business bank account
Business Bank Account in Romania for Your SRL
A bank-ready file for your SRL's business bank account in Romania, built to what the law makes the bank check, with the 2026 deadline tracked.
- Required from 1 January 2026 (Law 239/2025)
- 60 working days from formation (art. 1(12) Law 70/2015)
- Fine: 3,000 to 10,000 lei (art. 12(4))
- Refusal only on AML or sanctions grounds
The bank decides on the file, so the file is built first.
A Romanian payment account for your SRL
For foreign owners of a new or taken-over SRL, we build the file the bank must check, liaise with it, track the deadline and wire the account into the books. Since 1 January 2026 every Romanian company must hold a payment account in Romania (art. 1(12) Law 70/2015). The company comes first: setting up an SRL in Romania from abroad.
A provider may refuse the account only where opening it would breach the money-laundering law or the sanctions ordinance (art. 1(14) Law 70/2015), but a bank that cannot complete its checks must refuse (art. 11(9) Law 129/2019). So we sell a complete file and the liaison, never an account. The bookkeeping that follows is performed by our CECCAR-registered accountants.
What's included
Seven pieces of work, from the first review to the books after opening.
Bank-readiness review
Who holds more than 25%, any politically exposed person or owner from an EU-listed high-risk third country, the company's data and its real place of business.
The document pack
The bank's list, plus the legalisation and Romanian translation checklist for a foreign corporate shareholder (apostille where the issuing state is party to the Hague Convention).
Beneficial-owner check
The declaration as filed at the trade register office, and the proof of its registration the bank must obtain before opening.
Business description and source of funds
What the company does, what the account is for, and where the first money comes from: the points the bank must assess.
Liaison with the bank
Before and after the director's identification, with answers to the compliance team's follow-up questions; in practice at least one round is normal.
Deadline tracking
The 60 working days from formation, which apply from 1 January 2026, tracked from the day the company is registered.
After the account opens
Capital paid-in evidence recorded, statements into the monthly books, beneficial-owner changes within 15 days, the public inactive register watched. Next: Bookkeeping Services in Romania.
Who this service is for
A new SRL formed from abroad
The 60 working days run from formation, so the bank file starts while ONRC is still processing the registration.
An SRL you have just bought
In practice the bank checks the new owners, and a beneficial-owner change is declared within 15 days. Buying first: a shelf company in Romania.
An existing SRL with no Romanian account
No payment account in Romania is a ground for fiscal inactivity, and ANAF declares inactivity on that ground from 1 January 2026.
A Romanian subsidiary of a foreign company
The parent's documents reach the bank in Romanian translation. Before the subsidiary starts: what a foreign company should know before it starts operating in Romania.
How the process works
Eight steps; three of them happen at the bank, and the bank decides.
law a term set by lawpractice market practice, not law
from formation to an open account outer limit 60 working days, art. 1(12) Law 70/2015
formation and the file
- 1
Intake and readiness review
You; our team
- 2
Company registered; the clock starts
ONRC
- law non-resident's NIF the same or the next day, art. 83(2)
- law 60 working days start at formation
- 3
Foreign documents
Notary abroad, translator; our partner lawyer
- 4
The KYC pack
Our team assembles; you sign
at the bank the bank decides
- 5
Choosing the bank and booking
You choose; our team coordinates
- practice 1 to 2 weeks for a Bucharest appointment
- 6
Identification at the bank
The bank
- law NIF via the bank within 5 days, art. 83(4)
- 7
The bank's compliance review
The bank; our team answers
- practice 4 to 8 weeks, non-EU or multi-owner structures
- 8
Account opened, then kept
The bank; ANAF
- law reported to ANAF daily, art. 61(2)(a)
Outer limit: 60 working days from formation
Intake and readiness review
You send passports of each administrator and beneficial owner, plus a corporate shareholder's register extract and ownership chart. We run the 25%, PEP and high-risk checks. No official time is published.
Company registered; the clock starts
ONRC requests non-resident founders' and administrators' NIF, answered the same or the next day (art. 83(2) Fiscal Procedure Code). The 60 working days start at formation. Codes: the CUI and CIF of a Romanian company.
