The FID (foreigner identification number) is the 10-digit tax identifier that the Bulgarian authorities (NRA) assign to a foreign individual who has neither an EGN (the Bulgarian civil number) nor a personal number for a resident foreigner. It identifies you as a non-resident shareholder or director with the Commercial Register, the tax authority and the banks.
It is obtained 100% remotely, by notarised power of attorney, in parallel with the formation of your company. At Fenchell, the FID is one of the building blocks of a single integrated system, the Eurotrade pack: the registration and all the infrastructure that makes the company genuinely operable remotely are designed as one piece. This infrastructure brings together, among other things:
- the FID, the QES key and the 8 bilingual notarised powers of attorney;
- the local agent and the web interface to view your SMS/OTP live;
- the Bulgarian mobile line, the dedicated IP and bookkeeping kept locally;
- help assembling bank and fintech account-opening files, remotely — the client remains the applicant and the holder.
It is this infrastructure that creates the genuine economic substance making the tax advantage defensible and the company truly workable.
What is the FID?
The FID (foreigner identification number) is a 10-digit tax identifier issued by the NRA, the Bulgarian tax authority.
In official Bulgarian terminology, it corresponds to the service number from the NRA register (служебен номер от регистъра на НАП): the number assigned to an individual who has neither an EGN (the Bulgarian civil number) nor an LNCH (the personal number for a resident foreigner).
It is the Tax and Social Security Procedure Code that provides for it: чл. 84, ал. 3 ДОПК states that individuals who are registered with neither the Commercial Register nor the BULSTAT register, and who have neither an EGN nor an LNCH, are identified by a service number assigned ex officio by the revenue agency (Данъчно-осигурителен процесуален кодекс, lex.bg).
In practice, it is the identifier of the non-resident foreigner.
Concretely, as soon as a French, Belgian, Swiss or any other entrepreneur wants to become a shareholder or director of a Bulgarian company without being resident in Bulgaria, the authorities need a single anchor point to track them across their registers.
That is what the FID provides: a stable number, attached to the person, that follows them from one step to the next.
Note: "FID" is the practitioners' common usage for this service number; it is not an official Bulgarian administrative acronym.
What is the FID used for?
The FID is not a decorative formality: it is the key that links your foreign identity to the Bulgarian administrative ecosystem. It comes into play at four levels, each indispensable to a successful remote formation:
Commercial Register
It identifies the foreign director or shareholder registered behind the company's EIK.
Tax authority
It serves as the reference for any individual tax interaction of the non-resident director with the NRA.
Banks & fintechs
It is requested during KYC to open the company's business accounts.
Electronic signature
It is tied to the issuance of the qualified electronic signature key (QES BORICA / B-Trust) in the director's name.
Without a FID, a foreigner cannot be properly registered as a director, nor cleanly pass bank KYC. It is one of the discreet but indispensable links in a successful remote formation.
What is the difference between FID, EGN and EIK?
Bulgaria uses several identifiers that are easy to mix up. Here is how to tell them apart:
| Identifier | For whom / what | Issued by | Intuitive equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| FID | Foreign individual with neither EGN nor LNCH | NRA (tax) | Tax number of a non-resident |
| EGN | Bulgarian citizen (and certain permanent resident foreigners) | Bulgarian civil registry | Social security / personal number |
| LNCH | Foreigner resident in Bulgaria (residence permit) | Ministry of the Interior | EGN equivalent for a resident foreigner |
| EIK | The company with the Commercial Register | Commercial Register | SIREN |
| BULSTAT | Other registered entities | Registry Agency | Ancillary identification register |
Legal bases: the service number (FID) falls under чл. 84, ал. 3 ДОПК (Данъчно-осигурителен процесуален кодекс, lex.bg); the EIK is assigned by the Commercial Register under the Закон за търговския регистър и регистъра на ЮЛНЦ (lex.bg).
The essential point: the FID concerns the person (the non-resident foreign director), whereas the EIK concerns the company. The two coexist and complement each other. If you later obtain a Bulgarian residence permit, it is an LNCH (not a FID) that identifies you as a resident foreigner. Nor should it be confused with the EORI number, which concerns import/export, or with the VAT number issued by the NRA.
How do you obtain the FID remotely?
The good news: like the whole formation procedure, the FID is obtained without any travel to Bulgaria. Your local agent in Plovdiv files the application with the NRA on your behalf. The typical journey:
- Notarised power of attorney — you mandate the local agent to act before the authorities on your behalf.
