> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://v2.docs.conduit.financial/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Benin

> How to collect KYB documents from business customers in Benin (BEN) when onboarding through the Conduit API.

## Overview

| Field        | Value                                 |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------- |
| Region       | Africa                                |
| ISO 3166-1   | BJ / BEN                              |
| Registry     | RCCM, Tribunal de Commerce de Cotonou |
| Last updated | 2026-05-06                            |

## Identifiers

Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Benin and submit them as strings on the application body.

| API field                       | Local name      | Issuer                                |
| ------------------------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| `businessInfo.taxId`            | **IFU**         | DGI (Direction Générale des Impôts)   |
| `businessInfo.businessEntityId` | **Numéro RCCM** | RCCM, Tribunal de Commerce de Cotonou |

*Tax ID:* Unique fiscal number for all taxpayers; issued at registration via APIEx/GUFE; applied for at ifu.impots.bj.

*Registration number:* Format: RB/COT/YY \[letter] NNNN; assigned at APIEx/GUFE single window.

## Sector regulators

`BCEAO` · `CIMA` · `AMF-UMOA` · `CENTIF` · `DGI`

## Legal structures

| Local name                             | Abbreviation | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| -------------------------------------- | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Société à Responsabilité Limitée       | SARL         | The most common SME form in OHADA-member Benin; managed by a gérant; no minimum capital since Decree N° 2014-220; liability limited to contributions. Equivalent to a US LLC.                                                                                                    |
| Société Anonyme                        | SA           | Share-capital company for larger enterprises; minimum capital 10,000,000 XOF (private) or 100,000,000 XOF (public offering); governed by a board or administrateur général. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp.                                                                       |
| Société par Actions Simplifiée         | SAS          | Flexible share-capital company introduced by AUSCGIE rev. 2014 (Arts. 853-1 to 853-23); governance freely defined by statuts; no minimum capital; shares not freely traded on a public market. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp.                                                    |
| Société en Nom Collectif               | SNC          | General partnership in which all partners have merchant status and bear unlimited joint and several liability for company debts; must register at RCCM. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership (GP).                                                                         |
| Société en Commandite Simple           | SCS          | Limited partnership with two classes of partners: commandités (general partners, unlimited liability) and commanditaires (limited partners, liable only to the extent of their contribution). Closest US equivalent: Limited Partnership (LP).                                   |
| Entreprise Individuelle / Entreprenant | EI           | Sole trader or individual entrepreneur (entreprenant under OHADA); no separate legal entity; unlimited personal liability; declared at GUFE for approximately 10,000 XOF. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship.                                                                |
| Groupement d'Intérêt Économique        | GIE          | Two or more legal persons pooling resources for an auxiliary economic purpose; acquires separate legal personality upon RCCM registration; members retain unlimited joint liability. Closest US equivalent: Statutory/Business Trust.                                            |
| Société Coopérative                    | SCOOPS       | Member-owned cooperative governed by the OHADA Uniform Act on Cooperative Societies (AUSCOOP, 2010); registered at the Registre des Sociétés Coopératives (RSCOOP); profits distributed to members based on activity. Closest US equivalent: Cooperative.                        |
| Succursale / Bureau de Représentation  | —            | Branch or representative office of a foreign legal entity operating in Benin; not a separate legal entity; the parent company bears full liability; must register at RCCM (succursale) or declare presence (bureau de représentation). Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office. |

## How documents combine

For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below.

| Evidence area          | Documents needed                                                      |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Legal Registration     | Extrait RCCM                                                          |
| Constitutive Documents | Statuts                                                               |
| Tax Registration       | Attestation IFU                                                       |
| Operating Permit       | *Any one of:* Patente communale · Autorisation d'exercer              |
| Ownership Records      | *All required:* Statuts + Extrait RCCM                                |
| Governance Records     | *All required:* Extrait RCCM + Statuts                                |
| Signing Authority      | *Any one of:* Procès-verbal d'assemblée · Procuration notariée        |
| Address                | *Any one of:* Contrat de bail · Facture de services · Relevé bancaire |
| Good Standing          | Extrait RCCM                                                          |

## Documents to collect

The physical documents you'll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil's Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed.

