Representative Office in Bulgaria: Registration at the BCCI

Step by step

How to register a representative office in Bulgaria

Register the representative office with the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, then with the BULSTAT register of the Registry Agency.

Choose who applies

The foreign company’s legal representative can apply, or someone holding a notarised power of attorney can apply on the company’s behalf.
Prepare the document

Provide an official document showing the company’s current legal status, with Bulgarian translations and legalisation where needed.
Register with BCCI

The office exists from its entry in the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry register. The first registration fee is €120, plus an annual fee to keep the record up to date.
Register with BULSTAT

Register the office with the BULSTAT register of the Registry Agency within seven days.

What it can and cannot do

It is not a legal person and may not carry out business activity of its own.
Deals arranged through it are always made in the name of the foreign company.
It can rent an office, hire staff and buy what it needs for its own work, under the normal rules for local transactions.
If it starts trading, the foreign company should register a branch or a company instead.

Source: Point of Single Contact: Commercial representation; Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Trade representation offices of foreign entities^1,2

Registration

Chamber of Commerce: the office is entered in the register of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), as the Investment Promotion Act requires. The office exists from that entry.
Who applies: the foreign company’s legal representative, or someone holding a notarised power of attorney.
Documents: an official document showing the company’s current legal status, with Bulgarian translations and legalisation where needed.
Fee: €120 for the first registration, plus an annual fee for keeping the BCCI record up to date.
BULSTAT: within seven days the office must also register with the BULSTAT register of the Registry Agency.

Source: Point of Single Contact: Commercial representation; Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Trade representation offices of foreign entities; Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Documents for registration after the 2025 amendments^1,2,3

Staff and tax

Foreign staff need the right to work in Bulgaria; the Chamber flags changes for representative offices after amendments to the Law on Foreigners in June 2025.²

Because the office may not trade, it has no business profit of its own. A foreign company that does earn income in Bulgaria through a permanent establishment is taxed on it at 10%, so an office that starts selling should become a branch.⁴

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to register a representative office in Bulgaria?

Registering a representative office with BCCI costs €120 initially, plus an annual fee to keep its record up to date. The office must also register with BULSTAT within seven days.

Can a representative office in Bulgaria sell goods or sign contracts?

No, a representative office cannot trade on its own account or carry out business activity of its own. Deals it arranges are made in the foreign company’s name; if the office starts trading, the foreign company should register a branch or a company.

What tax does a representative office in Bulgaria pay?

A representative office has no business profit of its own because it may not trade. A foreign company earning income in Bulgaria through a permanent establishment is taxed at 10%; an office that starts selling should register a branch.

Sources

Figures checked 13 October 2026. Prepared by InvestBulgaria for general information. It is not investment, tax or legal advice; please confirm details with a qualified adviser before acting.

Representative Office in Bulgaria