How much does it cost to start a business in Europe? (country ranges)

Ask ten founders what it cost to start their company and you'll get ten different numbers — because "starting a business" bundles together state fees, minimum capital, professional help, and the running costs that hit in month one. This guide breaks the real cost down by component, gives country ranges for the parts that vary most, and helps you weigh the cheap option against the credible one.

If you're still choosing where and how to incorporate, start with the wider picture in how to start an online business in Europe — this post zooms in on the money.

The four things you actually pay for

Almost every European company formation splits into the same four buckets:

• The state registration fee — a fixed charge to enter your company in the national register. Usually the smallest line.
• Minimum share capital — money you commit to the company. In most countries this isn't a fee; it stays in the business. But some countries still require a real amount up front.
• Notary and professional fees — where costs diverge most. Some countries make a notarised deed mandatory; others let you register fully online with no notary at all.
• First-year running costs — accounting, a registered address, VAT handling, and any mandatory reserves or director-salary rules.

The registration fee is rarely the number that matters. The notary requirement and the running costs are what separate a €100 setup from a €2,500 one.

Country ranges: registration fee and minimum capital

Here's where the headline figures actually land for the most common private limited company in each country. Figures are the official state fees; professional help is extra.

Germany — UG from €1, GmbH €25,000

Germany offers two routes. The UG (haftungsbeschränkt), often called the "mini-GmbH", can be formed with share capital as low as €1 — but you must retain 25% of annual net profit each year until capital reaches €25,000. The full GmbH requires €25,000 in share capital, of which at least €12,500 must be paid in at formation. Registration in the commercial register (Handelsregister) costs roughly €150 for either form, and notarisation is mandatory, so budget several hundred euros more. (Sources: IHK Region Stuttgart; lawyersgermany.com.)

Estonia — OÜ from €0.01, online

Estonia removed its old €2,500 minimum in 2023, so an OÜ can now be founded with as little as €0.01 in share capital. Online registration in the Business Register carries a state fee of around €265. If you're a non-resident using e-Residency, add the e-Residency application fee (about €150) plus a mandatory local contact person and legal address, typically €200–€400 per year. (Sources: e-Residency knowledge base; Rozenberg Partners.)

Ireland — Ltd €50, no minimum capital

Ireland's Companies Registration Office (CRO) charges just €50 to incorporate a private company limited by shares electronically, and there's no minimum share capital — most companies simply issue a nominal €100. The catch for non-residents: if no director is resident in the EEA, you'll need a €25,000 bond or a resident director. (Sources: CRO fee schedule; Kinore.)

France — SARL/SAS from €1

Both the SARL and SAS can be set up with €1 of capital. Registration now runs through the INPI Guichet Unique, with the core formality fee around €33.83 plus roughly €19.33 for the beneficial-ownership declaration, on top of a mandatory legal-announcement publication. All-in state and publication costs typically land in the €200–€320 range before any professional help. (Sources: Service-Public Entreprendre; startbusinessinfrance.com.)

Netherlands — BV from €0.01, but notary required

A Dutch BV needs only €0.01 in capital, and KVK registration is a fixed €85.15. The real cost is the mandatory civil-law notary, generally €500–€1,500, which pushes a typical all-in BV formation to roughly €600–€2,500. Note also the director "customary wage" rule (around €56,000 for 2025), which matters once you're paying yourself. (Sources: KVK; Business.gov.nl.)

Poland — sp. z o.o., 5,000 PLN capital

Poland's sp. z o.o. still requires a genuine minimum share capital of 5,000 PLN (about €1,150), fully paid by registration. Using the online S24 system, court and announcement fees total around 350 PLN (250 + 100). Traditional notarised registration costs more. (Sources: Progress Holding; CGO Legal.)

What the ranges tell you

A few patterns fall out of the numbers:

• Registration fees are small and similar — mostly €50–€265. This is not where you save or splurge.
• Minimum capital is where countries diverge. Ireland, Estonia, France, Germany's UG and the Dutch BV are effectively €0–€1 to start on paper. Poland and Germany's full GmbH still want real money committed.
• The notary is the swing factor. Germany and the Netherlands mandate notarisation, which quietly adds hundreds to over a thousand euros. Estonia and Ireland let you skip it entirely and register online.

Don't forget first-year running costs

The formation invoice is the easy part. What actually shapes your first year:

• Accounting — a bookkeeper or accounting software, commonly €50–€300+ per month depending on volume and country.
• Registered address / virtual office — €100–€500 per year, and mandatory for non-residents in several countries.
• VAT registration and filing — usually free to register, but ongoing compliance work. If you're pricing products or invoices across borders, our EU VAT calculator works out the gross and net quickly.
• Mandatory reserves or salary rules — like Germany's UG profit retention or the Dutch director wage — that tie up cash you might have assumed was yours.

Add these up and a "€1 company" realistically costs €1,000–€3,000 in its first year once accounting and address are in.

The cheap-vs-credible trade-off

The cheapest jurisdiction on paper isn't always the smartest choice. A few things to weigh:

• Where are your customers? A local entity often reads as more credible to domestic clients and simplifies invoicing and VAT.
• Do you need a bank account? Even where €1 capital is legal, banks frequently want to see meaningful funds before opening an account.
• How much admin can you absorb? A remote e-Residency company is cheap to form but adds contact-person fees and cross-border accounting.
• Substance and tax rules increasingly matter — forming somewhere you have no real presence can create more problems than it solves.

If your main goal is minimising formation cost, we compare the options directly in the cheapest EU country to start a company.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — rules vary by country and change; confirm with a qualified professional before acting.

Where to spend once you're registered

Wherever you incorporate, the company only earns once it can be found and can sell. For most SMBs the highest-return early spend isn't a fancier legal structure — it's a website that converts and the automation to run lean from day one. If that's your next step, see our web development work, or book a free consultation and we'll help you map the setup, tools, and site to your budget and market.