Owning a Romanian company from abroad: what you can check yourself for free
Updated: 4 days ago
By Dr. Bogdan Năstase
The short answer
From abroad, you can check five things about your Romanian company for free: its basic trade register data, every registration published in the Trade Register Electronic Bulletin (BERC), its VAT registration, whether it appears on ANAF's quarterly lists of debtors or of compliant taxpayers, and its published balance sheet data. Certificates and copies are paid.
The diagram and the steps below are a working English translation of the Romanian legal texts cited next to each element. The Romanian text prevails.
The checks, step by step
Does this apply to your company? The trade register covers companies with their main seat in Romania and the Romanian branches of foreign companies (Law 265/2022, art. 4 para. 1).
Free basic data. Name and legal form, registered office, trade register number, EUID and CUI, status, website, the legal representatives and whether they act jointly or separately, and branches in other member states are available free of charge on the ONRC website or portal, or through the EU interconnection system (Law 265/2022, art. 12 para. 1 and art. 9 para. 2).
Every registration, in BERC. The registrar's decision on every registration is published in BERC within three working days of registration. Publication and consultation are free (Law 265/2022, art. 15 paras. 2 to 4).
Official Gazette Part IV, where the law requires it. Some acts are also published in the Official Gazette (Monitorul Oficial), Part IV (Law 265/2022, art. 16 para. 1). Part IV can be read free of charge for 10 days from publication (Law 202/1998, art. 8 and 19).
VAT registration. ANAF keeps the register of VAT-registered persons and the register of those whose VAT registration was cancelled. Both are public and displayed on ANAF's website (Fiscal Code, art. 316 para. 15).
ANAF's quarterly lists. ANAF publishes the list of debtors with overdue tax obligations and the list of companies with no overdue obligations, each quarter, by the last day of the first month of the next quarter (Fiscal Procedure Code, art. 162 paras. 1 and 2; art. 162^1 paras. 1 and 2).
Need a certified document? The trade register office issues certificates and copies at the requester's expense (Law 265/2022, art. 11 para. 1): a certificate (certificat constatator) costs RON 30, a history report RON 250, a copy RON 1.50 per page and a certified copy RON 10 plus RON 1.50 per page (Order 380/C/2024 of the Minister of Justice, annex).
Options compared: advantages, disadvantages, risks
Option | Advantages | Disadvantages | Risks |
Free basic data (ONRC, EU interconnection system) | Free; covers name, legal form, office, numbers, status and legal representatives (Law 265/2022, art. 12 para. 1) | Identification data only, not the documents filed (art. 12 para. 1) | It is not a certificate: where you need a document that you can file elsewhere, a paid certificate or certified copy is required (art. 11 paras. 1, 3 and 4) |
BERC (Trade Register Electronic Bulletin) | Free; the registrar's decision on every registration, within three working days (Law 265/2022, art. 15 paras. 2 to 4) | Shows what has been registered, after registration (art. 15 para. 3) | A change approved but not yet registered does not appear |
Official Gazette Part IV | Shows the acts for which the law requires publication in the Gazette (Law 265/2022, art. 16 para. 1) | Free only for 10 days from publication (Law 202/1998, art. 19) | Only the acts listed in art. 16 para. 1 are published there; for other registrations, use BERC (art. 15 para. 2) |
Certificate (certificat constatator) | Issued by the trade register office, electronically with a qualified electronic signature or seal, or on paper (Law 265/2022, art. 11 paras. 1 and 3) | RON 30 per certificate (Order 380/C/2024, annex) | Covers only the data registered in the trade register (art. 11 para. 1) |
History report | All registrations of the company in chronological order, with the current situation (ONRC, position of the authority) | RON 250 per company (Order 380/C/2024, annex) | None specific to the option |
Copies of filed documents | The documents as filed in support of registration (Law 265/2022, art. 11 para. 1) | RON 1.50 per page; certified copies RON 10 plus RON 1.50 per page (Order 380/C/2024, annex); personal data in copies is limited to name, date and place of birth, citizenship and state of residence (art. 13 para. 2) | None specific to the option |
