Djibouti company search: CFE / CEPME (ccd.dj)

TL;DR. Djibouti’s commercial register is kept by the Centre de Formalites des Entreprises at CEPME. Neither https://www.cepme.dj nor https://cepme.dj resolves any more: the domain itself is gone, so there is no online search, and this guide does not name a replacement site. Extract fees in Djiboutian francs are not published, so the fees in this guide read unknown rather than free; confirm at source. Confirm FATF listing at fatf-gafi.org.

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

Djibouti is a small country of under one million people with a strategic location at the mouth of the Red Sea, where the Bab el-Mandeb strait connects the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal. Its economy is primarily driven by port services, logistics, free zones, and multiple foreign military bases (US, French, Chinese, Japanese, and others). Foreign buyers engaging Djiboutian entities include port logistics operators, shipping companies, free zone investors, military-adjacent service contractors, and regional import/export traders.

The search challenge is primarily one of limited digitisation. Djibouti has invested in its free zone infrastructure and logistics connectivity, but the public-facing commercial registry remains largely paper-based with limited online accessibility for foreign users.

Registry at a glance

Name: Registre du Commerce (Commercial Register) and Centre de Formalites des Entreprises (CFE), a one-stop business formality centre.

Operator: The Ministry of Commerce (Ministere du Commerce, du Tourisme et de l’Industrie) oversees commercial registration. The Centre de Promotion des Entreprises et du Commerce Exterieur (CEPME) manages the CFE functions.

URL: https://www.cepme.dj no longer resolves, and the bare cepme.dj address does not resolve either.

What is covered: Commercial entities formed under Djiboutian commercial law (largely derived from French law tradition): SARL (societe a responsabilite limitee), SA (societe anonyme), sole traders, GIE (economic interest groups), and branches of foreign companies. Djibouti’s free zone entities (registered in Djibouti Free Zone, Djibouti International Free Trade Zone) may have separate registration frameworks.

Access model: Physical access at the CFE/CEPME office in Djibouti City is the primary route for obtaining certified company extracts. Some digitalisation is in progress, but the extent of online document access for foreign users is uncertain.

How to search

Step 1: CEPME portal. https://www.cepme.dj does not resolve, so there is no online search form to use.

Step 2: Identify the company type. Djiboutian companies registered in the main economy are different from free zone entities. Clarify with your counterparty whether they are registered in the onshore economy or in one of Djibouti’s free zones.

Step 3: Free zone verification. For free zone companies, contact the relevant zone authority directly. The Djibouti Free Zone (DFZ) has its own registry. The Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ), developed with China Merchants Group, opened in 2018.

Step 4: In-person or agent request. A physical CFE/CEPME application remains the described route. A two to five business day turnaround has been reported but is not published anywhere reachable; confirm at source.

Step 5: Tax identification cross-reference. Djiboutian companies have a tax identification number (NIF) issued by the Direction des Impots. Cross-referencing the company name and NIF provides a secondary verification layer.

What you can find

A certified commercial register extract for a Djiboutian entity typically includes:

• Company name (denomination sociale)
• Registration number (numero d’immatriculation au registre du commerce)
• Legal form (SARL, SA, sole trader, branch)
• Status: active or dissolved
• Registered address (siege social)
• Date of incorporation
• Business activity (objet social)
• Share capital in DJF (Djiboutian franc)
• Director name(s)
• Shareholder names for SARL entities

Financial statements and UBO data are not on the standard extract.

What is missing

• Beneficial ownership: No public UBO registry in Djibouti. Given Djibouti’s free trade zone character and strategic location, UBO transparency is a real compliance concern.
• Financial statements: Not publicly available through the registry.
• Free zone entities: Entities registered in Djibouti’s free zones may have different disclosure standards and registration records from onshore entities.
• Litigation records: Not available via the commercial register.
• Foreign military base-adjacent entities: Companies providing services to foreign military bases in Djibouti are not identifiable from registry data alone.

Pricing

Figures of DJF 5,000-20,000 for an extract and DJF 10,000-50,000 or more for an agent have been reported, but no fee schedule is published anywhere reachable, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source. The Banque Centrale de Djibouti at https://www.banque-centrale.dj is online but is not a company register.

English availability and practical access

There is no CEPME site left to read. The working languages of Djiboutian administration are French and Arabic, and no English registry interface could be confirmed.

Djibouti City is a relatively accessible city by East African standards, with good air connections and an established expatriate community. In-person visits are more feasible here than in some neighbouring jurisdictions.

Alternatives when the registry is limited

• In-country commercial lawyers: Several Djiboutian law firms and commercial agents handle entity verification for foreign clients.
• Banque Centrale de Djibouti (BCD): banque-centrale.dj for financial sector licensing information.
• Djibouti Free Zone (DFZ): Direct contact with DFZ management for free zone entity verification.
• Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ): China Merchants Port Holdings involvement in DIFTZ provides some corporate governance context for entities registered there.
• COMESA: The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa provides a regional trade and business context for Djibouti.
• FATF / MENAFATF: Djibouti’s AML/CFT assessments are conducted under the FATF framework; the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) has observer status relevance given Djibouti’s Arab League membership.

Compliance buyer notes

Confirm FATF listing at fatf-gafi.org. A mid-2026 grey-list position has been reported but is not restated here; confirm at source.

Key compliance considerations (information-only). This guide does not prescribe a due-diligence package. For a general framework, see the Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

• Free zone risk: Djibouti’s free trade zones attract a wide range of commercial activity, including some transshipment of goods from sanctions-affected or high-risk origins. Transshipment from Iran, Yemen, and other sanctions-related origins is a documented feature of that geography. Buyers typically verify goods flows at source.
• Strategic location: Djibouti’s position at the Bab el-Mandeb makes it highly sensitive to Red Sea conflict dynamics. The Yemen conflict and Houthi attacks on shipping (2023-2025 and ongoing) have affected logistics chains through Djibouti. That is operational context, not a prescribed risk-assessment product.
• Military base proximity: Multiple foreign military bases in Djibouti (US Camp Lemonnier, French Forces of Djibouti, Chinese base, Japanese base) create a material defence-adjacent commercial ecosystem. Export-control, ITAR, and security-clearance rules exist for some of those relationships. Confirm applicable rules at source.
• PEP exposure: Djibouti’s political system has been dominated by President Ismail Omar Guelleh since 1999. The Guelleh family and allied political network have material business interests. PEP lists exist. Buyers typically verify directors and major shareholders against available sources.
• Money laundering risk: Djibouti’s cash-intensive port economy and its role as a regional financial hub for remittances to Somalia, Yemen, and Ethiopia create documented money-laundering vulnerabilities. The Djiboutian financial intelligence unit has been building capacity. Those structural facts are context; this guide does not set a due-diligence standard or an extract-plus-screening package.
• OFAC: Djibouti is not under a complete OFAC country sanctions program. Yemen-related OFAC designations exist given geographic proximity. Buyers commonly verify names against current lists; confirm at source.

A certified registry extract and PEP/sanctions lists are among the public sources buyers typically consult. This guide does not prescribe that combination, and it does not prescribe a supplementary goods-flow review for free-zone or logistics entities.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: www.cepme.dj and cepme.dj, neither of which resolves; the Banque Centrale de Djibouti (banque-centrale.dj); FATF (fatf-gafi.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.