Foreign founders can generally own and manage a Bulgarian company without a Bulgarian shareholder or permanent residence. Identity checks, foreign documents, translations, banking, and the distinction between company ownership and immigration status require more planning.

This guide explains the practical route for an individual or overseas company forming a Bulgarian EOOD, OOD, or eligible variable-capital company in 2026.

Company, tax, immigration, bank, and document-certification rules depend on the founders, their countries, and the planned activity. This guide is general information, not individual legal, tax, accounting, or immigration advice.

Opening a Bulgarian Company as a Foreigner at a Glance

Can EU and Non-EU Citizens Own a Bulgarian Company?

Yes. An individual or legal entity from another EU country or from outside the EU can generally hold all the capital of a Bulgarian EOOD or participate in an OOD. A Bulgarian shareholder is not part of the standard incorporation requirements. The appointed manager may also be a foreign individual.

Nationality still matters in the surrounding process. An EU founder benefits from EU free-movement rules and may find cross-border document verification more familiar. A non-EU founder may face apostille or consular-legalisation steps and more extensive bank checks. Certain investments and regulated activities can also be subject to sector approvals, sanctions controls, or foreign-investment screening.

Forming the company is separate from deciding where it will be effectively managed and taxed. A Bulgarian company is a Bulgarian legal person, but its owner's personal tax residence and management activity abroad can create additional reporting, permanent-establishment, or tax-residence questions in another country.

Choose Between an EOOD, OOD, and DPK

EOOD and OOD remain the conventional choices. Both have a statutory minimum capital of EUR 1 in 2026, although a business should have enough real funding for its expenses rather than treating the minimum as an operating budget. A DPK can be attractive for an eligible startup, but it is not automatically the best form for every online or foreign-owned business.

An established overseas company should also compare a subsidiary with a Bulgarian branch. A branch is not a separate legal person, so the foreign parent remains responsible for its obligations. Our complete company-registration guide compares the broader set of Bulgarian legal forms.

Documents for a Foreign Individual Founder

The exact A4 package depends on the ownership and representation structure. A standard EOOD or OOD with individual foreign founders commonly requires:

• a valid passport or national identity document
• the incorporation act for an EOOD, or articles of association for an OOD
• the founder's resolution or minutes of the founding meeting
• a resolution appointing the manager
• the manager's consent and specimen signature in the required notarised form
• statutory declarations from the manager and applicant
• evidence that the subscribed capital has been paid
• a power of attorney where an authorised representative is used
• a Bulgarian registered office and management address
• any licence or permission that must accompany registration for a regulated activity

The Registry Agency publishes filed incorporation documents. Public copies should omit personal information that the law does not require to be published. A passport copy used for verification is not a substitute for carefully prepared register documents.

Additional Documents for a Foreign Corporate Founder

Where a foreign company will own the Bulgarian subsidiary, the file normally also needs evidence that the foreign entity exists and who may represent it, such as a recent official register extract or certificate of good standing. Corporate founders usually provide:

• an official document confirming the foreign entity's registration, registered details, and legal representatives
• the foreign entity's resolution to establish or join the Bulgarian company
• evidence that the person signing the resolution has authority
• the Bulgarian incorporation documents signed on behalf of the corporate founder
• ownership-chain information needed for beneficial-owner and bank KYC checks
• certified Bulgarian translations and, where applicable, apostille or legalisation

Obtain the foreign extract close to filing: a registry officer, bank, or professional adviser may require a recently issued document. Multi-layer ownership, trusts, nominees, sanctioned jurisdictions, and regulated business models normally require additional evidence of ownership and source of funds.

Remote Registration, Signatures, and Foreign Documents

Remote incorporation is often possible, but it is a coordinated document process rather than a single online form available to every founder.

The founder can authorise an eligible representative to prepare and file the application. Documents that require notarisation can often be signed before a Bulgarian consular officer or a competent notary abroad. A foreign public document may require an apostille under the Hague Convention or full consular legalisation, unless an EU rule or bilateral treaty removes that requirement. The correct route depends on the issuing country and document type.

