Open Company in Bulgaria (2024 Requirements)
Quick List Company Formation Bulgaria in 2024
1. Choose a company name: Before forming a company in Bulgaria, you must choose a company name that is not already in use and meets the requirements of the Bulgarian Commercial Register.
2. Register the company: Once you have chosen a company name, you must register it in the Bulgarian Commercial Register. This requires a set of documents including a Certificate of Incorporation, a Memorandum and Articles of Association, a Declaration of the Shareholders, a Power of Attorney (if applicable) and a notarized copy of the identity documents of the shareholders.
3. Obtain a Tax Identification Number: After registering the company, the shareholders must obtain a Tax Identification Number (TIN) from the Bulgarian National Revenue Agency.
4. Open a bank account: Once the company has been registered and the TIN obtained, a bank account must be opened in the name of the company.
5. Obtain a business license: Depending on the type of business activity, a business license may be required. This must be obtained from the local municipality or other relevant authorities.
6. Register for VAT: If the company is expected to have a turnover of more than BGN 100,000 per year, it must register for Value Added Tax.
Start Company registration procedure in Bulgaria – Types of Company
Limited Liability Company (Ltd) – It is one of the most popular choices for small and medium businesses. An Ltd may be founded with one or more shareholders (individuals or companies) and managers (individuals). The lowest required founding capital of Limited Liability Company is 1 Euro.
Joint-stock company (JSC) – This option is suitable for large companies that want to start business in Bulgaria. The company formation should have one or more registered shareholders (individuals or companies) and minimum three members of the board of directors. The minimum founding capital is 25.565 Euro.
Тop 5 Steps to Start a Company in Bulgaria
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Choose Business Name: Select and reserve a unique business name for your OOD in Bulgaria to establish a distinct identity.
Appoint Representative Agent: Appoint a representative agent in Bulgaria who will play a key role in the company’s local dealings.
Deposit Minimum Share Capital: Ensure the deposit of the minimum share capital of 2 BGN in a local bank account as a fundamental requirement.
Submit Articles of Association: Prepare and submit the Articles of Association outlining internal regulations and company operations.
Obtain Business Licenses: Verify and obtain necessary business licenses to comply with local regulations for legal operation in Bulgaria.
In order to prepare the relevant documents, we will need the following information in advance:
1. Passport details of the shareholder/s and manager/s
2. Suggestion regarding the name of the company : Here you can check Company Name Availability: public brra.bg CheckUps Verifications RightsOverCompany.ra Note: verification can only be done in Cyrillic
3. Activities of the company
The registration procedure takes 3 days. If the required notarized documents are notarized abroad (in case the manager/s decide not to come to Bulgaria) the procedure will be extended with the days required for legalization of the documents.
Owners of recently formed companies in Bulgaria should know that their company will be obligated to pay 10% flat income tax on the profit, no matter of total profit amount.
The companies in Bulgaria should submit their annual tax return for the previous calendar year by the end of March. This is required even when the company has not registered activity for the last year.
Visa for Non-EU Nationals to Start a Business in Bulgaria
Non-EU nationals must obtain the appropriate visa to operate in Bulgaria.
Two main types include the short-stay visa (Type C) and long-stay visa (Type D).
Short-Stay Visa (Type C)for Bulgaria
Suitable for limited companies, branches, or trade representatives.
Requires a business invitation letter.
Allows a 90-day stay with a validity of 6 months.
Long-Stay Visa (Type D) for Bulgaria
Needed for specific instances such as trade representative offices, Bulgarian companies, or branches.
Employment criteria involve hiring a minimum number of residents for at least six months.
Nature of Business Registration:
Different visa types depend on the nature of business registration (limited companies, branches, trade representatives).
Employment Criteria:
Criteria vary based on the type of registration, requiring companies to employ a specific number of residents for a defined duration.
