What company formation in Bulgaria really costs
The amount that actually reaches the state when you form a Bulgarian limited liability company is surprisingly small — the statutory minimum capital is 1 euro, and the registration fee is lower when you file electronically. Yet there is no single answer to „how much does a company cost“, because most of the money never goes to the budget: it goes to notaries, sworn translators, accounting firms and banks. This page separates three wallets: the state fee, the service fees, and the recurring cost that starts the day you are registered.
Companies and taxes · Last reviewed: 2026-08-23
Why a single number would be misleading
Pages advertising „a Bulgarian company for 300 euros“ are quoting the price of a service package, not the cost of incorporation. When a statutory fee and an intermediary's margin are added into one line, the resulting number is both inflated and incomparable: one is fixed by law and identical for everyone, the other is a market price that differs from office to office. Here the two are kept apart, and no market price is written down unless an official source confirms it.
The second reason is that cost tracks your own situation. If you are in Bulgaria with Bulgarian-language documents, translation costs nothing. If you incorporate from abroad by power of attorney, apostilles, sworn translation and notarial certification all enter the bill. A single-member company generates little paperwork; a three-partner company requires the articles to be genuinely negotiated, and that is lawyer time. Cost is not a price list — it is a function of how complex your file is.
Wallet one: what the state receives
Under Article 117 of the Commercial Act the capital of a limited liability company cannot be less than 1 euro, and a member's share cannot be smaller than 1 eurocent. These figures are expressed in euro because of the changeover on 1 January 2026; the Registry Agency converted registered capital automatically on that date. The most common misunderstanding is treating capital as an expense. It is not: that money belongs to the company, moves to its current account after registration and pays the company's first bills.
The registration fee goes to the Commercial Register and is lower for electronic filings than for counter filings. We do not print the current amount here because the official tariff could not be verified; read it on the Registry Agency's own page on the day you file. What is verified is the qualitative point: the electronic route is cheaper, so a qualified electronic signature usually pays for itself on the first filing.
Wallet two: professional services
- Notary: the specimen signature and some statutory declarations must be certified. Individual acts are inexpensive, but they add up.
- Sworn translation and apostille: every foreign document — passport copy, power of attorney, a corporate shareholder's own register extract — must be translated by a sworn translator. For founders abroad this is the most underestimated line.
- Lawyer or formation agent: not mandatory. Valuable when the articles are genuinely negotiated; for a standard single-member company it is often form-filling.
- Bank: a capital-raising account during formation and a current account afterwards. Tariffs differ, and a foreign founder may be asked for extra documents.
- Qualified electronic signature: an annual subscription that lowers the filing fee and removes counter visits later.
| Item | Who collects it | Is a figure printed here |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum capital (1 euro) | The company's own account | Yes — verified against Art. 117 of the Commercial Act |
| Registration fee | Registry Agency | No — tariff not verified |
| Notarial acts | Notary | No — tariff not verified |
| Sworn translation and apostille | Translation agency / authority | No — market price |
| Bank charges | Commercial bank | No — bank tariff |
| Monthly accounting | Accounting firm or employee | No — market price |
Wallet three: the recurring cost that starts after registration
The most frequent budgeting mistake is to stop counting on registration day. From that day a monthly outflow begins, and in small companies it is several times the formation cost: accounting services, bank charges, a registered address, renewal of the electronic signature and — once VAT-registered — the monthly filing discipline. Dormancy does not zero this out, because even a company without activity owes annual financial statements.
Three verified figures are enough to plan the tax side. Corporate income tax is 10 per cent under Article 20 of the Corporate Income Tax Act, and withholding tax on distributed dividends and liquidation shares is 5 per cent under Article 194 of the same Act. Under Article 96(1) of the VAT Act, registration becomes mandatory once taxable turnover over the previous 12 months reaches the threshold, and the application must be filed within 7 days. The threshold is approximately 51,130 euro — the source publishes the amount in the national currency, the euro figure is calculated at the official fixed rate, and no official euro amount has been announced yet, so confirm the current value with the revenue agency.
Capital is not a cost — do not count it twice
Figures taken from official sources on 23 August 2026
This is not legal or financial advice
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest route?
Incorporating in person, with Bulgarian-language documents, using a qualified electronic signature and a single-member structure. That removes translation, apostille and the higher counter fee. Cheapest is not always right, though: with partners, money spent on properly negotiated articles is returned at the first dispute.
Why do formation packages differ so much in price?
Because they contain different things. Some only complete the filing; others include a registered address, first-year accounting and a bank appointment. Compare the contents line by line and ask explicitly whether the state fee is included.
If the company stays dormant, does the cost go to zero?
No. A dormant company still has accounting and filing duties, and the registered address and bank account keep charging. Forming a company „for later“ also creates a future cost: closing it down.
Sources
The information on this page is based on the official sources listed below. Legislation changes — open the links and verify the current position.
- Министерство на икономиката и индустрията — избор на правна форма, документи и процедура по регистрация — https://www.mi.government.bg/en/business-handbook-for-sme/choice-of-legal-form-registration-documents-and-procedure/ · 2026-08-23
- Агенция по вписванията — „Как да регистрирам фирма“ — https://www.registryagency.bg/bg/registri/targovski-registar/kak-da-registriram-firma/ · 2026-08-23
- Агенция по вписванията — „Въвеждане на еврото в търговския регистър“ — https://www.registryagency.bg/bg/prestsentar/novini/vvezhdane-na-evroto-v-trgovskiya-registr/ · 2026-08-23
- Национална агенция за приходите — заявление за регистрация по ЗДДС — https://nra.bg/wps/portal/nra/uslugi/zayavlenie-za-registratsiya · 2026-08-23
- Lex.bg — Закон за корпоративното подоходно облагане (ЗКПО) — https://lex.bg/laws/ldoc/2135540562 · 2026-08-23
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