kabul Municipality
The Process of Document Steps for Obtaining a Building Permit
The process of issuing a building permit varies depending on the type of existing urban plans and follows specific stages. In general, the issuance of building permits for properties whose owners wish to undertake construction can be divided into two main sections. Below is a brief overview of the administrative procedures for each of these sections:
1: Planned Areas
Planned areas are those that have been incorporated into urban plans by the relevant departments of Kabul Municipality, with specific regulations established for this type of property.
1.1 How Applicants Request Building Construction:
Applicants whose properties are located in the planned areas defined by Kabul Municipality, first submit their official request to the relevant district. The district then carries out the following procedures:
- Distribution of the building construction form or the yellow form to the applicant in exchange for 2,500 Afghanis.
- Drawing a site sketch based on the property’s original plot and determining its boundaries.
- Providing information on how to record and register property documents in the form.
1.2 Submission of the Form to the Property Directorate
After completing the administrative process in the relevant district, the applicant submits the urban reconstruction form to the Directorate of Property of Kabul Municipality. This directorate then verifies the registration, recording, preservation, and sequence of sales through its records and carries out the necessary procedures on its part.
1.3 Planned Area Information
After evaluating and approving the applicant’s documents, the reconstruction form is forwarded to the Directorate of Planning and Implementation. This step provides detailed information based on Kabul Municipality’s approved plans to determine the allowable number of floors for the property.
1.4 Official Commencement of the Building Permit Process and Applicant’s Map Review
After the relevant directorates have confirmed the site conditions, the registration of documents in the offices, and the urban plans, the applicant’s documents, based on the collected information, are submitted to the technical process of this directorate. The stages of this process are as follows:
1.1.1 Preparation of the Sketch
To prevent deviations in the property’s dimensions and area, establish the location of the desired site, and ensure accuracy in planning and map design, the engineering survey teams of the Analysis Directorate prepare and organize a sketch containing detailed information about the property.
1.1.2 In the following stage, information is requested from the Urban Infrastructure Directorate to verify the status of road development around the applicant’s property and to ensure there are no plans or technical issues.
1.1.3 Instructions and guidelines are prepared for the property owner to design and prepare the required maps.
1.1.4 After the maps are submitted by the owners, a technical review is conducted.
1.1.5 Inquiries are issued to the Breshna Directorate (Electricity), Emirate Company of the Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage, the Directorate of Accidents and Firefighting, Kabul University (for soil test approval if the number of floors exceeds six), and the Marine Directorate.
1.1.6 After receiving the revised maps and collecting feedback and approvals from the directorates mentioned in 1.1.5, the maps are submitted to the Map Review Commission of the Permit Issuance Department for the final review of administrative, legal, and technical documents.
1.1.7 After incorporating the commission’s comments, the maps are sent to the Measurement and Calculation Section to assess map taxes, added value from floor density, and activity changes.
1.1.8 In the final stage, the Building Control Directorate issues an official activity permission letter, and a copy is sent to the relevant district.
2 Unplanned Areas
Unplanned areas are those that have developed and been constructed spontaneously in previous years and are not included in detailed plans, development plans, urban design frameworks, or zoning plans.
2.1 How the Building Permit Process Begins for Unplanned Areas:
The applicant can officially begin the process of obtaining a permit by submitting an official request and receiving approval from the respected Mayor of Kabul.
2.2 Preparation of the Applicant’s Site Sketch
2.3 Sending a letter to the Expropriation Directorate to confirm the applicant’s ownership rights
2.4 If the applicant’s ownership rights are not confirmed after receiving a response from the Expropriation Directorate, the administrative process for issuing the permit is suspended until the issue is resolved or the ownership rights are confirmed.
2.5 If the applicant’s ownership rights are confirmed by the Expropriation Directorate, a formal request is sent to the Planning and Urban Development Directorate and the Urban Infrastructure Directorate to obtain information on floor plans and road development routes.
