SRL online - guided service (startco)
Besides the official ONRC portal, there are online services that generate your incorporation file through a kind of wizard: you answer simple questions (name, associates, administrator, capital, CAEN, office) and they prepare and file the documents for you. startco is one such service, but there are similar ones.
The upside is speed and not having to fight the forms yourself. The downside is that you pay for the service and an office cost, and you are still responsible for checking that the data is correct.
Services worth considering
A few options to compare. Prices change, check them on the site first.
| Service | Rough setup cost | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| startco | check on the site | step-by-step wizard, office hosting options |
| dosario | from ~599 lei | SRL setup |
| Banca Transilvania STUP | check on the site | incorporation + bank account in the same flow |
For all of them, on top of the service commission you also pay the ONRC fees (~167 lei) and the share capital (500 lei). Office hosting (~600-900 lei/year) is separate and optional if you have your own address. They differ in price, in what is included (office, signature, bank account) and in how much they hand-hold you.
We are not affiliated with any such service and get nothing if you use it. Prices and steps change often, so check everything directly on the site before you pay.
The company data becomes public. The name, office and administrators appear in the Trade Register. Check every field before you finalize, because a mistake is corrected through ONRC too, for a fee.
What you need before you start
What the steps look like
The wizard walks you, broadly, through the same steps you would do yourself at ONRC, just structured and filled into the documents automatically:
1. Company name. You enter the desired name and the service checks availability automatically. Prepare 2-3 options, ideally 2-3 words, so you have a better chance it is free.
2. Associates. The people who own the company. You can be the sole associate or have up to 49. For each one, the personal data and address are recorded.
3. Administrator. Who runs and legally represents the company. It can be an associate or someone from outside. The mandate duration (between 1 and 99 years) is set here too.
4. Share capital. The amount the company starts with, minimum 500 lei. See the explanation in SRL - Information. The money stays the company's and you can use it after incorporation.
5. VAT: payer or non-payer. You pick the VAT status. If you are not sure, non-payer is the standard option and you can change it later. Details in European VAT number.
6. Taxation form. Microenterprise (tax on turnover) or profit tax. Compare them against your numbers in the income calculator.
7. CAEN codes. You pick the main activity and the secondary ones. For game development, the main code is usually 5821; see the full recommended set in CAEN Codes.
8. Registered office. The company's official address. It can be your home (with the owner's consent) or professional hosting offered by the service for a fee. Note: at a hosting address you usually cannot carry out physical activity, only correspondence. See all the registered office options.
9. Work point (optional). A second fixed space, for example an office or a warehouse. Most studios do not need one at the start.
10. Where you carry out activity. You tick whether you work at the office, outside it (at clients, online, in coworking) or both. For a game studio, activity outside the office usually fits.
Costs
On top of the official fees, you pay the service's commission and, if you choose office hosting, a separate annual cost (for example around 700-850 lei per year, depending on the type). Longer office contracts can reduce the ONRC update fee. Check the exact amounts on the site, because they change.
Documents arrive by email. You receive the official documents electronically, with an electronic signature, holding the same legal value as paper ones.
After approval, save the CUI, the J number and the rest of the data in My Own Company Details, so you have them handy for banks, platforms and contracts.