Cost of opening a company in Romania in 2026: the full figures
What is the cost of opening a company in Romania in 2026? The trade registry (ONRC) fee is 152 lei, the minimum share capital is 500 lei and stays with the company, and a formation service like ours starts at €399 with the fees included. The filing is the small part: accountant, registered office and the employee the micro regime requires are what matters over a full year.
One-off costs: doing it yourself or using a service
If you file the application yourself, the state charges 152 lei: the ONRC registration fee, with publication in the Official Gazette (Monitorul Oficial) included. That is all. There are no other mandatory Romania company registration fees: reserving the name, checking the registered office and filing online cost nothing extra.
What the 152 lei does not show is the time: the articles of association written correctly in Romanian, the choice of CAEN codes (Rev. 3 has 651 classes, one main and up to 8 secondary), the sworn declarations, proof of the registered office and the risk of a rejected file over a missing signature. A rejected file means another submission and more days of waiting.
With a formation service you pay a fee instead of time. Third parties generally charge between 300 and 700 lei for the file alone, plus the ONRC fee. Our Start package costs €399 with the registry fees included, and the company is ready in 3–7 working days. Our lawyer files under a power of attorney, so you do not need a Romanian electronic signature.
The registered office is the third one-off item. If you use your own or a relative's property in Romania it is free, but the paperwork is required. If you have no address, the registered office hosting is included for 12 months in the Business and Premium packages.
Share capital is not a cost
From 1 January 2026 the minimum share capital of an SRL is 500 lei (Law 239/2025). Many people list it as a cost; that is a mistake. The money is paid into the company's bank account and stays the company's: you use it for rent, a laptop or the first supplier invoice.
The payment rule: 30% within 3 months of registration and before starting to trade, the rest within 12 months. The company bank account is mandatory, so what you add to the one-off costs is the trip to the bank, not the capital. The details are in our guide to share capital for a Romanian SRL.
You can choose a capital above 500 lei. It does not change the ONRC fee and it is not an expense; it only changes how the company looks to the bank and to partners.
Running costs of a Romanian SRL: accountant, employee, bank
Accounting is the largest fixed cost. An SRL must keep books from the first month, even with no revenue: ANAF filings, mandatory e-Factura through the SPV portal, a trial balance. Traditional firms charge between 150 and 500 lei a month for a small company, and the accountant cost in Romania depends on the number of documents and on VAT.
Our accounting plans are €99, €149 or €249 a month: €99 for a company with no staff and few documents, €149 once you trade with VAT and e-Factura, €249 with employees and cross-border operations. Choose by the documents you actually produce, not the ones you hope to produce.
The second monthly cost is the employee. The micro-company regime requires at least one full-time employee, or a director on a mandate contract, to pay 1% on revenue instead of 16% on profit. Salary and contributions are a real monthly cost, but if that employee is you, the money stays in the family.
The third is the bank: the account maintenance fee and the per-transaction fee. Ask for the tariff sheet before opening the account, because the differences between banks only show over 12 months.
Annual costs: registered office and annual accounts
The registered office is paid yearly if it is not yours: with us €130 a year, after the first year included in Business. The hosting contract arrives ready to file with the ONRC and covers official correspondence from ANAF and the registry.
The annual accounts are mandatory and usually sit inside the accounting subscription; check this in the contract, because some firms invoice them separately. Regulated activities add licences, with prices that differ from one sector to another.
The full first-year calculation
Three scenarios for a small company with no staff, on the basic accounting plan. The exchange rate used is indicative, 5 lei to 1 euro. The 500 lei share capital is not in the table, because it stays with the company.
| Item | Yourself at the ONRC | Start €399 | Business €699 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ONRC fee + Official Gazette | 152 lei (≈ €30) | included | included |
| Formation fee | €0 (your time) | €399 | €699 |
| Registered office, 12 months | €0 (own property) | €0 (you already have one) | included |
| Accounting, 12 months | 1,800–6,000 lei (≈ €360–1,200) | €1,188 (€99/month) | €1,188 (€99/month) |
| First-year total | ≈ €390–1,230 | €1,587 | €1,887 |
The difference between doing it yourself and the Start package is the fee. The difference between Start and Business is the office for 12 months, the NIF, the bank account, VAT, e-Factura and the call with the accountant: things you would otherwise sort out separately, with time or money. The steps are described in our guide to opening a company in Romania.
Taxes: micro 1%, profit 16%, dividends 16%, VAT 21%
A new SRL can be a micro-company if it has at least one employee and revenue below €100,000 a year. It pays 1% on revenue; the 3% rate has been abolished. If you exceed the ceiling, you switch to 16% profit tax from the quarter in which you exceed it. Our guide to the Romanian micro-company tax in 2026 explains every condition.
Profit tax is 16%. When you take the money out as dividends, you pay 16% dividend tax from 2026. So one leu of profit reaches you after two taxes: micro or profit, then dividends.
VAT (TVA): the standard rate is 21% and the reduced rate 11%, since 1 August 2025. VAT registration is mandatory above 395,000 lei of turnover; below the threshold you can opt in, which is worth it if your clients are VAT-registered or you buy equipment.
Why some offers look cheaper
A formation price of 200 lei usually leaves out the 152 lei ONRC fee, which appears at the end. Other offers leave out the registered office, so you pay for hosting separately. Others assume you already hold a Romanian electronic signature, which you buy yourself.
Ask three things before paying: are the registry fees included? is the registered office included, and for how long? who files the application, and with whose signature? The answers move the real price by hundreds of lei.
Accounting 'from 100 lei' follows the same logic: the price is for zero documents, and every invoice above the limit is charged. Ask for the price at your real document volume, not the one in the advert.
What each Start4 package includes
Start, €399: the complete formation with registry fees included, for those who already have a registered office. Business, €699: adds the registered office for 12 months, the NIF, choice of tax regime, VAT registration, e-Factura activation and a 30-minute call with the accountant. Premium, €999: adds a lawyer on the file, contracts and 3 months of assistance. Foreign Investor, from €1,490 on quotation, for foreign shareholders.
All of them have the same timing, 3–7 working days, and the same filing method: our lawyer signs under a power of attorney, and you need no electronic signature. What remains after the formation is the accounting, from €99 a month, and the office, €130 a year from the second year. The other answers are in our FAQ.
Frequently asked
How much does it cost to start a company in Romania doing everything yourself?
The ONRC fee of 152 lei, with publication in the Official Gazette included. The 500 lei share capital is not a cost; it stays in the company's account. After registration you add accounting, between 150 and 500 lei a month at a traditional firm, and bank fees.
Are the registry fees included in the Start4 packages?
Yes. In Start, Business and Premium the trade registry fees are included in the price of €399, €699 or €999. You pay nothing extra to the ONRC, and our lawyer files the application under a power of attorney, so you need no electronic signature.
What does an accountant cost in Romania per month?
With us, €99 for a company with no staff, €149 with VAT and e-Factura, €249 with employees and cross-border operations. Traditional firms charge between 150 and 500 lei a month, with the price tied to the number of documents.
What are the running costs of a Romanian SRL with no activity?
Accounting stays mandatory, so the €99 monthly plan or the equivalent at a local firm, plus bank fees. The registered office is paid yearly, €130. If you do not plan to trade, suspending activity at the registry reduces the costs.
What taxes does a new Romanian company pay in 2026?
As a micro-company, 1% on revenue, with one employee and under €100,000 a year. Above the ceiling, 16% on profit. Dividends are taxed at 16%. VAT applies only if you register, which is mandatory above 395,000 lei of turnover, at a standard rate of 21%.