How To Immigrate To Romania

Our immigration lawyer in Romania offers personalized assistance, according to the purpose of the stay, for all foreign nationals. 

Quick Facts
Entry visa requirement (from EU)  (YES/NO)	No
Entry visa requirement (outside EU) (YES/NO)	Yes, with some exceptions (Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, etc.)
Types of visas available	Short-term visa (tourism, medical tourism, sports, business, cultural activities); Long-term visa (employment, study, business, family reunification).
Time frame for obtaining work visa (approx.)	30 working days or more
Validity of temporary residence permit	Generally 1 year, renewable; for employment, the duration of the contract but no more than 2 years (3 years for highly qualified workers)
Temporary residence permit renewal requirements	The renewal is to be submitted at least 30 days before the initial permit's expiry date.
Documents for obtaining a residence permit	Application form, identification document, proof of medical insurance, accommodation and of financial means, proof of family ties (for family reunification purposes), and other permit-specific documents, as may be required.
Time frame for obtaining permanent residence (approx.)	Up to 6 months after the submission of the request (extendable by 3 months in justified cases).  One can apply for permanent residence after 5 years of lawful stay under a temporary residence permit.
Investor Visa availability	Yes, for foreign investors who will engage in economic and commercial activities (subject to conditions).
Start-up Visa Scheme availability (YES/NO)	There is no current start-up visa scheme applicable in Romania.
Sponsorship requirement (YES/NO)	No
Time frame for obtaining citizenship	Lawful and permanent stay in Romania for at least 8 years; alternatively, 5 years after marriage to a Romanian citizen.  In practice, the citizenship procedure takes more than a year.
Citizenship/Residency by investment scheme availability (YES/NO)	No
Taxation of foreign citizens	Tax residents are subject to taxation on their worldwide income; non-residents for taxation purposes are taxed only on their income derived from Romania.
Tax benefits for expats	No special tax benefits apply.
Invitation required (YES/NO)	YES, for certain countries for the short-term visa
Invitation approval	within 45 days of submission (approx.)
Duration of short-term visa (type C)	maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period, counted for the whole Schengen area (Romania has been a Schengen member since 1 January 2025); extendable only in exceptional cases (force majeure, humanitarian or serious personal reasons)
Duration of long-term visa (type D)	90 days, with one or more entries; the stay is then extended by obtaining a residence permit
Categories not eligible for long-term residence in Romania	Those with: – temporary residence permit for studying, – asylum and temporary humanitarian protection, – short-stay diplomatic purposes, – seasonal or au pair jobs.
Dual citizenship allowed (YES/NO)	YES
Family reunification for foreigners residing in Romania	Can bring their spouse, minor children and dependents.
Can foreigners buy property (YES/NO)	YES, with restrictions to agricultural land
Citizenship by naturalization	– continuously live for 8/5 years in Romania, – pass Romanian language/culture test, – have no criminal convictions, – show means of support, – swear allegiance to Romania.
Who can obtain Romanian citizenship by descent	Former Romanian citizens who lost or renounced their citizenship, and their descendants up to the second degree (art. 10 of Law 21/1991); Former citizens who lost their citizenship against their will or for reasons not imputable to them (e.g. border changes), and their descendants up to the third degree (art. 11); knowledge of Romanian is required in both cases.
Criteria for Digital Nomad Visa	Work remotely, using information technology, for a company registered outside Romania (or own such a company, registered for at least 3 years) and have an income of at least 3 times the average gross monthly salary in Romania for each of the last 6 months.
Documents needed for the Digital Nomad Visa	– proof of income, – proof of remote work, – employer company documents, – letter of intent, – medical insurance, – travel ticket, – criminal record, etc.
Special purposes for immigrating to Romania (visa D/AS)	– managing a company, – unremunerated training, – volunteering, – long-term medical treatment
Benefits of immigrating in Romania	– EU benefits, – affordable cost of living, – job opportunities, – diverse study programs, – business investments, etc.
Why choose our immigration lawyers	– personalized services, – experts in complex cases, – full support, – efficient visa application processes, – affordable prices, etc.

How can you help me if I want to immigrate to Romania?

Our Romanian law firm provides assistance and representation in a wide range of immigration matters related to:

1. short-stay visa;
2. long-stay visa;
3. long-stay residence permit in Romania;
4. business visa;
5. digital nomad visa;
6. Romanian citizenship.

Each immigration case is unique and the reasons for relocation are diverse and personal.

Seeking tailored legal assistance can be useful irrespective of your motives for relocation, be it for employment in Romania as a first-time non-EU/EEA citizen or as a foreign investor.

What must I do if I want to relocate to Romania?

Moving to Romania is a multi-step process for foreign nationals, in the sense that they must expect to fulfil two distinct phases in their relocation:

1. Gain temporary residency rights, according to the motive stipulated in their temporary residence permit application (study, employment, etc. – please see below for details);
2. Obtain permanent residency in Romania after five years of lawful stay under a renewed temporary residence permit (or less in some cases, see below).

