Business Registers in Romania: Registrul Comerțului (ONRC) & Registrul Beneficiarilor Reali

Overview

Romania's national business register, the Registrul Comerțului, is run by the Oficiul Național al Registrului Comerțului (ONRC), an authority under the Ministry of Justice. Under the principle of publicity enshrined in Law 26/1990, the register is explicitly public: company data becomes accessible to any interested party as soon as it is filed.

The Romanian system has four practical characteristics:

• Centralisation: nearly all commercial entities register with ONRC, operating through 42 regional offices.
• Digitalisation: online company search, document ordering, and electronic filings go through the ONRC portal.
• Transparency for commercial entities: shareholders, directors, share capital, and filings are publicly accessible.
• Fragmentation for non-profits: associations and foundations register separately with local courts under the Ministry of Justice.

For KYB and AML professionals, Romania offers rich and reliable company data through official channels. Beneficial-ownership (UBO) information remains publicly accessible for now, although draft legislation proposed in 2025 may restrict access to persons with a legitimate interest, in line with the post-CJEU 2022 trend across the EU.

Official Registers

Registrul Comerțului (ONRC)

The Registrul Comerțului is Romania's official commercial register, operated by ONRC under the Ministry of Justice. It was established under Law 26/1990 and modernised by Law 265/2022. The register covers Romanian companies, sole traders (PFA), individual enterprises (II), family businesses (IF), branches of foreign companies, and cooperatives.

Data exposed by the register: company name and trade name, unique registration code (CUI), trade-register number (J number), registered office address, legal form, registration date and status, share capital, shareholders and their ownership stakes, administrators and directors with mandate details, main and secondary activities (CAEN codes), and branches.

RECOM online. Basic company data is free through the RECOM online service, relaunched on a new platform on 26 July 2024. Search is available by company name, CUI, or trade-register number.

Documents. The official Certificat Constatator (trade-register extract) is purchased through the InfoCert service, with electronic delivery available 24/7. The register is updated in real time as filings are processed.

Official Gazette. Company notices are published in the Official Gazette of Romania (Part IV for commercial entities), which makes changes enforceable against third parties from the publication date. Notices are also published in the Buletinul Electronic al Registrului Comerțului (BERC) on the ONRC portal, a more accessible channel for tracking corporate events.

Registrul Beneficiarilor Reali (UBO register)

The beneficial-ownership register is maintained by ONRC as part of the Trade Register infrastructure, established under Law 129/2019 on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing. All companies registered with ONRC must declare their ultimate beneficial owners.

The register holds standard UBO information: names, dates of birth, personal identification numbers, citizenship, domicile, and the nature and extent of beneficial ownership or control. A natural person holding 25% plus one share, or more than 25% of the company's capital, is considered a UBO through direct ownership.

Romania currently maintains public access to UBO information via the ONRC portal: customers file a request, pay a fee, and provide an electronic signature. Following the November 2022 CJEU ruling that struck down blanket public access across the EU, draft legislation proposed in 2025 may limit Romanian access to persons demonstrating a legitimate interest.

Registrul Asociațiilor și Fundațiilor

Associations and foundations register separately in the Register of Associations and Foundations, maintained by local courts (tribunale) rather than ONRC. Name reservation is handled by the Ministry of Justice.

Registration requires court approval and submission of founding documents: statute, proof of initial patrimony, and UBO declarations. Basic information is searchable, but the register is less accessible than the commercial register; document requests often require in-person applications to the relevant court.

Ministerul Finanțelor (ANAF)

The Ministry of Finance, through the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF), holds annual financial statements filed by Romanian entities. The Ministry of Finance portal exposes key financial indicators extracted from filed statements, searchable by company name or CUI.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Obligations for companies

All commercial companies must register with the ONRC: limited liability companies (SRL), joint-stock companies (SA), general partnerships (SNC), limited partnerships (SCS), and branches of foreign companies. Registration grants legal personality and the right to conduct business.

Companies must file annual financial statements with ANAF within 150 days after the end of the financial year (typically by 30 May). Filings are mandatory and publicly accessible. Companies that had no activity during the year may submit a declaration on own responsibility instead.

UBO declarations must be filed at incorporation (or in the articles of association), annually within 15 days of approval of financial statements, and within 15 days of any change in beneficial ownership. Non-compliance carries fines and potentially company dissolution if not remedied within 30 days.

Registration fees. From 1 January 2026, the ONRC applies fees for registration filings: 200 lei (approximately €40) for registration requests, 20 lei for name reservations, and 10 lei for Official Gazette submissions. Online filings receive a 50% discount. Fees are indexed annually with inflation.

Obligations for sole traders (PFA, II, IF)

Sole traders (Persoană Fizică Autorizată, PFA), individual enterprises (Întreprindere Individuală, II), and family businesses (Întreprindere Familială, IF) must register with the ONRC under Government Emergency Ordinance 44/2008.

Registration requires proof of professional qualifications for regulated activities, a business address, and standard identification documents. The business name must include the individual's full name followed by "PFA," "II," or "IF."

Sole traders maintain bookkeeping records and file annual tax declarations with ANAF, but are not required to file annual financial statements with the Trade Register. UBO obligations do not apply, since sole traders are natural persons.

Obligations for associations and foundations

Non-profit organisations are governed by Government Ordinance 26/2000 and register with the local tribunal in their jurisdiction rather than the ONRC.

Associations require a minimum of three founding members and initial patrimony of at least one minimum gross salary. Foundations require initial patrimony of one hundred times the minimum gross salary. Both must maintain updated statutes, file annual financial statements with the Ministry of Finance, and declare their ultimate beneficial owners to the Ministry of Justice. The registration process typically takes around one month and requires court approval.

With Topograph

Topograph queries the Registrul Comerțului through the ONRC services and parses Certificate Constatator documents into structured data. KYB workflows access Romanian company identity, officers, shareholders, and filings through one API.

Available Data

Company Profile

• Company name and trade name
• Unique registration code (CUI) and trade-register number (J number)
• EUID for EU interconnection
• Legal form
• Registered office address
• Registration date and status
• Share capital (subscribed and paid)
• Activity sector (CAEN codes — currently migrating from Rev.2 to Rev.3; companies must update codes during the ongoing transition)

Shareholders

• Names and identification data
• Number of shares held
• Participation percentage in capital and profits

Legal Representatives

• Names and identification data
• Role (administrator, director, board member)
• Mandate details and signing powers

Available Documents

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