- Certified identity document — a certified true copy of your passport (and sometimes an official translation) accompanies the application.
- Filing with the NRA — the agent submits the foreigner registration form to the competent tax office.
- Assignment of the FID — the NRA issues the 10-digit number, later reused for the electronic signature and for bank accounts.
In practice, this step dovetails into the overall formation timetable. Once all your notarised documents have been received, registering the company with the Commercial Register takes at most 5 business days (the FID is obtained in parallel, over the same window).
Taking your own part into account (signing at the notary and sending the originals by courier), the full process takes around 20 days:
- preparation of the file by the lawyer (≈ 3 days);
- signing + sending the originals (≈ 5 days);
- registration with the register (≈ 5 days);
- then opening the fintech bank account (≈ 7 days; WISE in 48 hours).
These timeframes are indicative and depend on the NRA, the notary and the bank, but the bulk comes down to your own pace of signing and dispatch. The operational detail is set out in our guide forming an EOOD 100% remotely: the steps.
What is the role of the FID in forming a company?
The FID fits into a logical sequence. Whatever the form — the EOOD (Bulgarian single-member limited company) or the OOD (several shareholders), the classic forms, or the DPK/EDPK — the company is registered with the Commercial Register under an EIK number. For the foreign director to be cleanly linked to that company, the authorities need to identify them: that is precisely the role of the FID, identical from one form to another.
For a 100% remote formation, with no capital deposit or prior bank account, the DPK/EDPK is often the simplest choice, while the EOOD/OOD remains the classic form with a capital deposit — see EOOD, OOD or DPK.
The FID is generally not a blocking prerequisite: it is obtained in parallel with the formation, then serves as the foundation for the following steps:
- issuance of the QES BORICA / B-Trust key;
- VAT registration with the NRA;
- opening bank accounts, where it is required at KYC.
This is also why genuine economic substance (an address in Plovdiv, a local agent, a Bulgarian mobile line, bookkeeping kept locally) makes everything easier: the banks cross-check the director's identity, the FID and the company's operational reality.
Obtaining the number is simple; the real challenge is making the company genuinely operable remotely. A generic incorporation — wherever it is registered — delivers standardised documents that do not anticipate remote management.
The Fenchell offer, by contrast, is an integrated, inseparable system. The file contains more than 20 bilingual Bulgarian/English documents, and more than 30 for multi-shareholder companies, including:
- the articles of association;
- the 8 notarised powers of attorney;
- the FID and the QES key;
- the stamped registration certificate with its sworn translation; and many others.
This file is designed by our legal team specifically for remote management, embodying years of experience and thousands of real client cases. Operability is not bolted on afterwards: it is built in from the outset, within the file itself.
Articulated with it, in particular, are:
- the local agent who files the steps on your behalf;
- a dedicated web interface to view live, from any device, the SMS (OTP / 2FA codes from banks and platforms) received on your Bulgarian mobile line;
- the Bulgarian business mobile number, the office and the registered address in Plovdiv;
- mail collection and scanning (quarterly invoices = proof of address for KYC);
- registration of the point of contact (POC, AML/MAMLA compliance);
- help assembling bank and fintech account-opening files, remotely — the client remains the applicant and the holder;
- the option of a dedicated Bulgarian static IP;
- bookkeeping and VAT managed locally.
It is this integrated infrastructure — and not the FID alone — that creates the genuine economic substance: the kind that makes the tax advantage defensible and the company truly workable, rather than an empty shell.
At Fenchell, a firm genuinely present in Plovdiv since 2018 (our team and our network of dedicated partners — lawyers, accountants, marketplace account managers —, that is 10 to 20 people mobilised depending on the complexity of your file, close to 1,000 companies formed), obtaining the FID is a standard step in the Eurotrade pack: you have no Bulgarian form to fill in and no travel to plan.
And above all, because the file is designed as one piece for remote use, you walk away with a company that is not only created but endowed with genuine substance and truly manageable from anywhere.
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General information current as of 8 June 2026, not constituting personalised tax, legal or accounting advice. The timeframes, procedures and identifiers described are indicative and vary according to your situation; check the applicable procedure with the NRA or a professional. Fenchell Capital OOD — Bulgarian firm based in Plovdiv (EIK 207945095).