Capital: Yamoussoukro
Monetary Unit: West African CFA franc
Population: (2022 est.) 27,832,000
Official languages: French
Côte d’Ivoire, country located on the coast of western Africa. The de facto capital is Abidjan; the administrative capital designate (since 1983) is Yamoussoukro.
The public holidays in Ivory Coast are as follows;
- New Year’s Day (1st January)
- Easter Monday (13th April)
- Labor Day (1st May)
- Laylat al-Qadr
- Ascension Day (21st May)
- Eid al-Fitr
- Whit Monday (1st June)
- Eid al-Adha
- Cote d’Ivoire Independence Day (7th August)
- Assumption of Mary (15th August)
- Prophet’s Birthday
- All Saints’ Day (1st November)
- National Peace Day (15th November)
- Christmas Day (25th December)
Probation periods are allowed as follows:
- hourly employees: 8 days
- monthly paid workers: 1 month
- supervisors, technicians, and similar: 2 months
- engineers, managers, high-level technicians, and similar: 3 months
After one year of employment, employees are generally entitled to 26 days of paid annual leave. This increases to 27 days after 5 years of service.
Female employees are entitled to 14 weeks of paid maternity leave.
No paternity leave
Employees are generally eligible for at least 5 days of paid sick leave.
Employees are generally eligible for severance as follows:
- up to 5 years’ service: 30% of monthly wage
- 6-10 years’ service: 35% of monthly wage
- 10+ years’ service: 40% of monthly wage
The Ivory Coast has a specific process for foreign nationals who wish to enter the country for various purposes. The main types of visas are as follows:
- Short-term visa: valid for up to three months
- Long stay visa: valid for a maximum of one year
- Work contract visa: validity depends on the duration of the work contract.
The work contract visa is the appropriate choice for foreign employees. The first requirement for foreign nationals is to obtain a job from a company in Côte d’Ivoire. Having a job with an established company is essential because the employer will play a role in the application process. Several documents are required in addition to the application. These documents include:
- A passport with at least six months of validity and one blank page.
- Four copies of the foreign worker’s employment contract
- A copy of the employee’s resume
- A police background check from the employee’s country of residence
- A medical certificate including proof of immunization against yellow fever
- Professional references, such as the employee’s diploma and any relevant certifications
In some cases, the employee’s documents may need to be translated into French. An employee’s nearest consulate or embassy will be able to provide information regarding specific requirements, including the potential need for additional documents.
A contract of employment can terminate, at the initiative of the employee, in certain circumstances, namely: when a fixed-term contract expires; when there is mutual consent; or a major factor intervenes, the employee has the right to initiate the termination of the employment contract.
When an employee, signed with an open-ended contract for a specified period and for the temporary replacement of a worker, has been working for at least 6 months in the company, he/she can terminate the contract unilaterally.
The period of notice is as follows:
- 8 days for those who have worked on the project for up to 6 months
- 15 days for a commitment of six to twelve months
- One month is awarded for between one and six years of service
- Two months for between six and eleven years
- Three months for between eleven and sixteen years and
- Four months for more than sixteen years.
The following employees are typically eligible for severance pay:
- 5 years of service maximum: 30% of monthly wage
- 6–10 years of experience: a monthly pay of 35%
- 10+ years of experience: 40% of monthly pay
According to the legislation, these benefits are required. These consist of the probationary term, yearly leave, federal holidays, sick leave, maternity leave, overtime pay, notice period, and severance compensation. Social Security payouts are statutory benefits as well.
In general, Côte d’Ivoire has a 40-hour work week of 5, 8-hour days
There is a 23.8% premium for overtime work.
The notification period is as follows:
- 8 days for individuals who have worked for the company for up to 6 months; 15 days for those who have worked there for between 6 and 12 months;
- One month for one to six years of service;
- two months for six to eleven years of service;
- three months for between eleven and sixteen years of service;
- For more than 16 years of service, 4 months.
The Ivory Coast levies income taxes on its citizens’ worldwide earnings. Ivory Coast residents are liable to both general income tax and a particular direct income tax, depending on the type of income generated (IGR).
Taxable base (XOF) Tax rate (%) Variable (XOF)
0 to 600,000 0 0
600,000 to 1,560,000 1.5 9,000
1,560,000 to 2,400,000 5 63,600
2,400,000 and above 10 183,600
1.5% of 80% of gross income (GI) is levied as IS, which is withheld by employers.
80% of gross income is taxed as CN at progressive rates from 1.5% to 10%, based on varying tax brackets as shown below.
Together with the employer, employees must make contributions to the social security system (Caisse Nationale de Prevoyance Sociale, or CNPS). The company contributes 7.7% of the taxable salary and the employees each pay 6.3% into the CNPS Retirement Fund, for a combined contribution of 14.0%. The employer is responsible for paying the remaining contributions (family allowances, 5.75%; work injury, 2%–5%). The CNPS Retirement Fund has a monthly cap of XOF 1,647,315 and the other contributions have a cap of XOF 70,000.
Employment Expenses: For business-related expenses such travel costs, representation fees, and office supplies, individuals are permitted to deduct 15% of their gross income from IGR.
Personal Deductions: Although certain non-business expenses may be deducted under tax law, the practice is rarely used because the outcomes are typically worse than those obtained by using the standard deduction.
Standard Deduction: For resident aliens, the most highly advised tax option is a general or standard deduction of 20% of gross taxable income.
The progressive IGR schedule takes a taxpayer’s number of dependents into account, but it has no impact on IS, CN, or CNPS. IGR allowances are based on ratios of deductions known as “parts” that are related to the family status of the taxpayer. Taxpayers may add one-half of a part for each dependent child, up to a maximum of five parts per family, and unmarried taxpayers may deduct one-part, married taxpayers may deduct two parts. Beginning in 2013, both employed men and women can take use of the IGR deduction for dependents. In the past, the dependent deduction for marriage and children exclusively applied to men.
VAT is a non-cumulative tax levied on the sale of goods and services, which is 18% in Cote D’Ivoire
Impôt sur le revenu des valeurs mobilières (IRVM): 15% on dividends and directors’ fees.
Impôt sur le revenue des créances (IRC): 18% on interest payments, reduced to 13.5% (individuals) and 16.5% (businesses) on bank deposit interest.
The revenue realized by individuals on Treasury Bonds is exempted from tax.
Foreign banks are subject to 18% tax on loan interest or 9% on equipment loans with minimum three-year terms.
Impôt sur les benefices non commerciaux (BNC): 25% of 80% of revenues on royalties, licence fees, and management and service fees paid by Ivorian companies to foreign companies (effective rate: 20% of net amount paid).
Interest on certificates of deposit (bons de caisse): 25%.