2.6 After obtaining information on the plan and road development, the applicant’s records are sent to the Directorate of Urban Planning and Redevelopment for the design and layout of the map.
2.7 After the plan is prepared by the Directorate of Urban Planning and Redevelopment, the applicant approaches one of the companies registered with this directorate to prepare the maps.
2.7.1 After the maps are submitted by the owners, a technical review is conducted.
2.7.2 Inquiries are issued to the Breshna Directorate (Electricity), the Emirate Company of Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage, the Directorate of Accidents and Firefighting, Kabul University (for soil test approval if the number of floors exceeds six), and the Marine Directorate.
2.7.3 After receiving the revised maps and collecting feedback and approvals from the departments mentioned in 1.1.5, the maps are referred to the Map Review Commission of the Permit Issuance Directorate for the final review of administrative, legal, and technical documents.
2.7.4 After incorporating the commission’s comments, the maps are sent to the Measurement and Calculation Section to assess map taxes, added value from floor density, and activity changes.
2.7.5 In the final stage, an official activity permission letter is issued by the Building Control Directorate and a copy is sent to the relevant district.
Address: 2nd District’s Building, Dahan-e Bagh Intersection
Revenue Directorate
Urban Services’ Sanitation Revenue Section
- Asphalt paving, surface repairs, patching, gravel laying, and street lighting of urban roads.
- Construction and cleaning of drains and sidewalks.
- Construction of canopies and parking areas.
- Decoration of public parks, green areas, and maintenance of traffic lights.
- Construction of public fountains and maintenance of them.
- Creation of parking areas for urban and local vehicles.
- Burial of unidentified bodies.
- Removal of liquid and solid waste outside the city.
- Clearing sidewalks, parks, and public roads of street vendors.
- Construction of mortuary facilities for washing the deceased in various districts.
- Repair of large bridges and small bridges within the city.
- Construction of cemeteries, condolence halls, and other related facilities, which Kabul Municipality carries out in return for collecting urban service fees from citizens.
Type of Collection of Urban Sanitation Service Fees for Planned, Commercial, Mixed, and Residential Properties
For the collection of urban sanitation service fees, once the Engineering Section of the Urban Development Directorate in the districts has priced the properties and prepared the pricing forms, these forms are submitted to the Revenue Directorate in the districts. The Sanitation Management of the Revenue Directorate then collects the fees from the properties after registering the pricing forms in the IFMIS financial system, in accordance with the law.
Commercial License Section
Just as urban sanitation service fees are a source of revenue for Kabul Municipality, commercial licenses are also among the municipality’s revenue sources. These licenses are issued for various trades under the framework of the law in exchange for services provided.
According to Clause 3, Article 3, urban sanitation service fees and commercial licenses are official documents issued by the municipality to permit various tradesmen in the city to operate in accordance with legal provisions.
Type of Distribution of Commercial Licenses in the Districts
Individuals and legal entities conducting economic activities within Kabul Municipality, according to the law, must obtain a commercial license from the municipality. A person who wishes to obtain a commercial license in the districts first submits a request to the relevant district directorate. After the district authority’s review, the management inspects the area. If there is no prior activity in the area and no recorded claims or encumbrances exist, the applicant’s contract, along with the property owner’s information, a copy of the national ID, and the applicant’s photo, are registered in the IFMIS database system. After issuing the bank tariff and determining the license fee, the license is distributed to the applicant.
Address: Park-e Zaringar, Kabul Municipality, Malak Asghar Intersection, Kabul City
Directorate of Markets Management
The distribution process of the trade activity permit document follows the form previously prepared by the Simplification Process of the Civil Services Directorate.
In the distribution process of the activity permit, the relevant district directorate, the Environmental Health Directorate, and the Market Regulation Directorate are responsible. Required documents include the original commercial license, a copy of the national ID, and three photos sized 3x4 cm.
