Good to know
Good to Know
- No Moldovan co-founder, local shareholder, or 'sponsor' is required to incorporate — a foreigner can own 100% of an SRL.
- You don't need to travel to Moldova to register a company; it can be done entirely via a notarized power of attorney.
- If any founder is a foreign company (not an individual), its home-country registration documents need translation into Romanian plus either an apostille (for Hague Convention countries) or consular legalization — build extra time into your timeline for this.
- The company tax ID (IDNO) is issued automatically with registration — you do not need to make separate trips to the tax service, statistics office, or social security house.
- Opening the corporate bank account, not the ASP registration itself, is often the actual bottleneck for foreign-owned companies due to bank KYC/compliance checks on source of funds and shareholder background.
- IT companies can apply for Moldova's IT Park regime after incorporation, which replaces several taxes with a single 7% turnover tax — worth checking if your business qualifies.
- If your business is IT/software/digital services, forming an SRL and applying for Moldova IT Park residency can drop your effective company-level tax to 7% of turnover instead of 12% of profit — but you must first have a registered Moldovan legal entity; you can't get this rate as an individual or a foreign company.
- A brand-new 'independent entrepreneur' (antreprenor independent) status launched January 1, 2026 lets solo freelancers register online with no company and no formal bookkeeping — worth checking with a local accountant since it's untested for foreigners so far.
- Moldova has no domestic CFC rules, but that doesn't exempt you from your own home country's CFC or foreign-income reporting obligations if you own a Moldovan company.
- The old mandatory minimum share capital for an SRL has reportedly been abolished, but because sources disagree, confirm the current figure with the Public Services Agency (ASP) or a local lawyer before budgeting for incorporation.
- VAT registration thresholds moved twice in early 2026 alone, so if you're near the threshold, double-check the current figure rather than relying on last year's number.
Corporate Tax Overview
- Farming Enterprises Rate
- Reduced 7% CIT rate for farming enterprises.
- Individual Entrepreneur Rate
- Individual entrepreneurs (ÎI) are taxed at the same 12% rate, but applied to their total income rather than a separate corporate profit calculation.
- Cfc Rules
- Moldova does not maintain domestic Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules for Moldovan resident shareholders of foreign companies — but a foreign owner's own home-country CFC regime may still apply to a Moldovan company they control.
VAT
- Reduced Rate
- 8% on selected goods (e.g., medical products, books)
- Standard Rate
- 20%
- Export Of Services
- Exported services (common for IT/consulting) are typically zero-rated with input VAT recovery.
- Mandatory Registration Threshold 2026
- MDL 1,500,000
Threshold rises again shortly after
- Mandatory Registration Threshold Updated 2026
- MDL 1,700,000
IT Park Regime
- Rate
- 7% single tax on gross turnover (excluding VAT), replacing standard CIT, employee personal income tax, and employer/employee social & medical contributions
- Eligibility
- Only available to a Moldovan-registered legal entity (SRL or ÎI) whose main activity qualifies as IT (software development, SaaS, IT consulting, gaming, certain digital services) and that is formally admitted as an IT Park resident. A foreign entity or an unregistered individual cannot access this rate directly.
- Guarantee Period
- The regime is statutory under Law 77/2016 and is state-guaranteed through 31 December 2035, with an operational term to 2037.
- Per Employee Floor
- MDL 5,220
The 7% tax cannot fall below a per-employee monthly floor of 30% of the forecast average monthly salary in the economy.
Dividend Withholding Tax
- Rate
- 6% standard withholding on dividends paid to both resident and non-resident shareholders
- Treaty Relief
- May be reduced under an applicable Double Tax Treaty if the non-resident recipient provides a tax residency certificate.
Standard Corporate Income Tax
- Rate Description
- Flat 12% on taxable profit for most legal entities (SRL/SA), applied to revenue minus deductible expenses.
