- Any citizen, EU or non-EU, can own 100% of a Romanian SRL (limited liability company). No residency, no Romanian director.
- Fixed fee €350 + 152 lei official publication tariff. Registered office, optional, €200/year.
- You sign from home: qualified e-signature or power of attorney. You do not travel to Romania for the registration.
- Registration is remote. The bank account, after registration, is the one step where banks in practice require you in person. We explain why below.
Can a foreigner open a company in Romania?
Yes. Any person, whatever their citizenship, can be the sole shareholder and the director of a Romanian SRL. You do not need Romanian residency, a visa or a Romanian partner to be a shareholder and director and to register the company. The minimum share capital is 500 lei, about €100, and you use it in the business after registration.
The SRL (societate cu răspundere limitată) is the Romanian limited liability company: your liability is limited to the company’s capital, not your personal assets, except in exceptional situations.
For almost every foreign founder, the SRL is the right structure. The PFA, Romania’s sole-trader form, is open only to EU/EEA citizens with registered residence in Romania (see the questions at the end).
Were you told it is “complicated for foreigners”? The complicated part is not the Trade Register. It is what comes after, and we deal with it openly below.
What it costs: the fee and the office, separately
We do not sell packages. You pay for the company formation, and for the registered office only if you need one.
Opening the bank account is not included: see below why. You pay by bank transfer after you receive our invoice. No card, no advance: the invoice comes once we have settled your file together.
Only if you have no address in Romania. 12-month contract, renewable.
What you send us (and what we do not ask for)
A foreigner’s file looks almost like a Romanian’s. The difference is in the signing and the translations, not in the number of documents.
- a copy of your passport
- your home address in your country
- 2–3 company name options, in order of preference
- what the company will do, in two sentences (we choose the CAEN activity codes)
- who will be the director: you or someone else
- proof of a registered office, or you choose our hosting
Non-EU citizen
The same documents. In addition, we check together how you will sign (see below) and, if your documents are not in Romanian, we have them translated by a certified translator.
A foreign company as shareholder
- the parent company’s certificate of registration, with a certified translation
- the document showing who represents it and with what powers
- the beneficial owner’s details
Depending on the issuing country, documents need an apostille, legalisation or neither. We tell you the exact form before you obtain them, so you do not pay for an apostille on a document that did not need one.
We do not ask for a criminal record certificate. Since 2022, Law 265/2022 replaces it with a declaration on your own responsibility, which we draft and you sign. We do not ask for proof of the capital deposit at registration either.
The list of company names matters more than it seems. With a single common word, 9 out of 10 options are already taken. Without a back-up, you lose 1–2 days starting over.
How it works, step by step
- You write to us, on WhatsApp, by e-mail or through the form. Tell us your citizenship, the country you live in, the activity and whether you need a registered office. We reply within one working day, with the price and the list of documents.
- We draft the documents, you sign them. The articles of association and the declarations are in Romanian; we explain in English what you are signing, before you sign.
- We file with the Trade Register (ONRC). Registration usually takes 3–5 working days once the file is complete. We follow the file daily: if the Trade Register asks for something more, we handle it and contact you only if a document or a signature is needed from you.
- You receive the company documents by e-mail. The registration certificate and the other documents come electronically signed. The question we hear most often: “but don’t I get the paper?” The electronically signed document is the original. Banks, accountants and the tax authority accept it.
Two ways to sign, remotely
- With a qualified electronic signature. If you hold one issued by an EU provider (eIDAS), you sign from home and we file online.
- By power of attorney. You sign a power of attorney before a notary in your country, with an apostille or legalisation, and we translate it. This is the route for anyone without an e-signature, inside or outside the EU.
Want to know exactly how long it takes in your case?
Send us your citizenship, country and activity. The first conversation is free, in English.
The bank account: the step we cannot do for you
Here we tell you what others leave to the last page.
Law 239/2025, in force since 18 December 2025, requires every new SRL to hold a payment account at a bank in Romania within 60 working days of registration. Failing that, the fine is between 3,000 and 10,000 lei, and the company can be declared fiscally inactive.
The law requires the account, not your presence. Banks, however, under their current identification policies, require the director to appear in person to open the account, and a power of attorney does not replace the visit. That is why we cannot represent you at the bank, we do not include the account in our fee, and we do not promise a timeline: it depends on the bank, not on us.
- we prepare the set of documents banks ask for (registration certificate, articles of association, a recent Trade Register extract)
- we tell you what banks ask a foreign director, so you do not have to come back a second time
- we advise you to book the bank visit in the first week after registration, even if you are not invoicing yet
The registered office: what you get for €200 a year
The registered office is the company’s legal address and its official point of correspondence. It does not have to be your office and it does not have to be where you work. It does not limit your clients or your market; if you open a shop or a physical office somewhere, that is declared separately, as a place of business, with its own permits.
- the company’s legal address, entered in the Trade Register
- mail from the tax authority, the Trade Register or banks, scanned and e-mailed to you on the day it arrives
- original documents forwarded by courier anywhere in the world, at your cost
- a 12-month contract; we remind you 60 days before it expires, because an expired registered office is one of the reasons the tax authority declares companies inactive
A useful detail: you can work from Berlin, Dubai or Bucharest. The office address does not limit where you run the company from.
