Service
Trade mark protection
Protect the brand once the company exists. Until authorisation, its name must not suggest crypto-asset service provider status. Trademark Registration with OSIM in Romania
Crypto License in Romania under MiCA
We form the Romanian company, provide its registered office and coordinate the authorisation file you prepare with your lawyers. The authority decides.
- MiCA in full since 30 December 2024
- EU registered office, one EU-resident director
- Safeguard of at least EUR 50,000, 125,000 or 150,000 by class
- No Romanian authority act adopted by 17 October 2026
How we work on a MiCA authorisation file
RomaniaRegist works for founders and groups outside Romania who want a Romanian crypto-asset service provider. From our Bucharest office we form the company and provide its registered office. We also coordinate the authorisation (licence) file that you write with your lawyers and compliance staff. Our work is administrative. The competent authority decides, and nobody can guarantee the grant.
The company comes first, so the first step is to open a company in Romania whose object covers the services. The status matters as much. Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA) has applied in full since 30 December 2024 (art. 149(2)). Even so, by 17 October 2026 Romania had adopted no act designating the competent authority.
Where Romanian authorisation stands today
What is settled (MiCA and the AML and reporting rules), what exists only as a May 2025 draft, and what nobody has published yet.
| Item | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| MiCA | Law. Applies in full from 30 December 2024 | Regulation (EU) 2023/1114, art. 149(2) |
| EU-wide transitional period | Law. Ended on 1 July 2026. Art. 143(3) let existing providers continue until that date or a decision, and let member states shorten or switch off the regime. ESMA, relayed by the ASF, says unauthorised providers must stop taking new clients | ASF, relaying ESMA; MiCA art. 143(3) |
| Romanian act designating the competent authority | Open. None adopted on the record as of 17 October 2026: the ASF said in 2023 that one is needed; a Government letter to the Senate of 28 September 2026 still lists the ordinance as a draft and records that, in the current interim-government context, the executive cannot adopt acts with the force of law to transpose or apply EU law | ASF press release, 2023; Government letter, 28 September 2026 |
| Which Romanian authority | Draft, May 2025. The draft names the ASF (Autoritatea de Supraveghere Financiară, Financial Supervisory Authority) for crypto-asset services and the BNR for EMT issuance only; no adoption found | Ministry of Finance draft of 23 May 2025, art. II(1), (2) |
| ASF application procedure | Open. No crypto procedure on the ASF authorisation page (13 October 2026) and no MiCA section in its legislation index (14 October 2026) | ASF website, authorisation and legislation pages |
| ADR technical opinion on the IT systems before filing | Draft, May 2025. Not a requirement in force | Draft of 23 May 2025, art. XI(1) |
| Other draft provisions: a national end date for the transitional regime, a tax-arrears condition for the applicant, a filing window for existing providers, a monthly fee | Draft, May 2025. Shown as drafts only; none is law | Draft of 23 May 2025, art. X, XXXIV, XL |
| AML, resilience and reporting rules for crypto-asset service providers | Law. Law 129/2019 defines them by reference to MiCA and sets due diligence from 1,000 euro; DORA covers them; DAC8 reporting to ANAF from 1 January 2026 | Law 129/2019 art. 2 lit. t2), 13(22); Regulation (EU) 2022/2554; OUG 71/2025 |
What's included
We do the administrative work around an application that you and your lawyers write. The sixth card sets the limits.
Scope check support
We give you a document checklist. We liaise with a partner Romanian lawyer, who matches your business model to the ten crypto-asset services and to an Annex IV class.
The Romanian company
We file the Romanian limited liability company at the ONRC, with an object that covers the services (art. 7 lit. c) Law 31/1990, text of January 2024). We also provide its registered office, and a partner lawyer drafts bespoke articles.
The application file assembled
You and your lawyers write the content. We collect the programme of operations, the ICT documentation, and criminal-record proof for the management body and qualifying holders. We also arrange translations and track the file.
Liaison with the authority
Once the route is confirmed, we liaise with the competent authority, the partner lawyer and the compliance specialist who drafts the policies. You sign every document.
Our own checks
As a service provider notified to ONPCSB, we check identity and beneficial-owner documents before any filing. We may decline a client.
Where our service stops
We hold, buy and sell no licence, and we are not a crypto-asset service provider. We give no legal, tax or accounting advice and supply no director for hire. We promise no grant or date.
How the process works
The steps follow MiCA, because the ASF publishes no crypto procedure. One step comes from a draft only, and we mark it.
Scope check · CLIENT, PARTNER LAWYER, US
The partner Romanian lawyer matches your model to the ten services and to an Annex IV class. The lawyer also checks whether an existing licence opens the art. 60 notification route. We supply the checklist.
