Company registers in Algeria: the CNRC and the trade register

The legal framework

Law 04-08 of 14 August 2004 sets the conditions for commercial activity in Algeria. It was published in the Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne (JORA, Official Journal of the Algerian Republic) n° 52 of 18 August 2004 ¹. Article 4 states that registration in the trade register is required for any natural or legal person to carry on a commercial activity ¹. Article 43 repeals contrary provisions, including law 90-22 ¹.

Law 18-08 of 10 June 2018 amended and added to law 04-08. It appeared in Journal Officiel n° 35 of 13 June 2018 ².

The extract of the trade register

Law 04-08 describes the extrait du registre du commerce (trade register extract) as an acte authentique (authentic deed) issued to the registered natural or legal person ¹. Only one extract is issued for each natural or legal person. Duplicates or copies can be demanded from traders only in limited cases ¹. The model and content of the extract are set by regulation ¹.

The law bars registration for persons convicted of listed offences. The list in the Journal Officiel includes issuing a cheque without funds, forgery, false declarations made to obtain registration, tax fraud and drug trafficking ¹. Under article 37, failing to amend the entries on the extract within three months of a change is an offence ¹.

Publicity and access to the register

Legal notices about traders take effect one clear day after publication in the Bulletin officiel des annonces légales (BOAL) ¹. Article 15 requires every natural person trader to carry out the formalities for legal notices ¹.

Article 16 states that any interested person may obtain from the CNRC, at their own cost, communication of any information held in the register ¹. Article 42 requires the CNRC to pass information to the services in charge of commercial and tax controls ¹.

• Register keeper: CNRC ¹
• Who may ask: any interested person ¹
• Cost: paid by the person asking ¹
• Notices: BOAL, effective one clear day after publication ¹

The 2018 electronic portal and common identifier

Law 18-08 added article 5 bis 1 to law 04-08. It sets up an electronic portal to make company creation procedures easier, and puts the CNRC in charge of running it ². The rules on running the portal, on registering, sending and receiving electronic documents, and on giving out the common identifier are set by regulation ². Article 5 bis 2 states the portal holds a single form ².

The amended text links the single form to registration with the administrations concerned and to the attribution of a common identifier to the person concerned ². The 2018 law amended article 25 too. Registration for a regulated activity or profession is now made without first presenting the required authorisation or approval, save where a law says otherwise. Actually carrying on that activity still requires the authorisation or approval ².

Data protection and criminal records

Law 18-07 of 10 June 2018 on the protection of natural persons in the processing of personal data was published in Journal Officiel n° 34 of 10 June 2018 ³. Article 22 creates an independent administrative authority for the protection of personal data, placed with the President of the Republic ³. Most processing must be declared to the national authority beforehand or authorised by it ³.

The same issue carries law 18-06 of 10 June 2018 amending the code of criminal procedure ³. It states that a central criminal records service, headed by a magistrate, is kept at the Ministry of Justice ³. Under new article 630 bis, any person can learn the entries on bulletin n° 2 of their own record on request to the public prosecutor, but no copy of bulletin n° 2 is handed to the person ³.

Where the texts are published

The Secrétariat Général du Gouvernement (SGG, General Secretariat of the Government) publishes the Journal Officiel on joradp.dz. Its site lets users read published issues and search texts by theme ⁴. On 7 November 2026 the latest issue listed was Journal officiel n° 77 of 4 November 2026 ⁴.