Doing Business in Gabrovo
The Gabrovo Economy
The Institute for Market Economics treats Gabrovo and Sevlievo as one economic centre with two cores. It produced BGN 2,95 billion of output in 2021, BGN 36.200 per person, and its value added grew by 78% between 2012 and 2021. Gabrovo generated 47% of the value added and Sevlievo 53%.3
Πηγή: Ινστιτούτο Οικονομίας της Αγοράς: Sevlievo–Gabrovo economic centre3
The economy of Gabrovo Municipality is slightly more balanced, but manufacturing still accounts for 49% of it. The centre is the most export-oriented in Bulgaria after the capital, with BGN 1,8 billion of exports in 2021, BGN 22.200 per person.3
Industry and Employers
A few large industrial companies dominate the centre: the sanitary-ware maker Ideal Standard–Vidima, with almost 3.300 employees, the plastics maker Hamberger, with 1.100, and the furniture company Parallel, with 843, in Sevlievo, and the garment company Dzalli, with over 1.000 workers, in Gabrovo. The highest salaries in the centre are in Gabrovo’s growing ICT sector, at BGN 3.121 a month in the study.3
On 29 Απριλίου 2026, Ceratizit Bulgaria opened its renewed production base in Gabrovo, a BGN 30 million modernisation that marked 30 years of the company in the city. It invested over BGN 24 million in 2024, created 62 new jobs and employs over 580 people, and has started building a Ceratizit Academy training centre.4
Investment and the Innovation Valley
The Sevlievo–Gabrovo centre had attracted 351 εκατ. € of foreign investment by the end of 2021, 4.300 € per person, behind only the centres around Burgas–Nessebar and Sofia. By 2024, foreign investment in Gabrovo Province reached 5.164 € per person, and export revenue made up 41,18% of company sales.3,6
In 2025, Gabrovo Municipality received almost BGN 17 million for an innovation valley under the Regional Development Programme 2021–2027. The former Radion Umnikov School will become a centre for digital skills and innovation, and the Technical University of Gabrovo, a project partner, will build an innovation zone on its own land, with a production hall for start-ups.5
Workforce, University and Salaries
- 32.500 people were in work in the economic centre in 2021, 21.200 of them in Gabrovo Municipality, and 1.300 commute daily from Gabrovo to Sevlievo.
- A quarter of residents of the centre aged 7 and over have a university degree, and 35,6% of residents of Gabrovo Province aged 25–64.
- Unemployment in Gabrovo Province averaged 4,12% in 2025, and 80,8% of residents aged 20–64 were employed.
- The average gross salary in Gabrovo Province was 1.071 € a month in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Πηγή: Ινστιτούτο Οικονομίας της Αγοράς: Sevlievo–Gabrovo economic centre; Ινστιτούτο Οικονομίας της Αγοράς: Regional Profiles, Gabrovo Province; Υπουργείο Εργασίας και Κοινωνικής Πολιτικής: Labour market bulletin, fourth quarter of 20253,6,2
Transport
Motorways and first-class roads made up 16,67% of the road network of Gabrovo Province in 2025, and the province had a road density of 25,61 km per 100 km².6
Registering a Company in Gabrovo
Bulgaria has one national Commercial Register, so a company based in Gabrovo can be filed online from anywhere with a qualified electronic signature, or on paper at the Registry Agency’s Gabrovo office. After registration, the company deals with the Gabrovo office of the National Revenue Agency for tax and VAT, and with Gabrovo Municipality for local taxes and fees.7,8
| Office | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Registry Agency, Commercial Register | 5 Lazar Donkov St., 5300 Gabrovo | 0700 121 07 |
| National Revenue Agency, Gabrovo office | 7 Απριλίουovska St., 5300 Gabrovo | (066) 815 201 |
| Gabrovo Municipality | 3 Vazrazhdane Sq., 5300 Gabrovo | (066) 818 400 |
| Gabrovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry | 30 Bryanska Sq., 5300 Gabrovo | (066) 80 31 42 |
Πηγή: Υπηρεσία Μητρώων: Commercial Register contacts; Υπουργικό Συμβούλιο, IISDA: National Revenue Agency offices; Gabrovo Municipality; Βουλγαρικό Εμπορικό και Βιομηχανικό Επιμελητήριο: Regional chambers7,8,9,10
The full steps, documents, fees and timings are in the guide to registering a company in Bulgaria.
