Gambia

Last update: 2026-05-22
GM GMDD English
Pros
Competitive corporate tax incentives for priority sectors to attract foreign investment and private capital.
Significant improvements in political stability and freedom of expression since the 2017 democratic transition.
Strategic maritime access through the Port of Banjul for reaching the broader West African market.
Cons
Persistent systemic corruption and bureaucratic hurdles in administrative processes and business registration.
Unreliable electricity supply and poor road networks leading to high operational costs for businesses.
High public debt levels and inflationary pressures impacting macroeconomic stability and purchasing power.
Personal income
NONE
Corporate
NONE
Capital gains
NONE
VAT (standard)
NONE
i 2.2 VERY LOW TAX
i 2 CRYPTO HAVEN
i 2 PRIVACY GRADE
i 1.3 HOLDING
i 0.9 EASY CITIZENSHIP
i 0.5 DIVIDEND PIPELINE
VERYLOW TAX 2.2/10 HOLDING 1.3/10 DIVIDENDPIPELINE 0.5/10 CRYPTOHAVEN 2/10 PRIVACYGRADE 2/10 EASYCITIZENSHIP 0.9/10
01/08

Will Gambia tax what you earn?

income tax tax residency territorial system

NO. Gambia doesn't tax personal income, and doesn't reach for you when you settle. No withholding, no return, no centre-of-vital-interests test waiting to trip. Salary is a non-event here, both in the rate and in the paperwork.

Personal income taxi
NONE
no personal income tax framework
Income simulatori
N/A
no income tax framework — nothing to simulate
Tax residence testi
N/A
no formal tax residency test · matters mainly for citizenship / immigration tracks
02/08

Will Gambia tax what you own?

capital gains wealth tax inheritance dividends interest

NO. Gambia doesn't tax what you hold. No capital gains, no annual wealth assessment, no inheritance regime. The value sitting in your portfolio compounds untouched, and leaves it the same way it arrived.

Capital gainsi
NONE
no capital gains regime
Dividend taxi
NONE
no dividend tax
Interest incomei
NONE
no interest income tax
Wealth taxi
NONE
no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment
Crypto · tax regimei
Regime
UNREGULATED
Fallback rate
15%
The Gambia has no specific cryptocurrency tax framework. The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) applies general tax law under the Income and Value Added Tax Act 2012. Casual investors are subject to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) at a rate of 15% of the gain or 5% of the consideration, whichever is higher. Professional traders are subject to progressive Personal Income Tax (top rate 25%). The Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) does not recognize crypto as legal tender and has issued warnings regarding its use.
Crypto-to-cryptoi
TAXABLE
each swap counts as a disposal — gains realised at every trade
FATF travel rulei
NOT SIGNED
no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers
Inheritance systemi
NONE
no estate tax · no heir-based duties · no succession tax framework. Wealth transfers across heir-classes are not taxed in this jurisdiction. Only standard probate / registration fees may apply.
03/08

Is it easy to run a company in Gambia?

corporate tax criminal liability public registry VAT IP box

YES. Gambia has no corporate income tax, but treats misuse of corporate assets as a criminal offense. Even as sole shareholder, using company funds for personal purposes can trigger prosecution; your own consent doesn't waive the offense. Registries are non-public, so at least your name stays off the public web. Fiscal calm, legal discipline.

