Company formation · Moldova
Company formation in Moldova with a registered advocate beside you
Setting up a business in Moldova means working inside a codified civil-law system, filing in Romanian and dealing with public authorities that follow their own procedural rules. We match you with an advocate registered with the Union of Lawyers of the Republic of Moldova who handles company formation for your sector and structure.
- Advocates registered with the Union of Lawyers
- Documents drafted and explained in Romanian
- Fee scope agreed in writing before work starts
No obligation · First response usually in 24–48h
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The legal framework
Company formation in Moldova, explained calmly
Company formation in Moldova is a private-law exercise: the Civil Code (Law No. 1107/2002) codifies the rules that govern legal persons and contracts, and the documents you file are drafted in Romanian, the state language. An advocate registered with the Union of Lawyers of the Republic of Moldova can prepare and check the paperwork, explain what each authority expects and stand beside you if a public body’s decision has to be challenged. Because Moldova has been an EU candidate country since June 2022 and is harmonising its legislation with the EU acquis, the framework shifts from year to year, so current texts matter more than old summaries. This page explains how the legal side of company formation in Moldova is organised, which courts hear business disputes, what procedural deadlines apply and how our free matching service connects you with the right advocate.
Moldova in practice
How company formation works on the ground in Moldova
Moldova is a unitary state with a continental-style legal order and a three-level court system. For a founder, the practical questions are about language, about which text governs your file, and about what happens if a decision goes against you. The verified points below describe the framework as it currently stands.
A codified private-law framework
Companies, contracts and commercial obligations sit inside the Civil Code (Law No. 1107/2002), which follows the continental European model. Procedure before the courts is codified separately in the Code of Civil Procedure (No. 225/2003), and disputes with public authorities follow the Administrative Code (No. 116/2018). Your advocate works from these texts rather than from second-hand summaries.
Only registered advocates may assist
Legal assistance is reserved to advocates entered in the register of the Union of Lawyers of the Republic of Moldova, holding a licence under the Law on advocacy No. 1260/2002 and bound by the Statute of the profession. They practise individually, through a law office, a jointly owned bureau or a partnership, and act under a legal-assistance contract concluded with you.
Romanian is the language of the file
Romanian is the state language and procedural acts are drafted in it. If you do not speak Romanian, you are entitled to acquaint yourself with the file and to speak through an interpreter free of charge. Official texts are published in Monitorul Oficial and consolidated on the state register Legis.md, so every provision your advocate cites can be checked.
Fees, court costs and payment
Judicial fees follow Law No. 213/2023 on the state tax, in force since 1 January 2024, with a separate stamp tax of 200 lei and payment through the MPay service. Advocates’ fees are not fixed by the State: they are agreed freely in the legal-assistance contract, and a winning party may recover necessary and reasonable costs within the limits of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Two ordinary remedies, no third instance
A first-instance judgment may be challenged by appeal within 30 days before a court of appeal, and the resulting decision by recourse before the Supreme Court of Justice within two months. Judgments do not become final until the ordinary remedies are exhausted, in line with Article 2 of Protocol No. 7 to the ECHR. There is no third ordinary instance.
Electronic filing and a framework in motion
Claims, appeals and other procedural documents may be filed through the Integrated Case Management Programme (e-Dosar) alongside paper filing, with fees paid via MPay. Moldova has been an EU candidate since June 2022 and is running judicial vetting and a reform of the courts, so institutional details change; your advocate checks the current official texts before relying on them.
All country details on this page are drawn from official Moldovan sources — the state register Legis.md, the Union of Lawyers and the Ministry of Justice court portal — as current at the time of writing.
