Bulgarian Companies Register: A Practical How-To Guide
Search the Bulgarian companies register, get certified extracts, and read registry entries with this practical 2026 how-to guide
You've filed the incorporation documents, received the company's UIC, and finally have a Bulgarian legal entity. Then the bank asks for more information, the VAT application follows a separate path, and a partner abroad requests a certified extract with an apostille. The company exists, but it isn't ready to trade.
That gap is where most foreign founders lose time. Bulgaria's Commercial Register is fast and accessible online, but registration is only the legal starting point. Banking, tax administration, document legalization, and the 2026 conversion of registered capital from BGN to EUR require their own planning.
Table of Contents
- Why This Guide Beats the Generic Bulgaria Pitch
- Finding the Official Bulgarian Companies Register Online
- How Bulgaria's 10% Tax Compares to the EU and OECD
- Walking Through the Incorporation Steps That Work
- Reading Registry Entries and Ordering Certified Documents
- The Gap Between Being Registered and Being Operational
- Practical Tips Before You File Anything
Why This Guide Beats the Generic Bulgaria Pitch
A founder I worked with in Sofia had completed the filing, received the UIC, and assumed the difficult part was finished. The Registry Agency had accepted the company. The legal documents looked complete. Yet the corporate bank account took weeks because the bank's compliance team wanted a clearer description of the business, evidence about the source of funds, and properly legalized identity documents.
The VAT application created a second queue. Registration in the Commercial Register doesn't automatically mean that VAT registration is complete. Bulgaria's public e-government guidance confirms that VAT applications are submitted electronically to the National Revenue Agency, which makes VAT a separate administrative task rather than an automatic consequence of incorporation. The official VAT registration guidance is useful, but it doesn't turn banking and tax onboarding into one process.
The third blind spot is the euro changeover. The Registry Agency's portal states that registered capital has been converted from BGN to EUR for affected companies, while corporate documents still need updating by 31 December 2026. Founders with older articles, shareholder resolutions, contracts, invoices, or accounting workflows in leva should review them instead of assuming the register entry solves every related obligation.
Practical rule: Treat the register as the starting line. Prepare banking, VAT, address evidence, and legalized documents in parallel.
This guide focuses on the parts that cause real friction:
- Searching the correct register: Use the official portal, not an aggregator that may display stale data.
- Reading an entry: Check the UIC, legal form, managers, shareholders, capital, status, and amendment history.
- Filing correctly: Keep the founding act, capital certificate, signatures, and identity documents consistent.
- Preparing for operations: Plan the bank account and VAT route separately from legal incorporation.
- Handling euro compliance: Review corporate documents before the 31 December 2026 deadline.
The Bulgarian companies register is easy to access. The professional advantage comes from knowing what happens around it.
Finding the Official Bulgarian Companies Register Online
Start with the official Bulgarian Commercial Register portal. The Registry Agency provides online access to Bulgaria's business register 24 hours a day, according to the business-register overview for Bulgaria. The portal is the authoritative place to check current company data and use registry services.
The homepage gives you a quick search route. Enter one of the following:
- The company name, preferably in Bulgarian Cyrillic if you know it.
- The UIC, also called the BULSTAT or ЕИК number.
- A known company identifier from a document or invoice.
The results page shows matching legal entities. Each row normally identifies the company name, ЕИК, legal form, and registered seat. Select the relevant row to open the full record.
Use the advanced search when names are unclear
Open the “Търговски регистър” menu, meaning Commercial Register, and use the advanced search when a basic name query produces too many results. Depending on the available field, filter by legal form, registered seat, status, or manager name.
The interface is primarily Bulgarian, although the portal offers an English version. Machine translation helps with navigation, but don't rely on it for legal terminology. Terms connected with liquidation, insolvency, representation rights, or amendments should be checked against the Bulgarian record or reviewed by someone who understands Bulgarian company law.
Search the register before reserving a proposed name. A name that looks unused in English may already be attached to a dormant company in Cyrillic or registered under a similar transliteration.
Avoid unofficial copies
Commercial databases can be convenient for preliminary research, but they aren't a replacement for the official entry. Only the Registry Agency portal provides the legally current registry record and official certificates or extracts suitable for cross-border use.
If a notary, bank, embassy, or foreign authority needs proof of company status, order the document from the Registry Agency rather than forwarding a screenshot from a private database.
