Your own company in Romania is more than just a business. It is grounds for a residence permit in the European Union, access to one of the most advantageous tax regimes in the EU, and a stable legal foothold in Europe. Alliance opens companies for citizens of any country, runs the process from the first consultation to obtaining a bank account, and continues the support after registration.
From 2026 new tax legislation is in force in Romania — it has become simpler and more advantageous. Below we break down the specific steps, documents, timelines and cost, plus what matters after registration so that the company does not fall foul of the penalties under the new Law 239/2025.
Why open a company in Romania
It is a decision that works in three directions at once, and each of them delivers a result in the very first year.
Legalisation in the EU
Opening a company and being employed by it provides grounds for a Romanian residence permit. This is a path to long-term residency and EU citizenship that does not depend on temporary protection programmes or the political decisions of individual countries.
Tax optimisation
From 2026 Romania applies a 1% rate on turnover for micro-enterprises (with turnover up to 100 000 €) — one of the lowest in the European Union. The standard profit tax rate for larger companies is 16%.
A European financial history
A company registered in the EU gives you a bank account in euros, a legal channel for working with European clients and an official business reputation in the European Union — needed for banks, visas, loans and long-term residency.
Forms of legal entity in Romania in 2026
In Romania in 2026 a foreigner has several legal forms available for business. The choice of form determines the tax regime, the capital requirements, the volume of reporting and whether the structure can be used for a residence permit. The SRL remains the main choice in 95% of cases, but for certain profiles other forms work too.
SRL (Societate cu răspundere limitată)
The main choice for a foreigner
The equivalent of a limited liability company. From 1 to 50 founders, minimum share capital RON 500 (~100 €) from 1 January 2026 under Law 239/2025 (previously RON 1). With turnover above RON 400 000 the capital must be increased to RON 5 000. Suits the 1% micro-enterprise or the 16% standard regime. 100% foreign ownership is permitted with no restrictions by citizenship or residence.
PFA (Persoană Fizică Autorizată)
Individual professionals present in Romania
An authorised natural person. Suits freelancers, consultants, IT specialists and translators working for themselves. Requires permanent presence in Romania and lawful residence. From 2026 the CASS ceiling has been raised from 60 to 72 minimum gross salaries, which increases social contributions for high-income PFAs. For remote work without relocating, this form is not suitable.
SA (Societate pe Acțiuni)
Large business and investment projects
A joint-stock company. Minimum share capital RON 90 000 (~18 000 €), at least 2 shareholders. Suits large-scale projects that attract investors, issue shares, or tackle infrastructure or industrial tasks. For small and medium-sized business it is excessive.
Branch and representative office
An existing business entering Romania
A branch of a foreign company (Sucursală) operates on behalf of the parent structure, carries on commercial activity and pays taxes in Romania. A representative office (Reprezentanță) cannot carry on activity, only marketing and preparing contracts. For most foreign investors it is simpler to open a new SRL than to register a branch.
Who can open a company
An SRL (Societate cu răspundere limitată — the equivalent of a limited liability company) in Romania can be opened by a citizen of any country — Romanian residence is not required. The founder can be one individual or several (a partnership, a married couple, business partners). The administrator — the executive head — can be one of the founders or an appointed person. It is a working solution for:
- Entrepreneurs entering the European market with services or goods
- Property investors who need the right legal structure for buying and letting
- IT specialists and remote professionals working with European and international clients
- Owners of an existing business opening a European branch or relocating the company
- Families planning to relocate or building a fallback base in the EU with the option of a residence permit
Type of company: micro or standard
In Romania, non-residents most often open an SRL, Societate cu răspundere limitată, the equivalent of a limited liability company, with minimal share capital and a clear management structure. The tax regime is chosen next.
Micro-enterprise
1% on turnoverturnover up to 100 000 € a yearOne of the lowest rates in the European Union. From 2026 the former alternative 3% rate has been abolished, leaving only the 1% regime. Sector restrictions have been lifted: management and consulting services now fall under the micro regime too.
Condition: At least one full-time employee.
Standard company
16% profit taxturnover above 100 000 € or at the founder’s choiceCombines with TVA (VAT) registration (21% from 1 August 2025, raised from 19%) for property transactions and work within the EU. Gives more flexibility in large transactions and work with European counterparties. From 1 January 2026 the dividend tax has been raised from 10% to 16% under Law 141/2025: this needs to be factored in from the first year when planning distributions.