Foreign documents
A notary or legalising authority abroad and an authorised translator prepare the parent's papers; our partner lawyer drafts any bespoke resolution or power of attorney. No official time is published; it varies by country.
The KYC pack
We assemble and you sign: registration certificate, constitutive act, a recent ONRC extract, passports, the beneficial-owner declaration and its registration proof, business description, source-of-funds evidence and any attorney's authority. No official time is published.
Choosing the bank and booking
You choose a provider on the BNR registers; we coordinate and name no partner bank. In market practice a Bucharest appointment takes 1 to 2 weeks, so it is booked early.
Identification at the bank
The bank verifies the director's identity before the relationship starts (art. 11(4) and 11(8) Law 129/2019), remotely only if it offers that. For a director without a tax number it requests a NIF, answered within 5 days.
The bank's compliance review
We answer the bank's questions. It must refuse if its checks cannot be completed, and may otherwise refuse only on money-laundering or sanctions grounds. Market practice: 4 to 8 weeks for non-EU or multi-owner structures.
Account opened, then kept
Once the bank opens the account, inside the company's 60-working-day term, it reports it to ANAF daily (art. 61(2)(a) Fiscal Procedure Code). Capital is paid in and recorded; one account is kept while the company trades.
Is your file ready for a Romanian bank?
We review the company, its owners and its documents against what the bank must check, and tell you what is missing.
Request a bank-readiness review · or start the onboarding form
Documents the bank will ask for
What the bank must collect under Law 129/2019, art. 11 and 15; some branches ask for more.
- Passport or EU identity card of the director and each beneficial owner
- Proof of address, where the bank asks for it
- Registration certificate and constitutive act, from ONRC, carrying the trade register number and the CUI
- A recent ONRC extract (certificat constatator), as one bank's published conditions ask
- Beneficial-owner data, the declaration as filed, and proof of its registration
- The real place of business, if it is not the registered office
- For a corporate shareholder: home-register extract and resolution, apostilled or superlegalised, translated into Romanian
- A power of attorney for anyone acting for the company
- A short business description, expected flows and counterparties
- Source-of-funds evidence for the capital and the first payments
- Whether an owner or the director is politically exposed or from a high-risk third country
The 2026 payment-account rules
When the account must exist, and why a bank may still say no, each rule with its article and date.
| Rule | Value | Article and date |
|---|---|---|
| The duty | every company holds a payment account in Romania or at a State Treasury unit | art. 1(12) Law 70/2015, inserted by Law 239/2025 |
| What 'payment account' means | the payment-services sense, not only a bank account | art. 2(g) Law 70/2015 |
| Term for a new company | 60 working days from formation | art. 1(12) Law 70/2015 |
| Keeping it | at least one payment account for as long as the company trades | art. 1(13) Law 70/2015 |
| From when | 1 January 2026 (not 18 December 2025) | art. XI(2) Law 239/2025 |
| Can the provider refuse? | only where opening would breach Law 129/2019 or OUG 202/2008; a bank that cannot complete its checks must refuse | art. 1(14) Law 70/2015; art. 11(9) Law 129/2019 |
| Fine | 3,000 to 10,000 lei | art. 12(4) Law 70/2015, from 1 January 2026 |
| A non-resident director's NIF | via ONRC the same or the next day; via the bank within 5 days | art. 83(2), 83(4) Fiscal Procedure Code |
| Share capital | 500 lei minimum for a new SRL; 30% paid in within 3 months of registration and before trading, cash balance within 12 months (January 2024 text; whether Law 239/2025 changed it is unconfirmed) | art. VI(2) Law 239/2025, from 18 December 2025; art. 9^1(2) Law 31/1990 |
| State fee for opening the account | no state fee found in Law 70/2015 as amended | Law 70/2015 as amended, 2026 |
If your SRL has no Romanian account
The fine is only the start: the missing account is a ground for fiscal inactivity, with costs of its own. Reactivation in full: the fiscal inactivity page.
