SRL formation
A Moldovan SRL incorporated as the FEZ resident applicant. ASP filing handled in standard timeline; articles drafted to the planned industrial activity codes.
Industrial Origin, Lombardy, Italy 2024
Italian textile manufacturer sets up FEZ production in Bălți, DCFTA-tariff-free shipping into Germany.
A second-generation Lombardy textile firm with €18M revenue faced rising Italian energy costs and German fashion-retail clients pushing for nearshore lead times. Closing Italian production was off the table; adding a Moldovan FEZ production line was on. We set up the SRL as FEZ resident, structured the cut-make-trim contract with the Italian parent, secured VAT suspension on raw-material imports for re-export, and coordinated relocation residence for two Italian production managers.
The situation
Where they started.
A Lombardy textile firm faced a familiar squeeze: rising Italian energy costs, ageing workforce, contract penalties from German fashion-retail clients pushing for nearshore lead times. Closing Italian production was not on the table. Adding a Moldovan production line was.
Moldova's draw was structural: DCFTA tariff-free access to the EU under the 2014 EU Association Agreement, FEZ industrial CIT at the reduced sectoral rate, VAT exemption on raw-material imports destined for re-export, fully-loaded production-worker cost around 20% of Lombardy equivalent, and Bălți within two truck-days of the German distribution hub via Romania and Hungary. Romanian-speaking Moldovan plant supervisors could communicate effectively with Italian managers after a short ramp.
The approach
Five sequenced
moves.
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01 -
02 FEZ application
Coordinated the FEZ entry application via the Investment Agency. Activity classification, employment commitments, and capital deployment documented to the FEZ regulator's standard. Granted in four months.
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03 Inter-company supply
Structured the cut-make-trim contract: Italian parent supplies design and raw fabric; Moldovan FEZ subsidiary handles cut, make, trim; Italian parent invoices end clients. Transfer-pricing aligned with both Italian and Moldovan tax authority expectations.
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04 VAT suspension
Set up the VAT-suspension regime for raw-material imports destined for re-export. Customs and SFS coordination so the import-process-export cycle ran with effective 0% VAT on the materials.
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05 Relocation residence
Managed BMA filings for two Italian production managers relocating to oversee the line setup. Employment-based residence permits issued in eight weeks; family reunification handled in parallel.
The outcomes
What we shipped.
- FEZ resident status granted
- 4 months
- First production line live
- Month 7
- Production hires Q1–Q2
- 60 in 18 months
- Effective CIT on FEZ ops
- Reduced FEZ rate
- VAT on raw material cycle
- Effectively 0% via suspension
Services used