🌍 For international founders

Remote Company Formation in Bulgaria

"100% remote" appears on a lot of provider sites. What is actually possible from a distance depends on your nationality, on your bank, and on a notary appointment nobody can digitise away. This page separates the two — before you pay somebody for the difference.

Compare providers for remote formation See How the Process Works

Planning to move to Bulgaria instead?

If your goal is to live and operate here rather than remain abroad, more hangs on the formation than the process on this page.

See the relocation sequence →

Can you really start a Bulgarian company remotely?

In short: a lot can be handled remotely — but not automatically every single step. What's possible in your case depends on your nationality, your bank and the current regulations. The three categories below hold regardless of who carries out the formation.

What is usually possible remotely

Agreeing the company name and business purpose, preparing the formation documents, communicating with the authorities and most of the coordination can be handled digitally.

What still requires legal formalities

Certain signatures, certifications and — depending on the bank — account opening may require presence, an apostille or a notarised power of attorney. Get it in writing which of these applies to you before you engage anyone.

Where a power of attorney is used

With a notarised power of attorney, an authorised representative can complete many steps on your behalf. How far it carries is decided by the notary who certifies it and the office it is presented to — not by the provider who drafted it.

A provider who promises "100% remote" without first asking about your nationality, your bank and the state of your documents is selling you a statement they cannot make yet. That is not fraud, but it is not a commitment either — and the difference only surfaces when the appointment turns out to be required after all.

Who this page is written for

Anyone incorporating from outside Bulgaria who does not intend to move. Typical starting points:

EU entrepreneurs

Digital agencies

SaaS founders

Amazon sellers

Consultants

Remote freelancers

Existing companies opening EU operations

How long does it take?

A bank is involved twice, and only one of those holds registration up. The capital-deposit account has to be in place before the filing — without evidence that the share capital is paid in, the Registry Agency will not register the company. The operating account comes afterwards and runs on its own clock.

Company registration

commonly around 2–3 weeks

Counted from the point where all required documents are complete.

Business account for day-to-day trading

determined by the bank

Timing and approval sit with the bank: its KYC review, the ownership structure, the documents it asks for and whether it wants to see you in person.

That is why the operating account does not belong inside the 2–3 week figure. It can finish earlier – or later. The capital deposit does sit inside it, because nothing is filed without it.

Your provider coordinates the sequence. Final decisions remain with the responsible institution.

How the project runs, and who owns each step

Your company formation project – who does what

Forming a Bulgarian company is not something one firm does on its own. This is the whole sequence in one place, with the party responsible for each step: your provider, an official authority, a third party, or you. Start in BG does not appear in it.

Responsible for the step

Your providerThe formation provider you engage carries out this step.
Official authorityThe notary or the Registry Agency – the authority sets the procedure, the review and the pace.
External partnerA bank, accountant or specialist partner works and decides independently.
Your decisionWaits on your information, documents and choices.