Condition: Chosen for large business, import-export, property transactions.
The type of company and the regime are chosen for the client’s specific task. At the free consultation we calculate which option delivers the greatest benefit for you, taking into account the changes of 2026: the higher dividend tax, the new share capital threshold of RON 5 000 at turnover above RON 400 000 (Law 239/2025), and the relaxation of CAEN restrictions for micro-enterprises.
How we open a company: step by step
- 01
Free consultation
30 minutes online or in the office. We go through your task, the purpose of opening the company, the best structure, the types of activity, the type of tax regime. The outcome is a precise action plan and a budget calculation.
- 02
Collecting documents
You prepare your personal documents (international passport, proof of residence status, registered address with an English translation). Alliance helps with translations, apostilles and all the accompanying formalities.
- 03
Preparing the founding documents
The lawyer drafts the company’s articles of association (act constitutiv), prepares the founders’ declarations, selects the activity codes (CAEN) and checks the uniqueness of the name in the Registrul Comerțului.
- 04
Registration with the Registrul Comerțului
Submission of the package to Romania’s Trade Register. Registration usually takes up to 1.5 months depending on the register’s workload and the document checks.
- 05
Tax registration with ANAF
Obtaining the tax number (CUI/CIF), registration in the tax system and in the e-Factura digital reporting system, which from 2026 is mandatory for all companies in Romania.
- 06
Opening a bank account
Under the new Law 239/2025 the bank account must be opened within 60 working days of the company’s registration. Alliance supports the account opening at one of the partner banks — with document preparation and proof of source of funds.
- 07
Launch of activity and support
After registration the company is ready to operate. The first 3 months of support are free — legal and accounting support, answers to every question, communication with the lawyer and the accountant in a WhatsApp chat.
Digital reporting in 2026
From 2026 Romania is moving fully to digital reporting. Three mandatory systems in which every company registered in the country operates.
e-Factura
for everyone from 1 July 2026Electronic invoices through the ANAF state platform. Mandatory since 1 July 2024 for B2B operations between VAT payers; extended from 1 July 2026 to all companies, including micro-enterprises not registered for VAT. All outgoing and incoming invoices must pass through the system: paper and PDF invoices lose their legal force.
SAF-T (D406)
since 2022, expanded in 2025–2026The Standard Audit File — a single XML format in which the company transmits to ANAF its data on accounting, inventory, fixed assets and personnel. Mandatory for all Romanian companies and non-resident VAT payers since 2022, expanded to small business and micro-enterprises in 2025–2026. The accountant generates the file automatically from the accounting software; manual filing is not provided for.
e-TVA
from 1 January 2026A pre-filled VAT return: ANAF collects the data from e-Factura and SAF-T, generates the return automatically, and the company checks and confirms it. Discrepancies between the return and the system’s data automatically generate requests for explanations. This requires clean primary documentation from the first month of operation.
All three systems are interlinked: an error in one automatically surfaces in the other two. Accounting support through a licensed firm covers all three systems automatically.
What you receive in the end
- A registered EU company (SRL) with a complete set of founding documents
- A tax number (CUI/CIF) in Romania
- A registered office address for the company in Constanța or Mamaia
- A bank account in euros at a Romanian bank
- Registration in e-Factura for electronic reporting
- The option to apply for a Romanian residence permit through employment in your own company
- Support from an accountant for 12 months and from a lawyer for 3 months
Cost and timelines
Additionally, where needed: opening a bank account — 300 € for an individual / 500 € for a legal entity. Company registration takes up to 1.5 months.
Required documents
- International passport — a photo of the first page
- Document confirming current residence status (temporary protection or other)
- Registered address — with a translation into English
- Company name — 2–3 options to choose from, in English (it must be unique; we check it against the register)
- Full names of mother and father in English
- Name of the company administrator
- The company’s types of activity — what you plan to do (if undecided, we will discuss it)
What happens after registration
Many people think that registering the company is the end of the process. In fact it is the beginning. From the moment the registration certificate is received, the company has obligations: filing periodic returns, the annual balance sheet, reporting through e-Factura, maintaining an active bank account.
If a company is opened and not used, under the new Law 239/2025 it can from 2026 be declared tax-inactive — with fines from 3 000 to 10 000 lei and the risk of compulsory liquidation through ANAF. That is why proper support after opening is just as important as the registration itself.
