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What registration costs
What It Costs to Set Up a Company in Romania: the cost question, answered on its own page.
Romania Company Register Search, Numbers and Extracts
This page maps each public lookup of a Romanian company. It says what each one shows and leaves out. It also explains the three numbers and says what is free, paid or not public.
Short answer
Yes. The Romanian trade register is public (art. 11(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). ONRC, the National Trade Register Office, keeps it. A free data set is online. ONRC also issues its own certificate of the registered data on request. The requester pays. ANAF and the Ministry of Finance run lookups of their own. These are not the company register.
If you want to open a company, not look one up, see Romanian company registration. For the tax picture of a registered company, read our corporate tax overview.
Is the Romanian company register public?
Yes. The trade register (registrul comerțului) is public. It is a public service of general interest. ONRC (Oficiul Național al Registrului Comerțului) keeps it in an IT system (art. 4(1), 6(1) and 11(1) Law 265/2022). Every rule quoted here is the 2022 text of that law, which replaced Law 26/1990. Law 222/2023 later amended it. We did not read its content.
The register has three parts (art. 7(1)). The first is companies and similar legal persons with their branches. The second is cooperatives. The third is authorised natural persons with individual and family enterprises. An entry binds third parties from the date it is entered. Where the law says so, it binds them from publication (art. 46(1), 2022 text). The section on the three numbers explains the register number, the CUI and the EUID.
The statute names eight states of a company. The list is not closed (art. 3(1)(i), 2022 text):
- In operation (în funcțiune)
- Dissolved (dizolvată)
- In reorganisation
- In liquidation
- Insolvent
- Bankrupt
- In temporary interruption of activity
- Struck off (radiată)
Where can you search a Romanian company for free?
Each lookup has its own keeper and search keys. ONRC's channels and the EU portal belong to the company register. The other lookups belong to ANAF, the National Tax Administration Agency, and the Ministry of Finance. These are tax-side registers of their own.
| Lookup | Kept by | What you enter or receive | What it shows | Cost or status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ONRC website and online portal (the free data set) | ONRC | The portal's own search fields | Name and legal form, seat, register number, EUID, CUI, state, website, legal representatives | Free (art. 12(1), 2022 text) |
| EU e-Justice portal (BRIS) | The EU, with the national registers | At least one country, then the company name or the registration number (harmonised criteria; the portal may offer more) | At least the registration number, EUID and status | Free minimum; other documents at no more than administrative cost |
| Electronic Trade Register Bulletin | ONRC | Consulted online | The registrar's decision on a new legal person, within at most 3 working days of registration | Publishing and consulting are free (art. 15(4)) |
| Monitorul Oficial (the Official Gazette) | The Official Gazette | For Part IV: e-mail on the day of publication to subscribers, post after printing against an order, or an electronic copy on order | The extract of the registration decision: founders and administrators with country, town and county, capital, CUI, EUID, register number | Publication is mandatory (art. 16, 2022 text); the law names no Part for this extract |
| ANAF VAT register | ANAF | The fiscal code and a validation code | Whether the company is registered for VAT (art. 316 Fiscal Code) | Public register |
| ANAF register of inactive or reactivated taxpayers | ANAF | The fiscal code, or the taxpayer name | Inactive or reactivated status | Public (art. 92(11) Fiscal Procedure Code) |
| Ministry of Finance lookup | Ministry of Finance | The numeric unique identification code, or name and county | Registration data, declarations filed, six years of balance sheets, arrears records | Free lookup |
| ONRC open data on data.gov.ro | ONRC, published on data.gov.ro | A data set published as files | Files on firms, seat, state, legal representatives, authorised activities, branches in other Member States | Licence CC BY 4.0; set dated 9 January 2026 |
We could not open the ONRC website and portal or the e-Justice portal when we prepared this guide. It gives rules and data fields, not screens or account steps.
Who keeps what
Company record
The company register
The register
ONRC; the J number and the EUID; the free data set (art. 12(1)); the Bulletin (art. 15); certificates on request (art. 11(1))
The EU portal
BRIS; e-Justice as the European access point (art. 9)
Outside the company register
ANAF
Assigns the CUI (art. 126(2)); the VAT register; the register of inactive taxpayers (art. 92(11) Fiscal Procedure Code); web services
The Ministry of Finance
Declarations filed; six years of balance sheets; arrears records
Open data
The ONRC data set, CC BY 4.0
Articles are those of Law 265/2022, 2022 text, unless another act is named.
What does the free ONRC data set show?