- Constitution of the Republic of Moldova (arts. 13, 114–116)
- Civil Code No. 1107/2002
- Code of Civil Procedure No. 225/2003
- Law on advocacy No. 1260/2002
- Law No. 213/2023 on the state tax
- Law No. 198/2007 on state-guaranteed legal aid
- Criminal Code (limitation of criminal liability)
- Code of Criminal Procedure (acceleration of proceedings)
- Administrative Code No. 116/2018 (preliminary request)
- Union of Lawyers of the Republic of Moldova
- Portalul Național al Instanțelor de Judecată (Ministry of Justice)
Common obstacles
What founders usually run into
None of these problems is unusual; each one has a procedural answer.
The language barrier
Deeds and filings are drafted in Romanian, the state language, and a weak translation can stall everything. An advocate reads and drafts in Romanian; where you do not speak the language, interpretation in proceedings is provided free of charge.
Guidance that is already out of date
Moldova has been an EU candidate since June 2022 and is harmonising its legislation while reforming its courts, so advice written two years ago can already be wrong. You need someone working from the consolidated texts today.
A decision that goes against you
An unfavourable act of a public authority does not resolve itself. Under the Administrative Code a preliminary request must be made within 30 days, and missed procedural steps make a later challenge harder to build.
How matching helps
What you get from the free matching service
A short introduction to the right advocate, without cost or commitment.
Advocates, not generalists
Every advocate we match you with is entered in the register of the Union of Lawyers of the Republic of Moldova and holds a licence under the Law on advocacy No. 1260/2002.
One point of contact
Your advocate follows the file from the first draft through the registration steps, and stays in place if a public authority’s act later has to be contested under the Administrative Code.
Fees you can see
Advocates’ fees are not fixed by the State. They are freely agreed between you and the advocate in a written legal-assistance contract, so scope and price are on paper before work begins.
Free to start
You describe the project once. We compare specialisations and working languages and introduce you to the advocate suited to your sector — with no fee and no obligation to instruct.
Cross-border founders
Where our clients come from
Founders arrive in Moldova from across Europe and beyond; we match by sector, structure and working language rather than by borders.
Questions
Company formation in Moldova: frequent questions
Who is allowed to give legal assistance for company formation in Moldova?
Only advocates entered in the register of the Union of Lawyers of the Republic of Moldova, holding a licence issued under the Law on advocacy No. 1260/2002 and bound by the Statute of the profession. They may practise individually, through a law office, a bureau or a partnership, and act for you under a legal-assistance contract.
In what language are documents and court files prepared?
Romanian is the state language and procedural acts are drafted in it. If you do not speak it, you may acquaint yourself with the file and speak through an interpreter free of charge. Your advocate drafts and explains the documents in a language you actually work in.
Can company formation in Moldova lead to court proceedings?
It can. Private-law matters such as contractual and commercial obligations are governed by the Civil Code (Law No. 1107/2002) and heard under the Code of Civil Procedure (No. 225/2003). Where an act of a public authority is at issue, the Administrative Code No. 116/2018 applies and a preliminary request must be made within 30 days.
How do court fees and advocates’ fees work in Moldova?
Judicial fees follow Law No. 213/2023 on the state tax, in force since 1 January 2024, with a separate stamp tax of 200 lei and payment through the MPay service; the rates sit in the annexes to the law. Advocates’ fees are not fixed by the State and are agreed freely in the legal-assistance contract.
What if I cannot afford an advocate?
Under Law No. 198/2007, primary legal aid — information, advice and help with documents — is open to everyone regardless of income. Qualified legal aid, meaning representation by an advocate in court, depends on a means test and is granted irrespective of income in the cases listed by law, through the National Council for State-Guaranteed Legal Aid.
What are the deadlines if a dispute goes to appeal in Moldova?
An appeal against a first-instance judgment is lodged within 30 days, and recourse before the Supreme Court of Justice within two months. Where an appeal is lodged, the reasoned judgment follows within 45 working days. Judgments become final only once the ordinary remedies are exhausted.
Next step
Tell us what you are setting up
Describe your project in a few lines and we will match you with an advocate in Moldova who handles company formation in your sector. No fee, no obligation, and a first response usually within 24 to 48 hours.