Service
SA Joint-Stock Company Formation in Romania
When the company is to be an SA: capital, shareholders and board, and how we file it.
Register a Romanian Company Online From Abroad
We prepare the standard forms. We arrange your signing route and foreign documents. We file at the Trade Register for founders who live abroad.
- Three signing routes, none signature-free for everyone
- Filing at the counter, by post, by courier or online
- Standard-form act signed by all founders
- A Romanian file with legalised translations
What we do for a founder abroad
We file company registrations for founders and groups based abroad. From our Bucharest office we prepare the standard forms. We arrange the signing route and the foreign documents. We lodge the file with ONRC, the Oficiul Național al Registrului Comerțului (National Trade Register Office), and track it. The whole service: how we open a company in Romania.
Some work is reserved by statute. A partner Romanian lawyer prepares a bespoke deed. Bookkeeping, payroll and tax returns are CECCAR work. Tax advice and answering ANAF go to a CCF tax consultant. We sign for a founder only under a notarised power of attorney. We promise no registration time, VAT code or bank account.
What's included
The filing work, item by item.
Choosing the signing route
We go through the three routes we handle with you. They are your own qualified electronic signature, a notarised power of attorney to our filing agent, or a partner Romanian lawyer.
Name check and reservation
We check that the name is available. We request its reservation through ONRC's online services portal (art. 50(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text).
Registered office address
We supply the registered office (sediu social) address ourselves, as a company service provider. We also supply the proof of registered office for the ONRC.
Standard-form constitutive act
We fill in the standard form with your choices. All founders sign it under private signature. A partner Romanian lawyer prepares a bespoke act.
Foreign documents
We give apostille guidance and arrange the authorised Romanian translation. We also collect passport copies and beneficial owner data. If a company is the founder, see how a foreign parent sets up a Romanian subsidiary.
Filing, CUI and VAT
We file by the route you choose. We request the CUI (cod unic de înregistrare, the tax identification code) in the same filing. If you choose, we request VAT there too.
Registrar liaison and certificate
We answer the registrar's requests for completion. We collect the certificate and forward it to you.
Identity and due-diligence checks
As a company service provider we run identity and due diligence checks on each founder. We do this before anything is filed.
The three ways to sign and file
Each row states a condition of Law 265/2022 on the trade register, 2022 text. Which route fits a founder is a conversation, not a rule.
| Route | Who signs the application and the act | What the statute requires | Foreign documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. The founder's own qualified electronic signature | The application is signed by the legal representative or any member (art. 79(1), 82(1)); all founders or their appointed representatives sign the constitutive act (art. 82(2)) | A qualified electronic signature issued under an eIDAS identification scheme by a qualified trust service provider in Romania or another EU member state (art. 83, art. 3(1)(o)); documents filed signed with it (art. 84(3)); the certificate comes back signed and counts as authentic (art. 111(5)). EU law owes recognition of foreign e-ID to Union citizens (Directive 2017/1132, art. 13b(1)): on our reading a non-EU founder needs an eIDAS signature or route B or C | Originals with the apostille (or superlegalisation; the original alone where a treaty or EU rule removes the formality) and a legalised Romanian translation (art. 76(1)-(2)); a founding company from another EU state is identified through BRIS, the EU registers interconnection (art. 72(4)) |
| B. A notarised power of attorney to our filing agent | Our agent signs the application under an authentic special or general power of attorney (art. 79(1), art. 3(1)(e)); the founders or their appointed representatives sign the act (art. 82(2)) | Filing at the counter, by post or courier, or electronically (art. 84(1)); art. 84(1) names the office for the seat's area, while art. 85(1) lets documents be lodged at any trade register office | A power of attorney notarised abroad needs the apostille or superlegalisation and a legalised translation (art. 76); from another EU state too, unless a bilateral treaty removes it |
| C. A partner Romanian lawyer under a lawyer's mandate (împuternicire avocațială) | The lawyer signs the application on the mandate (art. 79(1)) | A lawyer who drew up the documents may file them electronically and attests the applicant's identity (art. 84(2)); physical presence is then not needed (art. 105(2)); drafting is a lawyer's activity (Law 51/1995, art. 3(1)(c) and 3(2)) | The same rules as the other routes (art. 76) |
How the process works
Articles of Law 265/2022 are quoted from its 2022 text.
Choose the signing route
Route A is your own qualified electronic signature (art. 82(1) and 83). Route B is a notarised power of attorney to our filing agent (art. 79(1)). Route C is a partner lawyer's mandate (art. 79(1), 84(2)).
Who acts: you, with RomaniaRegist
Name and registered office
We check the name and request its reservation through ONRC's online portal (art. 50(1)). We also supply the registered office address. We found no official processing time for the reservation.