The 2022 text lists seven fields in the free set (art. 12(1)(a)-(g)). Law 222/2023 added one more. We did not read its content.
- Name and legal form
- Registered seat
- Trade register number, EUID and CUI
- State of the company
- Website
- Legal representatives, and whether they act jointly or separately
- Branches opened in another Member State, with name, number and EUID
You can get the set on the ONRC website or in its online portal. It also comes through the EU interconnection system (art. 12(1)). Public personal data on shareholders, administrators and officers are limited to these items. They are name, date and place of birth, citizenship and state of residence. The same limit applies to copies issued to requesters, except to entities with legal access (art. 13(1)-(2), 2022 text).
None of this means anonymity. Legal representatives are in the free set. The Monitorul Oficial extract names founders and administrators with country, town and county (art. 16). The statute lists fields, not search keys. We do not promise a search by shareholder name.
Can you search a Romanian company on the EU portal?
Yes. The Romanian register is part of BRIS, the EU system that links business registers. The European access point is the e-Justice portal (art. 9(1)-(3) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). ONRC may also set up optional access points once the Minister of Justice approves them (art. 9(6)).
For a founder company seated in another EU state, ONRC obtains its legal representatives, powers and status through BRIS (art. 72(4)).
The EU rules say this about the portal:
- A search needs at least one country. The harmonised criteria are the company name and the registration number. The portal may offer more (Regulation (EU) 2021/1042, Annex section 11)
- The free minimum includes the registration number, EUID and status (art. 19 Directive (EU) 2017/1132, as replaced by Directive (EU) 2019/1151)
- Fees for other documents may not exceed administrative cost. For documents with a fee, online payment by widely used means such as cards must be possible (Annex section 12)
We could not open the portal's own pages when we prepared this guide. It describes no screen.
What are the J number, the CUI and the EUID?
Three numbers identify a Romanian company, each with its own issuer. The VAT code is a status of its own.
| Number | What it is | Who issues it | Where it shows | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J number (număr de ordine în registrul comerțului) | The register number, allocated nationally from the central register and restarting at 1 each year in the 2022 text | The register | Registration certificate, free data set, Monitorul Oficial extract, commercial documents | Art. 7(2) Law 265/2022; art. 74(1) Law 31/1990 |
| CUI (cod unic de înregistrare, unique registration code) | The fiscal code of a trade-register company; its structure is set by ANAF and every IT system that processes data on registered professionals uses it | ANAF, on the data ONRC sends | Registration certificate, free data set, every invoice, offer and order | Art. 126, 127(2) Law 265/2022; art. 74(1) Law 31/1990 |
| EUID (identificator unic la nivel european, European unique identifier) | The identifier used between EU registers; four elements at EU level (ISO 6523); Romania's structure is approved by order of the Minister of Justice | The register | Registration certificate, free data set | Art. 10 Law 265/2022; Annex section 9 Regulation (EU) 2021/1042 |
| VAT code | A separate status requested from the tax authority. Where it is requested together with the trade register application, it is valid from the date of registration at the trade register (norms to art. 316(11)(a)); in other cases the start date follows the same norms | ANAF | The ANAF VAT register | Art. 316 Fiscal Code and its norms |
For the register number, the statute fixes only national allocation and a yearly restart (art. 7(2), 2022 text). The EUID has four elements at EU level: country code, domestic register, registration number in it and an optional verification digit (Annex section 9). The registration certificate shows all three numbers (art. 110(1), 127(1)).
This guide gives no format for the J number or a Romanian EUID. Strings quoted on private websites rest on neither the statute nor the Minister of Justice order. We did not read that order. The VAT number and the tax-code family have their own guides, linked at the end.
How do you find a company's registration number from its name?
Five steps, from the company's own papers to a cross-check between two sources.
Read the company's own papers · the counterparty
The company's invoice, offer or order must state its name, legal form, seat, register number and CUI. An SRL must also state its share capital (art. 74(1) and (3) Law 31/1990, January 2024 text).
Search the ONRC data set · ONRC
Look the company up in the ONRC free data set. It returns the register number, EUID and CUI (art. 12(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). The statute lists what the set returns, not which search keys it takes.
Search the EU portal · e-Justice
Select Romania. Then search by company name or by registration number in the Romanian register. These are the harmonised criteria (Annex section 11, Regulation (EU) 2021/1042).
Check the tax-side lookups · ANAF and the Ministry of Finance
You can search ANAF's register of inactive taxpayers by taxpayer name. You can search the Ministry of Finance lookup by name and county.
