Dmitri Mihhailov
Managing Partner
Founder of Prifinance. 15+ years structuring international companies, banking and licensing for founders worldwide.
Register a company in Sierra Leone, the recovering gem.
Set up a Sierra Leonean company - diamonds and iron ore under modernised mining law, some of West Africa's richest fishing grounds, English common law, and a registry that digitised faster than its reputation. Frontier, in full: this is a frontier - the leone was redenominated and still softens, power and roads are engineered around, and the opportunity concentrates in resources, fisheries and the supply chains that serve them.A Sierra Leonean Ltd: diamonds, iron and rutile under modernised law, rich licensed fisheries, English common law, one of the world's great harbours. In full: a frontier - the leone softens, infrastructure is engineered around, and the dollars flow through resources and their supply chains.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
6,000+
companies servedcompanies served
Updated
Sierra Leone · at a glance
Legal formLtd (Companies Act)
Time to set up1-3 weeks
Corporate tax25% · mining per licence
Legal systemEnglish common law
CurrencySLE - soft, redenominated
Remote setupYes - by POA
4.7
★★★★★
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Sierra Leone in brief
A resource coast rebuilding its institutions - priced accordingly.
Sierra Leone's endowment reads like a prospector's wishlist: diamonds that made the country a byword (now formalised under Kimberley-era rules), iron ore at Tonkolili and Marampa shipping again under new operators, rutile and bauxite in world-relevant volumes, and an Atlantic shelf whose fishing grounds rank among West Africa's richest - licensed fleets and onshore processing built around them. The institutional story is quieter but real: two decades of peace, elections that transfer power, English common law courts, a Companies Act registry that went online, and a corporate income tax of 25% with mining running per-licence fiscal terms. Freetown's deep natural harbour - one of the world's largest - anchors the logistics.
The terms, at frontier weight: the leone was redenominated in 2022 and continues to soften - hard-currency planning is standard practice, not sophistication; power outside self-generation is unreliable and roads test schedules, so infrastructure is a budget line; the domestic market of eight million is thin in cash; skills are scarce with training and expatriate permits part of real plans; and governance, improving by the year, still rewards patience and local counsel. Mining agreements are negotiated instruments diligenced hard, fisheries licences run by season and species, and the service economy around both pays in dollars. Sierra Leone rewards resource operators, fleet owners and their suppliers who arrive with frontier discipline - and we set them up with exactly that.
A prospector's wishlist with institutions rebuilding: Kimberley-era diamonds, iron ore shipping again, rutile and bauxite at world volumes, and fishing grounds among the region's richest. Two decades of peace, ballots that transfer power, an online registry, 25% corporate tax.
Frontier weight: the redenominated leone still softens - dollar architecture is standard; power and roads are budget lines; the 8M market is thin in cash; mining agreements are negotiated instruments diligenced at the cadastre and the community. Resource operators and their suppliers, arriving disciplined, are the fit.
Packages & pricing
Sierra Leonean company - cost & packages.
01 - LTD · SIERRA LEONE
Company
from$2,400USD · all-in
Registration of a Sierra Leonean Ltd - registry incorporation, tax registrations and the first year of the registered address included.
✓Sector strategy - mining, fisheries, supply - first✓OARG registry incorporation✓NRA tax & GST registrations✓Registered address in Freetown - first year✓Licence-track scoping where relevant✓Free pre-incorporation consultation
Optional add-ons: mining-licence diligence - scoped per asset · fishing licences - scoped per season · work permits - from $900 · accounting - from $200/month · renewal - from $1,500/year.Add-ons: mining diligence per asset · fishing licences per season · permits from $900 · accounting from $200/month · renewal from $1,500/year.
Start with Company →02 - LTD · SIERRA LEONE
Most popularCompany + Bank Account
from$4,400USD · all-in
A working Sierra Leonean Ltd with a local bank account - leones and dollars side by side, with the hard-currency discipline built in.
✓Everything in Company✓Account with Rokel, SCB or UBA✓SLE and USD balances configured✓Hard-currency treasury practice set up✓Compliance onboarding support✓Dedicated account manager
Start with Banking →Starting prices, confirmed before engagement. Registry and licence fees are itemised.Starting figures; the quote lands before work. Registry and licensing fees itemised in your quote.
What you can do
Popular uses for a Sierra Leonean company.
The pits, the fleets and the harbour. Plus everything that supplies them. Are where the dollars actually flow.The pits, the fleets, the harbour. And everything supplying them.
Mining & serviceslicensed
Diamonds, iron ore, rutile and bauxite. Licensed assets and their contractors.
Fishing & processinglicensed
Licensed fleets on rich grounds, with onshore plants earning preference.
Trade & supply
Provisioning a resource economy that imports nearly everything.
Logistics & the harbour
Freetown's deep water and the corridors to the pits.
Construction & workslicensed
Mine infrastructure, roads and the donor-funded pipeline.
Agri & cocoa
Smallholder cocoa and cashew moving toward export grade.
Mining & serviceslicensed
Licensed assets.
Fishing & processinglicensed
Rich licensed grounds.