| Consequence | What it means | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Ground for fiscal inactivity | no payment account in Romania and no Treasury account; declarations on this ground from 1 January 2026 | art. 92(1^2)(a) Fiscal Procedure Code; art. VII(1) Law 239/2025 |
| Taxes still due, deductions lost | the company pays its taxes but cannot deduct expenses or input VAT for the period | art. 11(6) Fiscal Code |
| VAT registration cancelled | from the date of the inactivity declaration | art. 316(11)(a) Fiscal Code |
| Public listing | the register of inactive taxpayers is public on the ANAF site | art. 92(11) Fiscal Procedure Code |
| Reactivation | among its conditions: the company is no longer in the case it was declared on (here, it now has the account), has no arrears and has filed its returns | art. 92(7^1) Fiscal Procedure Code |
| Dissolution | not reactivated within one year of the declaration | art. 92(4^1) Fiscal Procedure Code |
without a Romanian account
- 1
Fine
art. 12(4) Law 70/2015
- 3,000 to 10,000 lei
- 2
Ground for fiscal inactivity
art. 92(1^2)(a) Fiscal Procedure Code; art. VII(1) Law 239/2025
- declarations from 1 January 2026
- 3
Deductions and VAT number lost
art. 11(6), 316(11)(a) Fiscal Code; art. 92(11)
- no deduction of expenses or input VAT
- VAT registration cancelled
- name on the public register
- 4
Reactivation
art. 92(7^1) Fiscal Procedure Code
- requires the account, among other conditions
- 5
Dissolution
art. 92(4^1) Fiscal Procedure Code
- not reactivated within one year
A closing company can instead be wound up through a company liquidation in Romania, rather than dissolved after a year of inactivity.
Problems we solve
What owners bring to us. The decision stays with the bank.
The bank refused our SRL
Refusal is lawful only on money-laundering or sanctions grounds, but an incomplete file is a lawful refusal (art. 11(9) Law 129/2019). We find what the bank could not verify.
Do I have to fly to Romania?
Remote identification is lawful only where the bank offers it; in practice most non-EU directors plan one trip, and we prepare the file so that one visit can be enough.
Revolut or Wise instead?
Whether a passported e-money account meets the duty is unsettled, so we prepare the file for a provider on the BNR registers as the account of record.
Our SRL was formed before 2026
The duty now applies to every company. When an older company's term started is not settled in the text, so the file is worth starting now.
Capital before registration?
Not required by the January 2024 text of Law 31/1990. A new SRL needs at least 500 lei (art. VI(2) Law 239/2025), paid in after registration.
Has a bank turned your SRL down?
Send us the bank's questions or its refusal; we rebuild the file around what the bank could not verify.
Why work with us
Daria Constantin
Company set-up and closure lead, Bucharest; Romanian, English and Italian. She collects what a Romanian bank asks for; the decision stays with the bank.
The books the account feeds are kept by CECCAR-registered accountants, work that art. 21(1) OG 65/1994 gives to those on CECCAR's register. A partner lawyer drafts any bespoke power of attorney or resolution for the bank.
From our practice
Files stall where the beneficial-owner papers or the source of funds are unclear, or a foreign certificate arrives in a form the bank does not expect. Many founders also expect a capital deposit before registration; the January 2024 text of Law 31/1990 requires none.
Frequently asked questions about a business bank account in Romania
A Romanian bank refused my SRL. Is that allowed?
From 1 January 2026 a payment service provider may refuse a company's payment account only where opening it would breach the anti-money-laundering Law 129/2019 or the sanctions ordinance OUG 202/2008 (art. 1(14) Law 70/2015). But a bank that cannot complete its customer checks must refuse (art. 11(9) Law 129/2019), so the completeness of the file decides.
Can you guarantee the bank will open the account?
No. The bank decides, and Romanian and EU anti-money-laundering law require it to refuse where it cannot complete its customer checks (art. 11(9) Law 129/2019; art. 14(4) Directive (EU) 2015/849). What we provide is a complete file built to what the bank must verify, and answers to its compliance team's questions until it decides.
Do I really have to travel to Romania to open the account?
Not by law: the anti-money-laundering law allows a secure remote or electronic identification where the bank offers one (art. 11(1)(a) Law 129/2019). Offering it is the bank's choice; one bank's published online route is limited to Romanian residents. In practice most non-EU directors plan one visit; we prepare the file so one visit can be enough, though the bank decides.
Is a Revolut or Wise account enough for my Romanian company?
