You have a game or a sportsbook ready, players lined up, and a budget that does not stretch to a six-figure licensing bill. Anjouan solves that specific problem — it is one of the fastest, cheapest ways to get a real license and start taking real players. This guide covers exactly how to get one: the process, the documents, the cost, and the timeline.
It also covers where an Anjouan license fits in an operator's growth path, and one thing worth knowing before you build a long-term business on it.
Direct Answer
An Anjouan gaming license costs an initial fee of roughly EUR 18,000, with total first-launch setup (registered agent, offshore company formation, and license fees together) commonly landing near EUR 25,000-30,000. Processing runs 4 to 8 weeks from a complete application to a live license, administered through Anjouan Licensing Services Inc. (ALSI) on behalf of the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA). It is a genuinely fast, low-cost way to start operating — best treated as a launch license, not a long-term regulatory home.
What Is the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority?
Anjouan is one of the three main islands making up the Union of the Comoros, an archipelago nation off the East African coast. The Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA) is the body that issues gaming licenses branded to the island. Since May 2023, day-to-day administration of the licensing process has run through Anjouan Licensing Services Inc. (ALSI), which pre-screens and routes applications to AOFA rather than operators dealing with the authority directly.
What to Consider:
ALSI is the practical point of contact, not AOFA directly. Applications go through the administrator first; that is normal, not a red flag on its own.
Final Takeaway: Know the two names — ALSI administers the process, AOFA is the authority whose brand appears on the license itself.
How Do You Apply for an Anjouan Gaming License?
The process runs in a fairly consistent sequence across applications:
1. Form an offshore holding company. AOFA requires the applicant to hold the license through an offshore IBC formed in a jurisdiction it accepts, commonly Belize or Seychelles, with iGaming explicitly included in the company's stated corporate objectives.
2. Assemble the application file. A License Application Form, a Personal Information Form for every director, shareholder, UBO, and Key Person, and a UBO Declaration Form for each beneficial owner, plus police clearance certificates and source-of-funds evidence (bank reference letters, recent statements, signed declarations).
3. Submit through ALSI for a completeness check. The administrator reviews the file for completeness, typically within 2-3 business days, before it moves to AOFA.
4. AOFA screening. PEP screening, sanctions database checks, and UBO verification on every named individual in the file.
5. License issuance. A complete, well-documented file typically closes in 4 to 8 weeks; the fastest well-prepared applications land closer to 4 weeks, which is the figure most often advertised.
What to Consider:
Documentation quality drives the timeline more than anything else. A file missing notarized or translated documents restarts the completeness check, which is where most delays actually happen.
Budget for the offshore company formation as a separate line item. The license fee alone is not the full cost of getting operational.
Example
An operator submitted a complete file with pre-notarized UBO documentation and closed in just under 4 weeks. A second operator, missing certified translations for two directors' police clearance certificates, took closer to 9 weeks once the resubmission cycle was factored in — the process itself did not change, the file quality did.
Final Takeaway: Treat document preparation as the actual lever on timeline — a complete file the first time is the fastest path through this process.
What Does an Anjouan Gaming License Cost?
The AOFA initial licensing fee runs around EUR 18,000, covering the first year's Key Person Authorization and license management platform fees. Add offshore company formation, a registered agent, and document notarization/translation, and total first-launch setup commonly lands near EUR 25,000 to 30,000. Ongoing annual renewal and Key Person fees continue after year one.
| Factor | Anjouan (AOFA) | A regulated alternative (e.g. Curaçao LOK) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial license fee | ~EUR 18,000 | Higher, market-dependent |
| Total first-launch cost | ~EUR 25,000-30,000 | Commonly EUR 40,000+ |
| Typical timeline | 4-8 weeks | Several months |
| Gross gaming revenue tax | 0% | Varies by regime |
What to Consider:
The headline fee is not the full budget. Factor in company formation and annual renewal from day one, not just the initial license cost.
Final Takeaway: Anjouan's real advantage is total cost of entry, not just the license fee on its own — it is genuinely the cheapest fast path to a real license in this comparison set.
Is Anjouan a Good License to Start With?