Who acts: RomaniaRegist
The constitutive act
We fill in the standard form. All founders sign it under private signature. An ordinary SRL with cash capital needs no notary (art. 5(6) Law 31/1990, text of January 2024). A partner lawyer prepares a bespoke act.
Who acts: the founders; RomaniaRegist or a partner lawyer
Foreign documents and beneficial owners
You need passport copies. You also need the apostille or superlegalisation and a legalised Romanian translation (art. 76). For a founding EU company, BRIS data is used (art. 72(4)). You also need the beneficial owner declaration (art. 56(1) Law 129/2019).
Who acts: you and a notary abroad; we coordinate
Filing
The file goes in within 15 days of the constitutive act (art. 36(1) Law 31/1990, January 2024 text). You can file by counter, post, courier or online (art. 84(1)). VAT may be requested too (art. 316(11)(a) Fiscal Code).
Who acts: you, our filing agent or the partner lawyer
The registrar decides
One working day is the statute's term (art. 105(1), 2022 text), not a promise. An incomplete file gets up to 15 calendar days to complete (art. 106(1)). A complaint has 10 calendar days (art. 112(1)).
Who acts: the registrar; we answer requests for completion
Certificate, CUI and publication
The certificate carries the register number, the CUI and the EUID (art. 110(1)). A non-resident individual founder receives a NIF (art. 83(1) Fiscal Procedure Code). An extract is published in Monitorul Oficial.
Who acts: the registrar and ANAF; we forward the certificate
After registration
The company pays in 30% of the subscribed capital within 3 months (art. 91(2) Law 31/1990, January 2024 text). It opens a Romanian payment account within 60 working days of formation. It notifies changes within 15 days (art. 43(1)).
Who acts: the company; its own CECCAR accountant for the books
Three routes into one filing
A: founder, e-signature
B: founder, notary, agent
C: partner lawyer
All routes
1Choose the signing route
A: founder, e-signatureYour own qualified electronic signature (art. 82(1) and 83)
B: founder, notary, agentA notarised power of attorney to our filing agent (art. 79(1))
C: partner lawyerA partner lawyer's mandate (art. 79(1), 84(2))
2Name and registered office
All routesWe check the name and request its reservation (art. 50(1)) and supply the registered office address; no official processing time found
3The constitutive act
All routesWe fill in the standard form; all founders sign it under private signature, no notary for an ordinary cash-capital SRL (art. 5(6) Law 31/1990)
4Foreign documents and beneficial owners
All routesPassport copies, apostille or superlegalisation, legalised Romanian translation (art. 76); BRIS data for an EU founding company (art. 72(4)); beneficial-owner declaration (art. 56(1) Law 129/2019)
5Filing
A: founder, e-signatureYou file by counter, post, courier or online (art. 84(1))
B: founder, notary, agentOur filing agent files
C: partner lawyerThe partner lawyer files electronically (art. 84(2))
All routesThe file goes in; VAT may be requested too (art. 316(11)(a) Fiscal Code)Term 5
6The registrar decides
All routesThe registrar decides; we answer requests for completionTerm 6
7Certificate, CUI and publication
All routesThe certificate carries the register number, the CUI and the EUID (art. 110(1)); we forward itTerm 7
8After registration
All routesThe company pays in the capital, opens a payment account and notifies changesTerm 8
- Term 5filing within 15 days of the constitutive act (art. 36(1) Law 31/1990)
- Term 6registrar: one working day, a statutory term and not a promise (art. 105(1)); up to 15 calendar days to complete a file (art. 106(1)); complaint within 10 calendar days of communication (art. 112(1))
- Term 7ONRC sends the extract to Monitorul Oficial within at most 3 working days of registration (art. 16(3))
- Term 830% of the subscribed capital paid in within 3 months (art. 91(2) Law 31/1990); a Romanian payment account within 60 working days of formation; changes notified within 15 days (art. 43(1))
Law 265/2022, 2022 text.
A question about your signing route or your documents?
Tell us where the founders live and which signature they hold. We reply with the route, the documents and the steps for your file.
Documents you will need
What we ask for before the filing, by route. The capital is paid in after registration.