Cost: The exact calculation depends on the number of the documents that should be translated, legalized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and coordinated with the bank and Commercial Register
€ 600 – if the manager/s and shareholder/s are present in Bulgaria
€ 800 – if the manager/s and the shareholder/s will not be present in Bulgaria to notarize the relevant documents
from € 1200– if the owner of the company will be a foreign legal entity
All taxes and fees are included:
- – Government fees
– Notary fees
– opening of an initial capital bank account
– Translation and legalization of the documents in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
– Registration in the Registry Agency
– Commercial Register- Legal feesBank account opening: We should be informed in advance if the manager will be present personally or will be represented by a proxy with an exact power of attorney.Cost: € 100 per account
Get more information Contact us
for more information on setting up a company in Bulgaria or submit your request in the submission form on the left.SEE ALSO: Accounting Services
The kinds of business organizations most typically used for establishment of international businesses in Bulgaria are the OOD, the AD, the branch and the TRO.
Limited Liability Company – ( OOD or EOOD )
The OOD company is the type of business organization most widely utilized by financiers because of the minimal capital demands and the simpleness of its corporate administration structure. An OOD can be established by several persons, people and/or legal entities. As a type of OOD, the entirely owned OOD is subject to the exact same guideline as the OOD, with particular exemptions relating to its specific framework of shareholding. Investors in an OOD may be Bulgarian and/or international individuals and/or legal entities.
The minimum share funding required by the Business Act for consolidation of an OOD is BGN 2, or2 Bulgarian Leva, which is equal to approximately one Euro, distributed in shares with value of not less than BGN 1 each.
The investors can make both money and in-kind contributions. The in-kind payment is subject to obligatory analysis by three independent specialists, designated by the Bulgarian Pc Registry Company.
The shares in an OOD are not tradable instruments. They might be moved by a notarised share transfer arrangement. The transfer of shares in between shareholders does not call for a resolution of the basic meeting, while a transfer of shares to a third party, in addition to the admission of the brand-new investor( s), requires such a resolution.
The business governance framework of an OOD contains: (i) a basic conference of the investors; and also (ii) several managers who take care of the business and also represent it vis-á-vis 3rd parties. Under Bulgarian legislation just an individual may be selected as a manager of the OOD. The manager can be a shareholder, as well as a third person, and there are no limitations for a foreign person to be appointed as supervisor of an OOD.
OOD (Ltd) Registration Documentation List
- A paid-up capital note that you can issue from a bank of your choice.
- Consent to accept management and specimen signature (specimen) – needs to be notarized and signed by the manager. There are two options: to have a specimen prepared that only needs notarisation or to ask the notary’s office to prepare it.
- Articles of incorporation
- Articles of Incorporation – The document must contain the decisions taken at the constituent assembly and the agenda of the meeting.
- Resolution appointing the sole owner of the capital as manager
- Application form A4 – the most important document!
- Declaration according to art. 141, par. 8, Commercial Companies Code. The manager declares that he/she meets the requirements of the law for a company manager. Signed.
- Declaration under Article 142, Commercial Law (LC). Prohibition of competitive activity. Signed by the manager.
- Declaration under Article 13, paragraph 4, of the Commercial Register Act (CRA). It declares the truth of the stated circumstances. It shall be signed by the applicant.
- Declaration pursuant to Article 13(5) of the Commercial Companies Act. To be filed by the bearer. To be completed only when the applicant does not present the documents in person to the TR.
- Application for the retention of a company (D1), which is optional.
License or permit when the business of the company requires one.
Joint Stock Company ( AD )
The joint stock company is an additional commonly utilized kind of business organisation. It is favored because of the lack of legal limitations on the transfer of shares as well as the absence of individual engagement of the shareholders in the procedure of the business. However, the company administration structure is much more complex compared to the among the LLC as well as the Business Act sets forth necessary rules regulating the formation of a reserve fund, distribution of earnings and minority shareholders civil liberties. A JSC might be developed by one or more Bulgarian and/or foreign people and/or legal entities. As a kind of a JSC, the solely had JSC goes through the same guideline as the JSC, with specific exceptions associating with its specific structure of shareholding.
The minimal licensed funding needed for establishment and procedure of a JSC is BGN 50,000 (fifty thousand Bulgarian Lev), which equals to around EUR 26,000 (twenty six thousand Euros). Nevertheless, special legislation may need higher minimum share funding for carrying out certain kinds of tasks, as an example financial or insurance coverage activity. The share capital of a JSC should be distributed in shares with a nominal value of not less than BGN 1 (one Bulgarian Lev) each. At the time of unification of the firm and as a condition criterion for such consolidation, at the very least 25% of the nominal value (or issuance worth identified in the by-laws) of each share must be paid in and the rest of overall quantity of the capital will be paid in within two years. Similarly to the LLC, the shareholders of a JSC can likewise make both cash money and also in-kind payments.
