Romania Residence Permit

Every foreigner must obtain a Romania residence permit in order to be permitted to stay in Romania for a period longer than 90 days.

However, there are a number of prerequisites you must meet before you may apply for a resident visa in Romania. There are requirements you must satisfy before you may fly to Romania because you can only obtain a residency permit once you are there.

This page provides instructions on how a foreign individual can submit an application for a long-term residency permit in Romania.

Who Needs a Romania Residence Permit?

Everyone who enters Romania with the purpose of remaining for longer than 90 days has to get a residence permit.

Even citizens of a European Union, European Economic Area, or Switzerland need a residence permit, although the process for obtaining it is much more simplified than it is for non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens.

How Can I Get a Romania Residence Permit?

The journey to obtaining a Romania residence permit depends on your nationality.

If you are a non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizen

If you are not from an EU/EEA member state or from Switzerland, the process of obtaining a Romania residence permit depends partly on the reason you are travelling for.

Before travelling to Romania

• If you are travelling for work, your employer must get work authorization for you from the Romanian Inspectorate General for Immigration.
• If you are travelling to study, you must get authorization to study from the Romanian Ministry of Education.
• If you are travelling to join a family member, your sponsor must get authorization to bring you to Romania from the Romanian Inspectorate General for Immigration.

Applying for a Romania Long-Stay Visa

After you receive the relevant authorization from Romanian authorities, then you may apply for a Romania long-stay visa. The long-stay visa allows you to travel to Romania where you can request the Romania residence permit.

Note: You cannot request a residence permit if you have entered Romania with a short-stay visa.

Applying for the Romania Residence Permit

After you travel to Romania with a long-stay visa, you must apply for a residence permit at a local General Inspectorate for Immigration office. The Romanian immigration authorities also allow you to submit your documents online, before submitting them in-person. This is done in an effort to reduce waiting times. You can submit your Romania residence permit online application here.

A Romania residence permit application is processed within 30 days after you submit all of the required documents.

If you are an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen

EU/EEA and Swiss citizens have it much easier when it comes to getting a Romania residence permit.

If you are from the EU/EEA or Switzerland, you do not have to actually apply for a residence permit, as non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals do. You only have to register your residence at a local office of the General Inspectorate for Immigration in Romania and get a registration certificate.

If you’re not going to work in Romania to support yourself (eg. you are retired, a student, or otherwise self-sufficient) you will have to show proof you can financially support yourself in Romania otherwise.

What are the Requirements for a Romania Residence permit?

The requirements for obtaining a Romania residence permit change depending on the reason you want to live there.

Required documents for a Romania residence permit for employment

If you have travelled to Romania because you’re obtained a Romania work visa, to receive a residence permit you must submit the following documents:

• The residence permit application form
• Your original passport or other travel documents and a photocopy
• Proof of accommodation in Romania (legal ownership) – original and a copy.
• Your employment contract
• A statement regarding your salary
• A medical certificate issued by any public or private sanitary institution declaring that you do not suffer from any disease that are a threat to public health.
• Proof you have paid the residence permit fee.

Required documents for a Romania residence permit for studying

The documents you need when you apply for a Romania residence permit for studying include:

• The residence permit application form
• Your original passport or other travel documents and a photocopy
• Letter of acceptance in your educational institution
• Letter of authorization for pursuing studies in Romania
• Proof of financial means, which is at least the minimum gross salary
• A medical certificate issued by any public or private sanitary institution declaring that you do not suffer from any disease that are a threat to public health.
• Proof of accommodation
• Proof you have paid the residence permit fee.

Required documents for a Romania residence permit for family reunification

The documents needed when applying for a Romania residence permit for family reunification are:

• Documents proving family ties (birth/marriage certificates, translated and apostilled, in both original and a copy)
• An authenticated letter stating that the sponsor will live together with his/her family members.
• A letter from the sponsor declaring that the relationship is not bigamous or polygamous (for spouses).
• Proof that the sponsor has sufficient financial means to support his/her family members
• Copies of both the sponsor’s and family members’ passports
• Proof of accommodation in Romania
• Proof of social health insurance for the sponsor and the family member/s.
• A medical certificate issued by any public or private sanitary institution declaring that neither the sponsor nor the family member/s suffer from any disease that are a threat to public health.
• Proof of paid residence permit fee.

Can you extend a Romania residence permit?

Yes, you can apply for an extension of your Romanian residence permit. You have to apply for an extension at the local office of the General Inspectorate for Immigration at least three months before expiry of your current permit.

Duration and Extension of the Romania Residence Permit

The duration of the Romanian residence permit depends on the type.

For example, a residence permit for employment purposes is issued for the duration of the work contract, plus an additional three months. However, it cannot be for longer than three years.

A residence permit for studying purposes may be granted for up to a year.

A residence permit for family reunification is granted for the same duration as the residence permit of the sponsor. If the sponsor is a Romanian citizen, the residence permit is issued for up to five years.

Romania Long-term Residence Permit

You can apply for a Romanian long-term residence permit after you have lived in Romania with a temporary residence permit for at least five years. During these five years, you cannot have been outside Romania for longer than six months.

However, not all types of temporary residence permits are eligible to be converted into a long-term residence permit.  If you have lived in Romania for one of the following purposes, you cannot apply for a Romanian long-term residence permit, even if you have reached the required minimum of five years:

• As an international student
• As an asylum seeker or on humanitarian grounds
• As a seasonal worker or an au pair worker

Duration of Romanian Long-term residence permit

The duration of a long-term residence permit is five years. For the family members of Romanian citizens the Romanian long-term residence permit is valid for ten years.

How to Apply for a Romanian Long-term Residence Permit

To get a Romania long-term residence permit, you must first request the right to live in Romania long-term from the General Inspectorate for Immigration in your county. If they approve your request, you must submit the following documents:

• Application form for Romanian long-term residence permit
• The original and a photocopy of your passport or other travel document
• Proof of accommodation in Romania, the original and a copy
• Proof of sufficient financial means (except in the case of family members of Romanian citizens)
• Proof of social health insurance in Romania
• Certificate of police clearance issued by the Romanian authorities
• Any required civil status documents

Keep in mind:

This is not an exhaustive list of requirements for Romanian residence permits – it is merely a guide. Before applying check for the complete requirements with the Romanian immigration authorities in your place of residence in Romania.