Trade & supply
Provisioning the economy.
Logistics & harbour
The deep water.
Constructionlicensed
Mine and donor works.
Agri & cocoa
Toward export grade.
Why Sierra Leone
Key advantages of the jurisdiction.
✓
The endowment
Diamonds, iron, rutile, bauxite and fish. Few coasts hold as much.Few coasts hold as much.
✓
Common law in English
Contracts and courts in the language of your lawyers.In English.
✓
Two decades of peace
Elections transfer power; the war generation built institutions.Ballots transfer power.
✓
The harbour
One of the world's great natural anchorages at Freetown.A great natural anchorage.
✓
Thin competition
Frontier premiums with few rivals bidding.Frontier premiums.
✓
Digitised registry
Online incorporation faster than the reputation suggests.Faster than reputation.
How it compares
Sierra Leone next to the regional options.
Ghana runs the anglophone incumbent; Liberia the registry neighbour; Senegal the francophone anchor; Guinea the harder comparator. Sierra Leone sells endowment at frontier terms. Figures current as of 2026.Ghana: incumbent. Liberia: the flag neighbour. Senegal: francophone anchor. Guinea: harder. Sierra Leone: endowment at frontier terms. As of 2026.
| Country | Corporate tax | Entry character | Signature edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | 25% | Frontier · open | The recovering gem |
| Ghana | 25% | GIPC thresholds | The anglophone incumbent |
| Liberia | 25% onshore | Registry offshore | The flag state |
| Senegal | 30% | Open | The francophone anchor |
| Guinea | 25-35% | Harder | The bauxite giant |
Sierra LeoneGem
Corporate tax25%
EntryFrontier · open
GhanaIncumbent
Corporate tax25%
EntryGIPC bars
LiberiaFlag
Corporate tax25% onshore
EntryRegistry offshore
SenegalAnchor
Corporate tax30%
EntryOpen
GuineaBauxite
Corporate tax25-35%
EntryHarder
Requirements
What Sierra Leonean law actually demands.
01
One shareholder - Individual or company, any nationality. 100% foreign Ltds are standard.
02
One director - Any nationality; local presence smooths banking and ministries.
03
No minimum capital - Sized to the business; licences set their own bars.
04
Registered address - A Freetown business address - included in every package.
05
Sector licensing - Mining and fishing carry real licence tracks with real diligence.
06
Books & filings - NRA tax cycles and GST. Carried by our accountants.
How it works
From application to a live company in weeks.
The registry is quicker than the frontier label suggests; the value work is sector licensing and the hard-currency architecture.Sector and treasury first, OARG in 1-2 weeks, NRA files, dollar-disciplined banking in 1-3, licences in 3-12 - six weeks to working, tracks maturing.
01Same day
Free consultation
Sector, licence path and treasury design - settled first.
023-7 days
KYC & documents
Passports and POA collected; name reserved.
031-2 weeks
Incorporation
OARG registration; the Ltd exists.
043-7 days
Tax registrations
NRA and GST files opened.
051-3 weeks
Bank account
SLE and USD accounts with treasury discipline set.
063-12 weeks
Licences & permits
Mining or fishing tracks and work permits where the plan needs them.
Quick facts
Legal formLtd
Shareholders1+ - any nationality
Corporate tax25%
GST15%
MiningPer-licence terms
Standard timeline1-3 weeks
Renewal & accountingFrom $1,500/year
Mining agreements are the country's real fiscal law for miners: negotiated instruments with stabilisation clauses, diligenced at the cadastre and the community before any money moves.
On the ground
On the ground in Sierra Leone.
Prifinance - Sierra Leone
Freetown
Freetown, Sierra Leone
01
West Africa specialists
Your setup is run with Freetown counsel who file registry and licence work routinely.
02
Licences diligenced hard
Cadastre history, community terms and stabilisation clauses. Checked before commitment.
03
Frontier treasury standard
Dollar architecture from day one. The leone float held lightly.
04
Also in Tallinn, London, Dubai & more
A network of offices across Europe, the Gulf and the Americas. One team for your whole international structure.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
5/F, Yau Lee Centre, 45 Hoi Yuen Road, Kwun Tong
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
Berlin
Germany
Rankestraße 26
Madeira
Portugal
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F
Budapest
Hungary
Korányi Sándor u. 4
Istanbul
Türkiye
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
Toronto
Canada
1110 Finch Avenue West, suite 406
Singapore
Singapore
3 Church Street, #29-68 Samsung Hub
Bangkok
Thailand
Unit P01, Penthouse, VASU1, 1 Sukhumvit 25 Alley
Foshan
China
A-Tower, Yuneng Digital Plaza, 46 Lishui Avenue South
Almaty
Kazakhstan
Republic Square 13
Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan
32 Razzakov Street
Taxation 2026
Twenty-five standard - with mining written per licence.
Corporate tax is 25% with GST at 15% and dividends around 10%. Mining runs per-licence fiscal terms - royalties by mineral, negotiated stabilisation - and fisheries pay licence fees by fleet and season. Payroll contributions are modest. The arithmetic is simple; the discipline is currency and documentation.25% corporate, GST 15%, dividends ≈10%, mining per licence with stabilisation - simple arithmetic, currency discipline as the real skill.
