For non-European Union citizens looking to work in Romania, it is necessary to find and employer who will decide to hire you – and who will get an approval from the Romanian Government. Citizens of countries outside either the European Union or the European Economic Area who would like to be employed in Romania need to first find an employer. After the employer has made the decision to hire you, they will need to acquire an approval of employment in Romania for you – work authorization for highly-qualified employees. You can be an employee in Romania of:

• a single employer
• a person
• a legal entity

Your employer will receive the approval of employment in Romania from one of the territorial units of the General Inspectorate for Immigration (GII) in the county where they have registered their headquarters, by submitting a series of documents that depend on the type of activity you want to carry out in Romania.

You can also apply for a work authorization for highly-qualified workers if you already hold a Blue Card in another EU country. Your application will be evaluated within 15 days.

At the issuance of the employment approval, the employer will pay RON (Romanian leu) as follows:

• RON ~EUR 100 for hiring a permanent employee, deployed worker, cross-border worker, trainee worker, high-skilled worker, au pair
• RON ~EUR 25 for seasonal workers
• RON ~EUR 25 for a foreign holder of a right of temporary residence for studies after graduation or holder of temporary residence for family reunification, as well as in case of changing the employer or the title at the same employer

 

In order for a foreign person to be able to legally work in Romania, he must have a Work Permit or Notice. According to the EU laws, European Union citizens or European Economic Area are equal to Romanian citizens and don’t need work permit, but third country national citizens can only work in Romania after obtaining a long stay visa, residence and work permit.

 

Obtaining a Work Permit:

There are several types of work permits for foreigners in Romania:

• seasonal work
• trainees
• permanent work
• cross-border work
• athletes
• nominal work permit

It depends on the category of the job, but generally, a temporary stay permit can be extended up to 12 months, while some highly experienced workers can stay up to 2 years.

The criteria necessary for all types of work permits are:

• no criminal record
• a medical certificate showing fitness to work
• being within the annual quota approved by governmental decision for issuance of work permits
• meeting training and experience requirements from your employer
• proof that the job cannot be filled by any European Union, Romanian or European Economic Area citizen (this proof comes from the employer)

Some foreign citizens are allowed to work in Romania without a work visa, if they meet these criteria:

• they have a residence permit for studies
• they are European Economic Area or European Union citizens from a country with which Romania has an agreement for labor market access
• they were granted protection or have a permanent residence in Romania
• they are deployed in Romania
• they have a Romanian citizen in their direct family
• they have a residence permit or conduct specific or scientific activities under a bilateral agreement

Applying for a work permit:

The application process is filled out and followed and paid for by the employer (fees at the GII, General Inspectorate of Immigration). The submission and issuance process takes a month. It is the obligation on the side of the employer to keep all of the documentation about the employee. The employee meanwhile should have a certified copy of the work permit or residence permit in order to work.

Your employer needs the following documents:

• CV
• affidavit confirming no criminal record
• medical certificate – employees fitness for the position
• minimal Romanian language knowledge
• graduation diploma, scientific certification and validation certificate from the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research – all translated and certified
• identification document or passport, alongside the long stay visa – copy and original
• current tax and medical registration certificate
• up-to-date photographs

The different types of work and corresponding necessary detailed documentation required by the government to obtain a work visa:

• permanent employee – foreigner employed in Romania with individual contract of indefinite duration or fixed term concluded with an employer based on the work permit – list of necessary documents
• trainee worker – foreigner employed on the territory of Romania on the basis of a vacancy notice, a holder of a higher education diploma or a form of higher education in a third country, who participates on the territory of Romania for an internship program of a duration with a view to improving vocational training or obtaining a vocational qualification as well as improving language and cultural knowledge – list of necessary documents
• seasonal worker – foreigner who maintains his main residence in a third country, but legally and temporarily lives in Romania, being employed on the territory of Romania with an individual fixed-term employment contract, concluded with an employer on the basis of the employment notice, in order to provide an activity that takes place according to the succession of the seasons – list of necessary documents
• cross-border worker – the foreigner, citizen of a state which has a common border with Romania and lives in the border area of ​​the respective State, employed in a border town on the Romanian territory with individual contract of indefinite or limited duration, concluded with an employer, based on the work permit – list of necessary documents
• highly qualified worker – a foreigner employed in Romania in a highly skilled job, with individual contract of indefinite duration or fixed term of at least one year concluded with an employer based on the work permit – list of necessary documents
• ICT worker (person transferred within the same company) – the foreigner who lives in a third country at the date of submission of the application for the posting permit and who is subject to a transfer within the same company – list of necessary documents
• au pair worker – foreigner temporarily employed by a host family on the territory of Romania to improve their language skills and competences in exchange for easy domestic and child care – list of necessary documents

After the GII issues the work permit the employer sends you the document, and you the employee apply for the long term visa at the consular office or diplomatic mission – within 60 days from the date of the work permit issuance.

