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How does company registration work in Romania?

Starting a business in Romania involves a formal registration process that applies to all common forms of business entities. 

Where to register?

Romanian business registration is handled exclusively by the: National Trade Register Office (Oficiul Național al Registrului Comerțului – ONRC). It has local offices in every county, where applications can be submitted. Registration can be completed in person at a local ONRC branch or online through ONRC’s digital portal. Since 2021, the process has been heavily digitized, reducing paperwork and improving processing times.

Is registration mandatory for all businesses?

Registration is generally mandatory for all businesses wishing to operate legally in Romania. Whether you establish a company (such as an SRL (Ltd./GmbH) or SA (plc/AG)) or act as a sole trader (PFA), you must register the business with the Romanian Trade Register before conducting commercial activities.

Is registration centralized?

Yes — Romania uses a centralized and uniform national system for business registration. All ONRC branches follow the same standardized procedure. Company names are checked in a national database to prevent duplicates. In practice, registration works the same in Bucharest, Cluj, Timișoara, or any other city. Only minor logistical differences (like office workload) may affect timelines.

What is the cost of registering a business?

Setting up a business in Romania is inexpensive due to recent reforms. Thus, most official ONRC registration fees were abolished. In practice, independently registering a business in Romania usually involves expenses of under 500 RON (~€100) for items such as:

  • document printing/notarization (if needed),

  • company stamp (optional),

  • small administrative costs.

Is there a mandatory share capital for Romanian companies?

SA (Joint-Stock Company)

  • Minimum capital: 90,000 RON (~€25,000)

  • At least 30% must be paid in at the time of registration.

  • The bank issues a capital-deposit certificate for the ONRC file.

SRL (Limited Liability Company)

Note: Romania abolished the minimum capital requirement for SRLs in 2020.

You can register an SRL with as little as 1 RON.
However, many founders choose a symbolic amount (e.g., 50–200 RON) for credibility.

PFA (Sole Trader)

  • No share capital required.