For an operator launching on a tight budget and timeline, yes — Anjouan does exactly what it is meant to do. It gets a real, licensed operation live in weeks rather than months, at a fraction of the cost of a tier-1 regime, with none of the substance requirements that make faster-growing jurisdictions slower to enter. Plenty of operators use it as exactly that: a way to start operating, generate revenue, and prove the business model before committing to a heavier, more expensive license.
Reality Check
One fact worth knowing before you build long-term plans on this license: on 10 December 2025, the Comorian Ministry of Finance published a communiqué naming AOFA as conducting unauthorized offshore licensing activity, with the matter referred to public prosecutors in Anjouan's three regions. AOFA continues to issue licenses, and many existing Anjouan-licensed operators continue operating normally — but the dispute is real and unresolved, and it is a genuine factor in why this license works better as a starting point than a permanent home. Read the communiqué yourself rather than taking any licensing agent's summary of it at face value.
Final Takeaway: Anjouan is a legitimate way to start fast and cheap — go in with a plan for what comes after it, not an assumption that it is where the business stays.
Why Anjouan Works Better as a Launch License Than a Long-Term One
The practical reason to plan a transition eventually is banking, not the license itself. Banks, EMIs, and payment processors run KYB checks that increasingly surface AOFA's current standing once it appears in a corporate structure, and that scrutiny has grown more pronounced since the December 2025 communiqué. Operators who start on Anjouan and grow past the early stage typically find banking gets harder to maintain, not easier, the longer they stay on the same license.
What to Consider:
Plan the migration before you need it. Moving to a recognized regime is far easier as a deliberate, funded decision than as an emergency response to a frozen account.
Revenue growth is the natural trigger point. Once volume justifies the cost of a tier-1 or tier-2 regime, that is usually the right moment to re-license.
Final Takeaway: Use Anjouan to get started, and set a real revenue or timeline trigger for when you will move to a jurisdiction with recognized statutory standing — not an open-ended "eventually."
When Should You Move to a Recognized Jurisdiction?
| Jurisdiction | Licensing authority's legal standing | Reported cost tier |
|---|---|---|
| Curaçao (LOK) | Recognized national regulator | Mid tier |
| Malta (MGA) | Recognized EU regulator | Premium tier |
| Isle of Man (GSC) | Recognized national regulator | Premium tier |
| Kahnawake | Recognized Indigenous regulatory authority | Mid tier |
| Tobique | Recognized Indigenous regulatory authority | Mid tier |
What to Consider:
Weigh statutory standing alongside cost and speed, not instead of them. A recognized regulator is the floor for a durable, bankable business — the license comparison above covers the fuller tradeoffs.
Final Takeaway: The right next license depends on target markets and budget more than any single "best" answer — the comparison guide linked below covers that decision in full.
How BankMyCapital Helps
We help operators get licensed quickly through Anjouan when speed and cost genuinely matter for an early launch, and we help plan the transition to a recognized regime as the business scales — including the banking relationships that transition depends on.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an Anjouan gaming license cost?
The AOFA initial license fee is roughly EUR 18,000. Including offshore company formation, a registered agent, and document preparation, total first-launch setup commonly runs EUR 25,000 to 30,000, with ongoing annual renewal fees after year one.
How long does it take to get an Anjouan gaming license?
A complete, well-documented application typically takes 4 to 8 weeks from submission to a live license. The fastest well-prepared files close in around 4 weeks; incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delay.
What documents do you need for an Anjouan gaming license application?
A License Application Form, a Personal Information Form for every director, shareholder, UBO, and Key Person, a UBO Declaration Form per beneficial owner, police clearance certificates, and source-of-funds evidence such as bank reference letters and recent statements.
Is Anjouan a good license for a new operator?
For a fast, low-cost launch, yes — it is one of the cheapest and quickest ways to get a real, operating gaming license. Most operators are best served treating it as a starting point rather than a permanent regulatory home, given a real and unresolved dispute over AOFA's own authority (see below).
Is there anything I should know before relying on Anjouan long term?
On 10 December 2025, the Comorian Ministry of Finance publicly named AOFA as conducting unauthorized offshore licensing activity and referred the matter to prosecutors in Anjouan's three regions. AOFA continues to license operators and many existing licensees continue operating, but the dispute is unresolved. It's a genuine factor in planning a longer-term license, worth reading directly from the communiqué rather than a licensing agent's summary.