It is unsettled. The duty is a payment account in Romania in the payment-services sense (art. 1(12) and 2(g) Law 70/2015), and no statute or official guidance we know of settles whether an account at a passported e-money institution counts. We therefore prepare the file for a provider on the BNR registers as the account of record.
What happens if my SRL has no Romanian bank account?
The company risks a fine of 3,000 to 10,000 lei (art. 12(4) Law 70/2015), and the missing account is a ground for fiscal inactivity (art. 92(1^2)(a) Fiscal Procedure Code). An inactive company still owes its taxes but cannot deduct expenses or input VAT, and its VAT registration is cancelled. Not reactivated within one year, it is dissolved.
Is a Romanian business bank account mandatory, and by when?
Yes. From 1 January 2026 every company must hold a payment account in Romania or at a State Treasury unit (art. 1(12) Law 70/2015, applied by art. XI(2) Law 239/2025). A newly formed company opens it within 60 working days of formation and keeps at least one while it trades. Banks report every new account to ANAF daily.
Can a foreigner open a bank account in Romania for a company?
Yes. Foreign ownership is not a ground for refusal: a provider may refuse a company's account only on anti-money-laundering or sanctions grounds (art. 1(14) Law 70/2015). The bank applies enhanced checks to politically exposed persons and owners in high-risk third countries listed by the European Commission (art. 17(1) Law 129/2019), and refuses where its checks cannot be completed.
How do I open a bank account in Romania for my company?
Register the company, prepare the KYC pack, choose a provider on the BNR registers and book an appointment, have the director identified at the bank, then answer its compliance review. The legal outer limit is 60 working days from formation (art. 1(12) Law 70/2015). In market practice, non-EU or multi-owner structures often take 4 to 8 weeks at the bank.
Can I open a Romanian business bank account online?
Only where the bank offers a remote route. The anti-money-laundering law allows a secure remote or electronic identification (art. 11(1)(a) Law 129/2019), but offering it is the bank's decision, and one bank's published online route for companies is limited to Romanian residents who are sole shareholder and legal representative. We do not promise a remote opening.
Can someone open the account for me under a power of attorney?
The bank must check that anyone acting for the company is authorised to do so, and must identify that person too (art. 11(4) Law 129/2019). Whether a bank accepts an attorney in place of the director is its own practice, and providers disagree on it. A bespoke power of attorney is drafted by our partner lawyer.
What documents does a Romanian bank need from a foreign-owned company?
The constitutive act or registration certificate and the legal representative's details (art. 15(1)(b) Law 129/2019), passports of the director and beneficial owners, proof that the beneficial owners are registered, the real place of business if different, the purpose of the account and the source of funds, and a foreign shareholder's documents in Romanian translation.
Do I have to deposit the share capital before the company is registered?
Not under the January 2024 text of Law 31/1990: an SRL pays in 30% of its subscribed capital within 3 months of registration and before trading, and the cash balance within 12 months (art. 9^1(2)). A new SRL needs at least 500 lei (art. VI(2) Law 239/2025). Whether Law 239/2025 changed the paying-in rule is unconfirmed.
Does my director need a Romanian tax number (NIF) to open the account?
It is not a separate errand. At incorporation ONRC requests the NIF of non-resident founders and administrators, and the answer comes the same or the next day (art. 83(2) Fiscal Procedure Code). Otherwise the bank requests it when the account is opened, and the answer comes within 5 days (art. 83(4)).
What does a Romanian bank account number (IBAN) look like?
A Romanian IBAN starts with the country code RO, followed by 2 check digits, a 4-letter bank code and 16 account characters, as an official Romanian payee account shows. The bank gives the company its full account number when it opens the account, and ANAF learns of the account through the bank's daily report.
Does a ready-made company come with its bank account?
Any account the company already holds stays the company's, and it must keep at least one for as long as it trades (art. 1(13) Law 70/2015). In practice the bank runs its checks on the new owners, and a change of beneficial owner must be declared within 15 days of the change (art. 56(3) Law 129/2019).
Ready to open your SRL's account?
Tell us where the company stands and who owns it; we reply with the file the bank will need and the date to beat.
Request a bank-readiness review · or start the onboarding form