- Resident Vs Nonresident
- Resident companies are taxed on worldwide income; non-resident companies/permanent establishments are taxed only on Moldova-sourced income.
Simplified SME Turnover Regime
- Rate
- 4% of aggregated turnover (some older/alternate sources cite 6% for very small revenue bands, so confirm current figure before relying on it)
- Eligibility
- Available to small/medium companies that are not VAT-registered and meet specific size criteria; not usable if the company exceeds the VAT threshold.
Structure Comparison For Foreigners
LLC SRL
- Name
- Societate cu Răspundere Limitată (SRL)
- Best For
- Anyone planning to hire staff, seek investment, participate in tenders, apply for IT Park residency, or simply present more credibly to banks and larger clients.
- Tradeoff
- More paperwork than an ÎI (statute, founding decision/agreement, director appointment, bank account opening) but the standard vehicle recommended for most international entrepreneurs operating from Chișinău.
- Liability
- Separate legal personality — the company, not the individual founder, is liable for business debts, limited to the company's share capital.
- Setup Time
- Typically 3–5 business days once documents are submitted; a bank account and legal address are also required.
- Who Can Own
- Foreigners (individuals or companies) can own up to 100% of an SRL as sole founder, act as director, and register remotely via power of attorney with apostilled documents — no local partner or shareholder residency requirement.
- Minimum Capital
- A 2023 reform abolished the mandatory minimum share capital for SRLs (now a nominal amount, in practice often recommended around 1,000 MDL for credibility with banks), though some older/commercial sources still cite a prior MDL 5,400 minimum — treat the abolition as the current rule but confirm with the registrar if in doubt.
Freelancer No Company New 2026 Status
- Name
- Antreprenor independent ("independent entrepreneur") status
- Caveat
- This is a brand-new regime as of 2026 — practical experience/precedent for foreigners using it is still thin, so verify current rules with a local accountant before relying on it.
- Legal Basis
- Law No. 228/2025, in force from 1 January 2026
- Who Its For
- Individuals providing services independently with no employees — e.g. designers, developers, consultants, private tutors — who don't want to form a company or register as a full sole proprietor (ÎI).
- How It Works
- Fully online registration through the Public Services Agency (ASP); the tax authority tracks income automatically so there's no formal bookkeeping or report filing required, but payments must go through a dedicated bank account and a cash register connected to the state's sales-monitoring system.
Sole Proprietor Individual Entrepreneur
- Name
- Întreprindere Individuală (ÎI)
- Best For
- Freelancers or small operators with modest income who don't need partners and are comfortable accepting personal liability.
- Liability
- Ties the business directly to the owner — full personal liability, with all personal assets exposed to business debts.
- Limitations
- Harder to attract partners/investors, generally viewed as less credible by banks and larger clients, and cannot issue or sell equity.
- Speed And Cost
- Fast to set up (roughly 1–2 business days, or as little as 4 hours with expedited service) and comes with minimal accounting overhead; simplified tax regimes may apply.
- Who Can Register
- Any adult, Moldovan or foreign, with valid ID/passport — no residency requirement, and the process doesn't differ significantly for foreign applicants.
Common Entity Types
SRL (Societate Cu Răspundere Limitată / LLC)
- Notes
- The most common vehicle for foreign founders. Liability is limited to capital contributions. Minimum founders/shareholders: one; maximum 50 shareholders. Sources disagree on minimum capital.
SA / JSC (Joint Stock Company)
- Notes
- Used for larger structures or those planning to raise investment; carries heavier reporting and audit obligations. Minimum share capital has been raised in stages and stands at MDL 600,000 as of 1 January 2024.
Representative Office / Branch of a Foreign Company
- Notes
- A representative office can be 100% foreign owned but cannot conduct income-generating commercial activity; it is limited to market research, promotion, and liaison functions. A branch can trade but requires local tax and VAT registration under the parent's name.