How Bulgaria's 10% Tax Compares to the EU and OECD
A Bulgarian company can show a low headline tax rate and still require careful planning before it is operational. Bulgaria's standard corporate income tax rate is 10%, compared with the EU average of 21.27% and the OECD average of 23.85%, according to the comparative corporate tax guide from Wise. The Tax Foundation's European corporate tax comparison also places Bulgaria among Europe's lower-rate jurisdictions.
| Jurisdiction | Corporate Income Tax Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 10% | Standard corporate income tax rate |
| EU average | 21.27% | Comparative average cited by Wise |
| OECD average | 23.85% | Comparative average cited by Wise |
| Ireland | Varies by activity and regime | Commonly compared because of its business tax profile |
| Cyprus | Varies by activity and regime | Frequently considered for cross-border structures |
| Hungary | Varies by activity and regime | Often compared with Bulgaria in low-tax discussions |
| Estonia | Varies by distribution and profit treatment | Retained and distributed profits can produce different outcomes |
| United Kingdom | Varies by profit level and applicable reliefs | The headline comparison is not equivalent to Bulgaria's flat rate |
For a wider jurisdiction comparison, review this corporate tax rates comparison.
The 10% rate applies to corporate profit, not automatically to the money a shareholder receives. Dividends can create a separate withholding obligation, while shareholder residence, treaty access, ownership structure, controlled foreign company rules, thin-capitalization limits, and holding-income treatment affect the final tax position.
A company inside a large international group requires a separate check. Groups with annual revenues above €750 million may fall within the OECD and EU Pillar Two 15% minimum-tax framework, as explained in the Wise overview. That exposure can change the calculation for a Bulgarian subsidiary, even when a standalone consultancy or small operating company remains within the ordinary regime.
Tax planning also has to match the operating timetable. A low rate does not resolve bank KYC, determine whether VAT registration should happen before trading, or remove the 2026 euro conversion deadline from the implementation checklist. Those items decide whether the company can invoice, receive funds, and pass onboarding checks on schedule.
My recommendation: Compare the tax rate with the complete income flow and setup plan. A Bulgarian company can suit ordinary operating profits, but distributions, group rules, treaty access, banking checks, VAT timing, and the 2026 conversion work determine the effective outcome.
Walking Through the Incorporation Steps That Work
A foreign founder can receive a UIC and still be unable to invoice or collect funds. The practical sequence runs from name selection and founding documents through capital deposit and Registry Agency filing, but banking KYC, VAT timing, and the 2026 euro conversion deadline belong in the same setup plan. This guide to starting a business in Bulgaria outlines the core workflow.
Begin with the name and address
Search the Bulgarian companies register before requesting a name reservation. Choose a clear descriptive name, or prepare a distinctive mark for a recognizable brand. Confirm a Bulgarian registered seat at an address that receives official correspondence. A virtual office can work, but a mailbox-only address may fail bank or service requirements.
Prepare the founding act or articles, the manager's consent and specimen signature, shareholder identification, beneficial-owner information, and powers of attorney. Foreign documents generally require translation and, where applicable, notarization or apostille. If the shareholder will not attend in Bulgaria, arrange the legalized power of attorney before sending originals.
Complete the capital and filing stages
Open the temporary accumulation account and deposit the declared share capital. The bank certificate must match the incorporation documents exactly. Cross-border applications often slow here because bank KYC takes longer than registry examination. Confirm the bank's document list before filing.
Submit the application electronically through the Commercial Register, sign it with a Qualified Electronic Signature, and pay the reduced €28 electronic filing fee, rather than the €56 paper fee, as described by the online registration guide. Standard registry filing often takes 1 to 3 business days, while document queries, legalization, or bank checks can extend the full process. The practical incorporation guidance gives remote timelines of 1 to 2 weeks or longer when queries arise.
After approval, obtain the UIC and registration documentation. Then arrange banking, decide whether VAT registration should precede trading, and set up accounting and payroll where relevant. Registration is the legal milestone, not proof that the company is operational. For document planning, consult this certificate of incorporation guide.
The video demonstrates the incorporation sequence, including document preparation, capital deposit, electronic filing, and the steps that follow registry approval. The summary covers the key points if the video cannot be played.
Reading Registry Entries and Ordering Certified Documents
A Bulgarian registry entry is more than a company name and number. Read it as a legal snapshot of who owns the entity, who represents it, where it is based, and whether it remains active.
The fields that matter
Start with the UIC, or ЕИК, which identifies the company across administrative records. Then check the legal form:
- EOOD: Single-member limited liability company.
- OOD: Limited liability company with multiple shareholders.
- AD: Joint-stock company.
- KD: Limited partnership.
- ET: Sole proprietorship.
The entry should also show the company name in Bulgarian and, where registered, its Latin transliteration. Review the registered seat and management address, then identify the manager or board members. Depending on the record and person, identity information may appear through an EGN or passport-related identifier.
Next, inspect the shareholders, capital shares, declared capital, object of activity, and date of the latest amendment. Don't stop at the first page. The status information can indicate liquidation, insolvency, or striking off, all of which materially change how a counterparty should treat the company.
Order the current certificate
The актуално състояние, or current certificate, consolidates the principal current information into an official document. Order it through the Registry Agency's electronic services, pay the applicable state fee electronically, and download the resulting PDF when issued. The electronic file includes an embedded electronic seal, which helps the recipient verify its origin.