Confirm you have the right entity · you
Compare legal form, seat and CUI across two sources. ANAF's web service, described below, handles many CUIs at once. It returns the trade register number with each.
Opening a Romanian company instead of looking one up? Talk to us about the registration route.
What do the ANAF and Ministry of Finance lookups show?
These are public lookups of their own and not the company register. What they report follows which taxes a foreign-owned Romanian company pays.
ANAF VAT register
You search it by fiscal code, with a validation code (art. 316 Fiscal Code). VAT registration is a status of its own, though you can request it with the trade register application.
ANAF register of inactive or reactivated taxpayers
This register is public and ANAF posts it on its website (art. 92(11) Fiscal Procedure Code). You search it by fiscal code or by taxpayer name.
Ministry of Finance lookup
The lookup shows registration data, declarations filed, six years of balance sheets and arrears records. You search by unique identification code or by name and county. The figures come from the annual statements filed with ANAF. See what a small Romanian SRL files every month and year.
ANAF web services
The synchronous service covers the VAT and inactive registers. It takes at most 100 CUIs per request and one request per second per client. It returns the trade register number (ANAF web services page, instructions of 4 February 2025).
The balance-sheet trap
ANAF's financial statements web service publishes indicators only for 2014 to 2019 (instructions of 20 January 2021). It cannot give you recent accounts.
What an arrears list leaves out
Our reading: absence from the arrears records says nothing about smaller debts. The tax attestation certificate (certificat de atestare fiscală) attests a taxpayer's tax position. A public authority handling the taxpayer's own application does not need consent (art. 69(4)). Anyone else needs the taxpayer's express and unequivocal consent (art. 160(1) Fiscal Procedure Code, current wording).
What is a certificat constatator and how is it requested?
On request, ONRC issues information and certificates of the registered data (certificat constatator; plural certificate constatatoare). It also issues certificates that an act or fact is not registered, as well as copies and certified copies (art. 11(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). The requester pays. The papers are in Romanian. The Fiscal Code norms on excise authorisations name the certificate as the document showing share capital. The rules cited here name no validity period. They are silent on whether banks, notaries or courts accept it.
You file a request and ONRC answers it like this (art. 11(2)-(3), 2022 text):
- At the counter, by post or courier, or electronically
- With a copy of the identity document, unless the request carries a qualified electronic signature
- ONRC issues it electronically, signed and sealed, or on paper
- The price is a ministerial tariff, capped at the administrative costs of issuing, register development and maintenance included (art. 11(7)). We did not read the current order, so we give no figure
CECCAR reported an ONRC announcement: the cash desks of ONRC and the county offices would stop operating from 15 October 2026. We did not read ONRC's own announcement. This guide does not say how to pay.
Directive (EU) 2025/25 adds an EU Company Certificate. All Member States must accept it as sufficient evidence of the company's incorporation at the time of issue. Member States must transpose the directive by 31 July 2027. The measures apply from 31 July 2028, so it is not Romanian law today.
What is restricted or not public?
Public does not mean complete. The table shows who can see what. It also shows what limits it.
| Item | Who can see it | What limits it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| The free data set | Anyone, through the ONRC website and portal and the EU system | The fields listed in art. 12(1), 2022 text | Art. 12(1) Law 265/2022 |
| Personal data of shareholders, administrators and officers | Anyone, in the public data and in copies of filed documents | Limited to name, date and place of birth, citizenship and state of residence | Art. 13 Law 265/2022 |
| The Monitorul Oficial extract | Anyone who obtains the issue that carries it | Publication is mandatory (2022 text); it names founders and administrators with country, town and county | Art. 16 Law 265/2022 |
| The beneficial-owner register | Supervisory and judicial authorities; reporting entities applying customer due diligence; any person or organisation that shows a legitimate interest | The last category needs online registration and an administrative fee | Art. 19(8), (82) Law 129/2019 |
| The tax attestation certificate | The taxpayer; public authorities in the cases of art. 69(4); another person only with the taxpayer's consent | The consent must be express and unequivocal (current wording) | Art. 160(1), 69(4) Fiscal Procedure Code |
Law 129/2019 provides for a beneficial owner register. ONRC keeps it. The register is part of the EU system that links those registers (art. 17(1) and 18(1) Law 265/2022). This guide does not call the register public or anonymous. It describes no ONRC fee. For its rules, see beneficial ownership of a Romanian company.
On 22 November 2022 the Court of Justice held an EU rule invalid (joined cases C-37/20 and C-601/20). That rule made such information open to any member of the general public in all cases.
How soon does a new company appear in the register?
