Chad Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Chadian Business

TL;DR. Chad’s commercial registry (RCCM) at the Tribunal de Commerce de N’Djamena has no functional online search for foreign users. In-person access or an in-country agent is required for certified extracts. Chad was placed on the FATF grey list in 2023, requiring enhanced due diligence for all Chadian counterparties. Oil sector exposure and military governance add additional compliance complexity.

Who searches for Chadian company information, and why it’s hard

Chad is a landlocked Sahelian country with an economy heavily dependent on petroleum revenues. Foreign engagement comes primarily from oil and gas sector operators (Total Energies, Exxon, and their contractors historically), development finance institutions, humanitarian organisations addressing the Lake Chad Basin crisis, and some agricultural commodity traders. Since the military seizure of power in April 2021 and FATF grey-listing in 2023, compliance scrutiny of Chadian counterparties has increased substantially.

The RCCM in N’Djamena is the formal mechanism for company registration but operates with minimal digitisation. No public online search is available. Access requires physical presence in N’Djamena or engagement of a local agent, which in a challenging operating environment translates to material time and cost for foreign compliance buyers.

Registry at a glance

Name: Registre du Commerce et du Credit Mobilier (RCCM), following the OHADA Uniform Act framework.

Operator: Tribunal de Commerce de N’Djamena, under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice (Ministere de la Justice et des Droits de l’Homme). Chad joined OHADA in 1993.

URL: www.justice.gouv.td [VERIFY: This domain may not host a functional company search portal. Public company information is not reliably accessible online for Chad as of 2026-05-17. The URL is the Ministry of Justice portal; a dedicated RCCM search function has not been confirmed.]

What is covered: All commercial entities under OHADA law: SARL (private limited), SA (public limited), SNC (general partnership), SCS (limited partnership), entreprise individuelle (sole trader), GIE (economic interest group), and branches of foreign companies registered to operate in Chad.

Access model: Paper-based, in-person access at the Tribunal de Commerce de N’Djamena. There are OHADA initiatives toward a regional digital RCCM, but Chad’s deployment is not confirmed as of mid-2026. All meaningful company search requires engagement of a local agent or lawyer.

How to search

Step 1: Engage an in-country agent. This is not optional for Chad. Identify an N’Djamena-based commercial lawyer or agent through international law firm referrals, the Chadian Bar Association, or regional Central Africa-focused practices.

Step 2: Provide company identifiers. Give your agent the company name, the RCCM number if available (format: NDJ-[year]-[type]-[number]), and any tax identification information (Numero d’Identification Fiscale, NIF) from the counterparty. The NIF is assigned by the Direction Generale des Impots (DGI) and is a useful cross-reference.

Step 3: Request certified RCCM extract. Your agent attends the Tribunal de Commerce de N’Djamena and files for the extrait du RCCM. Expect 5-10 business days minimum, longer if administrative disruptions occur.

Step 4: Sector-specific verification. For petroleum sector entities, Chad’s oil operations are governed through the Ministere des Hydrocarbures. Concession and contract data, to the extent publicly available, may supplement the registry extract. For entities in the Lake Chad Basin agricultural zones, the Ministere de l’Agriculture may hold relevant licensing data.

Step 5: Cross-reference with sanctions lists. Given Chad’s FATF grey-listing and the presence of armed groups in its territory, sanctions screening of individual directors and shareholders against UN, OFAC, EU, and AU lists is essential and should precede or accompany the registry search.

What you can find

When obtainable, an RCCM extract for a Chadian entity typically includes:

• Company name (denomination sociale)
• RCCM registration number and date
• Legal form (SARL, SA, branch, sole trader)
• Status: active or struck off (data currency is uncertain)
• Registered address in N’Djamena or secondary cities
• Date of incorporation
• Business activity (objet social)
• Share capital in XAF (Central African CFA franc)
• Director name(s)
• Shareholder/partner names (for SARL)

Data quality is variable. Older registrations and entities outside N’Djamena may have incomplete or outdated records.

What is missing

• Beneficial ownership: No UBO registry in Chad. This is a material AML/CFT gap highlighted in Chad’s FATF assessment.
• Financial statements: Not publicly available through the RCCM.
• State enterprise ownership: Chad’s oil sector is dominated by the Societe des Hydrocarbures du Tchad (SHT). State ownership of commercial entities may not be immediately apparent from the RCCM.
• Litigation records: Not available via the registry.
• Conflict exposure: The registry cannot indicate whether an entity operates in or near conflict-affected areas.

Pricing

Exchange rate reference: XAF/USD approximately 610:1 (May 2026, approximate; XAF pegged to EUR). Verify at BEAC (beac.int). Cash payment at the Tribunal in XAF.

English availability and practical access

No English interface exists on any Chadian government registry portal. The working languages are French and Arabic. French is dominant in formal legal and business documentation. Foreign buyers require French-speaking agents or lawyers.

Security conditions in Chad and N’Djamena should be reviewed before any in-person engagement. Regional Central Africa-focused law firms (often headquartered in Yaoundé, Paris, or Abidjan) with N’Djamena correspondent networks are the practical route.

Alternatives when the registry is limited

• In-country legal counsel: The only reliable route for certified RCCM extracts.
• BEAC: Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (beac.int) for financial sector licensing context.
• GABAC: Groupe d’Action contre le Blanchiment d’Argent en Afrique Centrale, the FATF-Style Regional Body for Central Africa covering Chad.
• FATF follow-up reports: Chad’s greylisting documentation from FATF provides detailed analysis of specific weaknesses in beneficial ownership, financial intelligence, and law enforcement.
• AfDB: African Development Bank Chad country profile for macroeconomic and investment context.
• UN: UN Security Council documentation on Sahel-region conflict, Lake Chad Basin crisis, and regional armed group activity provides risk context.

Compliance buyer notes

Chad was placed on the FATF grey list (increased monitoring) in 2023. This considerably raises the standard of due diligence expected for Chadian counterparties:

• Enhanced due diligence required under most AML/CFT regulatory frameworks. This means documented beneficial ownership confirmation, enhanced transaction monitoring, and senior sign-off on onboarding decisions.
• Oil sector dominance and state control: Chad’s petroleum revenue management has been a longstanding governance challenge. The Societe des Hydrocarbures du Tchad (SHT) and state-affiliated entities require heightened anti-bribery and corruption assessment (FCPA, UK Bribery Act).
• Military governance: Chad has been governed by a transitional military council since the death of President Idriss Deby in April 2021 and his son Mahamat Idriss Deby’s subsequent assumption of power. Any government contracts or state-linked entities must be assessed for political risk and bribery exposure.
• Sahel conflict spillover: Chad borders multiple conflict-affected jurisdictions (Libya, Sudan, CAR, Niger) and faces internal security pressures from armed groups in its Sahel regions. Conflict-related AML risk for entities in affected areas is material.
• PEP exposure: Given the concentration of political and economic power, PEP screening of all directors and shareholders is essential and should use commercial databases with strong African political coverage.
• OFAC: Chad is not under a complete OFAC country sanctions program. Individual screening of Chadian counterparties remains mandatory for US-nexus transactions, particularly given the Sahel conflict proximity.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: BEAC (beac.int); FATF Chad mutual evaluation and grey-list documentation (fatf-gafi.org); GABAC; African Development Bank Chad profile (afdb.org).