Company and presence · US, PARTNER LAWYER, CLIENT
We file the company and provide its registered office, and a partner lawyer drafts bespoke articles. You appoint real directors, one of them an EU resident. Contracts made on condition of the authorisation leave liability with the company, not the founders (art. 53(2) Law 31/1990, text of January 2024).
Capital and safeguard · CLIENT, ACCOUNTANT
You hold own funds at the level of your class, or an insurance policy (art. 67(1), (4) MiCA). Your own accountant prepares the projected fixed overheads. We keep no books.
ADR technical opinion, draft only · DRAFT, NOT LAW
Under the May 2025 draft, ADR (Autoritatea pentru Digitalizarea României, the digitalisation authority) would give a technical opinion on the IT systems before you file. It is not law.
Application file · CLIENT, PARTNER LAWYER, US
The partner lawyer and the compliance specialist draft the policies, and you sign. We assemble the items listed in art. 62(2), arrange translations and submit the file on your instruction. Only the draft has a no-tax-arrears condition.
Authority clocks · COMPETENT AUTHORITY
The authority acknowledges your application within 5 working days, checks it is complete within 25 and decides within 40 of a complete file. It notifies you within 5 and can suspend the decision period for up to 20 (art. 63 MiCA). We cannot promise an overall time.
Start and passport · AUTHORISED COMPANY
Services start only after the grant. To serve another member state, the company notifies the authority. It may then start at the latest on the 15th calendar day after the notice (art. 65(4)).
Ongoing duties · AUTHORISED COMPANY
Keep the safeguard, run due diligence from 1,000 euro, apply DORA and report under DAC8. Use the authorisation within 12 months (art. 64). Holders who reach 20, 30 or 50 percent give notice in advance (art. 83).
How a MiCA authorisation file moves, by actor
Client and partner lawyer
RomaniaRegist
Competent authority
1Scope check
Client and partner lawyerPartner lawyer maps the model to the ten services and an Annex IV class
RomaniaRegistSupplies the checklist
2Company and presence
Client and partner lawyerPartner lawyer drafts bespoke articles; you appoint real directors, one EU-resident
RomaniaRegistFiles the company and provides its registered office
3Capital and safeguard
Client and partner lawyerOwn funds at your class level, or an insurance policy; your accountant prepares the projected fixed overheads
4ADR technical opinion, draft only
Competent authorityDraft, not law: ADR, the digitalisation authority, would give a technical opinion on the IT systems before filing
5Application file
Client and partner lawyerPartner lawyer and compliance specialist draft the policies; you sign
RomaniaRegistAssembles the art. 62(2) items, arranges translations, submits on your instruction
6Authority clocks
Competent authorityAcknowledges, checks completeness, decides and notifiesTerm 6
7Start and passport
Client and partner lawyerServices start only after the grant; to serve another member state the company notifiesTerm 7
8Ongoing duties
Client and partner lawyerKeep the safeguard, run due diligence from 1,000 euro, apply DORA, report under DAC8Term 8
- Term 6Parallel clocks, never a sum. From receipt of the application: acknowledgement within 5 working days (art. 63(1)), completeness check within 25 working days (art. 63(2)). From receipt of a complete application: decision within 40 working days (art. 63(9)), suspension up to 20 working days (art. 63(12)). From the decision: notification within 5 working days (art. 63(9)). No overall time is published.
- Term 7cross-border start from receipt of the communication, or at the latest from the 15th calendar day (art. 65(4))
- Term 8use the authorisation within 12 months (art. 64(1)(a))
Step 4 is a draft of 23 May 2025 (art. XI(1)), not law, and the only draft step. The authority's clocks run from different starting points and are not added together; no overall time is published.
Want to know which items your MiCA file needs?
Tell us your services and where the directors live. We send the checklist and introduce a partner Romanian lawyer.
Documents you will need
- Identity document for each director
- Identity document for each qualifying holder
- Clean criminal-record proof for every member of the management body and every qualifying holder
- The business model and the programme of operations
- ICT documentation, with a description in non-technical language
- Proof of the safeguard: own funds or an insurance policy
- Projected fixed overheads, prepared by your accountant
- Identity and beneficial-owner documents for our own checks
- Translations of foreign documents, certified where the authority requires it
- Proof of an existing authorisation, only if the art. 60 route is checked
- Tax-record proofs: a draft, May 2025 item, not yet required
What MiCA requires, and what it asks you to hold
The regulation's rules with their articles, then the capital that MiCA sets apart from the company's share capital.
