Choosing an English-Speaking Law Firm in Bucharest for Company Incorporation in Romania

If you're a foreign investor setting up a Romanian company, the legal question is not simply how to register an SRL. It is how to do it correctly, quickly, and in English - without discovering later that incorporation was the easy part and compliance was the real challenge.

This is a buyer's guide, not a sales page. It sets out the three routes foreign founders actually choose between, the five criteria worth comparing firms on, and the legal work that starts the day after registration. Use it on any firm you shortlist - including this one.

Incorporation is a set of decisions, not a set of forms

For most foreign founders, the SRL - the Romanian version of a limited liability company - is the usual way in: operating businesses, subsidiaries, early-stage ventures. But registration involves choices that are easy to make badly and expensive to unwind:

1. Legal structure and shareholder setup
   Who owns what, in what proportions, with what protections.
2. The registered office
   The company's official legal address - with documentary and sometimes tax implications.
3. The articles of association
   The main company rules and ownership terms, in Romanian, with commercially accurate meaning.
4. Director powers and representation rules
   Who can sign and act for the company - the clause founders regret most often.
5. Business activities and NACE codes
   The official activity classifications, which later affect tax regime eligibility and licensing.
6. Tax registration and post-incorporation obligations
   The filings and compliance steps that continue after setup.

Three failure modes that recur with foreign founders

1. Literal translation without legal context. English explanations that sound clear but omit the legal meaning - risky when choosing director authorities, shareholding structures, or corporate objects. 2. Incorporation without operational planning. A company registered quickly but poorly prepared for contracts, banking, tax administration, data protection, or investor onboarding. 3. Fragmented advice. A registration agent, an accountant, a notary, and - later - a disputes lawyer. That split creates inconsistencies from the start.

The three routes, compared honestly

Foreign founders usually choose between three options. Each is a legitimate answer to a different question:

Read that third row carefully: the trade-off is real and worth stating plainly. If your Romanian entity is a simple vehicle with one shareholder, no IP, no regulated activity, and no near-term investment, a filing-only provider may genuinely be the right economic choice. The calculus changes when the company will hold IP, contract with enterprise clients, employ people, raise money, or sit inside a group structure - because then the drafting decisions made on day one get tested by someone with an incentive to find their weak points.

What actually starts the day after registration

A common misconception is that Romanian company formation is mainly about low setup friction. In practice, the more consequential work often starts immediately after registration:

Day 1 is the filing. Day 2 is the business.

Romania's regulatory environment also keeps evolving on digital compliance and reporting. Businesses in goods flows or invoicing-heavy models should assess e-invoicing and e-transport implications early - not once revenue starts. Specifics vary by sector and transaction type, but the direction is clear: compliance planning belongs at setup, not after the first regulatory notice.

Interactive: the five criteria, applied to your shortlist

Evaluate each firm against business-relevant criteria rather than marketing language. Tick what you can actually verify - on their website, in the first call, or in writing:

Five things to confirm before you engage anyone

• English-language capability: an English-language site, direct English communication, and clear investor-facing explanations - not translated brochures
• Relevant business practice areas: commercial law, start-up and investment work, cross-border business support - because SRL setup leads to contract, corporate, IP, employment, and compliance work
• Responsiveness: clear response expectations and practical next steps - delays usually happen at the decision stage, not with the authorities
• Cross-border perspective: international networks and partner firms abroad, for shareholders who need Romania connected to other jurisdictions
• Pragmatic approach: tailored, business-oriented recommendations you can execute - not legal theory

Applied to BSA: the firm operates an English-language site at bsa.ro, lists commercial law and start-up & investments among its practice areas, states a response time of up to 24 hours, and notes membership in Legal Network International plus strategic partnerships with firms in Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Moldova. Apply the same five checks to every alternative on your list - the framework is only useful if it is used symmetrically.

Quick test: which assumption costs more later?

Assumption 1: "We'll take the cheapest filing service now and bring in lawyers when we actually need them - probably around the first funding round."