How To Obtain Visa

In order to obtain the long stay visa for employment you must submit these documents to the consular office or diplomatic mission:

• copy of the work permit issued by the General Inspectorate for Immigration (or if 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 residence
• medical insurance valid through the duration of the visa

The visa fee is 120 euro and is paid in the State where you make the request. The long stay visa is granted for a period of 90 days, with one or more trips.

Temporary residence and work permit – the EU Blue Card

To extend your right to stay and work in Romania (granted initially through the long stay visa for employment) you must apply for an EU Blue Card at the territorial bureau of the GII. The EU Blue Card allows you to work and stay in Romania for the duration of your work contract plus and additional 3 months, and for a maximum period of 2 years and 3 months. To be able to get the EU Blue Card, you must present this documentation to the General Inspectorate of Immigration:

• your work contract with a salary of at least 4x the national average gross wage
• medical certificate proving your fitness to work
• valid travel document

Company Formation and Business Visa

Romania is one of Europe’s most encouraging locations for foreign investors looking to set up a new company. Romania applies a homogeneous taxation of 16% on profits, low incorporation and maintenance costs. Nightclubs and gambling operations are the exception taxed at least 5% of gross revenue. Corporation tax is much lower for micro-companies, defined as businesses with annual turnover of less than 100 thousand euro and with fewer than 10 employees. For these companies, corporation tax is presently at 3%. If you have 1 employee it drops to 2% and if you have 2 or more employees the tax drops to 1%.

The main forms of business entity in Romania are:

• limited liability company (SRL)
  • between 1 and 50 shareholders
  • shareholders are Romanian or foreigners
  • low administrative and reporting requirements
  • minimum share capital is 50 euro (provided the business has no more than 50 shareholders)
• joint stock company (SA)
  • if company is involved in banking or insurance – joint stock company is the obligatory form
  • minimum of 5 shareholders and 1 director
  • needs 3 censors to oversee financial reporting
  • minimum share capital is 25 000 euro of which at least 30% needs to be paid up
• partnership
• branch
• representative office

Company Registration

The institution that handles company registration in Romania, both in the case of Romanian-owned and of foreign-owned companies, is the National Office of the Trade Register subordinated to the Ministry of Justice.

An investment visa if you invest in an existing or new local business or buy a property. Requirements for obtaining an investment visa in Romania – in Romania you need to invest 100 thousand euro in order to be granted the investor visa.

Firstly, to obtain a Romanian investment visa you must receive a 1 year residence permit. In order to do that, applicants must receive an endorsement from the Romanian Center for the Promotion of Foreign Investments. These residence permits are granted to applicants who are or will become shareholders or associates, in management and administration positions, within companies which have legal personality in Romania. The conditions that must be met are opening or investing in an existing business to create minimum 10 permanent jobs for at least 5 years.

Applicants have to provide proof of legal ownership over the space for the office and show proof of monthly income of 500 euro for associates and 700 Euro for shareholders for the period of the stay. The residence permit is renewable for succeeding 1 year periods. The condition for extending the residence permit varies according to the amount invested and the number of jobs created. For investments of at least 200 thousand euro or in case at least 25 workplaces were created, the proof of the means of subsistence is no longer necessary. If the investment made by the applicant reaches at least 500 thousand euro or they have created at least 50 full-time jobs, their residence right will be extended by 3 years. There are no special requirements with respect to business experience or training, but you will have to create a business plan that includes the full value of your investment, where you plan to invest and the number of jobs that you want to create. You will have 12 months to make the investment proper and a three year projection of your business growth.

The business visa (symbol C/A) – issued to third-state citizens who are to travel to Romania for economic or commercial purposes, for contracts or negotiations, for training local employees or checking the use and operation of goods acquired or sold under commercial and industrial co-operation contracts, as well as to third-state citizens who are or will become associates or shareholders of trading companies in Romania. The C/A type visa is issued to foreigners who wish to stay in Romania temporarily for business or work-related reasons. Association with Romanian companies is also sufficient reason to be granted a business visa as long as the documents that support the fact are available when applying for the visa.