| Requirement | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Authorisation | No crypto-asset services in the Union without authorisation or the art. 60 route; ten services count | MiCA art. 59(1), 3(1)(16) |
| Existing financial entities | Notify the home authority at least 40 working days before starting, instead of applying | MiCA art. 60 |
| Reverse solicitation | Not available to a third-country firm that solicits clients in the Union | MiCA art. 61(1) |
| Registered office | In a member state where part of the services is provided | MiCA art. 59(2) |
| Management and director | Place of effective management in the Union; at least one director resident in the Union | MiCA art. 59(2) |
| People | Directors: good repute, competence, sufficient time; qualifying holders: good repute and no money-laundering or terrorist-financing convictions; criminal-record proof for every member of the management body and every qualifying holder | MiCA art. 68(1), (2), 62(3)(a), (c) |
| Name and marketing | No name, corporate name or marketing suggesting crypto-asset service provider status before authorisation | MiCA art. 59(5) |
| Qualifying holdings | Advance notification when a holding reaches 20, 30 or 50 percent; 60 working days to assess | MiCA art. 83(1), (4) |
| Withdrawal | If unused within 12 months, or if no service is provided for nine consecutive months | MiCA art. 64(1)(a), (c) |
| Company law | The articles state the object of activity; contracts made on condition of the authorisation leave liability with the company, not the founders; a missing authorisation required for incorporation is a ground of nullity | Law 31/1990, text of January 2024, art. 7 lit. c), 53(2), 56 lit. e) |
| Item | Amount or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1: orders, placing, transfers, reception, advice, portfolio management | EUR 50,000 | MiCA Annex IV |
| Class 2: adds custody and exchange | EUR 125,000 | MiCA Annex IV |
| Class 3: adds operation of a trading platform | EUR 150,000 | MiCA Annex IV |
| The amount that applies | The higher of the class amount and one quarter of the previous year's fixed overheads, reviewed annually | MiCA art. 67(1) |
| How it may be held | Own funds, an insurance policy covering the territories served or a comparable guarantee, or a mix | MiCA art. 67(4) |
| For comparison, not the safeguard: share capital of a newly formed SRL | 500 lei | Law 239/2025 art. VI(2) |
The MiCA safeguard by class
Safeguard
Class 1: EUR 50,000Class 2: EUR 125,000Class 3: EUR 150,000Services
Class 1: Orders, placing, transfers, reception, advice, portfolio managementClass 2: Adds custody and exchangeClass 3: Adds operation of a trading platform
MiCA Annex IV. The amount that applies is the higher of the class amount and one quarter of the previous year's fixed overheads, reviewed annually (art. 67(1)). Off the scale: 500 lei, share capital of a newly formed SRL, not the safeguard (Law 239/2025 art. VI(2)).
Problems we solve
The questions founders ask first, and how we handle each one.
Is the authority accepting applications, and under which act?
No Romanian act designating the authority had been adopted by 17 October 2026. The ASF is named only in the May 2025 draft, and it publishes no crypto procedure. Check the route with the ASF Innovation HUB before you file.
I was operating before MiCA
The EU transitional period ended on 1 July 2026. Unauthorised providers must stop taking new clients (ASF, relaying ESMA). The end date in the Romanian draft is only a draft, so we plan a full application.
Can you promise the licence or a date?
No. The 40 working days for a decision run from a complete file. An information request can suspend them for up to 20 working days. We track the file against the list in art. 62(2), but the authority decides.
Can I buy a company that already holds a licence?
Not as a shortcut. The authority assesses a qualifying holding, and it withdraws an authorisation that nobody uses. You can buy a ready-made Romanian SRL, but no authorisation comes with it.
I live outside the EU
You can own the company, but the authority checks the repute of qualifying holders. The company needs effective management in the EU and a director who lives there, is of good repute and commits the time. We supply no name-only director.
Does your model fall outside these points?
Ask before anything is filed. We put your question to a partner Romanian lawyer and come back with what the file needs.
Why work with RomaniaRegist
Victor Georgescu, licensing and founder immigration lead, works from our Bucharest office in Romanian, English and German.
In our practice, the client writes the file with its own lawyers. We track it against the list in art. 62(2) and handle registration, the registered office and filings.
RomaniaRegist is a trust and company service provider notified to ONPCSB. We check identity and beneficial-owner documents before any filing (Law 129/2019 art. 2(l), 5(1)(g)).
Frequently asked questions
Can you guarantee that the authority will grant the licence, or say exactly how long it takes?
No. The authority decides. MiCA gives it 5 working days to acknowledge your application and 25 to check that it is complete. The 40 working days to decide run only from a complete file. A request for information can suspend them for up to 20 (art. 63). No overall time is published, so we promise none.
Can I buy a Romanian company that already holds a crypto licence?
