Common mistakes foreign founders make before registering an SRL

The mistakes that actually cause delays

Most problems foreign founders meet when they register a company in Romania are not exotic legal obstacles; they are small, avoidable errors in the paperwork that surface at the worst moment, after a file has already been submitted. The common mistakes foreigners make when they register a company in Romania tend to repeat, which is good news: once you know what they are, almost all of them can be prevented before anything reaches the Trade Register. This page sets out the ones we see most often and how a document-first approach keeps them out of your file.

The underlying theme is consistency. The registry compares your passport, your translations, your power of attorney, and your articles of association against each other, and any mismatch invites a query. Understanding the typical pitfalls of company formation in Romania lets you prepare the right version of each document the first time rather than correcting it under time pressure later.

Inconsistent names and addresses

The single most frequent issue is name spelling. When your name is transliterated from a non-Latin alphabet, or when a middle name appears on one document but not another, the version in your translation can drift from the version in your passport. The Trade Register treats those as two different identities and flags the file. The fix is simple but must be deliberate: choose one authoritative spelling, taken exactly from your passport, and use it identically across every form, translation, and declaration. The same discipline applies to addresses, dates of birth, and, for corporate shareholders, the company's registration number.

Addresses cause a related problem. Address formats differ widely between countries, and a casually written address that does not match your proof of residence can stall an otherwise clean submission. It is worth confirming the exact wording once and reusing it everywhere. Preparing the full set of required documents with this consistency in mind removes the most common reason files are returned.

Expired or unsuitable identity documents

A passport that expires soon, a low-resolution scan, or a copy missing the relevant pages is a surprisingly common cause of delay. The registrar needs a current, fully legible identity document, and a borderline scan that a registrar cannot read clearly is treated as missing. Before anything is drafted, it is worth checking that your passport has comfortable validity remaining and that your scan is sharp, in colour, and complete.

Foreign documents often carry a second requirement that founders overlook: depending on your country, identity and supporting papers may need certified Romanian translation and, in some cases, an apostille or consular legalisation. Discovering this after booking translations in the wrong order is one of the more frustrating ways to lose a week, which is why we map the authentication chain for your documents at the start.

Choosing CAEN codes by guesswork

Another recurring mistake is treating the business activity as an afterthought and picking CAEN codes at random or copying long lists of unrelated ones. The codes you declare define the legal scope of the company, can affect banking and tax treatment, and in regulated fields may trigger an authorisation requirement. A primary code that does not reflect your real main activity, or a sprawling list of irrelevant secondary codes, can look incoherent to a bank during onboarding. Describing in plain language what the company will actually do, and letting us map that to the correct codes, avoids both extremes.

Assuming everything is automatic, and ignoring what comes after

Two assumptions cause trouble at opposite ends of the process. The first is expecting that every case can be handled fully online with no formalities; in reality, remote registration is realistic in many standard situations but depends on your residence, your documents, and the signing route, which we assess case by case. The second is treating registration as the finish line. Once the company exists, it has ongoing obligations: accounting must be set up, the registered office must be kept valid and renewed on time, and filings must be maintained. Founders who plan only as far as the certificate often scramble afterwards.

These are matters of preparation rather than luck. A realistic understanding of the route to a Romanian SRL for foreigners, including the steps after incorporation, is what turns a stressful process into a predictable one.

Indicative pricing

Romanian SRL formation for foreign citizens starts from €300, a registered office from €150 per year, and a combined remote SRL and registered office package from €450, with later company changes from €200. Each is a starting point; the final quote depends on your citizenship, your documents, the number of shareholders, whether translations are required, and whether the shareholder is an individual or a foreign legal entity.

Check your case

The most reliable way to avoid these mistakes is to have your case reviewed before any document is drafted or paid for. Send us your citizenship, your current country of residence, whether you need a registered office, and the business activity you have in mind, by WhatsApp or through the contact form. We will tell you whether your file looks standard or whether the name, document, or signing route needs extra care, so you can register your company without the avoidable detours.