In the first step, the applicant visits the General Management of Market Regulation in the relevant district to obtain the form and complete the initial procedures. After the Market Regulation Manager verifies the condition of the shop, the process continues.
If the applicant’s profession involves food sales, dried fruits, fresh fruits, legumes and vegetables, bakery, barbering, butchery, or a men’s salon, they must visit the Environmental Health Directorate at Sarsabzi Intersection.
The Environmental Health Directorate certifies the health of the applicant and their employees, as well as the sanitary condition of the workplace (shop), according to its health checklist. If the shop does not meet the directorate’s standards, the applicant is given time to bring it up to the required health conditions.
Bakeries and butcher shops must first submit a formal petition to the Respected Mayor to obtain approval:
After receiving approval from the Mayor, the applicant proceeds to the Market Regulation Directorate of the relevant district.
The Market Regulation Directorate, in coordination with the Urban Development Department and the Property Management, records the applicant’s type of activity in the petition, including details on the type of activity, measurement of internal and external area (if the activity is a bakery), prepares and draws the site sketch, and submits a report regarding the property to the Respected Mayor of Kabul.
After receiving renewed approval from the Mayor, the applicant returns to the Market Regulation Directorate. The Trade Department of the Market Regulation Directorate then refers the applicant to the Environmental Health Directorate for verification and completion of health inspections.
The Environmental Health and Environmental Protection Directorate certifies the health status of the applicant and their employees, as well as the sanitary condition of the workplace (shop), after completing health inspections and applying the health checklist.
After completing and receiving certification from the Environmental Health Directorate, the applicant visits the Trade Department of the Market Regulation Directorate located in Karte Ariana. If the applicant’s profession is a bakery or butcher shop, the Trade Department submits a proposal for issuing the activity permit to the Mayor. After receiving approval from the Mayor of Kabul, the license fee is provided according to the commercial license pricing. Once the payment is completed, the activity permit document is distributed to the applicant.
Other trades that do not involve food and are not related to health matters do not need to visit the Environmental Health Directorate.
After visiting the relevant district directorate and completing the activity permit distribution form, they should proceed to the Market Regulation Directorate.
List of Trades Temporarily Not Issued Activity Permits by the Market Regulation Directorate
Large stores selling various goods under a single umbrella, private water supply companies, electricity and gas production facilities, factories producing and packaging goods of any kind employing more than 500 workers, factories producing and packaging goods of any kind employing 50 to 100 workers, factories producing and packaging goods of any kind with fewer than 50 employees, workshops and facilities that repair, install, and assemble heavy equipment and large vehicles including trucks, employing 50 to 100 workers, private banks and banks with less than 50% government share, bank branches, telecommunication companies and their branches, advertising and publication companies, film production companies, construction companies, vehicle parking lots, various farms, livestock slaughterhouses, poultry slaughterhouses, three-star and higher hotels, wedding halls, event salons, luxury hotels, restaurants with guest accommodations, legal service offices and law firms, engineering and technical service offices, property dealings, construction material and road-building stores, oil extraction machines beside the house, guesthouses, private kindergarten, private schools, higher and semi-higher educational institutions, training courses, sports clubs, recreational technical sports parks, sports clubs, gymnasiums, private TVs, radio networks, sound and film recording studios, cable networks, newspapers and magazines, cinemas, artistic groups, private hospitals, private polyclinics, modern laboratories, standard laboratories, gas storage centers, bakeries, confectioneries, pools, sauna baths, barber shops and baths , pastry shops, biscuit factories, and warehouse goods are currently temporarily suspended from receiving activity permits.
Procedure for Registration of Commercial Centers and Pump Stations
In Kabul city, there are a total of 329 pump stations, of which 68 are government-owned and 261 are privately owned. It is noteworthy that the establishment and procedures related to these stations fall under the Petroleum Directorate. Additionally, the registration process for commercial centers is ongoing, and its database will be completed soon.
Address: 2nd District’s Building, Dahan-e Bagh Intersection