Business Registration, Regulation and Certification

    Many foreign investors have decided to invest their resources in Bulgaria in the past few years. Usually the procedures are not that heavy and they don’t take long. The documentation that has to be prepared, on the other hand, is still the main problem for foreigners. According to the World Bank, it takes more or less 23 days to start your own business in Bulgaria, while the simplified registration process may take a few days (in most cases).
    It is good to know that all companies registered in Bulgaria, regardless if the owner is a Bulgarian or non-Bulgarian citizen, are considered Bulgarian legal entities. They are also managed in accordance with the Bulgarian legislation. We recommend you to visit the section Live in Bulgaria, where you can find information about all the procedures regarding applying for Bulgarian citizenship and visas.
In Bulgaria, the following organizational forms can be registered as a business: a sole trader, a trading company, a holding company, a branch and a commercial representation. Also, the Bulgarian legislation defines the following corporate forms:
•    Limited liability company (ООД)
•    Joint-stock company (АД)
•    General partnership (СД)
•    Limited partnership (КД)
•    Partnership limited by shares (КДА)
The registration requirements for each specific type of company or branch are defined in the Commercial Act, and the documents are contained in the Commercial Register Act and the regulations for its Implementation. The Commercial Register in Bulgaria is kept by the Registry Agency of the Ministry of Justice. It’s very important to know that the procedures for registering a company in Bulgaria are the same for both Bulgarian and foreign citizens. On the following link on the official website of the Registry Agency of Bulgaria, you can find the full procedure of the Commercial registration and on the following link you can find all the documents required for registration in the Commercial Register: Registry Agency Bulgaria (you must change the language to English on the right upper corner)
If you are opening a business, you must register a BULSTAT code. That is a unified national administrative register that is kept by the Registry Agency of Bulgaria. Upon registering there, you will have a unified identification code (UIC), called BULSTAT Code which identifies all business subjects in the country. In order to issue and use your workflow, you must be listed in the BULSTAT Register and use the BULSTAT UIC. Usually, the registration costs between 15 and 70 BGN. The documents you need to get the BULSTAT registration are a copy of the Commercial Register registration and the ID of the company’s owner. On the official website of Republic of Bulgaria you can find the whole procedure.
Upon registering your own company, you must also have a Tax registration. The process of VAT registration is governed by the Value Added Tax Act (VAT Act) and it is done by the National Revenue Agency (NRA). When registering there, you will have your own unique identification number for VAT purposes. For more information about the procedures you can visit the official website of Republic of Bulgaria.