A registry certificate isn't automatically an apostille. For use abroad, first determine what the receiving authority accepts. You may need a certified true copy, a notarial certification, or an apostille through the relevant Bulgarian authorities, including the Ministry of Justice or Ministry of Foreign Affairs depending on the document and destination.
Document rule: Order the current certificate first, then request certification or legalization. Don't assume the PDF you downloaded is ready for an embassy or foreign notary.
Translation creates its own risk. Legal names, representation clauses, and status descriptions must remain consistent across the Bulgarian original and the target-language version. Use this guide to translating legal documents when a foreign authority requires a translated corporate extract.
The Gap Between Being Registered and Being Operational
A UIC confirms that the company exists in Bulgaria's legal system. Operations require a second checklist: an accountant, payroll arrangements, social security registrations, compliant invoicing, and a process for retaining transaction records. Assign responsibility for each item before the first trading day.
Managers and employees create obligations immediately. Payroll records, social security declarations, bookkeeping, tax filings, and annual corporate reporting must follow the applicable rules and deadlines. An accountant should receive the incorporation documents, bank records, contracts, and invoices in a controlled handover. Larger entities should also assess whether corporate sustainability reporting requirements apply.
Banking and VAT still run on separate tracks from incorporation. Prepare ownership details, business activity information, expected transactions, source-of-funds evidence, and registered-address documentation for KYC. A bank may require the founder's attendance or accept an apostilled power of attorney. VAT planning should take place before issuing invoices, especially for e-commerce, digital services, and reverse-charge transactions. The filing route, evidence, and timing depend on the activity and transaction profile. Review the official e-government guidance before filing.
| Task | Practical expectation | Common bottleneck |
|---|---|---|
| Registry filing | 1 to 3 business days under standard conditions | Inconsistent documents or registry queries |
| Remote document preparation | 1 to 2 weeks, sometimes longer | Apostilles, legalization, and courier handling |
| Bank capital and KYC process | 1 to 4 weeks | Physical-presence rules and enhanced KYC |
| VAT registration | Separate from incorporation | NRA review and transaction profile |
| Euro document review | Before 31 December 2026 | Updating articles, resolutions, contracts, invoices, and accounting settings, Registry Agency portal |
| Annual corporate reporting | By the legally applicable deadline | Late accountant handover or missing transaction records |
Treat the euro conversion as a document-control project, not a single capital update. The register may show converted capital while contracts, supplier templates, shareholder resolutions, payment instructions, terminal settings, and accounting software still contain BGN references. Review those records before 31 December 2026, and keep the wording consistent across corporate and commercial documents.
Registration is the legal starting point. Operational readiness means the company can pay people, record transactions, issue correct invoices, meet reporting duties, and support its bank and tax files without rebuilding the evidence later.
Practical Tips Before You File Anything
Run a pre-flight check before touching the portal. The fastest filing is the one that reaches the Registry Agency with no missing legalization, no conflicting signature, and no ambiguity about the company's address.
Prepare the document pack
Have foreign identity documents, powers of attorney, shareholder resolutions, and manager declarations translated and apostilled where required. Keep names, passport details, addresses, capital figures, and signatures identical across every document. A mismatch between the bank certificate and the founding act can turn a quick filing into a rejection and resubmission.
Confirm the registered address with the owner or provider. You need an address that can receive official correspondence and withstand bank KYC. Do not use a nominal mailbox only because it is cheap.
Check the register before reserving a name
Search the proposed name in Bulgarian and in Latin transliteration. A dormant company can still occupy the name you want, so don't rely on a branding search or domain availability check.
Verify the founder's identification details before the filing package is signed. The BULSTAT and UIC information should be consistent across the application, banking file, beneficial-owner declarations, and future VAT documentation.
Plan banking and VAT separately
Approach banks with a realistic onboarding horizon rather than assuming that registration and account activation happen together. Prepare a concise business description, expected payment flows, customer geography, contracts or invoices where available, and source-of-funds evidence.
Map VAT timing against the first invoice and the nature of the services or goods. The European e-Justice business-register information confirms that electronic registry interaction is available, but a digital register does not remove the separate tax and banking layers.
Before filing, confirm these five points:
- Document translation: Every required foreign document has a Bulgarian version.
- Apostille or legalization: Each document carries the form of legalization required by the receiving authority.
- BULSTAT data: Founder and company identification details match across the package.
- Registered address: The address is valid for official service and bank verification.
- Notarized signatures: Manager consents, specimen signatures, and powers of attorney are properly notarized.
Finally, revisit any banking or accounting arrangement denominated in leva because the 31 December 2026 euro-document deadline still matters. A certified Registry Agency extract is also not automatically apostilled. Request legalization separately when a foreign institution requires it.
FastCorp can coordinate Bulgarian EOOD or OOD incorporation, electronic filing, EU VAT setup, banking assistance, registered address services, apostilled documents, bookkeeping, and ongoing compliance. If you want the register entry and the operational pieces handled as one workflow, visit FastCorp and discuss your formation plan with its Sofia-based team.