What are the documents I should bring along to begin the investment process?

So now that you have the appropriate VISA for your visit and you are set on beginning your investment journey in Ethiopia, here are a few documents you should notarize and bring with you.

Nationalnotary.org defines Notarization as the official fraud-deterrent process that assures the parties of a transaction that a document is authentic. Various seals from different notary offices within your country as well as here in Ethiopia will be placed on the required documents in order to prove their authenticity.

Here in Ethiopia The  Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Federal Documents and Registration Agency (DARA) are tasked with authenticating documents that come into the country. However, for your purposes, the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) replaces DARA and authenticates the documents you bring into the country.

If you are coming as an individual investor;

• In this case, all you need to bring along is your passport with the appropriate VISA. But if you are a representative of an individual investor then you will have to bring an authenticated power of attorney of the person you are representing.

However, if you are coming as a representative of a company or multiple companies:

• In addition to the power of attorneys of the companies involved, you will also need authenticated documents showing the background of the companies. These documents include the Articles and Memorandums of Association (MOA & AOA) and business licenses.

And what are the steps to authenticating these documents?

Authentication of the relevant documents is a vital requirement on your journey towards applying for an investment permit. Once you’re past the appropriate notarization offices within your country then you ought to get them authenticated at the Ethiopian embassy in your country.

Ethiopia operates 45 embassies and 51 consulates around the world. Furthermore, the country is home to 114 embassies, 3 consulates, and 2 representations which are the European Union and Somaliland. (see the full list here)

But what if there’s no Ethiopian embassy in your country?

Your options, in this case, are authenticating them at the Ethiopian embassy nearest to your country or finding out if your country has an Ethiopian consular office.

For example, if you are Spanish then there is no Ethiopian embassy in your country. But the Ethiopian embassy in Italy serves to notarize documents for nationals of these countries. Likewise for Caribbean countries like Jamaica and Haiti for which the Ethiopian embassy in the USA serves the same purpose.

On the other hand, if you are from a country like Bangladesh where Ethiopia has no embassy at, meanwhile hosting an Ethiopian consular office, then you’ll be able to get the same service.

After that, the next authentication will happen at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa. And then the Ethiopian Investment Commission. And with this out of the way, your documents will be ready to apply for an investment permit in Ethiopia.

But before you begin this process, if you don’t already have the necessary data then you can get sector-specific information at the Ethiopian Investment Commission’s Investment Promotion Directorate or at the Industrial Park Facilitation Directorate.