Step 1: Choosing a providerResponsible: Your decisionYouTiming: No fixed window – as long as the decision takes you.Show details
What happens in this step
You decide who will carry out the formation, and get a written quotation with the items broken out.
What the provider does
Nobody yet – this step is yours alone. The provider comparison shows what each firm charges and what it discloses.
What you contribute
You compare providers, ask the first-year question, and engage nobody until the breakdown is in writing.
What influences the timing
How quickly providers respond to enquiries, and how complete their quotations are.
Step 2: Preparing the formation documentsResponsible: Your providerYour formation providerTiming: Depends on the provider – most quote a few working days once your information and documents are complete. Get that in writing.Show details
What happens in this step
Company name, business purpose, shares and management are settled, and the formation documents are drafted from them.
What the provider does
The provider drafts the documents; you confirm the details and check the paperwork for completeness before signing.
What you contribute
You decide on the name, purpose and structure, and supply your personal documents.
What influences the timing
How complete your information is, and whether foreign documents need certified translation or legalisation.
Step 3: Your documents and signaturesResponsible: Your decisionYouTiming: No fixed window – in practice this is the step that most often sets the overall pace.Show details
What happens in this step
You sign the prepared documents – in person, or through a notarised power of attorney if you are forming remotely.
What the provider does
The provider tells you in advance which document is needed for what, and checks everything before it reaches the notary.
What you contribute
You sign, obtain any missing evidence and decide whether to travel or work through a power of attorney.
What influences the timing
How quickly you can obtain documents from your home country, translations or an apostille.
Step 4: Notarial certificationResponsible: Official authorityNotaryTiming: Depends on the notary office's appointment availability.Show details
What happens in this step
The notary certifies signatures and documents under Bulgarian law.
What the provider does
The provider books the appointment, prepares the paperwork and comes with you – with most, translation on the spot. Check up front whether that sits inside the fee.
What you contribute
You attend the appointment, or are represented under a power of attorney.
What influences the timing
Appointment availability, completeness of the documents and whether representation by power of attorney is permitted.
Step 5: Capital-deposit account and share capitalResponsible: External partnerYour bankTiming: Depends on the bank – this step has to be finished before the filing.Show details
What happens in this step
A capital-deposit account (nabiratelna smetka) is opened in the name of the company-in-formation and the share capital is paid in. The bank issues a certificate confirming the deposit.
What the provider does
The provider prepares the paperwork for the bank and files the certificate with the application. Check up front whether opening the account sits inside the fee.
What you contribute
You pay in the share capital and supply whatever evidence the bank requires to open the account.
What influences the timing
Which bank you choose, whether it wants to see you in person, and how quickly it issues the certificate.
Step 6: Commercial Register entryResponsible: Official authorityRegistry AgencyTiming: commonly around 2–3 weeksShow details
What happens in this step
The Registry Agency reviews the filing — including the evidence that the share capital has been paid in — and registers the company.
What the provider does
The provider submits the filing and handles the authority's queries; the case number lets you track it yourself.
What you contribute
Usually nothing – unless the authority asks for something to be supplemented.
What influences the timing
The Registry Agency's processing time and any requests for further documents. The entry itself is the authority's decision.Counted from the point where all required documents are complete.
Step 7: Business account for day-to-day tradingafter registrationResponsible: External partnerYour bankTiming: determined by the bankShow details
What happens in this step
After registration the capital-deposit account is converted into an operating account, or a new one is opened. The bank runs its KYC review and decides whether to open it.
What the provider does
The provider prepares the documents, explains what the bank expects and goes with you to the appointment. Opening the account is the bank's decision.
What you contribute
You choose the bank, attend in person where it requires that, and answer its questions.
What influences the timing
The KYC review, the ownership structure, the evidence the bank asks for and whether it wants to see you in person.Timing and approval sit with the bank: its KYC review, the ownership structure, the documents it asks for and whether it wants to see you in person.
Step 8: Accounting and ongoing obligationsafter registrationResponsible: External partnerAccounting partnerTiming: Starts once the company is registered.Show details
What happens in this step
The accounting partner takes over bookkeeping, deadlines and filings – under a separate agreement with you.
What the provider does
Not part of the formation service with most providers. You engage an accounting firm of your choosing, directly.
What you contribute
You decide whether to keep your existing accountant or engage a Bulgarian firm.
What influences the timing
When the registration comes through, and whether VAT registration is also needed.
More about this step →
Step 9: Handover – company ready to tradeResponsible: Your providerYour formation providerTiming: Once the registration is in place and the follow-on steps you commissioned are complete.Show details
What happens in this step
You receive your documents, an overview of the ongoing obligations and the status of anything still open.
What the provider does
The provider hands over the documents and records what is still outstanding. Ask up front how long they remain your point of contact afterwards.
What you contribute
You start trading and go back to the provider when something follows on.
What influences the timing
Whether the account, the accounting or a VAT registration is still open at that point.

Your provider coordinates the sequence. Final decisions remain with the responsible institution.

This overview describes the usual sequence, not a commitment about a third party's decision. Which steps arise in your case is for your provider to confirm in writing, before any cost is incurred.

Compare the providers

37 providers scored against published criteria – with prices, evidence and the date each was last checked.