Not as a shortcut. A qualifying holding reaching 20, 30 or 50 percent must be notified in advance, and the authority has 60 working days to assess it (art. 83). An authorisation not used within 12 months is withdrawn. Authorisation attaches to the applicant, so we offer no licensed company for sale.
Is the ASF already accepting MiCA applications, and under which Romanian act?
We found no adopted Romanian act designating the competent authority as of 17 October 2026. The ASF said in 2023 that Romania needs one. A Government letter of 28 September 2026 still lists the ordinance as a draft. Only a May 2025 draft names the ASF. Check the route with the ASF Innovation HUB first.
I do not live in the EU: can I own and run a Romanian crypto company?
You can own it, but the authority checks the repute of qualifying holders (art. 68(2)). To run it, the company needs its place of effective management in the EU and at least one director who lives in the EU (art. 59(2)). Directors must be of good repute, competent and able to commit sufficient time. A name-only director does not qualify.
Do I need a director who lives in Romania, or is any EU resident enough?
MiCA requires at least one director who lives in the EU. The texts we read do not narrow that to Romania. What the Romanian authority adds in practice depends on a procedure it has not published. The ASF website shows none. We put that question to the partner Romanian lawyer before anyone is appointed.
How much capital does a crypto-asset service provider need in 2026?
You need the higher of two amounts: the Annex IV amount for your class, or one quarter of the previous year's fixed overheads (art. 67(1)). Class 1 is EUR 50,000, Class 2 is EUR 125,000 and Class 3 is EUR 150,000. The partner Romanian lawyer reads from the regulation which class your services fall into.
Can the capital requirement be covered by insurance instead of cash?
Yes, MiCA allows it. You can hold own funds, an insurance policy that covers the EU territories where you provide the services, a comparable guarantee, or a mix of the two (art. 67(4)). Whether a particular policy qualifies is a legal question. The partner Romanian lawyer answers it before the application file is prepared.
My business was operating before 30 December 2024: can I still rely on a transitional period?
The EU-wide transitional period ended on 1 July 2026. ESMA asked unauthorised providers to wind down in an orderly way and to stop taking new clients, and the ASF relayed that request. The Romanian draft of May 2025 sets an end date of 30 November 2025, but that is a draft, not law.
I already hold a licence in another EU country: do I need a Romanian one?
The notification route in art. 60 covers only the listed financial entities. An authorised provider that notifies may start a cross-border service once it receives the home authority's communication. At the latest, it may start on the 15th calendar day after it submits the information (art. 65(3), (4)). The partner Romanian lawyer answers whether you also need a Romanian entity.
Which services fall under MiCA, and does advice or portfolio management count?
Ten services count, and advice, portfolio management and transfer services are among them (art. 3(1)(16)). The regulation lists them. Matching your business model to that list is legal work for the partner Romanian lawyer. We collect the documents that this work needs and keep the application file in order.
Is a 500 lei SRL enough to start a crypto business in Romania?
Not on its own. 500 lei is the minimum share capital of a newly formed SRL (Law 239/2025 art. VI(2)). That is not the MiCA safeguard. The safeguard starts at EUR 50,000 by class, or at one quarter of the previous year's fixed overheads if that is higher. Insurance may serve instead of cash.
Which AML rules apply to a crypto business in Romania today?
Romania's anti-money-laundering law defines a crypto-asset service provider by reference to MiCA. It requires customer due diligence from the lei equivalent of 1,000 euro (Law 129/2019). A provider from another member state that works in Romania without a branch appoints a single point of contact. DORA also covers these providers.
How do I get a crypto exchange licence in Romania, and how is a crypto business set up?
Exchange and trading-platform services are among the ten crypto-asset services, and no one may provide them without authorisation. The order is a scope check, a Romanian company with an EU-resident director, the safeguard, the application file and the authority's decision. Our process section sets out each step and who does it.
What is the ADR technical opinion and is it required?
It appears only in the May 2025 draft. Under the draft, ADR, the digitalisation authority, would give a technical opinion on the IT systems before you file the application. The draft is not adopted, so we do not present it as a requirement. Ask the ASF Innovation HUB whether it applies.
How is crypto taxed in Romania, and who answers that?
This page gives no tax advice. A CCF tax consultant answers questions about tax on crypto income. A crypto-asset service provider reports to ANAF under DAC8 from 1 January 2026. DAC8 is a reporting duty and sets no tax rate. For the company's ordinary tax on profits, see our guide to the Romanian profit tax.
Ready to plan your MiCA file?
Tell us where the founders live, which services the company will offer and whether it holds an authorisation elsewhere.
Phone +40 21 312 3456 · Email info@company-registration-in-romania.com · Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00, Bucharest time