The statute gives terms, not a promise. They are the 2022 text. They bind the registrar, not us.
The statutory sequence for a new company
The decision
The application is registered, then the registrar decides
Who acts: The registrar
Term: one working day, counted from the last requested document where documents are requested (art. 105(1), 107(1))
The entry
The entry in the register follows the decision
Who acts: The register
Term: at most 24 hours after the decision (art. 107(3))
Legal personality
The company acquires legal personality from the moment the entry is actually made (art. 107(4))
Who acts: The company
Publication
The decision appears in the Bulletin
Who acts: The Bulletin
Term: within at most 3 working days of registration (art. 15(3))
The fiscal code
The CUI is assigned on the data ONRC sends (art. 126(2))
Who acts: ANAF
2022 text; terms, not promises.
The decision · the registrar
The registrar decides on the documents within one working day. The count starts from the application's registration or the last requested document (art. 105(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text; art. 107(1)). Where information must come through BRIS, the registrar may grant a term (art. 105(4)).
The entry · the register
The register makes the entry at most 24 hours after the registrar's decision that orders it (art. 107(3)).
Legal personality · the company
The company acquires legal personality from the moment the register makes the entry (art. 107(4)).
Publication · the Bulletin and the gazette
The decision appears in the free electronic Bulletin within at most 3 working days of registration (art. 15(3)-(4)). The Monitorul Oficial extract is required by law (art. 16).
The fiscal code · ANAF
ANAF assigns the CUI on the data ONRC sends (art. 126(2)). A VAT code is a request and status of its own (art. 316 Fiscal Code and its norms).
Registration had run into major problems. In September 2024 the Government adopted an emergency ordinance in response (OUG 109/2024, preamble). So a company registered days ago may be missing from some sources. This guide gives no time of its own.
What can a register search not tell you?
A record shows what is registered. It does not show what the entry means for a deal. Absence from one list says nothing beyond that list. This guide gives no legal opinion and no tax advice. The work splits like this:
- A legal opinion on what an entry means for a deal is lawyer work. The exception is where the law provides otherwise (art. 3(1)(a) and (2) Law 51/1995).
- Tax consultancy covers what an ANAF result means for a tax position. It also covers answers to ANAF in a procedure, and appeals. It is for a tax consultant on the CCF register, the Chamber of Tax Consultants (art. 3(1)(a), (e), (f) OG 71/2001).
- Bookkeeping, payroll and tax returns done for clients are reserved to CECCAR members, the expert and authorised accountants (art. 21(1) and 43(1) OG 65/1994; art. 10(3) Law 82/1991). A company's own department may keep its books (art. 10(2) Law 82/1991).
From our practice
We file a registration. When the register enters it, the founder receives the registration certificate. It shows the register number, the CUI and the EUID (art. 110(1), 127(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). Treat that certificate as the first reference. Compare any lookup against it.
Official sources
The main texts behind this page, in the wording named beside each.
- Law 265/2022, 2022 text: the register, free data, certificates, terms
- Directive (EU) 2019/1151: the free EU minimum and the fee cap
- Regulation (EU) 2021/1042: EUID structure, EU portal search, online payment
- ANAF register of VAT payers: search by fiscal code
- ANAF register of inactive taxpayers: search by fiscal code or taxpayer name
- ANAF web services page: the synchronous service and the financial statements service
- Ministry of Finance lookup: registration data, filings, balance sheets, arrears
- ONRC open data on data.gov.ro: the data set dated 9 January 2026
- Law 129/2019, ONPCSB consolidated text: who may consult the beneficial owner register
- Court of Justice judgment of 22 November 2022: public access to beneficial owner data held invalid
- Fiscal Procedure Code, ANAF consolidation: art. 69(4), 92(11) and 160(1)
- OUG 109/2024: the preamble on registration problems
Frequently asked questions
Does the Romanian register show who owns a company, and can anyone see its beneficial owners?
The free data set names the legal representatives (art. 12(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). The Monitorul Oficial extract names founders and administrators (art. 16). Beneficial owners sit in an ONRC register of their own. Authorities and reporting entities doing due diligence can see it. Persons with a legitimate interest can see it too, after online registration and a fee (art. 19(8), (82) Law 129/2019).
Is a founder's home address public in the Romanian register?
The statute limits public personal data to these items. They are name, date and place of birth, citizenship and state of residence (art. 13 Law 265/2022, 2022 text). This covers shareholders, administrators and officers. The Monitorul Oficial extract lists founders' and administrators' country, town and county (art. 16). The free data set names legal representatives. This guide promises no anonymity.