Alliance stays with you after the opening. The first 3 months of support are free. After that we work under an accounting contract — 600 € a year, which covers everything a micro-enterprise needs to operate normally.
Linking the company to a residence permit and citizenship: the signature Alliance route
An SRL in Romania is not only a business instrument but also grounds for a European Union residence permit. A foreigner who has opened a company with real economic activity can obtain a residence permit as an associate or as an employed administrator. These are separate procedures at the immigration service, each with its own requirements.
The “company + residence permit” route works like this: registration of the SRL, real economic activity with movement on the account, opening a bank account, drawing up an employment contract for the administrator, applying to the immigration service for a residence permit. Then annual renewal on confirmation of continuing economic activity. After 5 years of lawful residency, the long-term EU resident permit opens up, with extended rights and reduced renewal requirements.
After 8 years of such residency the right to apply for Romanian citizenship by naturalisation opens up.
A detailed breakdown of the routes to Romanian citizenship (naturalisation, repatriation, marriage) and the mandatory B1 certificate from 2026 — in the guide to Romanian citizenship.
What to do if the company was already set up by an unscrupulous intermediary
Some clients come to Alliance not at the start, but after a first failed attempt. They opened an SRL with a cheap online intermediary, and the bank refused to open an account because of a fictitious registered address. They got a company, but a residence permit through it is not confirmed because there is no real economic activity. They registered a company through a “coordinator” in a messenger, lost contact, and the register now shows an outstanding reporting debt. They set up an SRL as a micro-enterprise but did not stay within the new 100 000 € threshold and incurred penalties.
Every such situation can be resolved. The Alliance legal department takes on a case at any stage: a legal review of the structure, replacing the registered address with a working one, establishing real economic activity, formalising the administrator’s employment, transferring the accounting to a licensed firm, liquidating a non-operating structure while averting the penalties under Law 239/2025 (3 000–10 000 RON for inactivity). The sooner the case is handed over, the more can be saved.
Why Alliance
Alliance Consulting is a company with its own legal, accounting and immigration departments. We are not intermediaries: we run the process from the first meeting to receiving the residence permit card, and continue the support afterwards.
Armonia is our property arm. If your task includes buying a flat, a villa or a commercial property in Constanța or Mamaia, we select and support the transaction in the same package as the SRL registration.
We will fix the goal and prepare a precise action plan for your profile — from the type of company and tax regime to timelines, budget and partner bank.
How this material was compiled. The analysis is based on: Law of Romania No. 31/1990 “On Companies”, Law 141/2025 (fiscal measures of 2026), Law 239/2025 (new requirements on capital and inactive companies), GEO 89/2025 (micro-enterprises), GEO 156/2024 (the 100 000 € threshold), the PwC Tax Summaries Romania 2026, EY Tax Alert, Accace Blog Flash and Kinstellar reports on the 2026 tax reform, and open data from ONRC (Registrul Comerțului) and ANAF. Rates and thresholds are given as of June 2026; the full list of sources is at the end of the article.
Questions before opening a company
Can a foreigner own 100% of a Romanian company?
Can an SRL be opened remotely?
What is the minimum share capital of an SRL in 2026?
What is the difference between a 1% micro-enterprise and a standard 16% SRL?
How did the dividend tax change in 2026?
Can a foreigner choose a PFA instead of an SRL?
Can Alliance work with a company opened by another intermediary?
Sources
- Law of Romania No. 31/1990 “On Companies” (legal forms SRL, PFA, SA, branch)
- Law of Romania No. 141/2025 (fiscal measures; dividend tax raised to 16% from 1 January 2026)
- Law of Romania No. 239/2025 (minimum SRL share capital RON 500; fines for inactivity 3 000–10 000 RON)
- GEO 89/2025 (micro-enterprise regime: abolition of the 3% rate, relaxation of CAEN restrictions)
- GEO 156/2024 (micro-enterprise threshold of 100 000 € from 2026)
- PwC Tax Summaries Romania 2026 (summary of tax rates)
- EY Tax Alert: Romania’s tax reform 2026
- Accace Blog Flash: changes in SRL and VAT legislation
- Kinstellar: overview of the fiscal and corporate changes of 2026
- Oficiul Naţional al Registrului Comerţului (ONRC, the Trade Register)
- Agenţia Naţională de Administrare Fiscală (ANAF, the Romanian tax authority)