How to set up an individual enterprise or an LLC in Moldova: steps, costs and timelines

In the Republic of Moldova, a small business can be registered in one or two working days, and some of the steps can be completed online. The official state fee starts at a few hundred lei. Mistakes usually happen before the application is submitted: choosing the wrong legal form, having a name rejected or submitting incomplete founding documents. This guide explains the steps for an individual enterprise (ÎI) and a limited liability company (SRL), with the Public Services Agency (ASP) fees in force as of 2 November 2026.

Step 1. Choose the legal form: ÎI, SRL or independent entrepreneur

An individual enterprise is the simplest form. Under Law No. 845/1992 on Entrepreneurship and Enterprises, an ÎI is not a legal entity and is treated as an individual entrepreneur. ASP registers and forms now use the term “individual entrepreneur”. In short, you and your business are one and the same. The business assets are not separate from your personal assets, so you are liable for debts with all your assets.

A limited liability company is a legal entity separate from its founders. Under Law No. 135/2007 on Limited Liability Companies, an SRL can have between one and 50 members, who may be natural or legal persons. The founders set the share capital in the articles of association, and a share cannot be worth less than one leu. In principle, members are not liable for the company’s debts with their personal assets.

For people who provide services individually, there is also the option of independent entrepreneur, also known as a freelancer. This is not a legal form of organisation. Registration is carried out exclusively online, through the public services portal, using an electronic signature, and is free of charge. It applies only to activities on the list of CAEM codes in the Tax Code. The single tax is 15% on annual income of up to 1.2 million lei and 35% on the portion exceeding that threshold.

If you want to take part in public tenders, need partners or plan to hire employees, an SRL is usually more suitable. For a small business without partners, an ÎI involves fewer formalities. It is worth consulting an accountant about the tax regime before registering.

Step 2. For an SRL: check and reserve the name

ASP checks the name in three respects: whether it is available, whether it is distinct from other names and whether it is linguistically correct. For an SRL and an SA, the application can be submitted online at rsud.asp.gov.md or at a service counter in ASP’s multifunctional centres. You can list two or three options in the application, in order of preference. The reservation is valid for up to six months.

• 3 working days: 71 lei;

• 24 hours: 142 lei;

• 4 hours: 213 lei;

• 1 hour: 284 lei.

Take care when using the word “Moldova” in the name. Using the official or historical name of the state requires separate permission. The ASP form lists a state fee of 100,000 lei for this permission. The company’s full name must include the phrase “limited liability company”, and its abbreviated name must include “S.R.L.”.

Step 3. Prepare the documents

For an ÎI (individual entrepreneur)

• registration application, using the ASP standard form (form 3.6);

• the founder’s identity document;

• information about the beneficial owner, in accordance with Law No. 308/2017;

• proof of payment of the fee, via MPay or bank transfer.

For an SRL

• the resolution (decision) to establish the company and its founding document, approved by all founders, in two copies;

• the company’s articles of association;

• information about the beneficial owner or beneficial owners;

• a declaration on their own responsibility by the founders and administrator that they have no unspent criminal convictions, as required by ASP;

• proof of payment of the fee.

The founding document must be signed by all founders and must contain the information required under Article 247 of the Civil Code and Article 13 of Law No. 135/2007. If the company is not registered within three months of signing, the founders are released from their obligations relating to the shares, unless the document provides otherwise. The full, up-to-date list of documents is available on the ASP service page, where you can select the legal form.

Step 4. Submit the application and pay

You have two options. The first is online, at servicii.gov.md: for legal entities, ASP accepts online applications only for SRLs and SAs, with a name that has already been reserved. All attached documents must be signed with an electronic signature. For an ÎI, the ASP service page lists both the online application and ASP offices. The second option is to submit paper documents at an ASP multifunctional centre. If you submit the application through a representative, they need a special notarised power of attorney or authorisation through the MPower system.

