Three steps. A free call to review your situation and risks. A written scope of work with a fixed price and a list of documents. Work with one responsible person until the result is delivered, with progress reports along the way.
Nothing starts until you have seen in writing what will be done, for what price and in what timeframe.
Who will handle my case?
One person, from the first call to the result. They coordinate company registration, banking, VAT and correspondence with authorities, and remain your single point of contact. This is the main difference between Kalina Advisory and the model where a client is passed between departments and nobody owns the whole process.
In practice, you do not have to retell your story at every stage, and it is always clear who is accountable.
What does the written scope of work include before we start?
A list of specific actions, their cost, the timeline for each stage and the documents we need from you. It also states what is not included and which costs you pay directly to third parties: government fees, notary and translations.
The document is fixed before work begins. If additional scope turns out to be necessary, it is agreed in writing instead of appearing on an invoice after the fact.
How will I know where the process stands?
A weekly written report: what is done, what is in progress and what we are waiting for from you. You are also notified immediately if something urgent comes up, such as a request from a bank or a letter from the tax office.
Company registration and account opening involve long pauses, and the decision belongs to a bank or a government registry, not to the consultant. The reports exist so that those pauses do not feel like silence.
Pricing and timelines
How much do Kalina Advisory's services cost?
Every case is different, so we don't publish package prices. The scope and a fixed fee are agreed in writing after the diagnostic call, before any work starts.
Where the scope cannot be estimated in advance — one-off consultations, ongoing compliance checks, non-standard cases — we work at an hourly rate of €250. You get a report on the time spent, not a one-line invoice.
Why is the price set after a call instead of being listed in a price list?
Because two requests that look the same can differ in scope by a factor of three. Registering a company with one EU-resident founder and registering one with a holding structure of three non-resident owners are different jobs with different compliance requirements.
We state the minimum price openly and fix the final price in writing before work starts. Naming an exact figure before a conversation would mean either padding it as a precaution or revising it mid-project.
How long does it take to register a company, get a VAT number or open a bank account?
Company registration takes up to four weeks, depending on the country. A VAT number takes from two weeks to three months. A bank account takes from two weeks to a month, and the timing depends on the bank, not on us.
Timelines are stated per stage in the scope of work. Where a government body or a bank makes the decision, we give a realistic range instead of promising what we do not control.
What happens if the result is not achieved?
Kalina Advisory continues work at no extra charge. If the task is not resolved within the agreed scope, work continues at our expense until the result is delivered.
This does not cover decisions that are not ours to make: a bank declining to open an account under its internal policy, or a refusal by a government registry, tax authority or customs on grounds the client did not disclose at the start. That is why the first call happens before signing, not after.
Jurisdictions
In which countries does Kalina Advisory work?
Kalina Advisory works in ten jurisdictions: the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Spain, Italy, the UAE and Hong Kong. France is covered through a partner network.
Our core markets are Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and the UAE. To date we have registered more than 30 companies, opened more than 40 bank accounts, recovered more than €400,000 in VAT and cleared more than €1,000,000 worth of goods through EU customs.
How do I choose a jurisdiction for my business?
Four things decide it: where your goods and warehouse are physically located, where your customers are, where you can open a bank account, and what tax burden arises when you take profit out. A low-tax country is useless if no bank there will serve your type of business.
The review takes one call. We recommend not the cheapest jurisdiction but the one where your operating model will keep working without a rebuild a year from now.
Can you work in a country that is not on your list?
Yes, through our partner network, as with France. We say this plainly: where a partner leads the case, we coordinate the process, but the depth of expertise differs from our core jurisdictions.
If a task is entirely outside our scope, we will say so on the call and, where possible, point you to someone who can help.
Who our clients are
What kinds of companies do you work with?
Manufacturers, sellers, consulting companies, import-export and logistics operators.
Do I need to travel to the country in person?
Most often, yes, in-person presence is required. In most European jurisdictions a bank requires a face-to-face meeting to open an account, and in some countries a notary also requires you to be present to register a company. Doing all of this remotely works less often than people assume.
Do you work with founders from outside the EU?
Yes. This is a significant part of Kalina Advisory's practice.
To register a company and open a bank account, the founder needs a status that gives the right to live in the chosen country, run a business there and open a bank account.
If you do not have such a status yet, we do not send you off to sort it out on your own. We have a lead partner in immigration law in Spain. For Germany, we recommend vetted immigration specialists. The legalization question is handled in parallel with the company structure: we select the residence permit type that fits your situation and plans, set the sequence of steps and coordinate both processes.
You pay the immigration specialists directly. We build the company structure around the decisions and timelines that the immigration consultant proposes.
The immigration support is handled by our partners. We remain your point of contact and make sure the two processes do not get in each other's way: the residence permit type you choose determines which company form you can register and when.
Which languages do you work in?
English, German and Russian. Correspondence with government authorities is conducted in the language of the relevant country.
Documents you need to understand and sign are provided in a language you understand, not as an original in the local language left for you to figure out on your own.
Scope and limits of our services
Are you lawyers, tax advisors or accountants?
No. Kalina Advisory is a consulting company that handles the structural side of international expansion: company formation, bank account opening, VAT number registration, bank compliance, and coordination of the process.
Where licensed expertise is required, such as a tax opinion, court representation or signing a tax return, we work with qualified specialists in the relevant jurisdiction and coordinate their work. We say this plainly instead of passing advice off as a legal opinion.
Do you do bookkeeping and file tax returns?
No. Kalina Advisory does not do bookkeeping or file tax returns. Ongoing reporting is filed by you or by your tax advisor in the relevant country. We are responsible for registration, setting up access to tax portals, correspondence with authorities and advice on completing tax returns.
Access is registered in your company's name, not ours. This means that if you change providers, you are not locked in, which unfortunately is a common situation in this market.
Do you work with founders from outside the EU?
Yes. Citizenship outside the EU does not by itself get in the way.
You need a status that allows you to live and do business in the chosen country: without it, a bank will not open an account. If you do not have one, we handle that question too for Spain and Germany.
In Spain we work with a lead partner in immigration law, and in Germany we recommend vetted immigration specialists. Legalization and company registration run in parallel. The immigration specialists are paid directly, and coordination stays with us.
For other jurisdictions we do not handle immigration matters: you need to have your status in hand before we start.
Do you guarantee that a bank account will be opened?
No, Kalina Advisory does not guarantee that a bank account will be opened, and nobody can honestly guarantee that. The decision belongs to the bank, under internal criteria it does not disclose.
What we do guarantee: a correctly prepared application package, the right bank chosen for your business activity, and applications to several banks in parallel where that is justified. More than 40 accounts have been opened to date. If the first application fails, we move on to the next.
30 minutes
Tell us what you're trying to solve. We'll tell you what it actually takes.
You explain the situation. We explain what is realistic, in what sequence, what it costs, and where the risks are.