ANAF lists of debtors and of compliant taxpayers | Quarterly, online (Fiscal Procedure Code, art. 162 paras. 1 and 2; art. 162^1) | Overdue obligations below RON 100,000 (RON 250,000 for medium and RON 500,000 for large taxpayers) are not published (ANAF Order 558/2016, point 4) | Absence from the debtors list does not mean that there are no arrears; obligations under appeal can appear, with a mention (art. 162 para. 5) |
ANAF VAT register | Public (Fiscal Code, art. 316 para. 15) | Shows status, not the VAT returns | If registration is cancelled under art. 316 para. 11 letters c) to e) or h), the company still owes VAT on taxable supplies but cannot deduct VAT on purchases for that period, and its customers cannot deduct VAT on purchases from it, subject to the exceptions in the law (art. 11 paras. 8 and 9) |
Key takeaways
Since Law 265/2022 replaced Law 26/1990 in November 2022, BERC is the free feed of every registration; Part IV of the Official Gazette is free only for 10 days.
ANAF's debtors list has publication thresholds, so the list of compliant taxpayers tells you more than the absence from the debtors list.
Paid documents start at RON 30 for a certificate; a full history report costs RON 250.
These checks support oversight from a distance; they do not replace the reporting you agree with the director, or an audit.
Why should a foreign owner check public records at all?
Because public records show what the authorities have registered, independently of any report you receive. A shareholder abroad depends on the local director for day-to-day information. Comparing that information with the public record, at regular intervals, is a governance routine, not a sign of mistrust: it confirms that the decisions you approved were registered, and that the tax status of the company is what you expect. Which internal documents you receive is a separate question, which the shareholders can settle in the articles of association: see what the Companies Law says about access to company documents.
What does the trade register show for free?
The basic identification data listed in step 2, from the name and status to the legal representatives, which the law makes available free of charge on the ONRC website or online portal, or through the EU interconnection system of business registers (Law 265/2022, art. 12 para. 1). At European level, the access point to that system is the European e-Justice Portal (art. 9 para. 2).
How to do it: on the European e-Justice Portal, open the business registers search ("Find a company"), enter the company name or registration number, tick Romania and pass the anti-robot check. Paid documents can be requested at the trade register office, by post or courier, or electronically (Law 265/2022, art. 11 para. 2); ordering them through the ONRC online portal requires logging in.
How do you see every change that has been registered?
In the Trade Register Electronic Bulletin (Buletinul electronic al registrului comerțului, BERC). ONRC publishes there, ex officio, the registrar's decision on the company's registration and on every other registration, within three working days of registration, and both publication and consultation are free (Law 265/2022, art. 15 paras. 1 to 4).
How to do it: open the BERC search page (portal.berc.onrc.ro/publication/filterPublication) and enter one of the combinations the form accepts: the CUI; the trade register number; the county, application number and year; or a publication period together with the CUI. No login is needed for the search. ONRC also lists, among BERC services, a subscription to notifications of new publications.
A dissolution is one of the registrations you will see there; for what follows a dissolution decision, see the steps for closing a company in Romania.
Some summaries still cite Law 26/1990 and point to Part IV of the Official Gazette as the place to follow every change. Law 26/1990 was repealed by Law 265/2022, in force since November 2022 (Law 265/2022, art. 140 para. 1 letter a and art. 141 para. 1).
When does the Official Gazette Part IV matter?
For the acts that the law sends there: the extract of the registrar's decision on the company's registration, court decisions whose publication the court orders, and the decisions and other acts of the company for which the law requires publication in the Gazette (Law 265/2022, art. 16 para. 1). Part IV publishes acts relating to economic operators and other legal persons, as provided by law (Law 202/1998, art. 8).
