Services · Company registration

Company registration in the Balkans, without the paperwork theatre.

We register companies for international founders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Croatia and North Macedonia. Not as a certificate-hunting exercise. As a structure that should survive tax registration, banking, contracts and the first normal compliance question.

The work starts before the registry form. Entity type, shareholders, director, business activity, local seat, travel limits, tax position and banking story all need to fit together. Otherwise registration is fast. Then the company becomes useless. Elegant disaster.

Start a registration brief Bosnia · Albania · Croatia · North Macedonia

Coverage

Four jurisdictions, one controlled registration method.

The Balkans are not one legal product. Croatia is EU and euro-based. Bosnia is institutionally layered. Albania is centralised and energetic. North Macedonia is lean and tax-efficient. Same region. Different files.

Bosnia d.o.o.

Useful for tax-light regional structures, but entity and geography matter: Federation, Republika Srpska or Brčko.

Albania sh.p.k.

Centralised QKB registration route, practical for services, trading and regional market-entry cases.

Croatia d.o.o.

The EU anchor. More formal, more expensive, but often easier to explain to banks and EU counterparties.

North Macedonia DOO / DOOEL

Lean setup profile with 10% corporate tax logic and a practical Central Register route.


What is included

The registration file, not just the application.

01

Entity selection

We assess the correct company form: d.o.o., sh.p.k., DOO/DOOEL, branch or another route if the standard option is wrong.

Legal form before forms
02

Founder and UBO file

Passport, address proof, corporate shareholder documents, authority chain, beneficial ownership evidence and certification route.

Foreign founders need clean KYC
03

Company structure

Name, registered seat, business activity, share capital, director/manager, shareholder rights and signing authority.

The small choices become large later
04

Local filing coordination

Coordination with registry, court, notary, registration agent or local professionals depending on the country route.

Different country, different machinery
05

Tax and VAT starting point

Initial review of corporate tax, VAT threshold, activity classification and accounting handover requirements.

Tax is not a postscript
06

Post-registration handover

Corporate documents, next steps for bank account, accounting, legal support, powers and operational compliance.

The company must become usable

Why structured registration

Because cheap registration often becomes expensive cleanup.

The registry is not the final user

The registry may accept a company. The bank, tax authority, accountant and client may still dislike the file. We plan for all of them.

Foreign ownership adds friction

Corporate shareholders, apostilles, translations, UBO evidence and director availability change the registration route quickly.

Country choice changes everything

Croatia brings EU credibility. North Macedonia brings lean tax logic. Albania brings a centralised route. Bosnia brings layered optionality. Pick deliberately.


Process

How we run a company registration project.

The sequence is designed to stop the classic founder mistake: registering the fastest company, then discovering that banking, tax and contracts wanted a different structure all along.

Registration brief

We collect the essentials: target country, founders, shareholders, director or manager, activity, expected clients, banking needs, travel availability and whether a foreign company will hold shares.

Country and entity route

We map the best registration route and explain alternatives. Sometimes the founder wants Croatia, but North Macedonia is cleaner. Sometimes Albania looks easy, but the bank story points elsewhere. The answer is not always flattering. Useful, though.

Document checklist

We prepare a country-specific checklist: passports, corporate extracts, powers of attorney, apostille or legalisation, translations, address evidence, UBO documents and signing route.

Formation documents

We coordinate the company name, business object, articles/founding act, director appointment, share capital, registered seat and filing package with local professionals.

Registry filing and incorporation

Filing is handled through the relevant country route: court register, QKB, Central Register, notary-based process, registration agent or local administrative channel.

Post-registration handover

We organise the next layer: tax/VAT review, accounting, bank-readiness file, legal documents, powers, corporate records and operating checklist.


Documents

What foreign founders usually need.

Individual founder

Individual founders are usually simpler. The standard file normally starts with passport, proof of address, personal tax details where needed, power of attorney if remote, and signatures/certifications required by the local route.

The complexity begins when the founder cannot travel, needs a director arrangement, or the business activity touches regulated sectors. Always the “small detail”. Naturally.

Corporate shareholder

  • Certificate of incorporation or commercial-register extract.
  • Good standing or equivalent status document where available.
  • Shareholder and director evidence.
  • Power of attorney and board/shareholder approval where needed.
  • Beneficial ownership chart and UBO documents.
  • Apostille/legalisation and sworn translation depending on jurisdiction.

Warnings

What can go wrong if registration is treated as a formality.

Banking

The company exists, but no bank wants the file

A weak business model explanation, unclear UBO chain or risky geography can turn a registered company into a very polished paperweight.

Tax

The activity does not match the real business

Wrong or vague activity classification can create VAT, licensing, accounting and bank issues later.

Documents

Foreign shareholder file is incomplete

Corporate extracts, powers, apostilles and translations are often the source of delays. Not dramatic. Just slow.

Structure

The cheapest entity is not the best entity

A simplified company can look smart on day one and unserious on day thirty when a bank, client or supplier asks for substance.


Indicative pricing

Registration costs across the Balkans.

These are practical mid-market ranges for a normal foreign-owned company. They are not fixed quotes. Corporate shareholders, apostilles, translations, regulated activity, urgent timing, local address, banking complexity and director arrangements can move the budget. The paperwork has a personality. Sadly.

Lean setup

€700–1,500

Typical range for simpler Albania or North Macedonia registration routes with individual foreign founders.

Usually excludes state fees, translations, apostilles, office and accounting.

Standard setup

€1,200–2,000

Typical range for standard foreign-owned d.o.o./sh.p.k./DOO formation with normal documentation support.

Best fit for most clean foreign-founder cases.

EU / complex setup

€1,500–3,000+

Typical range for Croatia, corporate shareholders, heavier documentation, more formal notary/court route or complex activity.

Banking and legal support quoted separately.

Country pages

Choose the country page if you already know the jurisdiction.

Each country page explains the local entity form, registration route, tax highlights, banking reality, neighbouring-country comparison and practical price range.


Related services

Registration is only the first layer.

Next

Bank account opening

Bank-readiness file, onboarding support, ownership narrative, expected flows and compliance package.

View banking service →
Next

Legal support

Powers of attorney, corporate changes, shareholder documents, registered office logic and post-registration legal coordination.

View legal support →

Insights cluster

Topics we will expand in detail.

This page is the service overview. The detailed cluster should explain country selection, founder documents, remote incorporation, corporate shareholders, apostilles, VAT registration and banking preparation. Otherwise one page becomes a legal suitcase with a font subscription.


Start here

Start with the operating model, not the company form.

Send the target country, founder profile, ownership structure, activity, banking needs, expected clients and whether the founder can travel. We will tell you plainly which registration route fits — and what must be prepared before paperwork starts breeding.
Start a registration brief  ·  office@example.com