What taxes a Romanian SRL pays in 2026
In short, the regime most foreign founders care about is the micro-enterprise regime.
| Tax | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Micro-enterprise | 1% of revenue, if the company meets all the conditions in the Fiscal Code; among them, the €100,000/year ceiling and the condition of having an employee (or an equivalent arrangement, see below) |
| Corporate income tax (above the ceiling or without an employee) | 16% |
| Dividend tax | 16% |
| VAT | 21%; registration becomes mandatory above 395,000 lei turnover |
The condition foreigners overlook most often is the employee. It does not automatically mean hiring someone: under certain conditions, a director’s or mandate contract paid at least the minimum wage meets the requirement. But it costs money every month, and without it the company pays 16% on profit. For a consulting company with good revenue and low costs, the difference is calculated before incorporation, not after.
The figures above are general rules, valid at the date of publication. What applies to you depends on your activity and revenue; your accountant confirms them.
Does a company give me the right to live in Romania?
No. Registering an SRL creates no right of residence. A non-EU citizen who wants to move to Romania for their business needs a long-stay visa for commercial activities, with its own investment and business-plan conditions, handled by the General Inspectorate for Immigration.
The digital nomad visa is not the route either: it allows work for a company outside Romania, not running a Romanian company.
You can be a shareholder and director without living in Romania. Many of our foreign clients have only come to Romania for the bank.
Why a law office, not an agency
Behind every company opened from abroad is a person taking a risk in a country whose language they do not speak. We owe them clarity, not forms.
- A file drafted by a lawyer, not by a template. Every document is written for your case and checked before filing.
- One contact, the lawyer. Everything you sign has been read by the person professionally responsible for the file.
- A legal services agreement in English. You know exactly what you have bought and what you have not.
We do not guarantee that the Trade Register will never ask for an addition. We do guarantee that we check the file before filing and that we answer for it.
Write to us if: you want a Romanian company you can run from anywhere, with the paperwork done once, by a lawyer with a name.
Write to us anyway, to know where you stand, if: the shareholder is a foreign company or the activity is regulated. The file can be done, it just takes longer, and we tell you from the start how long.
You do not need us if: your real goal is a right of residence in Romania. The company does not give you one; talk to an immigration lawyer first.
Mara Cristian Law Office is a private provider of legal services. We are not the Trade Register (ONRC) and we are not affiliated with any public institution.
“I managed to set up my SRL in just a few days, without going anywhere. The whole process was clear, fast and well explained. Mr. Mara Cristian, the lawyer, kept me informed at every step.”Raul Emilian · Google review, translated from Romanian
“Just a few e-mails and in a few days you receive everything you need. 10 out of 10.”Dan Cluci · Google review, translated from Romanian
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to travel to Romania to open the company?
Not for the registration. You sign electronically or by apostilled power of attorney. The visit is needed only at the bank, for the company account.
Can I be the sole shareholder and director if I am not from the EU?
Yes. Law 31/1990 requires neither citizenship nor residency for the shareholder or the director.
Can a foreigner open a PFA (sole trader) in Romania?
Only EU or EEA citizens, and only after registering their residence in Romania and receiving a personal numeric code (art. 3 of Government Emergency Ordinance 44/2008). For non-EU citizens the PFA is not an option; the right structure is the SRL.
How do I sign from abroad?
With a qualified electronic signature issued in the EU, or with a power of attorney signed before a notary in your country, apostilled or legalised. We tell you in advance which option fits your country.
What happens if the company name is rejected?
We move to the next option on your list. That is why we ask for 2–3 names from the start: without a back-up, you lose 1–2 days.
What if I do not open the bank account within 60 working days?
A fine between 3,000 and 10,000 lei and the risk of the tax authority declaring the company inactive. Book the bank visit in the first week after registration.
Is your registered office fine if I work from another city or from abroad?
Yes. The registered office is the company’s legal address, not where you work. You run the company from anywhere; a physical office or shop is declared separately, as a place of business.
How and when do I pay?
You receive the invoice by e-mail and pay by bank transfer. We do not ask for an advance before we have settled your file.
What does it cost in total, including translations?
€350 fee, plus 152 lei official publication tariff paid through the Trade Register. Translations, only if your documents are in another language, are charged per page. The registered office, if you want it with us, is €200 a year (registered office page in Romanian). Everything appears on the invoice, with no hidden amounts.
Do I need an accountant from day one?
Yes. You need bookkeeping from incorporation, even if the company does not invoice right away. The concrete obligations depend on the tax regime and the activity. We can recommend accountants who work in English.
Can I do it all myself, without a lawyer?
Yes, a lawyer is not mandatory. For a foreign founder, the difficulties usually appear with documents issued in another country, signing, translations, choosing the business activity codes and answering the Trade Register’s requests. Our service is for those who prefer the file to be prepared and followed entirely by a lawyer, in English.
Send us your case
Fill in the form or write to us directly at cristian.mara@avocatmara.ro. We reply within one working day, in English, with the price and the list of documents for your situation.
Have a business idea and a country where you know no one? Start with a conversation. It is free, in English, and we tell you openly whether an SRL makes sense for you.
Page written and legally reviewed by the author. Official profile: Bar register of attorneys.