E-VISA – filling-in a visa application online and attaching the required documents

The Embassy issues business visas only for well documented situations and for short periods of stay. Obtaining a business – C/A visa, short stay, detailed documentation necessary:

• passport valid at least three months beyond intended period of stay
• ID card copy
• 2 recent color photographs 3 cm x 4 cm, on a white background
• filled in visa application form
• letter of certification of employment
• supporting documents to prove reason for the trip to Romania
• booking of a two-way flight ticket to Romania
• medical insurance valid in Romania, covering one day longer beyond the intended period of stay and of a value not less than 30 000 euro
• an invitation in original from a company or public authority for participation in meetings, conferences, fairs or congresses related to trade or industry, stating that the respective company or public authority will cover the repatriation expenses, should the invited third-country national not leave Romania before the expiry of their right of stay granted through the visa or through any other documents attesting the purpose of the journey
• proof of financial means in amount of 50 euro a day for the entire period, but not less than 500 euro or the equivalent in convertible currency
• proof of accommodation

Obtaining a long-stay visa for economic activities (D/AE), granted to third-state nationals who will carry out economic activities on the territory of Romania. Qualifying investments are businesses or commercial activities through a new or existing Romanian company that create 10 permanent jobs in sectors such as real estate, manufacturing, production, agriculture, Information Technology, chemicals, metals, energy or automotive sectors. Required documentation at the diplomatic missions or the consular offices:

• the official letter of approval of the Ministry of Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises and Business Environment (MEIMMMA)
• proof of professional training
• travel medical insurance that covers the entire duration of the requested period of stay
• criminal record or any other document of equivalent legal value, issued by the authorities from the visa applicant’s country of residence
• valid travel document accepted by Romania, on which a visa can be affixed. The validity of the travel document must exceed the validity of the visa you apply for, by at least 3 months, and must have been issued no later than 10 years ago
• 2 recent 3 x 4 cm colored photographs

RESIDENCE PERMIT, After Entering Romania.

It certifies your right to stay in Romania and you can get it at the territorial units of the General Inspectorate for Immigration in the county where you live. To obtain a residence permit you will personally submit a number of documents at least 30 days before the expiration of the period of stay, granted by visa. You also have the possibility to submit documents and through the online application.

For the first extension of the right of residence (obtaining the first residence permit) for commercial activities, you must submit the following documents:​

• application
• border crossing document (passport, travel document, etc.) in original and copy
• confirmation of company details
• notice of the Romanian Centre for the Promotion of Foreign Investments
• the Company’s registration certificate (original and copy)
• articles of incorporation (original and copy)
• registration court order (original and copy)
• proof of financial means (amounting to 500 euro a month for associates and 700 euro a month for shareholders during validity of the issued permit)
• proof of legal possession for the registered office (original and copy)
• proof of legal possession for the registered residence address (original and copy)
• proof of social insurance
• medial certificate
• declaration
• fees – the equivalent value (in Lei) of 120 euro

The residence permit is renewed at least 30 days before the expiration of the previous one. For further extension of the right of residence (getting a new residence permit), you must submit the following documents:​

• application
• border crossing document (passport, travel document, etc.) in original and copy
• confirmation of company details
• the specialized technical approval issued by the Ministry of Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship showing that the company’s activity was conducted in accordance with the business plan
• registrations mentions
• certificate containing the main financial indicators;
• certificate issued by the competent Labor Territorial Inspectorate, proving the number of persons employed full-time, according to the law
• proof of financial means (Amounting to 500 euro a month for associates and 700 euro a month for shareholders during validity of the issued permit)
• proof of legal possession for the registered office (original and copy)
• proof of legal ownership of living space (original and copy)
• proof of social insurance
• medical certificate
• fees

Issuing of the residence permit takes up to 30 days.

The right of temporary residence for commercial activities is extended for successive periods of 1 year. In case of foreigners who prove they have made a minimum investment of 500 thousand euro or created more than 50 full-time jobs, the right to stay lasts for 3 years.

In case of investments of at least 150 thousand euro or creation of at least 25 jobs, proof of means of support can be made with other legal documents.