Βήμα προς βήμα
How to register a company in Gabrovo
Register an EOOD or OOD based in Gabrovo: choose the details, arrange a Gabrovo address, prepare and notarise the documents, pay in the capital, file with the Commercial Register and register with the Gabrovo tax office.
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Choose the company details
Choose an EOOD or OOD, select the business activity by NACE code and set the capital. The legal minimum capital is €1.
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Arrange a Gabrovo address
Provide a registered address in Gabrovo, supported by a lease, title deed or serviced-office contract.
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Prepare and notarise the documents
Prepare passport copies, the founding act or articles of association, proof of the address and a declaration of beneficial owners. The manager’s consent and specimen signature must be notarised.
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Pay in the capital
Pay the capital into a capital account and obtain the bank’s certificate that it has been paid in.
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File with the Commercial Register
File online with a qualified electronic signature, or on paper at the Registry Agency office at 5 Lazar Donkov St., Gabrovo.
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Register with the Gabrovo tax office
Register employees, and VAT when required, with the National Revenue Agency office at 7 Aprilovska St., Gabrovo.
Συχνές ερωτήσεις
Is Gabrovo a good place to set up a business in Bulgaria?
Gabrovo has 43,229 residents and, with Sevlievo, forms the most export-oriented economic centre in Bulgaria after the capital. Unemployment in Gabrovo Province averaged 4.12% in 2025, and foreign investment reached €5,164 per person in 2024.
How do I register a company in Gabrovo?
A Gabrovo company is registered in the national Commercial Register, online with a qualified electronic signature or on paper at the Registry Agency office at 5 Lazar Donkov St.. The online state fee is €28.12, and the company number usually follows in 3–7 working days. Tax and VAT matters are then handled by the National Revenue Agency office at 7 Aprilovska St..
Which large companies are in Gabrovo?
The garment company Dzalli employs over 1,000 workers in Gabrovo, and Ceratizit Bulgaria employs over 580 people. Ideal Standard–Vidima, Hamberger and Parallel are large employers in neighbouring Sevlievo.
What is the average salary in Gabrovo?
The average gross monthly salary in Gabrovo Province was €1,071 in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Is there a university in Gabrovo?
Yes. The Technical University of Gabrovo is a partner in the city’s innovation valley project, for which the municipality received almost BGN 17 million in 2025.
Πηγές
- City Population, από το μητρώο οικισμών του NSI: cities of Bulgaria
- Υπουργείο Εργασίας και Κοινωνικής Πολιτικής: Labour market bulletin, fourth quarter of 2025
- Ινστιτούτο Οικονομίας της Αγοράς: Sevlievo–Gabrovo economic centre
- Δήμος Γκάμπροβο: Ceratizit Bulgaria opens its renewed production base
- Economic.bg: Gabrovo builds an innovation valley for almost BGN 17 million
- Ινστιτούτο Οικονομίας της Αγοράς: Regional Profiles, Gabrovo Province
- Υπηρεσία Μητρώων: Commercial Register contacts
- Υπουργικό Συμβούλιο, IISDA: National Revenue Agency offices
- Gabrovo Municipality
- Βουλγαρικό Εμπορικό και Βιομηχανικό Επιμελητήριο: Regional chambers
Τα στοιχεία ελέγχθηκαν 15 Οκτωβρίου 2026. Επιμέλεια: InvestBulgaria, για γενική ενημέρωση. Τα στοιχεία προέρχονται από τις αναφερόμενες πηγές· ελέγξτε τις διευθύνσεις και τις ώρες λειτουργίας με κάθε υπηρεσία πριν από την επίσκεψή σας.
