How to set up a company in Bulgaria, step by step (2026)

How long does it actually take?

Less than you think. The actual registration at the Commercial Register usually takes 1–3 working days after the file is filed electronically. With document preparation, opening the capital account and the notary step, you reach a week or two in total — not months. It's one of the reasons Bulgaria is so popular: it doesn't hold you up.

What are the steps, exactly?

The real order matters — this is where many people get tangled:

1. Choose and reserve the company name. Check online whether the name is free at the Bulgarian Commercial Register.
2. Prepare the articles of association (for a single member, EOOD). Important: the articles of association are signed by the founder and do NOT need to be notarised. At the notary you only do the declaration with the director's specimen signature (plus a power of attorney, if someone represents you remotely).
3. Open a capital account at a Bulgarian bank (набирателна сметка) and deposit the share capital — the minimum is €1 (post-euro, from 2026). The bank issues you a capital deposit certificate. Without this certificate, the Register won't accept your file — that's why the bank step comes before registration, not after.
4. File the application (Form A4) at the Commercial Register, electronically, together with the documents and the bank certificate.
5. Wait for registration — 1–3 working days — and receive the company's unique identification code.

After registration, the bank converts the capital account into the company's current account — you have nothing separate to open. All that's left are the "after" things (possibly VAT, accounting) — more on those below.

How much money do I need to start it?

On the state's side, surprisingly little — the rest is services. By component:

• share capital: €1 (that's the legal minimum now);
• state fee for electronic registration: ~€28;
• opening the capital account at the bank — besides the account fee, many banks charge a file review fee, non-refundable if they reject you (details on the costs page);
• notarisation — only for the specimen signature (and a power of attorney, if needed). The cost varies a lot depending on where you sign: at a notary in Bulgaria, at a notary in Romania (with apostille + translation) or at the Bulgarian consulate in Bucharest (in which case the apostille is no longer needed);
• translations, as the case may be.

It's not about thousands of euros "hidden" just to exist on paper — the real cost is in services and notarisation, not in a state trap fee. (For the notary/specimen, prices are best checked on the market and at the consulate.)

Do I have to go to Bulgaria, or is it all done online?

Good news: most of it is handled online / remotely. The part where presence matters is the director's specimen signature — and there you have options: at a notary in Bulgaria, at a notary in Romania (with apostille + translation) or at the Bulgarian consulate in Bucharest. You're not obliged to pack your bags for Sofia to have a company there.

What documents do I need, exactly?

To make it clear, I'll split them by category — because not all of them "get notarised", as is sometimes thought:

Signed by you, without a notary:

• the articles of association (for a single member).

At the notary (only this):

• the declaration with the director's specimen signature;
• a power of attorney, if someone represents you remotely.

From the bank:

• the capital deposit certificate (from the capital account).

From you:

• your ID.

The rest — the standard declarations the Register requires — we prepare properly, so a stray comma doesn't turn you back.

And once the company is ready — what's next?

Less than you think, because the banking part is already solved:

• the company account is ready — the capital account you opened automatically becomes the company's current account after registration;
• VAT registration, if your activity requires it or you choose it;
• monthly accounting, mandatory once the company is operating.

The good news is we don't leave you at "congratulations, you have a company" — the same team that sets up your company also handles the after part, so you have a single point of contact, not a supplier hunt.