ETHIOPIA: Trade Ministry Launches Online Trade Registration, Licensing System

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.