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Open a Startup in Romania

Open a Startup in Romania

Romania is one of the leading markets in Europe when we refer to the IT sector, which has been encouraged by the local authorities in a variety of ways, including with various tax exemptions that are generally applicable to other economic sectors; our law firm in Romania can present the main types of taxes that are imposed to local businesses, as well as the tax exemptions that can be applied to specific economic activities.

 Quick Facts  
Why open a startup in Romania 

 – numerous IT specialists,

– tax deductions for IT employees,

– corporate tax below the European average,

– many IT hubs (the most important are located in Bucharest and Cluj),

– incentives for reaseach and development,

– stategic location,

– highly competitive internet connectivity 

Procedure to open a startup 

A Romanian startup is registered following the standard incorporation procedure (selecting a legal entity, preparing the incorporation documents, registering with the National Trade Register Office, obtaining business permits, renting an office space, opening a corporate bank account).  

The most suitable business form for a startup 

– the limited liability company (societate cu raspundere limitata),

– the SRL-D (the limited liability company – debutant), 

– the joint stock company (societate pe actiuni) for those who have a large capital available and want to set up a large company.   

Where to register the startup 

 The Romanian startup must be registered with the National Trade Register Office (Oficiul National al Registrului Comertului), the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (Agentia Nationala de Administrare Fiscala) and other competent institutions. 

 Documents to submit for the registration 

– the document showing the reserved company name,

– the company’s statutory documents,

– evidence on a business address in Romania,

– the application form,

– the list with the company’s activities,

– the list with the company’s members and their capital participation,

– identity documents of the shareholders, etc. 

 Requirement to have a registered office (yes/no)  Yes 
 Best locations to open a startup in Romania  Bucharest and Cluj Napoca 
Why select Cluj for opening a startup 

1 in 11 people in Cluj work in the IT industry, the city provides numerous IT hubs and accelerators and it is the home of 1,300 IT related companies.  

 Why open a startup in Bucharest

 Bucharest provides access to the largest talent pool in the country, it has very good internet speed and internet penetration, highly developed IT sector with a growing startup community, and it is also one of the top capitals in the Eastern Europe region for IT. 

 Startup programs in Romania 

– Startup Nation,

– Romania Startup Plus 

Options for a registered office in Romania  A local business can purchase or rent an office space or select the services of a virtual office.   
Basic tax incentives for startup companies 

– 1% or 3% corporate income tax for companies qualifying as micro-companies,

– tax exemption on the salaries of IT employees,

– tax deduction on the corporate income tax for eligible expenses invested in research and development

Taxes charged to startup companies 

 Startup companies must pay the same taxes as regular companies (with the exemption of applicable tax deductions/exemptions), such as the VAT, social security contributions, tax on income, etc.  

Number of tech talents in Romania  Romania has more than 100,000 IT specialists  
Legal services after completing the process of company formation in Romania 

A Romanian startup can address to our team for drafting and signing employment contracts, business agreements and contracts, for tax consultancy, accounting and assistance on any other aspect of the commercial law. 

 Considering this, numerous entrepreneurs were encouraged to open a startup in Romania, which is a type of company incorporated following the standard registration procedure, but which has as a particularity the fact that it invests in developing a high-tech product or service that can be used in the financial, medical, banking sectors and basically, in any other sector that can benefit from the usage of technology. 

It must be noted that those who want to open a startup in Romania can participate in various programs created by the local authorities with the purpose of accelerating the development of the respective startups; for advice on the steps one should take in order to open a startup in Romania, you may address to our team of Romanian lawyers.  

How can an investor open a startup in Romania? 

In order to open a startup in Romania, a local or foreign investor must follow the basic incorporation steps that are prescribed by the Romanian commercial law. For this purpose, one must select a company type and our Romanian lawyers can help you select a suitable business form. In Romania, there are several types of legal entities available for incorporation, company types that one can incorporate in other European countries as well. 

However, in most cases, investors will prefer to register a limited liability company or a private limited company-debutant (SRL-D). The latter resembles with the standard limited liability company and it was created with the purpose of helping young persons enter the business environment; our team of lawyers in Romania can present the advantages of the SRL-D. 

Regardless of the company type selected for incorporation, one will need to register it with the local institutions, such as the National Trade Register Office and the National Agency for Fiscal Administration. Some of the basic steps applicable for those who want to open a startup in Romania are presented below: 

  • complete the application for incorporation and the application form for the fiscal registration;
  • a document stating that the applicants have reserved a suitable company name;
  • preparing the company’s statutory documents – the articles of association;
  • having a registered office, as well as evidence on the fact that the company’s representatives have the right of using the respective office;
  • evidence that the company’s founders have paid their contributions to the company’s capital. 

The above mentioned documents represent only a part of the papers one should prepare when opening a startup in Romania. Investors should present their personal identity documents and the identity documents of the company’s administrators, the specimen signatures of the company’s representatives and others. For a complete list of the documents that must be presented upon the incorporation of a local company, you can address to our Romanian law firm

You can watch below a short presentation on how to set up a startup in Romania

Why open a startup in Romania?

Although Romania is not as developed as the Western European countries are, it has become one of the most attractive countries in its region for investing in the startup market and the IT sector. Currently, Bucharest and Cluj Napoca are the cities with the highest number of startups, startup events, business accelerators and other advantages. Below, you can find some of the top reasons for opening a startup in Romania

  • Romania has 5th best broadband internet speed at a global level;
  • Cluj Napoca is the home of approximately 15,000 IT specialists  and it has approximately 1,300 IT businesses
  • in 2019, Bucharest was the home of 259 startup businesses
  • Bucharest ranks as the 16th IT hub at a European level and the 4th in the Eastern Europe;
  • another reason to open a startup in Romania is given by the fact that the country has approximately 800,000 tech talent, a number which is similar with several Western countries that have a much larger population. 

We invite you to contact our law firm in Romania for advice on the business licenses and permits one may need when opening a startup. Our Romanian lawyers can present any additional information related to this subject and can help investors with professional legal assistance on any procedures involved in this process. 

Our Romanian lawyers can provide step-to-step legal representation in the registration of a startup business. Of course, you can rely on our team for legal representation if you want to open a business in Romania in other sectors.

Although the incorporation procedure is the same for all business sectors, there can appear minor differences based on the business activity or the company type.

For instance, the company set up in Romania can be different in the case of the registration of a sole trader and the registration of a joint stock company, as the first one needs only basic formalities, compared to the latter, which is the most complex business form available here.

Then, depending on the industry, our Romanian lawyers will need to address different institutions for obtaining approvals and business permits.

We invite you to address to our lawyers for any other legal services, such as immigration for business purposes, signing contracts with other companies, registering for VAT as an international seller, etc.

Our law firm can also assist foreigners who want to buy land in Romania, a procedure which is now limited to foreigners, as per the latest applicable law on buying/selling land.