Practice area
Immigration and corporate mobility
Entry, residence and work authorisation so international businesses can move and staff their people in Somalia lawfully.
How the firm works in this area
Somalia modernised its entry, residence and border framework through new immigration and citizenship legislation, and the firm advises international employers on operating within it. That covers work permits, residence and the corporate-mobility questions that arise when a business needs to move staff into the country for a project or a posting.
The practice sits close to employment and to corporate services, so a client establishing a presence can handle registration, staffing and mobility as one piece of work rather than three.
Confidentiality is structural, not cosmetic. Representative work in this area is described by anonymized descriptor only. The firm never implies a named client without consent.
What the firm handles
A working list of the matters clients instruct the firm on in this area.
Selected matters
A federal ministry, with a development institution
Working with a development institution, the firm drafted the subsidiary legislation that operationalises the Companies Act 2019, including minority-shareholder protections, electronic registration and the rules for converting between company forms. The drafting was supported by public and private validation workshops in Mogadishu and Hargeisa, so that the instruments reflected the positions of the ministries, the registry and the market participants who would have to work with them once they were in force.
A donor-funded implementing contractor
The firm registered a non-commercial branch office for a donor-funded contractor, secured the applicable tax exemptions for its non-commercial status, and overhauled the organisation’s employee handbook to bring it into full conformity with the Somali Labour Code. The engagement combined the corporate registration, the tax position and the employment framework into a single piece of work, so that the contractor could establish a compliant operational presence without handling each element separately.
An international gaming company
The firm represented the client in contested trademark opposition proceedings before the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, protecting its intellectual property against a conflicting local application. The work ran from the substantive arguments on the register through to the procedural conduct of the opposition, and secured protection for the client’s marks in the Somali market.
Related reading
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Somalia Commercial Laws Receive Presidential Approval
Somalia business laws receive presidential approval including new Investment Law creating SOMINVEST agency and Payment System Law. Key changes for investors and businesses.
EAC Membership Eases Export Rules
Somalia EAC membership transforms export-import regulations, creating new trade opportunities and compliance requirements for businesses in East African markets.
Instruct the firm on a matter in Somalia
The firm acts directly for clients and as Somali counsel to more than 140 international and regional firms. Tell us about the matter and the right lawyer will respond.