Business
Código Comercial 2005 with a modern company law and LNG-driven investment rules
The Código Comercial (Decreto-Lei 2/2005) governs companies, with the sociedade por quotas and sociedade anónima as the main forms and a simplified single-shareholder company available. The Investment Law and the dedicated Petroleum and Mining Laws govern the large LNG projects in Cabo Delgado, which include local-content obligations.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Conservatória do Registo das Entidades Legais registers companies; the Tribunal Judicial hears commercial disputes.
- Deadline — Company registration through the Balcão de Atendimento Único
- Deadline — Annual accounts approved within 3 months of year end
Governing law
- Código ComercialDecreto-Lei 2/2005, as amended
- Lei de Investimentos (Lei 3/93) and Regulamento
- Lei de PetróleosLei 21/2014
In practice
Mozambican commercial law was substantially modernised in 2005 along Portuguese lines, but the practical centre of gravity for large transactions is the petroleum framework governing the Rovuma basin LNG developments, where the state's participation and local-content rules structure the deal.