Angola – Beneficial Ownership Legal Regime Approved

In brief

On 19 August 2026, Law No. 7/26 was published. It establishes the Beneficial Ownership Legal Regime and requires the identification and registration of the individuals who directly or indirectly hold or control legal persons and other entities in Angola.

In detail

Law No. 7/26 of 19 August approves the Beneficial Ownership Legal Regime and came into force on the date of its publication.

The main measures include the following: 

• Central Beneficial Ownership Register (CRBE) - The Law creates the Central Beneficial Ownership Register (Central de Registo do Beneficiário Efectivo – CRBE), a central register of information on the beneficial owners of the entities within scope.  The register is public, subject to the restrictions under data protection and information security legislation. 
• Scope - The regime applies to commercial companies, branches, sole traders, cooperatives, associations, foundations, non-governmental organisations, funds and trusts operating in Angola, among other entities. 
• Definition of beneficial owner - A beneficial owner is the individual who owns or controls the entity. As a general rule, this includes anyone holding 25% or more of the share capital or voting rights, or exercising control by other means. 
• Reporting obligations - Beneficial ownership information must be declared when the entity is incorporated or first registered. It must be updated within 15 days of any relevant change and confirmed every year by 31 March. 
• Transitional period - Entities already incorporated, registered or operating in Angola have 180 days from the Law's entry into force to complete the initial registration of their beneficial owners. 
• Penalties - Failure to meet these obligations may lead to fines and ancillary penalties, and in the most serious cases to cancellation of registration. For commercial companies, fines for very serious infringements can reach Kz 50,000,000.00. 

^{© 2026 PwC. This communication is of an informative nature and intended for general purposes only. It does not address any particular person or entity nor does it relate to any specific situation or circumstance. PricewaterhouseCoopers Tax Services TLS, Lda. We will not accept any responsibility arising from reliance on information hereby transmitted, which is not intended to be a substitute for specific professional business advice.}