A Series-A B2B SaaS firm needed to scale engineering from twelve to forty without taking on Berlin-rate salaries. The MITP 7% turnover regime, the senior dev pool, the time-zone overlap, and the cost made Chișinău the right call. We structured the Moldovan subsidiary, secured MITP residency, opened banking, and coordinated investor residence permits for two non-EU senior hires.
The situation
A Berlin-headquartered B2B SaaS firm hit Series A at €4M ARR. The German entity continued to hold IP and run sales. The founders needed to scale engineering from twelve to forty in eighteen months without taking on Berlin-rate salaries. Tallinn was option A; Lisbon option B; Chișinău emerged late after a recommendation from a Romanian peer.
The decision turned on four axes. The MITP 7% turnover regime gave a predictable, all-in tax that bundled the IT specialist payroll taxes the founders cared about. The senior developer pool in Chișinău was deeper than they had assumed. The time-zone overlap with Berlin was full. Fully-loaded engineering cost was around 30% of Berlin equivalent for senior roles. SEPA had just gone live in Moldova, removing the historical EUR-banking friction.
The approach
A wholly-owned Moldovan SRL was incorporated as the engineering subsidiary, with the German GmbH as sole founder. ASP issued the IDNO in three working days. Articles drafted to the planned MITP-eligible activity codes from the start.
Application filed with Moldova IT Park within the first month of operation. Activity codes confirmed against the eligible list under Law 77/2016. Initial employment contracts structured to satisfy the 70% IT-revenue requirement and the per-employee minimum tax floor.
Bank account opening at Maib in three weeks. Multi-currency MDL/EUR/USD. SEPA SCT enabled at activation; intercompany transfers between Berlin and Chișinău now process at SEPA fees and speeds, eliminating the historical correspondent-banking drag.
Drafted the services agreement between the German parent and Moldovan subsidiary, transfer-pricing-aware, with the deliverables and pricing structure documented to satisfy both German and Moldovan tax authorities.
Coordinated investor and IT specialist visa applications for two non-EU senior hires the founders wanted to relocate from Belgrade and Tbilisi. Both arrived in Chișinău within ten weeks of offer acceptance.
The outcomes
Services used