Should I buy a ready-made company in Europe?

Last updated on 22 February 2024.

Buying a ready-made company is a great way to enter a new market. However, if your goal is simply to enter the EU, it might be a lot easier, faster and cheaper to set up a company from scratch. Learn more and decide for yourself what is best for your current situation.

Advantages of buying a ready-made company

There are certain advantages to buying a ready-made company. A company with a history might be better disposed to entering government tenders or applying for loans – or even for company credit cards. Some big corporations also prefer doing business with older companies, whose previous operation can be checked – this gives the company credibility and promotes the image of being well established. In some countries, buying a ready-made company is also faster than setting up a new one (though in Hungary that is not the case).

The risks of buying a ready-made company

When buying a company, you have to be careful and do a proper check on the history of the company. You will certainly not want to buy a company that has any outstanding debts or any ongoing lawsuits.

How to minimize risks

In order to minimize the above risks, you can do two things.

1. Buy a company from an agency specialized in this market. If an agency is already well established in investment and business assistance, it will be their interest and responsibility to sell you a company that will live up to your expectations. You may ask about so called “shelf-companies”, that for one reason or another had little or no activity since their incorporation, this way they are totally safe to buy, and still have the history you are looking for.
2. Set up a company from scratch. In Hungary, you can do that in no time, with minimum effort and cost, and you can start your international operation right away.

Hungarian company setup

Hungarian company formation takes only 4-5 business days. You do not even have to be present in person; you can simply authorize someone in a Power of Attorney to do the paperwork on your behalf. You only have to be present at the bank account opening. And that’s it, you are done. You automatically get an EU VAT number, so you can already start trading in the EU.

Still not sure?

If you want to learn more about buying a ready-made company or setting up a company in the EU, please feel free to contact our office and ask for a free consultation. Helpers has been providing business assistance since 2005, so it has almost 20 years of experience in the industry. Based on your current situation and needs, we will surely be able to help you decide how you can best enter the EU market.

Please note: Helpers no longer offers ready-made companies for sale. If you are interested in company setup, we will be happy to help you.

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