- A passport copy of each individual founder and administrator
- Your choices: members, administrator, capital and business object
- Route A: a qualified electronic signature under an eIDAS scheme
- Route B: a special power of attorney in notarised form
- Route C: the lawyer's mandate, signed with the partner lawyer
- The apostille or superlegalisation, where the country requires it
- Legalised Romanian translations of each foreign document
- A company founder: its constitutive documents; ONRC gets an EU founder's status via BRIS
- The data for the beneficial owner declaration
- Details for our identity and due diligence checks
Online registration rules and terms
Law 265/2022 rows are its 2022 text. The other rows name their own act.
| Rule | What the statute says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Filing window | The founders, the first administrators or their attorney apply within 15 days of concluding the constitutive act | art. 36(1) Law 31/1990, text of January 2024 |
| Registrar's decision | Within one working day of filing: the statute's term, not a promise | art. 105(1) Law 265/2022 |
| Incomplete file | A remedy or completion term of at most 15 calendar days | art. 106(1) Law 265/2022 |
| Complaint | Within 10 calendar days of the communication of the decision | art. 112(1) Law 265/2022 |
| Language and foreign documents | Documents are drawn up in Romanian; foreign official documents in the original with the apostille or superlegalisation (the original alone where a treaty or EU rule removes the formality), with a legalised Romanian translation | art. 75(1) and 76(1)-(2) Law 265/2022 |
| Capital | 500 lei minimum for a newly formed SRL, from 18 December 2025; 30% of the subscribed capital paid in within 3 months of registration | Art. VI(2) Law 239/2025; art. 91(2) Law 31/1990, text of January 2024 |
| Payment account | A newly formed legal person opens a payment account in Romania within at most 60 working days of formation | Law 70/2015 as amended by Art. II Law 239/2025 |
| Beneficial owner | A declaration at incorporation and whenever a change occurs | art. 56(1) Law 129/2019 |
| Later changes | Notified within 15 days of the act or fact | art. 43(1) Law 265/2022 |
| Publication and charges | Acts the law sends to Monitorul Oficial Part IV are charged 152 lei per manuscript page in 2026, VAT included; the 2022 text charges no fee for the operations of art. 41 and 43 | Decision 1/2026; art. 44 Law 265/2022 |
The first months after registration
Months from registration
- 3 months30% of the subscribed capital paid inart. 91(2) Law 31/1990
Working days from formation
- 60 working daysA payment account in Romania, at mostArt. II Law 239/2025
Days from the act or fact
- 15 daysChanges to registered facts are notifiedart. 43(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text
Beneficial-owner declaration: at incorporation and at every changeart. 56(1) Law 129/2019
The tracks run on their own scales and are never converted into each other or added up.
Problems we solve
Where a registration from abroad usually stalls, and how we handle each point, with no guarantees. Law 265/2022 is quoted from its 2022 text.
Registering without travelling, banking separately
EU law requires that SRL formation can run fully online (Directive 2019/1151). Where a notary or lawyer drew up the file, presence is waived (art. 105(2)). Banks run their own checks: bank account for a foreign-owned SRL.
The apostille, EU states included
A power of attorney notarised abroad carries the apostille (art. 76(1)). The EU rules in Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 cover civil-status documents only. A power of attorney notarised in the EU still needs the apostille, unless a bilateral treaty removes it. We check each country.
A statutory day against a record of backlogs
One working day is the term the statute sets for the registrar (art. 105(1)). In 2024 the Government recorded major registration problems (OUG 109/2024). Our tagline's 48 hours cover preparing and filing only. For existing companies, see our ready-made companies service.
What becomes public, and what the state charges
The Monitorul Oficial extract gives founders' and administrators' country, town and county (art. 16(2)). The 152 lei per manuscript page is not an ONRC fee. It is charged for acts the law sends to Part IV (2026, Decision 1/2026).
The VAT check for a remote founder
VAT requested in the filing runs from registration. ANAF then assesses the risk (art. 316(9)). The VAT cancellation criteria include a non-resident foreign administrator with capital under 45,000 lei. We promise no code. See how a Romanian VAT number is built and verified in VIES.
A document or country question before you start?
Send us the founders' countries and documents. We check the apostille, translation and signing options before anything is signed.
Why work with RomaniaRegist
We are a company service provider notified to ONPCSB (Law 129/2019, art. 5(1)(g)). We check each founder before filing.
From our practice
Andrei checks the name. He assembles passport copies and apostilled translations. He prepares the standard forms and arranges the notarised power of attorney. He tracks each file to the registrar's decision.
Registration and corporate filings lead
Frequently asked questions about online registration
Can I really register a Romanian company without travelling to Romania?
Yes for the registration itself. Physical presence is not needed where a notary or lawyer drew up the application and the documents (art. 105(2)). If the registrar exceptionally asks for presence, all other steps of an online formation stay online (art. 105(3)). No route is signature-free for everyone. The bank account is a separate step.
Do I need a qualified electronic signature, and which ones does ONRC accept?
Only if you sign and file yourself electronically. That route uses a qualified electronic signature issued under an eIDAS electronic identification scheme (art. 83). A qualified trust service provider in Romania or another EU member state issues it (art. 3(1)(o)). With an attorney or a lawyer, they sign the application (art. 79(1)).