Depends on the company you're building. For a simple vehicle with one shareholder and no IP, it can be the right call. But if the company will hold IP, contract with enterprise clients, or raise money, the day-one drafting decisions get audited by the investor's counsel - and fixing articles, director powers, or IP assignments retroactively happens under time pressure, with the other side watching.

Assumption 2: "The English explanation was clear, so the Romanian documents must say the same thing."

Classic failure mode. Literal translation without legal context produces explanations that sound clear but omit the legal meaning. The risk concentrates exactly where it hurts: director authorities, shareholding structures, and corporate objects. What you need is documents explained, not just translated.

Assumption 3: "We'll use a registration agent, our accountant for tax, a notary for signatures, and find a lawyer if a dispute appears."

Fragmentation risk. Four providers, four partial views, and no one accountable for whether the corporate documents, tax position, and operational plan tell the same story. Inconsistencies created at setup tend to surface during bank onboarding, diligence, or the first real dispute - when they are most expensive to reconcile.

Assumption 4: "We'll pick NACE codes broadly to keep our options open - more codes means more flexibility."

Has consequences. Activity classifications aren't cosmetic: they feed into tax regime eligibility, licensing requirements, and how counterparties and banks read your business. "Keeping options open" on paper can quietly close options elsewhere - which is why the coding decision belongs with someone who understands the downstream effects, not just the form.

What "full-service" should mean for a modern founder

For international entrepreneurs building tech-enabled or IP-heavy businesses, the relevant question is whether the firm understands incorporation in the context of real operating models, not just registry formalities. BSA's coverage for foreign founders:

Company incorporation

Romanian SRL setup, shareholder structuring, constitutional documents, registered office coordination, and post-registration formalities.

Commercial support

Commercial contracts, founder arrangements, supplier and customer documentation, and early-stage business structuring.

Software & SaaS counsel

SaaS subscriptions, terms, data protection, and commercial contracts.

Crypto, MiCAR & CASP

Crypto licensing, MiCAR/MiCA compliance, CASP authorization, and token classification in Romania.

Crypto documentation

White paper review and drafting, aligned with disclosure obligations.

IP and innovation

Trademark, copyright, know-how, and other intellectual property issues relevant to growing businesses.

Pricing, delivery, availability

How this is usually scoped - stated plainly

Because legal fees depend on the shareholder structure, document set, and regulatory scope, pricing is typically offered on request rather than as a public fixed price. Availability runs through an English-language intake route with a stated response time of up to 24 hours. Delivery is structured around four stages: legal assessment → document preparation → coordination for filing → post-incorporation support.

Remote incorporation may be available depending on the founder profile, document flow, and scope of assistance, and fixed-fee arrangements can be discussed for defined incorporation workstreams. Where requested, bank account opening support can be included or coordinated alongside the process - though the account decision always remains with the bank.

"The better question is not 'who can file fastest?' but 'who can support the business after registration as well?' Choose the firm that fits the operating needs of the business, not just the filing stage."

- The buyer's test behind this guide

Frequently asked questions

Planning a Romanian SRL and comparing your options?

Run the five criteria across every firm on your shortlist, then ask each one the same question: what happens on day two? If you want English-language, business-oriented legal support in Bucharest - incorporation handled together with commercial, technology, IP, compliance, and cross-border work - start with a scoped conversation.

Contact us

Sources and references

InvestRomania - investment climate and market-entry information: investromania.gov.ro · European Commission - country reporting on Romania (economy, competitiveness, reforms): economy-finance.ec.europa.eu · World Bank - Doing Business Romania archive (business registration data): archive.doingbusiness.org · ONRC - Trade Register procedures and NACE classification: onrc.ro · ANAF - e-invoicing and e-transport guidance: anaf.ro · Buju, Stanciu & Asociații (BSA): bsa.ro

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Service descriptions, response times, and fee models reflect the firm's stated positioning and are not a binding offer; scope and pricing are defined contractually. Comparison criteria are offered as a due-diligence framework, not as a ranking of providers.