Frequently asked questions about remote formation

The questions that come up in almost every remote formation. Where the answer genuinely depends on your case, it says so — instead of a number that would be wrong for most readers.

Can I form an EOOD without living in Bulgaria?

Yes. Non-residents can form an EOOD (single-owner limited company); residency in Bulgaria is not a requirement. Which proofs and formalities are added depends on your nationality — as a rule, fewer for EU citizens than for third-country nationals.

Do I need to travel?

Often travel can be reduced to a single appointment, or avoided entirely with a power of attorney. The step that most often reinstates it is not the registration — it is the bank. So ask about the bank first, not about the Commercial Register.

How long does it usually take?

From experience, a Bulgarian company is often registered in around 2–3 weeks once all documents are complete. The exact timeline depends on documentation, banking and the authorities' processing times.

Can someone act on my behalf?

Yes — with a notarised power of attorney, an authorised representative can handle many steps for you. The scope depends on the legal requirements and the specific procedure.

What about ongoing accounting afterwards?

That is a separate contract with a separate provider, even where a formation agent sells both together. Assess the two separately: whoever incorporates cheaply is not automatically the right choice for the next five years of filings.

Do I need a VAT registration?

It depends on the business model — with Amazon and other EU distance sales, more often than founders expect, and sometimes before the Bulgarian turnover threshold. That question belongs with a tax adviser, not with a formation agent and not with this page.

Can I use an international bank?

Depending on your plans, a Bulgarian bank, an EU business bank or a fintech solution may be an option; how far each works remotely is set out in the bank comparison. Either way the bank decides on the account — nobody else can promise it.

Six questions to put to any provider before forming remotely

At a distance, every vague commitment surfaces late — after you have paid and the appointment turns out to be required anyway. All six can be answered in writing beforehand, and a provider who dodges one of them has just told you the most useful thing you will learn about them.

Which steps need me in person?

A usable answer knows your nationality and your bank. Without both, it is a guess.

Which costs are your fee, and which go to third parties?

Notary, Registry Agency, translation and bank are largely fixed. The fee is what differs — and it is exactly what weak quotes leave undivided.

Who opens the account, and what happens if the bank says no?

No formation can guarantee an account. The commitment worth having is what happens then, not that it will not happen.

Which documents do I get, in which language?

Bulgarian register documents are in Bulgarian. Ask what gets translated, by whom, and whether that is in the price.

Who owns the registered address after year one?

Addresses are often bundled free into a formation package and billed in year two. Ask for the renewal price before you sign.

Who does the accounting, and from when?

The first filing arrives sooner than founders expect. Settle before registration who submits it and what it costs per month.

Compare providers for remote formation Read founder stories

Related guides

Go deeper on specific topics in our blog:

Who actually forms companies remotely?

The provider comparison filters on exactly that question: which firms handle a formation fully or mostly remotely — with a source and a check date behind each answer, rather than the promise on their own homepage.

Filter providers by remote capability

Compare providers

What we can confirm

A Bulgarian company comes into existence on entry in the Commercial Register kept by the Registry Agency.
Official
The formation itself requires neither residence nor a residence permit in Bulgaria.
Official
In the formations Start in BG supported up to 2026, registration commonly takes around 2-3 weeks once all documents are complete.
Experience
In the later formations Start in BG supported up to 2026, banks have commonly asked for additional documents or wanted to meet the beneficial owner in person.
Experience
Many founders complete the formation without travelling to Bulgaria. Not every step works remotely: signatures, certification and the bank can each require presence.
Experience
Start in BG sells no company formation and charges no fee for one. What these pages say about cost is what a notary, the Registry Agency, a translator, a bank, an address provider or an accountant charges — each attributed to the party that invoices it.
About us
Start in BG coordinates nothing on your behalf and refers no providers. We research and explain the process; the engagement is directly between you and the provider you choose, and final decisions remain with the responsible institution.
About us

What depends on your situation

Whether and when a business account is opened is decided by the bank on the basis of its own compliance review. We deliberately give no timeframe for it.
Processing times at authorities depend on the workload of the competent office and cannot be guaranteed.
Whether a certified translation or an apostille is required is decided case by case by the receiving body.
Where your Bulgarian company's profits are ultimately taxed depends on your tax residence, the place of effective management and the applicable double taxation treaty - and that is assessed by the tax authority of your country of residence.