ASP’s standard state registration fees:

• SRL (legal entity): 1,149 lei within 24 hours or 4,596 lei within 4 hours;

• ÎI (individual entrepreneur): 364 lei within 24 hours or 1,456 lei within 4 hours;

• an extract from the State Register, on request: 440 lei, according to ASP’s page for individual entrepreneurs.

On its service pages, ASP also marks registration as “free” for certain categories. The conditions are set out in Article 4 of Law No. 220/2007, Article 15 of Law No. 179/2016 on SMEs and other acts cited by ASP. Check the service page to see whether you qualify before paying.

Step 5. Receive your IDNO

The 24-hour period is calculated from the working day immediately after the day on which you submitted the complete documents. If you submit them on Friday, the period starts on Monday. After registration, the business receives a state identification number (IDNO) and is entered in the State Register of Legal Entities. You can check a business partner’s entry free of charge. Registration notifications are sent by email and to your account on MCabinet, the portal for legal entities.

Step 6. First obligations after registration

• Bank account and accounting. From the first day, decide who will keep the accounts and which accounting policy you will apply.

• Income tax. The rate for an ÎI is 12%. An SRL that is not VAT-registered is generally subject to the SME regime, at 4% of income from operating activities. It may choose the general 12% regime under the conditions set out in the Tax Code. ÎIs cannot use the 4% regime.

• VAT. From 1 March 2026, the mandatory registration threshold is 1.7 million lei in taxable supplies over any 12 consecutive months. Anyone exceeding this threshold must notify the State Tax Service and register by the last day of the month in which the threshold was exceeded. Businesses that purchase electricity or natural gas must register for VAT before making the purchase.

• Social security and health insurance contributions. The owner of an ÎI owes these contributions in fixed amounts set annually by law. Check the amounts for the current year with the National Social Insurance House (CNAS) and the National Health Insurance Company (CNAM).

• Special permits. Some activities, such as catering, the sale of alcohol or transport, require notifications, permits or licences separate from registration.

After registration: where to find customers

A newly registered company can also sell to the state. Public tenders can be searched for free, and the steps are explained in our guide to MTender. You can follow procedures currently under way in the Public Procurement section on COMUNICA.MD. On the company platform you can create an organisation profile free of charge and publish press releases, events and job vacancies.

Common mistakes

• Submitting documents online without having reserved the name, even though reservation is required for an online SRL application.

• Signing documents with an expired electronic signature or attaching documents that have not been electronically signed.

• Forgetting to declare the beneficial owner or declaring them incorrectly.

• Choosing an ÎI for a high-risk activity, despite being liable with your personal assets.

• Failing to monitor the VAT threshold and exceeding 1.7 million lei without registering on time.

The information was checked on 2 November 2026. This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal or tax advice.

Sources

• Public Services Agency, Register a business: state registration of a legal entity (LLC, JSC), deadlines, fees, documents

• Public Services Agency, Registration of an individual entrepreneur: deadlines, fees, documents

• Public Services Agency, State registration of an individual entrepreneur (including a register extract, 440 lei)

• Public Services Agency, Checking and reserving a company name

• Public Services Agency, Application to check and reserve a name (Form 3.35)

• Public Services Agency, Frequently asked questions: setting up and registering a business, cost and timeframe

• Public Services Agency, Limited liability company (LLC): specific requirements

• Public Services Agency, Standard forms for legal entities and individual entrepreneurs

• Public Services Agency, Instructions for completing the application to register an individual entrepreneur

• Public Services Agency, State registration of independent entrepreneurs (freelancers)

• State Tax Service, The threshold for mandatory VAT-payer registration has been changed (02.03.2026)

• State Tax Service, The single tax for independent entrepreneurs (Articles 69²¹–69²⁵ of the Tax Code)

• Government of the Republic of Moldova (open data), Information on income tax rates, 2026

• KPMG Moldova, MD Tax Guide 2026 (SME regime, 4% rate)

• Law No. 845/1992, On Entrepreneurship and Enterprises (Article 14)