Service 07 of 08
Nominee Director Service (Bulgaria)
A nominee director gives your company a Bulgaria-based legal representative for the situations that genuinely need one — opening a bank account, signing certain filings, being reachable in person. It does not hide who owns the company, and we would rather tell you that upfront than have you find out later.
- Fully disclosed your ownership is registered regardless of who holds the director title
- 1 month statutory deadline to register the beneficial owner after incorporation
- Written instructions the nominee acts only on your documented instructions, never independently
- Priced annually not a one-time fee — a nominee director is an ongoing appointment
What's included
What a nominee director actually does, and does not do
A nominee director is a person appointed to your company's board specifically to satisfy a local-presence requirement, most commonly the in-person identification a Bulgarian bank requires before opening an account. They act exclusively on your written instructions and do not make operational decisions on the company's behalf. This is an administrative appointment, not a management one.
What it does not do is put any distance between you and the company's ownership. Under Bulgarian law, the person who ultimately owns or controls a company, defined as anyone holding at least twenty-five per cent of the capital or voting rights, or otherwise exercising control, must be registered in the Ultimate Beneficial Owner register within one month of incorporation, and any change must be reported within seven days. If no beneficial owner can be identified through that analysis, the director themselves is registered as the beneficial owner by default. A nominee director changes who signs certain documents. It does not change who the register says owns the company, and we would be doing you no favours by suggesting otherwise.
The nominee does carry real legal responsibility for the role, even though it is administrative in nature. Bulgarian company law does not relieve a director of statutory duties simply because the appointment is described as a nominee arrangement. This is why we work only with directors under formal contractual terms that define exactly what they will and will not sign, and why we ask for clear written instructions before any action is taken in the company's name.
We tell clients when they don't need this
If the only obstacle is a bank's power-of-attorney notarisation rule, and your own legal representative can arrange an accepted notarisation, a nominee director may be more than you need. We would rather point that out than sell a service you don't require.
Deliverables
5 items- A contracted nominee director Appointed under written terms defining the exact scope of their authority
- UBO registration handled correctly Your beneficial ownership registered and kept current, on the statutory deadlines
- Bank identification completed The nominee appears in person where a bank's rules require it
- Written instruction protocol A clear process for how you direct the nominee's actions, so nothing happens without your documented say
- Annual renewal managed This is an ongoing appointment, not a one-time filing, and we track its renewal so it doesn't lapse
How it works
From deciding you need one to having it in place
Four steps, most of them ours.
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1
Confirm you actually need this Day 0 · you and us
We check whether a power of attorney would solve your specific problem before recommending a nominee director at all.
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2
Director appointment and contract Day 1–5 · us
The nominee is appointed under a written agreement defining their authority, and the appointment is filed with the Commercial Register.
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3
UBO registration within statutory deadline · us
Your beneficial ownership is registered within the one-month deadline the law sets, so this is never left to chance.
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4
Ongoing instruction and renewal ongoing · you and us
You issue written instructions when the nominee needs to act, and we manage the annual renewal of the appointment.
Who this is for
Who this service is built for
Korean companies needing an EU subsidiary
Where a Korean parent company's own signatory cannot easily arrange an accepted foreign notarisation for banking purposes, a nominee director resolves the identification requirement directly.
See the Korea page →Chinese manufacturers avoiding EU tariffs
Useful where no one from the company can be reliably present in Bulgaria, but genuinely unnecessary if you can arrange an accepted power of attorney instead.
See the China page →Indian IT and services companies
Relevant mainly where local, in-person signing authority is required and travel is not realistic for the relevant period.
See the India page →Get in touch
Not sure if you need a nominee director?
In some cases, a power of attorney achieves the same result. Get in touch and we will tell you which approach fits your situation — and whether you need this service at all.
Related services
Services that usually go with this one
Bank account opening
The most common reason clients need a nominee director in the first place: completing a bank's in-person identification requirement.
Read more → Service 01Company formation
A nominee director is appointed to an existing or newly forming company, not a standalone arrangement.
Read more → Service 08Ongoing compliance
UBO registration and its annual updates are part of the same compliance calendar as everything else your company has to file.
Read more →Questions
Questions, answered
If your question is not here, ask it on the discovery call — there is no charge for it.
Does a nominee director hide who really owns my company?
No, and anyone telling you otherwise is not giving you accurate information. Bulgaria's Ultimate Beneficial Owner register requires the real owner to be disclosed regardless of who holds the director title, within one month of incorporation. A nominee director changes who signs certain local documents. It does not change who the register says owns the company.
How does the nominee director service work in terms of cost?
This is an ongoing annual appointment, not a one-time filing. We confirm the scope and cost before any appointment is made, so there are no surprises. Contact us for a quote based on your specific situation.
What can the nominee director actually sign or decide?
Only what your written instructions authorise. The nominee acts on your documented direction and does not make independent operational decisions. The exact scope of their authority is set out in a written agreement before the appointment begins.
Do I even need a nominee director, or would a power of attorney be enough?
If the only obstacle is a bank's rule about which countries' notarisation it accepts, and your own legal representative can arrange a notarisation from an accepted jurisdiction, a power of attorney may solve the problem without the ongoing commitment of a nominee director. We check this before recommending the service.
Is the nominee director personally liable if something goes wrong?
The nominee carries the statutory duties that come with the director role under Bulgarian company law, regardless of the nominee arrangement. This is exactly why we work under formal contracts that define their authority precisely, and why instructions are documented rather than informal.
Not sure if you need a nominee director?
A short call is usually enough to tell you whether a nominee director solves your problem, or whether something simpler already does.