The corporate governance framework of a JSC consists of: (i) a basic conference of the shareholders, as well as (ii) a board of directors (in the case of a one-tier administration system), or a managerial board and a managing board (when it comes to a two-tier administration system).
The shares of a JSC are tradable tools. The shares of a JSC might be: (i) signed up or bearer shares; (ii) usual or fortunate shares, (iii) happened or book-entry type shares.
Registered shares are transferred by recommendation, whereas bearer shares are transferred by simple delivery. The transfer of shares in the JSC is exempt to registration in the Commercial Register. The transfer of licensed shares should be participated in guide of investors of the JSC to have effect against the company. For the most part new investors might conveniently go into the JSC. However, restrictions on the transfer of shares may be attended to in the by-laws of the business, as well as such constraints shall be binding on the firm and on the investors. Limitations on transfer might relate to any kind of kind of shares.
Company Branch
The unification of a branch is just one of the options to the establishment of service procedures of an international firm in Bulgaria. International firms signed up abroad, as well as foreign people or persons that do not certify as legal entities can sign up a branch in Bulgaria, gave that they are properly included and/or qualified to carry out organisation under the nationwide law of their residence nation.
A branch of an international company is established using registration into the Commercial Register. After its proper registration according to Bulgarian regulation, the branch of a foreign firm, although not a different legal entity, has a particular level of self-reliance from the moms and dad business. Hence, it is required to maintain industrial publications as a separate service facility as well as prepare a separate annual report. Nonetheless, as the branch is not a separate legal entity, its assets as well as responsibilities are regarded to be assets and liabilities of the moms and dad company. For that reason, the branch is not called for to follow resources enrolment needs or to have separate by-laws or a distinct monitoring structure, besides a supervisor. From tax perspective a branch of a foreign firm is considered a “permanent facility” and it sets off company revenue tax obligation liability in Bulgaria for the foreign parent firm.
Trade Representative Office
A foreign individual/ entity can sign up a trade depictive workplace in Bulgaria, offered that it is entitled to carry out organisation under the national regulation of its residence nation. As pointed out over, a TRO is established by means of registration with the Bulgarian Chamber of Business and also Sector. A TRO is not a different legal entity and it may not carry out company tasks. Hence, a TRO is implied to perform non-proprietary tasks, such as arranging promos, exhibits or presentations, training or advertising of services or products, etc. Consequently, as a whole a TRO does not create revenue as well as is not subject to corporate revenue taxation in Bulgaria. However, must a TRO take part in organisation activities in the country, it would qualify as a “long-term facility” for tax functions and the foreign parent business will certainly be responsible in Bulgaria for corporate income tax on the profit made as a result of the business activity of the TRO.
Company Formation Bulgaria FAQ
What Are Company formation costs in Bulgaria?
The cost of setting up a company in Bulgaria is relatively low compared to other countries in the European Union. The average cost of registering a company in Bulgaria is between €400 and €800, depending on the type of company you want to establish. This cost typically includes the registration fee, notary costs, lawyer fees, and any other costs associated with the process.
What is the corporate tax rate in Bulgaria?
The Corporate tax rate in Bulgaria is a flat rate of 10%.
What is the dividend tax rate in Bulgaria?
The dividend tax rate in Bulgaria is a flat rate of 5%.
What is the VAT rate in Bulgaria?
The VAT rate in Bulgaria is a flat rate of 20%. and 9% in some special cases.
Why is Bulgaria good for business?
Bulgaria is an attractive location for businesses due to its low taxes, its low cost of labor, its access to the European Union, its strategic geographic location and its strong infrastructure. Low corporate taxes (10% flat) and low labor costs are two of the main reasons why Bulgaria is an attractive destination for many businesses. Additionally, its access to the European Union, its strategic geographic location and its strong infrastructure, make it a great location for businesses. Bulgaria has a well-educated and highly skilled workforce, making it a great place to invest in technology and innovation. Furthermore, its close proximity to other European countries makes it a great hub for companies looking to expand their operations in the region.
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