"Can I register an EU Inc today?"

"No. EU Inc is a proposal published on 18 March 2026 (COM(2026) 321). Adoption is targeted for end 2026; the regulation is expected to apply about 12 months after entry into force, so first real registrations are unlikely before 2028."

"Do I need to travel or visit a notary?"

"Under the proposal, no. The procedure is 'digital by default' and runs through an EU central interface built on BRIS, without a physical presence or notarial deed as a mandatory step. The final text may vary by member state of the registered office."

"How long does registration take and what does it cost?"

"The proposal targets registration within 48 hours for a fee capped at €100, with no minimum share capital. These are proposal figures, not yet law. See the cost page for what the cap does and does not cover."

"Do I need an EU-resident director?"

"Yes. The proposal requires at least one board member to be resident in the EU. This is one of the few hard eligibility conditions in the text."

"Do I still need separate tax, VAT and beneficial-ownership registrations?"

"The proposal applies a 'once-only' principle: a single registration is meant to auto-link your company to tax, VAT, social security and beneficial-ownership authorities, without re-submitting the same data. Tax itself remains national."

How to register an EU Inc

Updated 1 Aug 2026 · transactional

Registration is not yet possible. EU Inc is a proposed regulation (COM(2026) 321); adoption is targeted for end 2026 and the rules are expected to apply around 2028. Every step below is from the proposal and may change in negotiation.

Not yet available. Registration is not open. EU Inc is a proposed regulation, not law. The flow below is a reading of the proposal (COM(2026) 321) and is provided to prepare, not to act on.

Based on the proposal, registering an EU Inc is designed to be fully digital, complete within 48 hours, cost no more than €100, and require no minimum share capital. The mechanics below follow the proposal’s text; the final procedure will only be fixed once the regulation is adopted and the supporting systems are built.

Before you start: is EU Inc the right form?

EU Inc is optional. It sits beside the 27 national company forms (SAS, GmbH, Ltd, and the rest), not on top of them — you choose it instead of a national form. It is aimed primarily at SMEs and startups/scale-ups operating across borders, but it is open to all sizes. Confirm you meet the conditions before committing — see eligibility — and weigh the cost posture against a national form or a Delaware C-Corp.

The proposed registration flow

Step	What happens
1. Choose EU Inc	Decide on the EU Inc form over a national vehicle, and set the member state of your registered office (which governs employment and residual company-law questions).
2. Prepare the articles	Adopt the standardised EU template articles of association — bilingual model statutes provided with the regime, reducing drafting and legal cost.
3. Line up an EU-resident director	Appoint at least one board member resident in the EU. This is a hard requirement of the proposal.
4. Authenticate with digital identity	Identify founders and directors through the EU’s digital-identity means; the procedure is “digital by default”, with no mandatory physical or notarial step.
5. Submit via the EU single window	File through the EU central interface built on BRIS (Business Registers Interconnection System), the layer that connects national business registers.
6. Once-only linking	On submission, the “once-only” principle auto-links the registration to tax, VAT, social security and beneficial-ownership authorities — no re-submitting the same details to each.
7. Receive the certificate	Obtain a single EU registration certificate, valid across all member states, within the 48-hour target.

1. Choose EU Inc and your registered office

The registered office fixes which national law governs employment and questions the regulation leaves to member states; the proposal is explicit that EU Inc “does not weaken employment rights” and does not alter labour law or co-determination where it exists. Note that free choice of registration seat is one of the file’s open debates — treat the seat rules as provisional until the text is final.

2. Adopt the standardised template articles

The regime supplies bilingual model articles of association. Using the template is what makes a sub-€100, sub-48h formation plausible: it removes the bespoke drafting and, in several national systems, the notarial deed that make national incorporations slower and more expensive.

3. Appoint an EU-resident board member

At least one director must be EU-resident. This is both an eligibility condition and part of the anti-abuse framing: worker participation and anti-fraud/AML safeguards are among the flagged negotiating points (COMPET, 28 May 2026), so residency and substance rules may tighten before adoption.

4–5. Digital identity and the BRIS single window

Authentication uses digital identity; submission goes through the EU central interface on BRIS. There is no separate national filing to chase in parallel — the interface is the entry point, and BRIS is what makes the certificate recognised across member states.

6. Once-only linking

You register once. The system is meant to propagate the registration to tax, VAT, social security and beneficial-ownership registers automatically. This removes duplicate filings but does not harmonise tax — rates, bases and capital-gains treatment stay national (only EU-ESO option timing is harmonised).

7. The single certificate

The output is one EU registration certificate valid EU-wide, targeted within 48 hours.

Status and what to do now

EU Inc is proposed, not adopted. Adoption is targeted for end 2026; because the regulation is expected to apply roughly 12 months after entry into force (plus infrastructure build-out), first real registrations are unlikely before 2028. Nothing here can be filed today.

→ Next: what it costs · who can register · follow the text in the legislative tracker.