Filing And Compliance Obligations
Filing And Compliance Obligations
- Annual corporate income tax return (form VEN12) due by 25 March of the following year for companies using the calendar tax year.
- Advance profit tax payments made quarterly.
- VAT returns (if VAT-registered) filed monthly, with payment due by the 25th of the following month.
- Payroll-related withholding/contribution declarations and payments due monthly by the 25th, filed electronically through the State Tax Service's designated systems.
- All companies must maintain accounting records and submit annual financial statements; VAT and payroll reports are additional obligations layered on top depending on registration status.
- Late or inaccurate returns can trigger fines of roughly 20–30% of the understated tax, with harsher penalties for deliberate evasion.
Fees
- Expedited State Registration 4h
- MDL 4,596
- Standard State Registration 24h
- MDL 1,149
- Approximate Total State Fees Incl Extras
- MDL 2,000
Timeline
- Asp Processing Time
- Standard ASP registration decision is issued within 24 hours (one business day) after a complete, correct document package is submitted; a paid 4-hour expedited service is also available.
- Realistic End To End Timeline
- Most sources indicate the full process — document drafting, notarization/translation for foreign documents, ASP submission, and receiving the certificate — realistically takes about 3 to 7 business days for a straightforward SRL with a local individual administrator, with bank account opening adding another 1-3+ days depending on the bank's compliance review. Cases involving foreign corporate founders needing apostille/consular legalization of home-country documents can take longer.
Core Steps
Core Steps
- 1. Reserve the company name at ASP (unique, distinguishable from existing registered names/trademarks); a reservation is valid for up to six months.
- 2. Choose a legal form (SRL is standard for most foreign founders), determine share capital and shareholding structure, and pick CAEM activity codes matching the intended business.
- 3. Secure a registered legal address in Moldova (owned property, lease, or a paid legal-address service) with the owner's consent.
- 4. Draft incorporation documents: founders' decision/minutes of the constitutive meeting, Articles of Association, and administrator appointment.
- 5. Submit the application package to an ASP territorial office in person, by a notarized power-of-attorney representative, or by registered mail; foreign individual founders need only a valid passport.
- 6. If a founder is a foreign legal entity, additional documents are required: an apostilled or consular-legalized and Romanian-translated extract from its home trade register, its constitutive documents, and a decision of its competent body approving the Moldovan incorporation.
- 7. Pay the state registration fee and receive the registration decision/certificate and the company's IDNO (tax identification number), which is assigned automatically — no separate visits to the tax service, statistics bureau, or social security house are needed as ASP transmits data electronically.
- 8. Open a corporate bank account, presenting the extract from the State Register of Legal Entities; banks run their own KYC checks (source of funds, business plan, shareholder background) which can be the slowest step for foreign-owned companies.
Capital Requirements
- JSC SA
- MDL 600,000
- SRL LLC
- Sources conflict: several current guides state there is no strict statutory minimum capital for an SRL (a symbolic amount is possible), while other sources cite a historical/alternative figure of around US$300 with 40% payable at registration and the remainder within six months. Regardless of the figure quoted, Moldovan law requires any subscribed capital contribution to be paid within six months of registration.
Residency And Presence Requirements
- Administrator
- Can be a Moldovan citizen or a foreign citizen. If the foreign administrator is unable to appear before ASP, the founder submits a notarized specimen signature on their behalf. Foreign administrators intending to live in Moldova would separately need a residence permit, but this is not required simply to hold the administrator role.
- Founder Presence
- Not required. Registration can be completed entirely by a notarized power of attorney without the founder ever visiting Moldova.
Local Partner Or Sponsor Requirement
None. Foreign individuals and legal entities may register a company in Moldova as sole founders and own up to 100% of the share capital; no Moldovan co-founder, local shareholder, or sponsor is legally required. The main ownership restriction is that foreign nationals cannot directly own agricultural or forest land, which is unrelated to company share ownership.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this business permits & incorporation for foreigners research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.