Corporate taxi
NONE
no corporate income tax framework
IP Box · Patent Boxi
NONE
no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules
Misuse of corporate assetsi
CRIMINAL LIABILITY
Criminal Code (Cap 10:01), Sections 259 and 301; Companies Act 2013, Section 314
The Gambia follows the 'Autonomy of the Legal Entity' principle (Salomon v Salomon). Under English Common Law precedents persuasive in The Gambia (notably Attorney General's Reference (No. 2 of 1982)), a sole director and shareholder can be criminally liable for theft from their own company. The company is a separate legal person, and the shareholder's consent does not preclude the 'dishonesty' required for a conviction under Section 259 (Stealing by Directors) or Section 301 (Fraudulent Appropriation by Directors) of the Criminal Code, even if the company remains solvent.
Shareholders privacyi
PRIVATE
Registrar of Companies (Ministry of Justice)
Directors privacyi
PRIVATE
Registrar of Companies (Ministry of Justice)
Incorporation costi
Private Limited Company
Private Company Limited by Shares
Name Reservation Fee USD 7
Business Registration Fee (Foreign Rate) USD 33
Incorporation Fee (Share Capital up to 500,000 GMD) USD 135
Notarization of Company Statutes USD 2
Municipal Operational License (Banjul/Kanifing) USD 67
Stamp Duty USD 31
Mandatory Income Tax Deposit for Foreign Investors USD 628
Professional Legal Fees (Drafting and Filing) USD 471
Total USD 1,374
VAT standard ratei
NONE
no general VAT · no consumption tax framework
04/08

Is Gambia good for your holding company?

treaty network participation exemption withholding

NO. Gambia doesn't carry a treaty network, which makes it unsuitable as a holding jurisdiction. Any dividend flowing in or out faces full statutory withholding, and no domestic participation exemption can compensate for missing relief on the source side.

Territorial systemi
Individuals
WORLDWIDE
Corporates
WORLDWIDE
Individuals: worldwide income taxation regardless of source. Corporates: worldwide.
Participation exemptioni
NONE
no dividend participation exemption regime
CFC rulesi
NONE
no controlled foreign corporation regime · foreign-source corporate income out of scope
WHT · dividendsi
no withholding on outbound dividends
WHT · interest
no withholding on outbound interest
WHT · royalties
no withholding on outbound royalties
Tax-haven WHT
no punitive rate on record
Treaties signedi
0
active
Treaties pending
in negotiation
Tax treaty networki
origin · GM 0% > 0% no treaty
Inspect a country
Hover any country on the map to read its withholding-tax treaty with GM.
Country Status Dividends Interest Royalties
// no treaties match
05/08

What does it cost to come and go from Gambia?

exit tax territorial system dual citizenship

SOME. Gambia taxes worldwide income while you're resident, but there's no exit tax on the way out. The cost of leaving is mostly paperwork: unrealised gains follow you to the next jurisdiction untouched.

Exit taxi
NONE
no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism
Dual citizenship
FORBIDDEN
naturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship
Citizenship paths
Residence
Marriage
Birth
Descent
Investment
06/08

Will Gambia protect your privacy?

info exchange corporate registries

YES. Gambia has joined almost none of the major automatic-exchange frameworks (CRS, FATCA, CARF, MLI, MAAC), and its corporate registries are non-public. Account flows stay out of foreign hands; ownership stays out of public ones. Discretion is built into the system.

Multilateral reporting frameworks 0/10 active
CRS
CARF
FATCA
MLI
BEPS
MAAC
GLOBAL FORUM
EOIR
CRYPTO-CARF
CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE
07/08

Is Gambia itself a liability?

blacklists FATF standing

SOMEWHAT. Gambia is flagged by one or two national tax authorities and sits outside FATF membership. Selective friction: anti-abuse rules trigger on transactions in specific corridors, and counterparties tend to ask more questions.

Blacklist exposure Listed by 1 authority
FATF
grey / black list
EU
non-cooperative list
FRANCE
ETNC list
SPAIN
tax-haven list
PORTUGAL
favourable regimes
BRAZIL
low-tax list
08/08

Will you feel free in Gambia?

press freedom crypto CBDC EU

PARTLY. Gambia scores in the middle band of the RSF press-freedom index (rank #58): civil society operates but the boundaries are real. Crypto sits in the standard regulated tier.

Press freedom · RSF indexi
58/180
score 65 · · 0 rank year-on-year
Central bank digital currencyi
NONE
no announced CBDC program · no pilot · no retail or wholesale prototype on record
SEE ALSO

Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Gambia. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.
NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.
NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.