Entering Romania is also possible for short-term purposes, not necessarily those that concern immigration, as described below.

When and how must I apply for a short-stay visa?

Short-term stays in Romania are visa-free for EU/EEA citizens, as well as citizens of Canada, Israel, Japan, the United States of America, and other countries.

Foreigners wishing to travel to Romania for a short period of time may require an entry in Romania for reasons other than immigration, with the right to an uninterrupted stay or stays not exceeding a period of 90 days in any 180-day period, counted for the whole Schengen area, of which Romania is a member since 1 January 2025.

The short-stay visa can be issued with one or more trips and is granted on condition of the fulfillment of several criteria established by law.

Short-term stays in Romania are visa-free in Romania for EU/EEA citizens, as well as citizens of Canada, Israel, Japan, the United States of America, and other countries.

A short-stay visa is granted to non-EU/EEA citizens who are not subject to the entry visa exemption, and it is issued for purposes such as:

• Visits to Romania;
• Tourism;
• Business.

If you require a visa to enter Romania, you must apply for it before you travel to the country. In the case of invitations (i.e., a natural person invites you to visit them), the expected response period is 45 days from the date of submission.

Planning accordingly to include the expected processing rates is important for all short-stay visa types, but can be especially significant for those issued for tourism purposes, as the holiday itineraries usually follow schedules. 

A short term-visa for Romania is applied for with the Romanian diplomatic mission or consular office in the applicant’s current country of origin (or that of their current lawful residence, whichever applies).

What are my options for a long-term stay in Romania?

Foreigners can be granted the right to long-term stay in Romania both as a family member of a Romanian citizen and for other purposes.

Citizens of a non-EU/EEA member state who wish to enter and remain in the country for a longer period can apply for a long-term residence permit in Romania.

The following purposes are taken into consideration for long-term residence:   

• General employment or intra-company transfers;
• Commercial or professional activities;
• Scientific research or religious activities;
• Company incorporation;
• Long-term medical treatment;
• Family reunification.

The long-term right of residence is not awarded to those who have obtained a temporary right of residence for study purposes.

If you wish to relocate to Romania permanently following your studies, our immigration lawyers can give you more details about your options.

The long-term residence permit is valid for 10 years, if you are a family member of a Romanian citizen and 5 years if your stay in Romania is motivated by other purposes, such as those listed above.

In order to be able to immigrate to Romania, a foreign national will need to apply for permanent residence once he or she has lived uninterruptedly for at least 5 years in the country, based on a temporary residence permit (which has been renewed accordingly for the duration of the aforementioned five years).

When can I apply for permanent residency in Romania?

In order to be eligible for permanent residency, the applicant cannot have accumulated more than 10 months of absence from the country during the 5-year period (nor more than 6 consecutive months).

The following documents are required for permanent residency applications:

• the filled-in application form;
• passport or other travel document (original and duplicate);
• proof of accommodation;
• proof of social health insurance;
• proof of financial means;
• criminal record and civil status documents, if applicable;
• a certificate of Romanian language competence of at least level A2, issued by an accredited institution in Romania (requirement introduced by GEO 32/2026).

Long-term residence applications have a legal processing time of no more than six months. This term can only be exceeded in justified cases, and for no more than three months.

A long-term residence permit applicant who has received a positive answer must submit the documents for the physical residence permit with the territorial formation of the General Inspectorate for Immigration where they lodged their application. This is done within 30 days of receiving their answer.

In those cases, in which the authorities refuse to grant the right of long-term residence, the applicant can submit an appeal with the Bucharest Court of Appeal within 30 days of receiving their negative answer. Our immigration lawyers in Romania can provide legal assistance in these situations.

The authorities reserve the right to ask the applicant for additional documents.

We present a short video on the general relocation process:

What are my rights as a permanent resident?

The holder of a long-term residence permit in Romania enjoys equal treatment with Romanian citizens (Directive 2003/109/EC, art. 11) in terms of:

• access to the labor market;
• education and training;
• security and social protection;
• healthcare and social care;
• tax benefits;
• access to public goods and services.

Our immigration lawyer in Romania can give you more details about these rights, as well as one’s duties whilst living, working or doing business in the country.

How can you help me with my application?

When applying for one of the types of visas described above, our immigration lawyer in Romania assigned to your case will make sure that your application documents are submitted in the correct format.

The visa application process is one based on a number of key documents, all of which need to be translated into Romanian by a sworn translator and, in some cases, even notarized.

Those who wish to move to Romania from an EU or non-EU country will need to prepare their application for a long-term visa, the one suitable for lengthy stays and, ultimately, for immigration purposes.

An immigration lawyer in Romania from our team will be assigned to your case and will handle all the necessary formalities so that you can focus on the purpose of your stay in the country.

Contact us now for more information and to schedule an appointment with our immigration lawyers from Bucharest.