The European Commission dropped something big on March 18, 2026 - and many EU-developers missed it.
They proposed EU Inc: a single company form that lets you register once and operate across all 27 EU member states. No subsidiaries. No local notaries. No navigating 27 different legal systems.
If you've ever tried to expand a business from one EU country to another, you know the pain. EU Inc is designed to kill that pain entirely.
The numbers
- Registration time: 48 hours, fully online
- Cost: Under 100 EUR total
- Minimum capital: 1 EUR (yes, one euro)
- Countries covered: All 27 EU member states
- Notary required: No
- Physical presence required: No
Compare that to today: setting up a GmbH in Germany requires a notary, 25,000 EUR minimum capital, and weeks of paperwork. A Swedish AB needs 25,000 SEK. A French SAS needs complicated statutes drafted by a lawyer.
EU Inc replaces all of that with one digital process.
Why developers should care
If you're an indie developer selling SaaS across Europe, you currently face this:
Today: You register a company in your home country. You sell to customers in 15 EU countries. Tax compliance, VAT, and legal obligations vary per country. Want to hire someone in Germany? You probably need a local entity. Want to raise money from a French VC? They might want a local structure.
With EU Inc: One company. One set of rules. You're already set up to operate everywhere.
This matters especially for:
- Solo developers selling digital products across the EU
- Remote-first startups with team members in multiple countries
- Open source maintainers looking to set up a commercial entity
- Indie hackers who want to keep things simple while selling internationally
What EU Inc actually is (technically)
EU Inc is formally called the "28th regime" - it doesn't replace any existing national company forms. It adds a new one on top. The legal name is S.EU (Societas Europaea Unius).
Key governance features:
- Digital-first: Registration, share transfers, and shareholder meetings can all happen online
- Modern cap table: Built-in support for share classes, vesting, convertible instruments - things that currently require expensive legal workarounds in most EU countries
- English as standard: Documentation can be in English regardless of which country you register in
- Single register: One EU-wide company register connected via BRIS (Business Registers Interconnection System)
The full proposal is COM(2026) 321 if you want to read the source.
What about taxes?
This is the question everyone asks. The answer: EU Inc follows local tax rules in the country where you register. Tax harmonization is not part of this proposal.
My hope is that if you register your EU Inc in ex. Estonia (0% corporate tax on undistributed profits), you pay Estonian tax rules. Register in Ireland, you get Irish rates.
This means jurisdiction shopping is still a factor - but at least you only need one entity instead of multiple.
Timeline
- January 2026: European Parliament voted 492-144 in favor of EU Inc recommendations
- March 2026: Commission published the formal proposal
- End of 2026: Target for Parliament and Council agreement
- 2027+: First registrations expected (depends on adoption speed)
There's strong political will to push this through fast. The European Council explicitly called for it in their March 2026 conclusions.
Should you wait for EU Inc?
Probably not. If you need a company now, register one now. But you should:
- Track the timeline - know when EU Inc becomes available
- Design for conversion - EU Inc will likely allow conversion from existing national forms
- Understand the trade-offs - EU Inc is great for cross-border, but if you only operate in one country, your national form might still be simpler
Resources
I've been tracking this regulation closely and built a comprehensive resource site:
- Full EU Inc Guide -- everything you need to know in one place
- Interactive Timeline -- tracks every legislative milestone
- Company Form Comparison -- EU Inc vs Delaware LLC, Swedish AB, German GmbH, Dutch BV side by side
- Readiness Assessment -- 2-minute assessment to see if EU Inc fits your situation
- Weekly Insights -- analysis and legislation updates
The site is available in 24 EU languages at euinc.me.
What do you think -- would you use EU Inc for your next project? Drop a comment below.
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