Algeria-Germany Summit, July 2026: what more than 30 agreements change for German companies
Algeria-Germany Summit, July 2026: what more than 30 agreements change for German companies
From 15 to 17 July 2026, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune paid a state visit to Berlin. Beyond the official images, the sequence produced something concrete: a joint declaration on a strategic agenda and more than thirty signed agreements. Here is what it opens for German companies and investors looking at Algeria.
What happened in Berlin
From 15 to 17 July 2026, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune paid a state visit to Germany. He held one-on-one talks with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and met Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The two countries issued a joint declaration on a strategic agenda for the bilateral partnership. Alongside it, more than thirty agreements were signed at the Algerian-German Economic Forum.
More than thirty agreements, five fields
The agreements cover five fields:
- hydrocarbons,
- renewable energy and the energy transition,
- the pharmaceutical industry,
- manufacturing,
- advanced technology.
Among the signed texts are a joint declaration of intent on reducing methane emissions in the oil and gas sector, and a new natural gas supply contract between Sonatrach and the German company VNG. The Algerian press covered the scale of the visit in a report on more than thirty strategic agreements signed in Berlin.
What it changes for German companies
A summit is only worth what it makes possible on the ground. For a German company weighing Algeria, the practical questions stay the same: can I own my project, repatriate my profits, and set up the structure without spending months on it? Today's Algerian framework answers all three more clearly than is often assumed.
The 51/49 rule no longer applies to most projects
For years, Algeria was summed up by the so-called 51/49 rule, which required a local majority in a company's capital. That is no longer the general rule. Under Executive Decree 21-145, the 51 percent local majority applies only to specific strategic sectors:
- energy and mining,
- pharmaceutical manufacturing,
- transport and transport infrastructure,
- defense,
as well as to pure import for resale. Outside those cases, a German project can be 100 percent owned by its German founders. For most industrial, service or technology activities, the local-majority-partner requirement simply does not apply.
Repatriating profits: the Law 22-18 framework
The second question for any investor is the return on their money. Article 8 of Law 22-18 guarantees the transfer of dividends and sale proceeds, under conditions. The main ones are: capital brought in through the official banking channel and in convertible currency, foreign financing of at least 25 percent of the project, and an activity that is not limited to import for resale. Met at incorporation, these conditions open the right to repatriation.
Legalizing documents: the Hague Apostille since 9 July 2026
A classic hurdle when setting up was legalizing foreign corporate documents, a slow chain of consular stamps. Since 9 July 2026, Algeria applies the Hague Apostille Convention. Germany is a member. In practice, a German commercial-register extract, a set of articles or a power of attorney can now be recognized in Algeria with a single apostille, without the full consular legalization.
Incorporating without traveling
You do not need to be in Algiers to form a company. Registration can run fully remote, through a power of attorney and a resident gerant. German founders sign from Germany, and the structure takes shape on the ground.
Where to start
The Berlin summit set the political frame. The legal frame is already favorable. To turn both into an operating company, we have prepared dedicated resources:
- our German-language guide, Firmengründung in Algerien,
- our guide to company formation in Algeria for German investors,
- our soft landing support to prepare your arrival.
Studying Algeria from Germany? Let's talk about your project. UpGrowth handles the structure, the domiciliation and the paperwork, so you can focus on your business. Pricing is quoted to fit your specific project.