Applications and attachments are filed in Bulgarian. The European e-Justice overview confirms that a document in another EU official language must be accompanied by a certified Bulgarian translation. In practice, documents from other languages also need an accepted Bulgarian translation.

Electronic filing through the Commercial Register requires an accepted qualified electronic signature and an applicant legally entitled to file. A foreign founder should not assume that an ordinary scanned signature or any commercial e-signature platform will satisfy Bulgarian notarisation and registry rules. Confirm the signing route before executing originals.

The capital-raising account is often the least predictable remote step. Banks apply their own anti-money-laundering and customer-onboarding policies. Some permit remote or represented onboarding; others request a video check, original documents, or personal attendance. Agree the bank route before the final signing sequence.

A4 Registration: Step by Step

1. Design the ownership and management structure

Choose the legal form, owners, capital, manager, representation method, and rules for important decisions. Co-founders should agree their economics and governance before copying them into the public articles.

2. Check the company name and secure an address

Search the official Commercial Register for conflicting names. Every company needs a registered office and management address in Bulgaria where official correspondence can be received reliably.

3. Map the foreign-document formalities

List every signature and foreign public document, then determine which items need notarisation, apostille or legalisation, certified translation, and an original. Doing this after documents are signed is a common source of delay.

4. Prepare and execute the incorporation set

Prepare the incorporation act or articles, founder resolutions, manager appointment and declarations, powers of attorney, and any foreign-company evidence. Keep names, passport details, addresses, capital, and representation wording consistent across every document.

5. Pay the capital

For an EOOD or OOD, open a capital-raising account and deposit the subscribed amount. Obtain the bank evidence needed for registration. After incorporation, the business will normally arrange its operating account under the bank's separate KYC process.

6. File Application A4

Submit Application A4 and its attachments electronically or on paper. Electronic filing is less expensive. The applicant must monitor the register because an officer may publish instructions requiring a correction within a short statutory window.

7. Check the entry and UIC/EIK

If approved, the company appears in the register and receives its unique identification code, or UIC/EIK. Review the public entry immediately for the name, address, ownership, manager, representation, capital, and posted documents.

Fees and Realistic Timing

The 2026 state fee for initial EOOD/OOD registration is EUR 56.24 on paper or EUR 28.12 electronically, based on the Registry Agency's euro tariff. These are only filing fees. The full budget may also include:

• notary or consular charges
• apostille, legalisation, courier, and translation costs
• capital-account and operating-bank fees
• registered-address and professional fees
• VAT, beneficial-owner, or licence work
• accounting and payroll setup

The official business-register overview states that an initial trader application is normally examined by the end of the working day after filing. That does not mean an international setup takes one day. A straightforward, complete A4 filing may be registered quickly, while bank onboarding, foreign-company extracts, apostilles, translations, courier delivery, instructions, or regulated-activity approvals can extend the project to several weeks.

Banking, VAT, Licensing, and Post-Registration Work

Registration creates the company; it does not make it operationally compliant. Before the first transaction, founders should address:

1. Banking and payments. Complete operating-account KYC and keep personal and company money separate. Do not promise customers a payment route before the provider has accepted the company and its activity.
2. Accounting and tax. Engage a Bulgarian accountant from incorporation. Bulgarian companies generally pay 10% corporate income tax on taxable profit; read our corporate-tax guide for the wider tax framework.
3. VAT. From 1 January 2026, the general threshold for relevant annual Bulgarian turnover is EUR 51,130. Cross-border B2B services, EU acquisitions, e-commerce, and other transactions can trigger special VAT registration or reporting rules before the general threshold is reached. Review VAT before issuing the first invoice.
4. Beneficial ownership. Determine whether separate ultimate-beneficial-owner details or declarations are required, especially where the owner is a foreign legal entity or the ownership chain is not visible in the Bulgarian register.
5. Management and staff. Put the manager's contract, social-security position, payroll, employment notifications, and workplace duties in place.
6. Licences and data protection. A broad business-purpose clause does not replace a sector licence. Check the intended activity, premises, professional qualifications, consumer rules, and GDPR obligations before trading.

