How Long Does SIA Registration Take? (1-3 Business Days)

The official answer: 1–3 business days for standard processing, same or next business day for express. That's the time the Register of Enterprises needs to review your documents and issue the registration. It's accurate — but it's only part of the story.

The full timeline from "I want to register a SIA" to "my company is operational" is closer to 3–6 weeks. The registration itself is the fastest step. Everything around it takes longer.

The Real Timeline

| Phase | Duration | Notes | |---|---|---| | Document preparation | 2–5 days | Faster with templates; longer with custom statutes or multiple founders | | Share capital deposit | 1–3 days | Requires opening a temporary bank account first | | Registration at Register of Enterprises | 1–3 days (standard) / 1 day (express) | Measured from complete document submission | | Bank account opening | 2–4 weeks | The bottleneck for most new SIAs | | VID registration | 1–2 days | Online through EDS | | Total to operational | 3–6 weeks | |

The express option (EUR 250 instead of EUR 150) shaves 1–2 days off the registration step itself. Whether that's worth EUR 100 depends on how time-sensitive your situation is. If you're waiting on a contract that requires a registered entity, express pays for itself. If you have flexibility, standard processing works fine.

What Causes Delays

Incomplete documents add 2–5 business days per correction round. The Register reviews and returns the application, you fix the issues, resubmit, and wait again. In our experience, this is the most common source of unexpected delays — and entirely preventable with proper document review before submission.

Bank account is the wild card. Some founders get approved in a week. Others wait a month. Non-resident founders, companies with complex ownership structures, or businesses in higher-risk sectors face longer timelines. (See our bank account guide for strategies.)

Notary scheduling can add a few days if your documents require notarization. Single-shareholder SIAs filing electronically with e-signatures typically skip this step entirely.

Fastest Possible Timeline

We've registered SIAs in as few as two business days — start to registration certificate. That requires:

• Pre-prepared documents using standard templates
• Share capital already deposited in a temporary account
• Electronic submission with qualified e-signature
• Express processing (EUR 250)

Even then, the company isn't fully operational until the bank account opens, which adds weeks. For the complete post-registration process, see our first 30 days checklist.

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Need Your SIA Registered Quickly?

Corvus Accounting & Tax handles express registrations regularly. We prepare documents, manage the filing, and start the bank account process in parallel to minimize your total timeline.

Contact us →