Corporate - 25%
The standard rate for services and trade.Services and trade.
Mining - per licence
Royalties and terms negotiated per instrument.Per-licence terms.
GST - 15%
The consumption tax; monthly discipline.Monthly cycles.
Dividends - ≈10%
Modest withholding; treaty network thin.Thin treaties.
Levies in 2026
Corporate income tax25%
GST15%
Dividends≈10%
Mining royaltiesBy mineral
Social (employer)10%
Renewal & accountingFrom $1,500/year
Owners remain responsible for tax where they live - and leone treasury practice assumes softening: dollar contracts where lawful, prompt conversion, minimal idle local balances.
Your team
The specialists who'll handle your case.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
International Business Consultant
Guides clients from the first consultation to a working setup - companies, accounts and substance in 60+ jurisdictions.
Alex Danila
Corporate Services Specialist
Handles incorporation paperwork, KYC and bank introductions so your Sierra Leonean company launches without delays.
Follow Prifinance
Active across our channels.
Watch: opening a company in Sierra Leone with Prifinance
The recovering gem, entered with frontier discipline - company, licences, treasury and bank in one prepared project. Full support, start to finish.
Talk to a specialist →FAQ
Sierra Leone, at frontier weight.
Can I open a Sierra Leonean company without visiting?+
Yes - incorporation, tax registrations and banking preparation run by power of attorney. Banks like meeting a director, and licence work - mining above all - rewards presence at the ministry and the site. We sequence one Freetown trip where it earns most.
How much does it cost?+
Turnkey registration starts from $2,400; with banking from $4,400. Mining and fishing licence work is scoped per asset and season. Renewals with accounting run from $1,500 a year.
What taxes will the company pay?+
Corporate tax at 25%, GST at 15%, dividends around 10%, employer contributions near 10%. Miners live under their licence terms - royalties by mineral, negotiated stabilisation - and fishing fleets pay seasonal licence fees. Services and supply businesses plan on the standard numbers.
How does mining entry actually work?+
Through the licence and the agreement: exploration and mining licences run through the National Minerals Agency's cadastre, larger projects negotiate agreements with fiscal terms and stabilisation clauses, and the real diligence lives in licence history, boundary integrity and community arrangements. Acquiring a licensed local company is often cleaner than fresh grants. We diligence at the cadastre and the community before any commitment - the two places Sierra Leonean mining risk actually lives.
What is the fisheries opportunity?+
Rich grounds, licensed seriously: the shelf holds some of West Africa's best stocks, industrial and semi-industrial licences run by fleet, species and season, and onshore processing earns preference and better terms. Enforcement against unlicensed fishing has tightened - which protects the licensed. For fleet operators and processors, the resource justifies the paperwork.
How soft is the leone?+
Persistently: the 2022 redenomination reset the digits, not the direction, and planning assumes continued softening. Standard practice - dollar-denominated contracts where lawful, prompt conversion of local receipts, minimal idle leone balances, and hard-currency accounts beside local ones. Export earners are structurally hedged; everyone else prices consciously.
What about power and roads?+
Budget lines, not footnotes: grid power is unreliable outside self-generation, so gensets and solar are standard equipment; roads to the interior test vehicles and schedules, and the rains reshape logistics seasonally. Freetown's harbour compensates on the ocean side. Businesses that engineer infrastructure thrive; those that assume it stall.
Is the governance risk manageable?+
With patience and counsel - yes: two decades of peace, power transferred by ballot, courts that function in commercial matters, and administration that improves year on year from a low base. Local counsel, complete files and community relationships are the working tools. The trajectory is the asset; the pace is the price.
Why Freetown's harbour matters?+
It is one of the world's great natural deep-water anchorages - the reason the city exists - handling the ore, the imports and the fleets without the artificial-channel constraints of neighbours. Port modernisation continues under concession operators. For bulk and fleet logistics, the water itself is the infrastructure.
How long does it take?+
The company: one to three weeks. Banking: one to three more. Mining diligence and licence work: three to twelve weeks by asset. Fishing licences: by season. A working, banked Sierra Leonean operation inside six weeks - with licence tracks maturing alongside - is the working default.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
“As a software development crew at FewMoreTaps OÜ, we've had the pleasure of working with Prifinance on some key financial moves.First of all, navigating the world of corporate banking and finance can be a maze, but Prifinance made it feel like a walk in the park. They helped us set up a corporate bank account without the hassle of jumping on a plane or drowning in paperwork. Everything was done remotely, smoothly…”
Google
“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”
Google
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Google
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Google
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Google
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Google
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Tell us about the business, and a specialist replies within one business day: Ltd, licences or a different flag, with a timeline and a fixed quote.A Sierra Leone specialist will reply within one business day with a recommendation, a timeline and a fixed quote.
✓No obligation; the first consultation is free✓Licence and treasury design first✓Transparent fixed fees, confirmed up front✓EN · RU speaking team