Moving to Romania

A valid work contract or binding job offer for highly qualified employment of at least one year's duration; for a regulated profession, documents showing the national legal requirements are met, and for an unregulated one, the relevant higher professional qualifications; a valid travel document; sickness insurance (or proof of having applied for it); no threat to public policy. The gross salary must be at least twice the average gross salary in Romania, and the EU Immigration Portal gives EUR 2,743 (RON 13,578) as the threshold Romania set for 2023 - because the threshold follows the average salary, confirm the current figure before applying. Romania applies no labour market test. The card is issued for the duration of the employment contract plus three months, up to a maximum of two years, and national law sets a maximum processing time of 30 days.

The visa needs means of support from that work of at least three times the average gross monthly earnings in Romania (câştigul salarial mediu brut lunar) for each of the 6 months before the application and for the whole period of the visa (OUG 194/2002 art. 49(1)(f^1)). The law states the threshold as that multiple, not as a euro figure, so confirm the current reference amount with the Romanian mission before applying. The application also needs an employment contract with a company registered outside Romania showing the services are provided remotely, or proof of owning for at least three years a company registered outside Romania that the applicant runs remotely; a document from that company giving its identification and contact data, its field of activity, the applicant's participation in it and its legal representatives; a letter of intent; a document from the competent public authority of the place of tax residence attesting that taxes, duties and other compulsory contributions are paid up; a travel booking (or, for a driver, the vehicle documents and itinerary); medical insurance with cover of at least EUR 30,000; proof of accommodation; and a criminal-record certificate, the foreign documents with a certified Romanian translation (art. 49(2^1)). In Romania the first extension of the right of residence is for 6 months, and later extensions need a certificate of income from the competent tax authority (art. 69(7)); every extension needs income of at least three times the average gross monthly earnings (art. 69(3)). Every extension must also meet the general conditions of art. 50(2), among them proof that the applicant lawfully holds the living space at the address they declare as their residence in Romania and actually lives there, and proof of social health insurance (at the first extension, health insurance covering all the risks normally covered for Romanian citizens is accepted) (art. 50(2)(f)-(g)). Family reunification needs a sponsor holding a residence permit valid for one year (art. 46(1)), which the first six-month permit is not. This residence is not among the kinds the law excludes from long-term residence (art. 70(2)), so it counts toward the five years art. 71(1)(a) requires.

Since 27 April 2026 (OUG 32/2026) the long-stay work visa is issued on a single application filed on the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform: by the employer alone for highly qualified workers and the other categories listed in art. 27^1 of OUG 194/2002 (visa D/AM1), and, for other permanent, seasonal and cross-border workers (visa D/AM2), by an authorised placement agency for foreigners or by an authorised employer (arts. 27^2 and 44(2)). For a D/AM2 visa the occupation must be on the shortage-occupation list (Lista ocupaţiilor deficitare), the worker must have the training and experience the job requires, the full-time employment contract must be registered in REGES-ONLINE at a salary of at least the guaranteed minimum gross wage, and the application carries travel medical insurance with cover of at least EUR 30,000, a criminal-record certificate and proof of means at the level of the minimum gross wage for 90 days (art. 27^2). A D/AM2 visa is issued only while the annual government quota of newly admitted workers is not exhausted (art. 44(6)); for 2026 that is the quota set by Government Decision (HG) 1.169/2025. IGI checks the admissibility conditions within at most 30 days of the single application, and the application is decided within at most 30 days of the worker appearing at the Romanian mission (art. 44(10) and (14)). In Romania the right of temporary residence for work is extended for the length of the employment contract, up to 2 years, or for a highly qualified worker the contract plus 3 months, up to 3 years (art. 56(2)-(3)), on a full-time contract paying at least the guaranteed minimum gross wage, or at least average gross earnings for a highly qualified worker (art. 56(1)). A worker who changes employer applies for an extension without a new visa (art. 56(9)(e)). Every extension must also meet the general conditions of art. 50(2), among them proof that the worker lawfully holds the living space at the address they declare as their residence in Romania and actually lives there (not required of a cross-border worker), and proof of social health insurance (at the first extension, health insurance covering all the risks normally covered for Romanian citizens is accepted) (art. 50(2)(f)-(g)). Long-term residence needs five years of continuous temporary residence with no absence of more than 6 consecutive months or 10 months in total, means at the minimum gross wage for at least 12 months, health insurance, housing and at least a satisfactory level of Romanian, among the conditions of art. 71(1).

The visa application needs proof of acceptance issued by the Ministry of Education for full-time study at an accredited or provisionally authorised state or private higher-education institution; proof that tuition is paid for at least one year of study; means of support of at least the guaranteed minimum gross wage per month for the whole period of the visa; a criminal-record certificate; medical insurance with cover of at least EUR 30,000; the consent of a parent or guardian if the student is a minor; and proof of knowledge of the language the programme is taught in, except for the preparatory year of Romanian (OUG 194/2002 art. 45(2)(a)). In Romania the right of residence is extended for the total length of the studies plus 3 months, on proof of full-time enrolment and of means at the minimum gross wage for at least 6 months (art. 58(1)(a)); a student who has not finished in that time may be given up to one more year (art. 58(1^1)). Every extension must also meet the general conditions of art. 50(2), among them proof that the student lawfully holds the living space at the address they declare as their residence in Romania and actually lives there, and proof of social health insurance (at the first extension, health insurance covering all the risks normally covered for Romanian citizens is accepted) (art. 50(2)(f)-(g)). A student may work only part-time, up to 6 hours a day (art. 132^1(2)). After graduating, the right of residence can be extended by 9 months to look for work or open a business (art. 58(4)), and a graduate can move to a residence right for work without a new visa (art. 56(9)(a)). A student holding a residence permit valid for one year can apply for family reunification with, among others, a spouse and unmarried minor children (art. 46(1)). Residence for studies does not itself lead to long-term residence (art. 70(2)(a)), and only half of the time spent studying counts toward the five years another residence right needs (art. 71(1)(a)(iii)).

Documentary proof of the ancestor's Romanian citizenship and of the line of descent (birth, marriage and civil status records, often from pre-1940 Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina or interwar Romania); age 18 or over; good conduct with no conviction that makes the applicant unworthy; and loyalty to the Romanian state. Since Legea 14/2025 the applicant must also prove knowledge of Romanian - a language certificate at level B1 or higher, or a certified transcript showing at least three years of secondary-school or university study in Romanian - unless they were themselves a Romanian citizen and are regaining that citizenship, or are 65 or older on the day they file. Applications go to the Citizenship Commission of the National Citizenship Authority, and may be lodged at a Romanian diplomatic mission or consulate in the country where the applicant is domiciled or legally resident. There is no residence requirement. The law allows the Commission up to two years from registration to report on an application, extendable by up to six months where documents must be authenticated, and any doubt about whether a condition is met leads to rejection. Because Romania is an EU member state, success confers EU citizenship.