).
Does Mali accept apostilles?
Mali 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 Mali’s embassy or consulate. Confirm with the authority that will receive the document.
What currency is used in Mali?
West African CFA franc (XOF).