How to do it: on monitoruloficial.ro, open e-Monitor and select the publication date. Parts III to VII are free to read for 10 days from publication (Law 202/1998, art. 19). Monitorul Oficial states on its e-Monitor page that older issues can be ordered, at a price per page (position of the authority).
How do you check the company's VAT registration?
In ANAF's VAT register, which is public (Fiscal Code, art. 316 para. 15). On anaf.ro, the "Registru TVA" search asks for the CUI and a verification code, and shows whether the company is registered for VAT. For the VAT number check step by step, including the EU VIES database, see how to check a Romanian company's VAT number.
Why it matters: when VAT registration is cancelled ex officio under art. 316 para. 11 letters c) to e) or h), the company remains liable for VAT on its taxable supplies but loses the right to deduct VAT on its purchases for that period, and its customers cannot deduct VAT on what they buy from it, subject to the exceptions in the law (Fiscal Code, art. 11 paras. 8 and 9).
Is your company on ANAF's list of debtors?
You can check online, each quarter. ANAF publishes the debtors with overdue tax obligations and the amounts, quarterly, by the last day of the first month after the quarter, and only after notifying the debtor (Fiscal Procedure Code, art. 162 paras. 1 to 3). Obligations under appeal can also appear, with a mention, until the appeal is resolved (art. 162 para. 5). Once the obligations are paid in full, ANAF updates the list within 15 days (art. 162 para. 4). Not treated as overdue for the list: obligations under instalment facilities in progress, within their payment terms, obligations whose enforcement a court has suspended, and contested obligations that are guaranteed under the Fiscal Procedure Code (ANAF Order 558/2016, point 3).
Read the list with its thresholds in mind: overdue obligations below RON 100,000 are not published, and the thresholds are RON 250,000 for medium taxpayers and RON 500,000 for large taxpayers (ANAF Order 558/2016, point 4, as amended by ANAF Order 509/2019). A company that is neither a large nor a medium taxpayer and owes RON 90,000 will not appear.
That is why the second list matters: ANAF also publishes, quarterly, the companies that declared and paid their tax obligations on time and have no overdue obligations (Fiscal Procedure Code, art. 162^1).
Inside the company, every Romanian legal person must keep a daily-updated record of its payables and receivables by due date: see what OUG 77/1999 requires.
How to do it: on anaf.ro, open "Obligații fiscale restante" (anaf.ro/restante/index.xhtml) and "Lista contribuabililor fără obligații restante" (anaf.ro/restante/listaalba.xhtml). Each page shows the reference date; on 1 November 2026, both showed 30 September 2026. Search by name, enter the verification code and press "Afișează lista".
Where can you see the financial statements data?
In the Ministry of Finance application "Agenți economici și instituții publice", searched by CUI with a verification code. The Ministry describes it as covering registration data, tax returns (VAT, excise duties, gambling), balance sheets for the last six years and its operational records of arrears to the state budget (position of the authority).
These are the figures the company itself filed: they show what was reported. Where an audit applies, it is the independent examination of those figures; for when it becomes mandatory, see our guide to audit in Romania.
Who is affected?
Shareholders abroad of a Romanian SRL or SA, parent companies with Romanian subsidiaries, and group finance teams that oversee a Romanian entity from another country. Foreign companies with a Romanian branch can use the same checks for the branch, which is registered in the trade register (Law 265/2022, art. 4 para. 1).
Overseeing a group? See how to review the subsidiary's SAF-T file for invoices that loop back.
What to do next
Write down the company's CUI and trade register number; every search uses them.
After each decision you approve (new director, change of office, capital change), check BERC a few working days after the registrar's decision: the law allows up to three working days (Law 265/2022, art. 15 para. 3). Who may sign for the company, and within which limits? See who approves payments and contracts in your Romanian subsidiary.
Each quarter, in the month after the quarter ends, check both ANAF lists and the VAT register.
Each year, after the financial statements are filed, look at the published balance sheet data and compare them with what you approved.