Is the official extract the only proof of a company's details that banks and notaries accept?
Not on the rules cited here. The Fiscal Code norms on excise authorisations refer to the ONRC certificat constatator as showing a company's share capital. The rules cited say nothing on whether banks, notaries or courts accept it, or on a validity period. The body that asks for the proof says which document it needs.
Is an ONRC extract free, or what does it cost?
The free data set costs nothing (art. 12(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). A certificate costs the requester a tariff that the Minister of Justice sets by order. The tariff is capped at the administrative costs of issuing, register development and maintenance included (art. 11(1), (7)). This guide prints no figure, because we did not read the current order.
Can I see a Romanian company's financial statements for free?
Yes. The Ministry of Finance runs a free lookup. It shows the balance sheets of the last six years. It also shows declarations filed and arrears records. You select a company by the unique identification code or by name and county. The figures come from the annual statements filed with ANAF. ANAF's own balance-sheet web service covers only 2014 to 2019.
Is the Romanian company register public?
Yes. The trade register is public (art. 11(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text) and ONRC keeps it (art. 6(1)). A free data set is available on the ONRC website and in its online portal. It also comes through the EU interconnection system (art. 12(1)). ONRC issues certificates and copies on request, at the requester's expense.
Where can I search the Romanian company register for free, and is there an English version?
The ONRC data set (website and online portal) is free. The minimum on the EU e-Justice portal is free too. ANAF's registers are public and the Ministry of Finance lookup is free. The data.gov.ro files carry an open licence. ONRC issues certificates in Romanian (art. 11(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). We did not read an English interface. We claim none.
How do I find a Romanian company's registration number and CUI if I only know its name?
The ONRC data set returns the register number, EUID and CUI for a company (art. 12(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). You can also search the EU portal by name. Cross-check with ANAF's register of inactive taxpayers (by name). You can also use the Ministry of Finance lookup (by name and county). Company invoices state both numbers (art. 74(1) Law 31/1990, January 2024 text).
What is the difference between the CUI, the J number and the EUID of a Romanian company?
The J number is the trade register number. It is allocated nationally and restarts at 1 each year in the 2022 text (art. 7(2)). The CUI is the fiscal code ANAF assigns on the data ONRC sends (art. 126(2)). The EUID identifies the company between EU registers (art. 10). The registration certificate shows all three (art. 110(1)).
Can I search a Romanian company through the EU business registers (BRIS, e-Justice)?
Yes. The Romanian register is part of BRIS. The e-Justice portal is its European access point (art. 9 Law 265/2022, 2022 text). A search needs at least one country. The harmonised criteria are company name and registration number. The portal may offer more. The free minimum includes the registration number, EUID and status. We did not read the portal screens.
What does a certificat constatator show, and how do I order one from abroad?
It is ONRC's certificate of the registered data. ONRC issues it in Romanian on request, at the requester's expense (art. 11(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). You may file a request at the counter, by post or courier, or electronically. The request needs a copy of the identity document unless it carries a qualified electronic signature (art. 11(2)-(3)). This guide does not describe portal steps or the price.
Who can see the register of beneficial owners?
These groups can see it. Supervisory and judicial authorities can see it. Reporting entities applying customer due diligence can see it as well. Any person or organisation that can show a legitimate interest can too. The last group must register online and pay an administrative fee (art. 19(8), (82) Law 129/2019). The Court of Justice held on 22 November 2022 that unrestricted public access is invalid.
How do I check whether a Romanian company is VAT-registered or inactive?
Search ANAF's public VAT register by fiscal code. Enter the validation code. Search its register of inactive or reactivated taxpayers by fiscal code or by name (art. 92(11) Fiscal Procedure Code). VAT registration is a status apart from registration at the trade register. These are ANAF lookups and not the company register.
What do the statuses in the register mean (active, dissolved, in liquidation, suspended)?
The statute names eight states: in operation, dissolved, in reorganisation, in liquidation, insolvent, bankrupt, in temporary interruption of activity and struck off (art. 3(1)(i) Law 265/2022, 2022 text). Suspended is not among them. The list is not closed. The rules cited here give no definition of each state. This guide defines none.
How soon after registration does a new company appear in the register?
The registrar decides within one working day. The count starts from the application's registration or the last requested document (art. 105(1), 107(1), 2022 text). The entry follows at most 24 hours later (art. 107(3)). The Bulletin carries it within 3 working days of registration (art. 15(3)). These terms are not promises. A 2024 emergency ordinance followed registration problems. So a new company may be missing.