Signing Documents for Company Registration

Signing Documents for Company Registration

After preparing the incorporation documents, the next step is signing and filing with the Trade Register (Търговски регистър). This page summarizes the QES (Qualified Electronic Signature), the mandatory notarial certification of the specimen signature, and how Firmify helps you sign the documents — without duplicating the entire document list (see the separate documents guide).

QES and Signing Methods

A QES (Qualified Electronic Signature) has the legal force of a handwritten signature and is accepted by the Trade Register portal. You can obtain one from several accredited providers in Bulgaria.

Commonly used providers:

• Evrotrust — cloud-based QES via a mobile app, issued in minutes without visiting an office; price approximately 15–25 EUR/year. Convenient for a quick start.
• B-Trust (BORICA) — mobile app or smart card; packages from approximately 3 EUR/month up to ~59 EUR/year.
• InfoNotary — QES on a smart card/physical token, approximately 25 EUR/year.

For electronic filing, the core documents (Articles of Association / Articles of Partnership, minutes, declarations, application A4) are signed with a QES by the persons required by law. Details on roles — in the registration documents guide.

For paper filing, signatures are placed on paper; the specimen for both methods requires notarial certification (see the next section).

Specimen Signature and Notarial Certification

The specimen (sample of the manager's signature) must be notarially certified, regardless of whether you file electronically or on paper. Signing only with a QES on the specimen does not replace notarial certification for this document.

Signing in Firmify

In the Firmify application, after you generate the documents for your organization, the signing step can be performed in several ways — depending on what is enabled for your account:

• Upload an already-signed PDF — if you signed the files outside Firmify with your QES, or on paper and scanned them per the requirements.
• Evrotrust — initiate signing through the Evrotrust integration (mobile app).
• eID Easy — an alternative electronic signing provider, when available.
• BISS — signing with a supported certificate/BISS flow, when configured.
• B-Trust (mobile / WebID) — when available for your case.

The exact buttons and order of actions are on the signing screen in your process after document generation. If you're unsure which method to choose, follow the on-screen instructions or the order suggested by the platform for your company type.

Common Issues

• Format for the Trade Register: for electronic filing, documents must be PDF, signed with a QES per the portal's requirements — do not submit Word files or unscanned photos instead of signed PDFs.
• "Original" checkbox: when attaching files in the electronic application, check "Original" for each document where the portal requires it (under the QES filing regime per the Commercial Register Act).
• Browser: the Trade Register portal works most reliably with Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox; if using a smart card QES, install the provider's software in advance.
• Error on repeated signing attempt: if signing has already been initiated, you may see a conflict message — wait or check the signing request status instead of immediately duplicating a new session.

More steps for the actual portal submission — in the online company registration guide.

Trade Register, NRA, and Useful Links

QES for Different Institutions

The same QES can generally be used for other services as well (e.g., tax returns, NRA). The portals are different: filing with the Trade Register is done through the Registry Agency portal, while VAT registration and NRA tax returns use separate systems. Details on VAT — in the VAT registration guide.

Official Pages and Providers