Business Practices |
Accounting Rules |
Tax Rates |
Intellectual Property |
Legal Framework |
Standards
Business Practices
- General information
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Libyaonline, Various documents required for commercial or practical transactions
- Opening hours and days
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The banks are open from Sunday to Wednesday from 8 am to 1 pm, then from 4 pm to 6.30 pm. On Thursday, banks are open from 7 am to 2 pm.
Public holidays
| Jamahiriya Day |
2 March |
| British Evacuation Day |
28 March |
| Army Day |
9 August |
| National Day |
1 September |
| Italian Evacuation Day |
7 October |
| 1911 Deportation Memorial Day |
26 October |
| Independence Day |
24 December |
Periods when companies usually close
| Aïd al-Mawlid commemorates the birth of the Prophet Mohammed |
Variable but lasts one day |
| Aïd al-Fitr corresponds to the end of the Ramadan fast period |
Variable but lasts one day |
| The Anniversary of the Revolution is the most important civil festival in the country |
1 September |
Accounting Rules
- Tax year
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1 January to 31 December.
- Accounting regulation bodies
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- Professional accountancy bodies
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- Accounting news
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Tax Rates
Consumption taxes
- Tax rate
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There is no VAT.
Corporate taxes
- Company tax
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Progressive rate from 15% to 40%
- Capital gains taxation
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Capital gains are treated as income and taxed at the standard rate.
- Other corporate taxes
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The Jihad tax (national defense tax) on companies: it is levied on companies' annual taxable profits: 4% on the taxable profits.
Registration tax for contracts. The tax is 2% for the main contract and 1% for a sub-contract.
Individual taxes
Tax rate
| Personal Income Tax |
from 8 to 15% |
| Upto LYD 4,800 |
8% |
| From LYD 4,801 LYD to 9,600 |
10% |
| Beyond LYD 9,601 |
15% |
| Personal Jihad Tax |
It varies from 1% to 3% according to income |
- Allowable deductions and tax credit
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no
- Special expatriate tax regime
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No
Double taxation treaties
- Countries with whom a double taxation treaty have been signed
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- Whithholding taxes
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Dividends: 0, Interest: 5%, Royalties: are tax as ordinary income.
Intellectual Property
- National organizations
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Libya is a member of the WIPO Convention (convention instituting the World Intellectual Property Organisation). It is also a signatory to the Paris Convention on industrial property, as well as the Berne Convention on the protection of literary and artistic works.
- Regional organizations
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The Secretariat of the People's Public Committee - National Board for Scientific Research
National regulation and international agreements
| Type of property and law |
Validity |
International agreements signed |
Patent law n° 8 of 1959 on patents and on industrial designs and models. 1959 |
Protection is for a period of 15 years from the date of registration. It can be renewed once for a period of 5 years. Payment is made by annual increments. |
|
Trademark Paris Convention on industrial property 1967 |
10 years from registration. There is a 3 months' wait after the date of registration during which anybody can oppose the request for protection. This can be renewed every 10 years. |
Trademark law treaty
Nice agreement
Protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement
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Copyright Law number 7 of 1984 based on law number 9 of 1968 on copyright protection. |
Protection is valid for the lifetime of the author plus a period of 50 years. |
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Legal Framework
- Independence of justice
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The judiciary is not independent in Libya. Security forces have the power to punish someone without a trial and political trials are held in secret.
- Equal treatment of nationals and foreigners
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Foreign nationals cannot expect an impartial trial from the country's judicial system.
- The language of justice
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Arabic is the judicial language in the country.
- Recourse to an interpreter
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Having an interpreter is possible.
- Sources of the law and legal similarities
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The main source of the law is the constitution of 1969 (amended in March 1977). The country's legal system is based on the Italian civil law system and Islamic law. Libya has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
- Checking national laws online
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Last updates: October 2009