These turn on your own circumstances - a website cannot answer them, and neither do we: that needs a tax adviser or the responsible authority.

Compare the providers

Sources and verification

How we verify →

The statements this page relies on, each labelled with where it comes from. The superscript number refers to the source list below.

Editorially reviewed: 30 July 2026
Sources: 8 of 11 statements checked against the primary source

3 statements are still awaiting a check against their primary source.

Statements on this page

A Bulgarian company comes into existence on entry in the Commercial Register kept by the Registry Agency.^{1, 2}
Source check outstanding
The formation itself requires neither residence nor a residence permit in Bulgaria.^{1, 2}
Source check outstanding
In the formations Start in BG supported up to 2026, registration commonly takes around 2-3 weeks once all documents are complete.³
Checked against the source · 27 July 2026
In the later formations Start in BG supported up to 2026, banks have commonly asked for additional documents or wanted to meet the beneficial owner in person.³
Checked against the source · 27 July 2026
Many founders complete the formation without travelling to Bulgaria. Not every step works remotely: signatures, certification and the bank can each require presence.³
Checked against the source · 27 July 2026
Start in BG sells no company formation and charges no fee for one. What these pages say about cost is what a notary, the Registry Agency, a translator, a bank, an address provider or an accountant charges — each attributed to the party that invoices it.³
Checked against the source · 27 July 2026
Start in BG coordinates nothing on your behalf and refers no providers. We research and explain the process; the engagement is directly between you and the provider you choose, and final decisions remain with the responsible institution.³
Checked against the source · 27 July 2026
Whether and when a business account is opened is decided by the bank on the basis of its own compliance review. We deliberately give no timeframe for it.^{3, 4}
Checked against the source · 27 July 2026
Processing times at authorities depend on the workload of the competent office and cannot be guaranteed.^{1, 3, 5}
Checked against the source · 27 July 2026
Whether a certified translation or an apostille is required is decided case by case by the receiving body.^{1, 3, 6}
Checked against the source · 27 July 2026
Where your Bulgarian company's profits are ultimately taxed depends on your tax residence, the place of effective management and the applicable double taxation treaty - and that is assessed by the tax authority of your country of residence.^{7, 8, 9}
Source check outstanding

Show sources (9)

1.
Registry Agency (Commercial Register)Authority
Keeps the Commercial Register. A Bulgarian company comes into existence on entry there, and annual financial statements are filed there.
Open source →
2.
State Gazette (Darzhaven vestnik)Legal basis
The official gazette. Bulgarian statutes - the Commerce Act, the Corporate Income Tax Act, the Personal Income Tax Act, the VAT Act - apply in the version published there.
Open source →
3.
Start in BG operational experienceOur own experience
What we observed in the formations Start in BG accompanied itself, up to August 2026. That service no longer exists; the observations remain citable as first-hand knowledge and are labelled as such.
No public address - this source is either us, or a body that decides case by case.
4.
The individual bank's compliance functionDeciding body
Decides whether an account is opened, when, and against which documents. None of those decisions sits with us or with an authority.
Open source →
5.
Municipal administration (population register)Authority
Keeps the population register and performs address registration for permanent-residence holders.
Open source →
6.
Sworn translators and legalisation servicesDeciding body
Translation and legalisation of foreign documents. Whether and in what form either is required is decided by the receiving body.
Open source →
7.
The tax authority of your country of residenceDeciding body
Assesses your personal tax liability, the place of effective management and how the double taxation treaty applies. That assessment is not made by Bulgaria.
No public address - this source is either us, or a body that decides case by case.
8.
National Revenue Agency (NRA)Authority
Responsible for corporate income tax, personal income tax, VAT registration and social-security contributions.
Open source →
9.
Accounting and legal partnersProfessional partner
Professional assessment from Bulgarian accounting and law firms Start in BG worked with up to August 2026. Such an assessment is not an official ruling and does not replace individual advice.
No public address - this source is either us, or a body that decides case by case.