| Document                            | Proves                                                                   |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Extrait RCCM**                    | Legal Registration, Ownership Records, Governance Records, Good Standing |
| **Statuts**                         | Constitutive Documents, Ownership Records, Governance Records            |
| **Attestation IFU**                 | Tax Registration                                                         |
| **Patente communale**               | Operating Permit                                                         |
| **Autorisation d'exercer**          | Operating Permit                                                         |
| **Procès-verbal d'assemblée**       | Signing Authority                                                        |
| **Procuration notariée**            | Signing Authority                                                        |
| **Contrat de bail**                 | Address                                                                  |
| **Facture de services (≤90 jours)** | Address                                                                  |
| **Relevé bancaire (≤90 jours)**     | Address                                                                  |
| **Sector-Specific License**         | Agrément sectoriel                                                       |

### Collection notes

* **Legal Registration:** Official extract from Registre du Commerce et du Crédit Mobilier; issued by Tribunal de Commerce de Cotonou via APIEx/GUFE; confirms legal existence and registration number.
* **Constitutive Documents:** Articles of association drafted in French under OHADA AUSCGIE (eff. 2014-05-05); notarized for SA; private deed acceptable for SARL/SAS.
* **Tax Registration:** IFU certificate issued by DGI; obtained simultaneously with RCCM at APIEx/GUFE; portal: ifu.impots.bj.
* **Operating Permit:** Patente (annual municipal business tax/license) required in localities outside Cotonou/Parakou/Porto-Novo; Autorisation d'exercer for regulated activities (sector-specific). Cotonou businesses pay Taxe Professionnelle Synthétique instead.
* **Sector-Specific License:** BCEAO license for banking/fintech (EMIs/PSPs); CIMA approval for insurance; AMF-UMOA authorization for capital markets; required only for regulated sectors.
* **Governance Records:** Names and powers of gérant (SARL), Président du Conseil d'Administration or Directeur Général (SA), or Président (SAS) appear in the RCCM extract and statutes.
* **Signing Authority:** Board or shareholders' resolution (PV d'AG) evidencing signing authority; notarized power of attorney for third-party representatives.
* **Address:** Conduit universal policy: lease (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement, with utility/bank dated within 90 days. Same evidence satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks.
* **Good Standing:** No standalone good-standing certificate is issued; a recently dated copy of the listed document evidences current standing. A freshly dated Extrait RCCM from the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce de Cotonou (via APIEx/GUFE) reflects current registry status and serves as the good-standing equivalent. Accept an Extrait RCCM dated within 90 days.

## Person roles

When you submit a person on the application body, set their `role` to one of Conduit's canonical `BusinessPersonRole` values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role.

| Local role                                 | Canonical API role     | Description                                                                                    |
| ------------------------------------------ | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Gérant (SARL)                              | `LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE` | Appointed manager who legally represents the SARL; may be associate or non-associate.          |
| Président du Conseil d'Administration (SA) | `CONTROLLING_PERSON`   | Chair of the board of directors in a SA with conseil d'administration.                         |
| Administrateur (SA)                        | `CONTROLLING_PERSON`   | Member of the conseil d'administration; governance role.                                       |
| Directeur Général (SA)                     | `CONTROLLING_PERSON`   | Executive officer with general management authority; represents SA externally.                 |
| Président-Directeur Général (SA)           | `CONTROLLING_PERSON`   | Combined board chair and managing director; common in smaller SAs.                             |
| Administrateur Général (SA)                | `CONTROLLING_PERSON`   | Single-person governance in SAs with ≤ 3 shareholders; combines board and executive functions. |
| Président (SAS)                            | `LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE` | Statutory representative of a SAS; powers defined by statutes.                                 |

## Notes

* Benin is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (confirmed HCCH status table, last updated 31 Dec 2025). Document authentication requires full legalization chain (notarization → Ministry of Justice → consular legalization).
* The AML/CFT statute in force is Loi 2024-01 du 20 février 2024, which superseded Loi 2018-17 and its 2020 amendment (Loi 2020-25). Do not cite the 2018 or 2020 laws as the operative text.
* SARL minimum capital was abolished for Benin by Decree N° 2014-220 of 26 March 2014 (implementing OHADA AUSCGIE rev. 2014, Art. 311): associates freely determine share capital. The pre-2014 OHADA floor of 1,000,000 XOF no longer applies. SA minimum remains 10,000,000 XOF.
* BCEAO Instruction 001-01-2024 imposed a licensing regime for electronic money institutions and payment service providers across WAEMU, in force 23 January 2024. The final extended compliance deadline was 31 August 2025 (elapsed); only licensed entities may legally offer payment services from 1 September 2025.
* SARL statuts may be by private deed (acte sous seing privé), but notarization is required for SA statuts and for any contribution in kind; request the notarized originals, not copies.