Short-stay visa
What you should know if you wish to travel to Romania for a short period of time and are a national of a State which requires a visa, you must obtain a short-stay visa (symbol C).
Its duration is of 90 days within any period of 180 days preceding each day of stay in Romania.
Certain citizens are exempted from visa
1. ALBANIA (*) 30. MICRONEZIA (24) 2. ANDORA 31. MONACO 3. ANTIGUA and BARBUDA (1) 32. MUNTENEGRO (*) 4. ARGENTINA 33. NAURU (7) 5. AUSTRALIA 34. NEW ZEELAND 6. BAHAMAS (2) 35. NICARAGUA 7. BARBADOS (3) 36. PALAU (19) 8. BOSNIA and HERTEGOVINA (*) 37. PANAMA 9. BRAZILIA 38. PARAGUAI 10. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM 39. PERU (20) 11. CANADA 40. SAINT LUCIA (11) 12. COLUMBIA (18) 41. SAINT VINCENT AND GRENADINE (12) 13. CHILE 42. SALVADOR 14. SOUTH KOREA 43. SAMOA (13) 15. COSTA RICA 44. SAN MARINO 16. DOMINICA (9) 45. SEYCHELLE (5) 17. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (8) 46. SERBIA [excepting holder of passports issued by the former Republic of Yugoslavia of Macedonia (*) 47. SOLOMON ISLANDS (25) 19. GRENADA (10) 48. SINGAPORE 20. GUATEMALA 49. SAIT CHAIR 21. HONDURAS 50. SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS (6) 22. ISRAEL 51. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 23. JAPAN 52. EAST TIMOR (16) 24. KIRIBATI (21) 53. TONGA (17) 25. MALAYSIA 54. TRINIDAD and TOBAGO (14) 26. MARSHALL ISLANDS (22) 55. TUVALU (23) 27. MAURITIUS (4) 56. URUGUAY 28. MEXIC 57. VANUATU (15) 29. MOLDOVA (*) 58. VENEZUELA
Visa types
Tourism
Visit
Business
Transport
Sport Activities
Cultural, scientific, humanitarian, medical treatment of short duration or other activities that do not breach Romanian laws
Long-stay visa
If you want to stay in Romania more than 90 days, you need to apply for a long-stay visa and thereafter for one of the residency permits categories, depending on the type of visa you obtained. For example if you get a business visa, you cannot get a residency permit in Romania for work purposes. It needs to be in the same category.
The long-stay entitles one person to come in Romania and apply for the residence for:
Business activities
Work
Studies
Family reunification
Scientific research
Other purposes
Residency for business activities
Citizens which are non-EU and non-EEA need to be a shareholder or a member with management or administration board of a company and obtain approval of the Ministry of Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises and Business Environment (MEIMMMA). Certain citizens of highly developed countries are exempted from this approval. For more details, ask us.
The residency permit will be obtained from the local offices of the General Inspectorate for Immigration in the city where you live.
To obtain a residence permit you will personally submit documents (some in original, some in simple copy) at least 30 days before the expiration of the period of stay right in Romania provided in your visa.
You will need to prepare:
application;
confirmation of company details;
notice of the Romanian Centre for the Promotion of Foreign Investments;
your company’s incorporation certificate
articles of association
proof of legal possession for the registered office
contract over the residency address either free title agreement or a lease agreement
proof of social insurance;
medical certificate;
declaration;
fees
Residency for professional activities
Are you a citizen of a country outside the European Union and European Economic Area and would like to pursue professional activities in Romania?
After entering Romania you must obtain a residence permit. It certifies your right to stay in Romania and you can obtain it from the territorial units of the General Inspectorate for Immigration from the county you live in. To obtain a residence permit, you will submit personally a series of documents at least 30 days before the expiry of the right to stay granted by the visa.
To extend the right of residence (obtaining the residence permit) for professional activities you must submit the following documents:
application;
the border crossing document (passport, travel document, etc.) in original and duplicate;
proof that you effectively exercise the professional activity under the conditions described by the special law;
proof of means of support amounting to at least the average monthly gross salary for the period during which you are requesting the extension of the right to stay;
proof of legal ownership of the living space (original and copy);
proof of social health insurance;
medical certificate;
fees
Residency for employment and secondment
If you are a non-EU and non-EEA citizen you will be able to be hired or assigned/seconded in Romania only after your employer obtains a work permit. After the work permit is obtained, you will be able to apply for a n employment/assignment visa.
