Company registration

Starting a business? We handle the procedure from choosing the legal form to registration in the Commercial Register. We also assist with the registrations that follow, so that you can start work without unnecessary waiting.

What is included

• Advice on the legal form (ET, EOOD, OOD), business activity and capital.
• Advice on accounting policy and on when VAT registration will be needed.
• Preparation of the incorporation documents.
• Filing the application for registration in the Commercial Register.
• Subsequent registrations with the NRA and the NSSI.

Who it is for

For entrepreneurs starting a new business and for foreign nationals registering a company in Bulgaria. And for freelancers considering whether to continue as an individual or work through a company.

The choice of legal form affects taxes, social security contributions and the owner's liability. An ET (sole trader) is simpler to set up, but the owner is liable for its debts with all of their assets. An EOOD (single-member limited liability company) and an OOD (limited liability company) separate the company's assets from the owner's personal assets, and profit is subject to corporate tax and, when distributed, to dividend tax. Which is more advantageous depends on the expected profit, how much you will withdraw from the company and whether you will have partners.

What goes into the incorporation documents also matters: the business activity, how the company is managed, the rules for a partner joining or leaving. Changing these later requires a new procedure and new costs, so it is better to think them through from the start. If there is more than one partner, it is also useful to agree the rules for distributing profit in advance.

Statutory deadlines

• The minimum capital of an OOD and an EOOD is EUR 1, and each share is at least one euro cent (source: Art. 117(1) Commerce Act).
• If the future business will exceed EUR 51,130 domestic turnover in a calendar year, the company must register for VAT within 7 days of exceeding the threshold (source).
• If you will hire employees, each employment contract is entered in the employment register within 3 days of its conclusion (source: Art. 62(3) Labour Code).

An application to register a new company is examined by the end of the following working day; applications for changes are examined after three working days from filing (source: Art. 19(2) and (3) Commercial Register and Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities Act).

What the client provides

• Identity documents of the founders and the manager.
• The company name (ideally several options) and the business activity.
• The registered address, and the consent of the property owner if it is not yours.
• The amount of capital and how the shares are divided between the partners.
• Information on expected turnover and whether there will be employees.

How we work

1. Consultation: legal form, business activity, capital, tax consequences.
2. We prepare the incorporation documents and tell you which ones you need to sign and how.
3. We file the application for registration in the Commercial Register.
4. After registration, we complete the necessary registrations and prepare the company for accounting services from the first month.

Even before registration, we tell you what will be needed in the first weeks: a bank account, a cash register if your business requires one, contracts with employees. That way the company can start work immediately after registration.

The price of the registration consists of the fee for our service plus the state fee of the Registry Agency.

Frequently asked questions