When you need a document to file elsewhere, order a certificate (RON 30) rather than relying on screenshots (Law 265/2022, art. 11; Order 380/C/2024).
Frequently asked questions
Can I check a Romanian company for free without a user account?
Yes. The BERC search, ANAF's VAT register and quarterly lists, and the Ministry of Finance application work without a user account; the ANAF and Ministry searches ask for a verification code. The basic trade register data is free by law (Law 265/2022, art. 12 para. 1).
Is a certificate from the trade register free?
No. A certificate costs RON 30 and a history report RON 250 (Order 380/C/2024 of the Minister of Justice, annex).
Is Part IV of the Official Gazette free?
Only for 10 days from publication, in read-only form (Law 202/1998, art. 19). Registrations are published free of charge in BERC (Law 265/2022, art. 15 para. 4).
Does absence from ANAF's debtors list mean the company has no tax arrears?
No. Overdue obligations below RON 100,000, RON 250,000 for medium taxpayers or RON 500,000 for large taxpayers are not published (ANAF Order 558/2016, point 4). The list of taxpayers with no overdue obligations is the positive check (Fiscal Procedure Code, art. 162^1).
How quickly does a registered change appear in BERC?
Within three working days of registration in the trade register (Law 265/2022, art. 15 para. 3). On 30 October 2026, ONRC announced delays in processing applications (position of the authority).
Is Law 26/1990 still in force?
No. Law 265/2022 repealed it on entering into force, four months after its publication in the Official Gazette on 26 July 2022 (Law 265/2022, art. 140 para. 1 letter a and art. 141 para. 1).
Sources
Law no. 265/2022 on the trade register, art. 4 para. 1, art. 9 para. 2, art. 11 paras. 1, 3, 4 and 7, art. 12 para. 1, art. 13 para. 2, art. 15, art. 16 paras. 1 and 5, art. 140 para. 1 letter a, art. 141 para. 1, Official Gazette Part I no. 750 of 26 July 2022, on onrc.ro, as amended by Law no. 222/2023 (art. II, art. 12 para. 1 letter h), on onrc.ro
Law no. 202/1998 on the organisation of the Official Gazette, republished, art. 8 and 19, on monitoruloficial.ro
Order no. 380/C/2024 of the Minister of Justice approving the tariff for information and documents issued from the trade register, art. 1 and annex, Official Gazette Part I no. 136 of 19 February 2024, on onrc.ro
Fiscal Procedure Code (Law no. 207/2015), art. 162 and art. 162^1, consolidated form on static.anaf.ro
Fiscal Code (Law no. 227/2015), art. 11 paras. 8 and 9 and art. 316 para. 15, consolidated form on static.anaf.ro
ANAF Order no. 558/2016 approving the procedure for publishing the lists of debtors, points 3 and 4, as amended by ANAF Order no. 3501/2017, Official Gazette Part I no. 980 of 11 December 2017, on static.anaf.ro, and by ANAF Order no. 509/2019, Official Gazette Part I no. 171 of 4 March 2019, on static.anaf.ro
ONRC, information from the trade register and tariffs (position of the authority), on onrc.ro; Trade Register Electronic Bulletin, on portal.berc.onrc.ro
ANAF, overdue tax obligations and taxpayers with no overdue obligations, on anaf.ro and anaf.ro; VAT register, on anaf.ro
Ministry of Finance, economic operators: identification data, tax information, balance sheets (position of the authority), on mfinante.gov.ro
Monitorul Oficial, e-Monitor (position of the authority), on monitoruloficial.ro
European e-Justice Portal, business registers: search for a company in the EU, on e-justice.europa.eu
Last updated: 1 November 2026. This article is for information only and does not replace an analysis of your specific situation. Drafted with AI assistance; references were verified against the primary sources.
Questions about overseeing your Romanian company from abroad? Primary contact: Bogdan Năstase · Managing Partner, International Lead
