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Investment & Legal Framework
Processing of a wide variety of Zambian gemstones
LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR
INVESTMENT PROTECTION
IMPORT AND EXPORT CONSIDER-
ATIONS - IMPORT PROCEDURES
The Zambia Development Act assures investors that
property rights are respected. No investment of any
description can be expropriated unless Parliament
has passed an Act relating to the compulsory acqui-
sition of that property. Also, in case of expropriation
full compensation shall be made at market value and
shall be convertible at the current exchange rate.
Zambia is a signatory to the Multilateral Investment
Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank and
other international agreements. This guarantees
foreign investment protection in cases of war, strife,
disasters, and other disturbances or in cases of ex-
propriation. Zambia has signed bilateral reciprocal
promotional and protection of investment protocols
with a number of countries.
Customs Clearance and Valuation
In order to clear goods through Customs, an importer
must present the usual commercial documents such
as bill of lading, airway bill and commercial invoice.
The Import Declaration Form is used for statistical
purposes, and no fee is required. For goods to
Company Incorporation
All businesses engaging in both domestic and inter-
national trade are required by law to be registered
with the Patents and Companies Registration Office,
an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Commerce,
Trade and Industry.
Registration is executed by:
• A business name
• A public or private company (therefore being incor-
porated in Zambia) or
• A foreign company.
The minimum capital required for registering a public
or private company is K5 million. Registration fees
(inclusive of name search, forms, processing of ap-
plication forms) are as follows:
• K25,000 name clearance
• K80,000 (for registering a business name)
• K255,000 (for registering a limited company)
• K1,350,000 (for a foreign company)