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Glossary of French official register terms used in Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania

Last checked 7 November 2026 · 6 sources

Short answer

French remains a language of official registers in Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania. Key terms include immatriculation (first registration), inscription modificative (amendment) and radiation (deletion) in trade registers 1,2. A certificat négatif clears a business name 1. The greffe is the court registry that keeps local registers 2. In criminal records, the bulletin n° 3 is the extract issued to the person 4. In land law, immatriculation foncière means registering a land title 5. Meanings below are taken from the texts cited.
Trade register
Registre du commerce 1,23
First registration
Immatriculation 1,2
Amendment entry
Inscription modificative 2
Deletion
Radiation 1,2
Name clearance
Certificat négatif 1,2
Data controller
Responsable du traitement 4,6

Trade register terms

French termEnglish meaningWhere the text uses it
Registre du commerce 1,23Trade register, kept locally by court registries 1,23Morocco 1, Mauritania 2, Algeria 3
Registre central du commerce 2Central trade register that copies local entries each month 2Mauritania 2
Immatriculation 1,2First registration of a trader or company, called the birth certificate of the business by OMPIC 1,2Morocco 1, Mauritania 2
Inscription modificative 2Entry recording a change. OMPIC calls changes modifications, filed in Morocco on form M4 or 4/1 1,2Mauritania 2
Radiation 1,2Deletion from the register when trading stops or a company is dissolved 1,2Morocco 1, Mauritania 2
Radiation d'office 1,2Automatic deletion, for example three years after dissolution is recorded 1,2Morocco 1, Mauritania 2
Extrait du registre du commerce 3,2Certified extract of the register entries 3,2Algeria 3, Mauritania 2
Greffe, secrétariat-greffe 1,2Court registry where filings are made 1,2Morocco 1, Mauritania 2
Juge commis 2Judge named to supervise the register and hear disputes 2Mauritania 2
Commerçant ambulant 2Itinerant trader, exempt from registration in Mauritania 2Mauritania 2
Activité commerciale sédentaire 3Trade carried on from fixed premises 3Algeria 3
Groupement d'intérêt économique (GIE) 2Economic interest group that must register 2Mauritania 2
Société en participation 1Undisclosed partnership, not registered and with no legal personality 1Morocco 1

Names, taxes and notices

French termEnglish meaningWhere the text uses it
Certificat négatif 1,2Certificate that a name, acronym or sign is not already in use 1,2Morocco 1, Mauritania 2
Dénomination, sigle, enseigne 1Company name, acronym and shop sign 1Morocco 1
Fonds de commerce 1,2The business as a going concern, which can be sold or leased 1,2Morocco 1, Mauritania 2
Taxe professionnelle 1Business tax, a registration step before the trade register in Morocco 1Morocco 1
Impôt des patentes 2Business tax roll, whose certificate is needed before registration 2Mauritania 2
Journal d'annonces légales 1,2Legal notices newspaper 1,2Morocco 1, Mauritania 2
Mentions légales 3Legal notices a trader must publish 3Algeria 3
Sûretés mobilières 2Security interests over movable assets entered in the register 2Mauritania 2

Criminal records and data protection

French termEnglish meaningWhere the text uses it
Casier judiciaire 4Criminal record 4Algeria 4
Bulletin n° 1 4Record card for each conviction 4Algeria 4
Bulletin n° 2 4Full statement of all record cards on one person 4Algeria 4
Bulletin n° 3 4Extract of prison sentences issued only to the person 4Algeria 4
Néant 4None, the word printed when there is no conviction 4Algeria 4
Réhabilitation 4Rehabilitation, which erases the effects of a conviction for the future 4Algeria 4
Données à caractère personnel 4,6Personal data 4,6Algeria 4, Morocco 6
Responsable du traitement 4,6Data controller 4,6Algeria 4, Morocco 6
Déclaration préalable 6Prior declaration of processing to the authority 6Morocco 6

Land terms

French termEnglish meaningWhere the text uses it
Immatriculation foncière 5Registration of a land title 5Mauritania 5
Concession 5Grant of state land, final only after development 5Mauritania 5
Mise en valeur 5Development of land, the condition for ownership 5Mauritania 5
Terres mortes 5Land never developed, owned by the state 5Mauritania 5
Domanial 5Belonging to the state's land 5Mauritania 5
Chambres mixtes 5Mixed chambers of regional courts hearing state land disputes 5Mauritania 5

How to use this glossary

The same word can mean different things in two countries. Immatriculation means trade registration in the Moroccan and Mauritanian trade texts, but land title registration in Mauritania's land ordinance 1,25. Penalty amounts tied to these terms are in each country's currency as the text states them, for example ouguiyas in Mauritania's Commercial Code 2 and dinars (DA) in Algeria's law 04-08 3. Meanings above are plain-English summaries of the cited texts, not official translations.

Common questions

What does immatriculation mean in a Moroccan trade register?

The first registration of a trader or company, which OMPIC calls the birth certificate of the business 1.

What is a certificat négatif?

A certificate that a business name, acronym or sign is not already in use 1.

What is the greffe?

The court registry where trade register filings are made 1,2.

What is a bulletin n° 3 in Algeria?

The criminal record extract issued only to the person concerned 4.

What does radiation mean in a trade register?

Deletion of the entry, for example when trading stops 1,2.

Rules and fees change. Check the official source linked on this page before you act on it. Spotted an error? Email hello@maghrebregisters.com.

Sources

  1. OMPIC: Création et vie de l'entreprise (Creation and life of the business)
  2. WIPO Lex: Loi n° 2000-05 du 18 janvier 2000 portant Code de commerce, modifiée par la loi n° 2015-32 du 10 septembre 2015 (Law 2000-05 on the Commercial Code, as amended by law 2015-32), Mauritania
  3. Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne: N° 52, loi n° 04-08 du 14 août 2004 relative aux conditions d'exercice des activités commerciales (Official Journal No. 52, law 04-08 on the conditions for carrying on commercial activities) (18 August 2004)
  4. Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne: N° 34, lois n° 18-06 et n° 18-07 du 10 juin 2018 (Official Journal No. 34, laws 18-06 and 18-07) (10 June 2018)
  5. Direction Générale de l'Administration Territoriale, Ministère de l'Intérieur, Mauritanie: Ordonnance n° 83.127 du 5 juin 1983 portant réorganisation foncière et domaniale (Ordinance 83-127 on land and state property reorganisation)
  6. Ministère de la Justice, Maroc (portail Adala): Dahir n° 1-09-15 du 18 février 2009 portant promulgation de la loi n° 09-08 relative à la protection des personnes physiques à l'égard du traitement des données à caractère personnel (Law 09-08 on the protection of individuals in the processing of personal data)

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