Register a company in Romania for non-EU citizens

What changes when you are a non-EU citizen setting up business Romania

A non-EU citizen setting up business Romania faces broadly the same legal structure as anyone else: the SRL (societate cu răspundere limitată) remains the standard limited liability vehicle, the minimum capital is modest, and a single shareholder may also act as administrator. The Trade Register does not bar third-country nationals from holding shares or managing a Romanian company, and in many standard cases the route to incorporation is well established. What differs is not whether you can register, but the paperwork mechanics around your identity, your documents, and how you sign.

The practical friction for non-EU founders sits in three places: certified translations, document legalisation (apostille or consular legalisation), and the signing route. EU and EEA citizens often present documents that are already recognised or easily accepted, whereas a third country national Romanian SRL file frequently needs an extra layer of authentication before the Trade Register will treat a foreign document as valid. None of this is unusual, but it does mean a little more lead time and a review of your specific country's requirements.

Translations and certified documents

Romanian authorities work in Romanian, so foreign-language documents generally need an authorised translation. Your passport is the anchor document, and the spelling of your name must be consistent across every form, translation, and power of attorney; a mismatch between a transliterated name and your passport is one of the more common causes of delay. Depending on your documents and country of issue, some translations may also need to be notarised.

Where a corporate shareholder is involved rather than an individual, the document set grows. A foreign legal entity acting as a shareholder typically must produce constitutive documents, proof of good standing, and evidence of who is authorised to represent it, all translated and, where applicable, legalised. The exact list depends on your jurisdiction, and we confirm it after document review rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all checklist. Documents commonly requested include:

• A clear, valid passport for each individual shareholder and administrator
• Authorised Romanian translations of identity and supporting documents
• An apostille or consular legalisation for documents issued outside Romania, where required
• For corporate shareholders: certificate of incorporation, good-standing evidence, and proof of the signatory's authority

Apostille and legalisation

The apostille is a certificate that confirms a public document is genuine, issued under the Hague Apostille Convention. If your country is a party to that convention, an apostille obtained in your home country is usually sufficient. If your country is not a party, the document may instead require consular legalisation through the Romanian diplomatic mission, which is a different and sometimes longer process. This is one of the clearest practical differences compared with EU citizens, whose documents more often move without this step.

Because the requirement depends entirely on where your documents originate, it is worth confirming early. Arranging an apostille after you have already booked translations and signing appointments can stall the whole timeline, so we review the legalisation question at the start rather than midway through.

The signing route: in person or remote

How you sign the incorporation documents is the other meaningful difference. Where you are physically present in Romania, signing can often be handled directly. Where you remain abroad, a power of attorney is the usual mechanism: you authorise a representative to file on your behalf, and that power of attorney itself typically needs notarisation and, in many cases, an apostille or legalisation. Remote signing arrangements are assessed case by case, because what is acceptable depends on your residence, your documents, and the notary involved.

A registered office in Romania is required before the file can be submitted, and this applies regardless of citizenship. If you do not have premises, a registered office service can satisfy the requirement; you can read how the broader process fits together for a Romanian SRL for foreigners and how the registered office connects to the rest of the file.

Indicative pricing

Romanian SRL formation for foreign citizens starts from €300, with a registered office from €150 per year, or a combined remote SRL and registered office package from €450. Later adjustments after the company exists, such as changing the administrator or activity, start from €200. These figures are starting points: 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. We give a firm number once we have seen your case rather than before.

Check your case

If you are a non-EU citizen setting up business Romania, the fastest way to know where you stand is a short document review. Send us your citizenship, your current country of residence, whether you need a registered office, and the business activity you intend to carry out, either via WhatsApp or through the contact form. We will tell you whether your case looks standard or whether the translation, apostille, or signing route needs extra steps, and what a realistic timeline and quote look like for your situation.