Starting a Business - Bulgaria

There are no nationality or residency restrictions on shareholders or directors. A non-EU foreigner may own 100% of shares and serve as sole director of an OOD, EOOD, or AD without any local-partner requirement.

OOD/EOOD (LLC equivalent): €1 minimum share capital. AD (joint-stock company): €25,000 minimum, with at least 25% paid-in at registration. Bulgaria joined the eurozone on 1 January 2026, so all capital is now denominated in EUR.

Key steps: (1) reserve company name via the EPZEU portal; (2) draft and sign articles of association/incorporation; (3) open a capital account and deposit share capital; (4) file application form D1 with the Registry Agency — online via EPZEU or in person; (5) BULSTAT number issued automatically upon Commercial Register entry; (6) tax registration with the National Revenue Agency (NRA).

Registration is typically completed in 1–3 business days. State fee for OOD registration: ~€28.24 online (reduced rate) or ~€56.47 in person. Remote registration by a foreign founder is possible via notarised power of attorney and apostilled identity documents.

The EPZEU portal (portal.registryagency.bg) allows fully electronic filing 24/7. Foreigners without a Bulgarian qualified electronic signature may appoint a local proxy (lawyer or agent) with an apostilled power of attorney to complete registration remotely.

Corporate income tax is a flat 10% (one of the lowest in the EU). Dividend withholding tax is 5%. VAT registration is mandatory once annual turnover exceeds €51,130; the standard VAT rate is 20%. Bulgaria applies all relevant EU directives (PSD2/3, GDPR, NIS2) as an EU member state.