I am not an EU citizen and have no EU e-signature: can I still register online?
EU law owes recognition of e-ID means to applicants who are Union citizens (Directive 2017/1132, art. 13b(1)). On our reading, a non-EU founder cannot count on their home e-ID. Two routes we handle remain. One is a notarised power of attorney to our filing agent (art. 79(1)). The other is a lawyer's mandate (art. 79(1), 105(2)). A notary may also file (art. 84(2)).
Does my power of attorney have to be notarised, and does it need an apostille?
An attorney who is not a lawyer signs the application only under an authentic power of attorney. That means a notarised special or general one (art. 3(1)(e), art. 79(1)). A power of attorney notarised abroad comes with the apostille or superlegalisation. It also needs a legalised Romanian translation (art. 76(1)-(2)). We coordinate both steps.
My country is in the EU: do I still need an apostille on a notarised power of attorney?
Yes, unless a bilateral treaty removes it. Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 drops the apostille only for public documents in civil-status areas. Examples are birth, marriage and absence of a criminal record. It does not cover a power of attorney used to register a company. We check the founder's country before signing.
Can a lawyer sign for me instead of a notary?
Yes. A lawyer can sign the application under a lawyer's mandate (art. 79(1)). A lawyer who drew up the documents may file them electronically. The lawyer also attests the applicant's identity (art. 84(2)). That is route C. A partner Romanian lawyer handles it, because drafting is a lawyer's activity (Law 51/1995, art. 3(1)(c)).
Will ONRC ask me to come in person to confirm my identity?
Not where a notary or lawyer drew up the file (art. 105(2)). EU law allows physical presence only case by case. This is where identity falsification is suspected. All other steps stay online (Directive 2017/1132, art. 13b(4)). On route A the qualified electronic signature identifies the founder (art. 83).
How long does online registration take, and why can it take longer than the one working day in the law?
The registrar must decide within one working day of filing (art. 105(1)). The statute sets that term. It is not a promise. In 2024 the Government recorded major registration problems (OUG 109/2024). The 48 hours in our tagline cover preparing and filing. They never cover the registrar's decision or a VAT code.
What happens if ONRC finds my file incomplete or rejects it?
An incomplete file gets a remedy or completion term of at most 15 calendar days (art. 106(1)). You file a complaint against the registrar's decision within 10 calendar days of its communication (art. 112(1)). We answer the registrar's requests for completion and forward the outcome to you.
Do my documents need a Romanian translation, and who may translate them?
Documents filed in support are drawn up in Romanian (art. 75(1)). Foreign documents come with a legalised Romanian translation (art. 76(2)). We arrange the authorised translator and add the translation to the file. The translator's fee is a third-party cost.
Will my name and home town be published?
In part. The extract published in Monitorul Oficial names the founders and administrators with their country, town and county (art. 16(2)). Acts the law sends to Monitorul Oficial Part IV are charged at 152 lei per manuscript page (2026, Decision 1/2026). That is not an ONRC fee. Which tariff applies to this extract, and who pays it, is not settled.
Can I ask for the VAT number in the same online filing, and is it guaranteed?
You can request VAT in the filing. It then runs from the registration date (art. 316(11)(a)). It is never guaranteed, because ANAF assesses the new payer's risk (art. 316(9)). Annex 6 of the VAT norms lists the fiscal-risk criteria for cancelling a registration. One is a foreign administrator without Romanian tax residence with capital below 45,000 lei. How the criteria combine is unstated.
What do I receive at the end, and is an electronically issued certificate valid?
The registration certificate carries the trade register number, the CUI and the EUID (art. 110(1)). If the file went electronically with a qualified electronic signature, the decision and certificate come back signed with one. They count as authentic documents (art. 111(5)). ANAF assigns the CUI on ONRC's data (art. 126).
Can I also open the company bank account online?
We cannot promise it. A newly formed legal person must hold a payment account in Romania. It has at most 60 working days from formation (Law 239/2025). The bank runs its own checks. It may refuse only on AML or sanctions grounds (art. 1(14) Law 70/2015). We explain the duty, without guaranteeing an account.
What are the steps to create a company in Romania?
For a founder abroad: choose the signing route and reserve the name. Sign the constitutive act and assemble the foreign documents. Then file within 15 days of the act. Wait for the registrar's decision. Receive the certificate and CUI. Last, pay in the capital and open the payment account. The numbered process above gives the articles.
Where do your founders live, and what can they obtain?
Tell us where the founders live and which documents they can obtain. We return a remote registration plan.
Call +40 21 312 3456 or write to info@company-registration-in-romania.com, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00, Bucharest time.