Your employer shall obtain the work permit from the territorial offices of the General Inspectorate for Immigration from the city where the employer’s offices are located.
Conditions for obtaining the employment permit
For obtaining the work permit, the employer will pay a fee in RON of approximately 100 EUR for permanent employees, 25 EUR for seasonal ones or if it is for a foreigner who is a holder of a temporary residence permit for studies, or for a foreigner having temporary residence permit for family reunification.
Certain citizens are exempted from obtaining a work permit.
Work permit conditions
The vacant positions cannot be filled by Romanian citizens of EU Member States / EEA or by permanent residents in Romania
You meet the specific training, work experience and authorization conditions
You prove that you are medically capable to engage in the respective activity
You do not have a criminal record incompatible with the work that you are doing or are going to exercise in Romania
You fall within the annual quota approved by Government Decision
The employer has no unpaid obligations to the state
The employer carries out activities compatible with the job for which the foreigner is required to work;
The employer / beneficiary of the service was not punished for undeclared work or illegal employment during the last 6 months prior to the settlement of the application for permanent / seasonal / trainees / cross-border / trained / au pair / detached / ICT workers.
You don’t have to meet the requirements stipulated above, if:
you are administrator of a company with foreign participation and you are the only person appointed to this position
you are a professional athlete and you have proof that you pursued a similar activity in another country
you seek a work permit for cross-border workers
you seek a work permit for seasonal workers
Long stay visa for employment purposes
In order to obtain the long stay visa for employment you must submit the following documents:
Copy of the work permit issued by the General Inspectorate for Immigration or, where appropriate, documents to prove that the applicant falls into the categories of foreigners who can be hired without a work permit
Proof of financial means of support equal to the minimum gross salary guaranteed in payment for the entire period inscribed on the visa
Criminal record certificate or other document with the same legal value issued by the authorities of the State of domicile or residence
Medical insurance valid through the duration of the visa;
Residence Permit for Employment Purposes
This is the document certifies your right to stay in Romania and to work here and you can get it from the offices the General Inspectorate for Immigration in the county where you live. In order to obtain a single permit or a EU Blue Card, you will personally submit a number of documents at least 30 days before the expiry of the right to stay granted by the visa.
The documents include: proof of contract for the residency address, the employment agreement, the excerpt from the employees’ registry, medical certificate, fees, etc.
Residency for family reunification
You can be granted family reunification as a citizen of a country outside the European Union and European Economic Area only if you are the holder of a temporary residence permit valid for one year, of a EU Blue Card, of an ICT permit, of a “Mobile ICT” permit, of a long-term residence permit or if you are a beneficiary of refugee status or of subsidiary protection.
For whom you can request family reunification
As a sponsor, you can request family reunification for the husband / wife, for your unmarried minor children or for those of your spouse, including the adopted children for whom you or your spouse provide. Yours or your spouse’s 1st degree relatives in ascending line can also come on the basis of the reunification of the family, if they cannot provide for themselves and do not enjoy proper family support in the home country. Also, the family reunification can be made for yours or your spouse’s adult unmarried children, in case they cannot provide for themselves for medical reasons.
Applying for family reunification
The first step in order to bring your family in Romania consists in obtaining the IGI favorable opinion. For this you must submit a number of documents to the territorial units of the General Inspectorate for Immigration in the county where you live.
Here’s a list of those documents:
application;
the marriage certificate / birth certificate or, where appropriate, proof of kinship, issued by the competent authorities, translated and legalized or apostilled according to the law
the statement in authenticated form which establishes that the family members will live together with you
copy of the document certifying your right to stay in Romania
proof of legal ownership of the living space per house declared normal for a similar family in Romania
proof of the means of support;
proof of your insurance in social health insurance system
the written statement of the person sharing joint custody of the minor child for whom the sponsor is requesting family reunification, by which they give their consent for the child to live with the sponsor in Romania
copy of the travel document for the family member for whom family reunification is requested
Settlement of the request is done within 3 months from the submission date.
The next step is obtaining the long stay visa for family reunification, from the diplomatic missions and consular offices of Romania in the state where your family members reside.
Residency for other purposes
If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU and EEA and you want to stay in Romania for a period of time for other purposes, you must meet a number of conditions, according to the chosen purpose.
What do other purposes mean? It include administrator of a company, for unpaid training or as a volunteer, for long-term medical treatment or for other activities that do not breach Romanian laws.
How long is valid your residency?
The residence permit for non-EU and non-EEA is valid for 1-year period renewed at least 30 days before the expiration of the previous one.