Company Ownership Is Not an Immigration Permit

Registering or owning a Bulgarian company does not by itself give a foreigner a visa, Bulgarian residence, or unrestricted permission to work in the country.

EU citizens rely on EU free-movement rights and may need to register their residence if staying longer than three months. Non-EU nationals must identify a valid immigration and work basis for the activity they will perform. The EU Immigration Portal describes separate Bulgarian procedures for self-employed workers, employees, intra-corporate transferees, and other categories. Merely holding shares—or being named as manager in the Commercial Register—should not be treated as approval to live and work in Bulgaria.

Plan immigration alongside incorporation if the founder will relocate, manage day-to-day operations from Bulgaria, or hire other non-EU nationals.

Common Mistakes and a Foreign-Founder Checklist

Avoid assuming that “remote” means no originals, notarisation, or bank checks. Other frequent mistakes are using stale foreign-company extracts, inconsistent transliterations of names, choosing an unreliable registered address, filing generic co-founder articles, and starting cross-border invoices before VAT review.

Before filing, confirm that you have:

• selected EOOD, OOD, or an eligible DPK for business—not marketing—reasons
• checked the name and secured a monitored Bulgarian address
• documented the owners, manager, representation, capital, and governance
• obtained current identity or foreign-company evidence
• mapped notarisation, apostille or legalisation, translation, and courier steps
• agreed a workable capital-account and post-registration bank route
• prepared a consistent A4 package and chosen an authorised applicant
• assessed VAT, beneficial ownership, licensing, accounting, and immigration
• considered personal tax residence and management from another country

Open a Bulgarian Company with Lion Consult

Lion Consult assists international founders with structure selection, Bulgarian incorporation documents, foreign-document planning, registered-address solutions, A4 filing, accounting, VAT, payroll, and banking coordination.

Contact Lion Consult to discuss the owners, countries, business model, and signing route before documents are issued or notarised.

This article was reviewed for the rules in force on 1 August 2026. It provides general information and is not legal, tax, immigration, accounting, banking, or investment advice.

Official Sources

• Bulgarian Ministry of Economy: legal forms, registration documents, and procedure
• Registry Agency: 2026 state fees in euro
• European e-Justice Portal: Bulgarian business register and filing procedure
• National Revenue Agency: VAT registration rules
• Ministry of Finance: Bulgarian corporation tax
• European Commission: free movement and residence for EU citizens
• EU Immigration Portal: self-employed workers in Bulgaria

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a foreigner own 100% of a Bulgarian company?

Yes. EU and non-EU individuals and legal entities may generally own all the capital of a Bulgarian EOOD or participate in an OOD without a Bulgarian co-owner.

Does a foreign founder need a Bulgarian address?

The founder does not need Bulgarian residence for incorporation, but the company must have a registered office and management address in Bulgaria where official correspondence can be received.

What is the minimum capital for an EOOD or OOD in 2026?

The statutory minimum capital is EUR 1. The company should still have enough real funding for its expected setup and operating costs.

Can a Bulgarian company be registered remotely?

Often yes, through properly prepared powers of attorney and an eligible filer. Notarisation, apostille or legalisation, translations, originals, capital-account requirements, and bank KYC must still be coordinated.

What extra documents does a foreign corporate owner need?

A foreign legal entity normally provides recent official evidence of its existence and representatives, a corporate resolution to establish or join the Bulgarian company, authority evidence, ownership-chain information, and certified Bulgarian translations with any required apostille or legalisation.

How much does A4 company registration cost and how long does it take?

The 2026 Registry Agency fee is EUR 28.12 electronically or EUR 56.24 on paper. A complete initial filing is normally examined by the end of the next working day, but foreign documents, banking, delivery, or correction instructions can extend the full setup.

Does owning a Bulgarian company grant residence or permission to work?

No. Company ownership and registry appointment are separate from immigration status. EU citizens rely on free-movement rules, while non-EU founders must identify an applicable visa, residence, and work basis.