What does it really cost to set up a company in Romania?

1. Which legal form is suitable?

In colloquial language, "Romania GmbH" usually refers to a SRL (limited liability company). An SRL is a company with one or more shareholders. Its legal form functions similarly to a limited liability company (GmbH).

SRL (Societate cu răspundere limitată)

• Ideal for solo entrepreneurs, multi-entrepreneurs, and online businesses
• Over 85% of entrepreneurs choose to do so
• One or more partners
• No minimum share capital is required anymore
• In practice, often the fastest/most straightforward solution.

PFA / Sole Proprietorship

• Often unsuitable due to significantly higher tax burden
• Suitable for minimal bureaucracy, classic one-person structures

SA — Public limited company

• Significantly higher costs and capital requirements
• Minimum capital approx. 90,000 Lei (20,000 €)
• Usually only makes sense for larger projects

Tip: In Romania, the SRL (comparable to GmbH) is the most sensible and flexible legal form for most founders.

2. Costs of setting up a company in Romania

If you travel to Romania and handle the incorporation yourself, you can save on costs, especially if you organize the documents yourself. Nevertheless, many people hire a service provider to avoid errors and delays.

To establish a limited liability company in Romania, 2 to 3 notary appointments are required.

➙ Multiple travels within 4-5 weeks for 3 notary appointments often too time consuming.
➙ Stay of at least 4 weeks straight in Romania requires a lot of time.

The following appointments with the notary are required:

1. For the founding (notarized)
2. Application for VAT ID (notarized)
3. Notarized power of attorney for the Romanian tax advisor

One-time cost factors

• State registry fees: depending on the submission/procedure
• Notary & Certifications: Signatures, resolutions, declarations
• Translations/Apostille: depending on the source documents
• Optional: VAT ID registration, company address, bank support

Costs of doing everything in Romania

In Romania, it is mandatory to be advised and authorized by a state-certified Romanian tax advisor; this is not optional. (Self-management of accounting is therefore snot possible.)

This also means that exactly 3 notary appointments are required for incorporation, VAT ID and tax advisor.

Therefore are the individual costs (opportunity costs) of either multiple travels or a Stay in Romania of 4-5 weeks probably the biggest cost part.

Costs for setup in Romania locally

1. 2-3 trips to Romania: approximately 1,000-2,000 EURO
2. Uninterrupted stay of over 4 weeks: approximately 1,500-3,000 EURO
3. Notary fees on site (3 times): approximately 550 EURO
4. Interpreter (Romanian/German) three times: approximately 400 EURO
5. Registration fees: approximately 400-600 EURO
6. Company address: approximately 60 EURO per month (720 EURO)
This results in one-time start-up costs of between 4570 and 7270 EURO.

Those who are Romanian citizens and already live in Romania can save on some costs. Or those who are already planning to spend a very long vacation of over a month in Romania and consider the main costs (travel and hotel costs) not as "start-up costs" but as "private vacation expenses".

Why 4 weeks or 3 trips? The process simply takes that much time, and it's not possible to complete the incorporation, VAT ID, and power of attorney for the tax advisor simultaneously or within a few days. The long waiting times at the authorities mean that the VAT ID can only be applied for two weeks after incorporation, and the power of attorney for the accountant can only be issued one to two weeks later.

3. Costs of setting up a company in Romania remotely

It is generally possible to establish a company in Romania remotely. However, this usually involves powers of attorney, notarizations, and the sending of documents. This results in additional costs if the notary appointments are held in the applicant's home country.

Three visits to a notary are required; for each of these visits, an interpreter must be hired by the Romanian embassy, and subsequently, it is necessary to apply for an apostille at the district court.

It is also possible to handle all notary appointments digitally. Interpreters and apostilles can be ordered for the same appointment at the same time!

Founding from afar, on-site in the home country

• Powers of attorney must be certified
• Apostille and translations are often necessary
• Document dispatch (Original documents) are added
• Bank account/Compliance may incur additional costs for non-residents

Costs of forming from home country

In countries like Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, notary fees are higher than in Romania. Furthermore, one has to wait until an interpreter from the Romanian embassy is available, as they must be sworn in. The trip to the district court to have the notarized documents apostilled also results in three additional visits to the notary's office, even if three appointments are required.

It is not sufficient to attend a notary appointment in one's home country: For each of the 3 notary appointments, an interpreter and an apostille are always required.

Therefore the 3 notary appointments plus interpreter and apostille is the biggest cost part.

One-time costs for setting up a business in the home country

1. Three notary appointments: approximately 900-1,200 EURO
2. Three interpreter fees: approximately 800-1,500 EURO
3. Three apostilles: approximately 600 EURO
4. Three document shipments: approximately 150 EURO
4. Legal fees: approximately 750 EURO
5. Registration fees: approximately 500-600 EURO
6. Company address: approximately 60 EURO per month (720 EURO)

This results in one-time start-up costs of between 4420 and 5520 EURO.

The formation process extends to 2 months instead of 4 weeks, because interpreters, notaries and court visits have to be coordinated multiple times.

4. Solution: Handle everything digitally, reduce costs

How can it be improved now? With GO EU: Digitized notary appointments, including interpreters and apostilles at the same time.

Time and effort reduced by several weeks!

✔ With GO EU: Remote company formation without leaving home: approximately 3000 EURO

5. Ongoing Costs

The biggest surprises usually don't occur during the initial setup, but rather with the ongoing costs. A small business also has ongoing obligations, such as bookkeeping, registrations, annual financial statements, and, if applicable, VAT reporting.

Monthly running costs

• Accounting: approx. €80-300 (depending on the volume of documents)
• Bank Account: approx. €10–20 (fees)
• VAT (if relevant): additional ongoing costs may apply

Fixed costs per year

• Company headquarters with lease agreement: approx. €60 per month
• Annual reports, balance sheet / publication: approx. €300–800 per year

For a small company with no special requirements, additional monthly costs of €200-300 are often feasible.

6. Costs for tax advisors or accountants?

In Romania, professional bookkeeping is practically always required. Even if you keep many things small, it's necessary to meet deadlines and formal requirements. For this reason, hiring a tax advisor or accountant is one of the most significant expenses.

Price ranges according to complexity

Tip: GO EU not only has its own branch in Romania, but also employs its own Romanian tax advisors. The costs are passed on without markup, below the market average for accounting services.

Example: 1-20 receipts per month

- Market standard: €200 per month
- For GO EU customers: €80 per month

7. Conclusion

If low corporate taxes and low barriers to entry are important to you, Romania remains an attractive location within the EU. However, the often-touted €1,000 company formation fee is rarely realistic. In most cases, this only represents a portion of the actual costs.

Realistic cost overview

• One time costs formation:
  
  
  • Romania on site: approx. €4500
  • Home country on site: approx. €4400
  • 100% remote: approx. €3000


• Ongoing costs: approximately €150-300 per month

Whether a Romanian GmbH makes sense depends less on the incorporation process and more on whether your structure – i.e., business model, substance, bank, accounting and compliance – functions well in the long term.

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