Romania Visa

You may be familiar with Romania, a country in southeast Europe, as it is the origin of the Transylvanian region. Romania is known for much more than just that, but its gothic castles and mediaeval cities undoubtedly contribute significantly to its charm.

Depending on your nationality and the reason of your trip, you might need to apply for a Romanian visa in advance if you intend to visit Romania. Thankfully, Romania has simplified the visa application procedure by digitising some of it.

This article provides instructions on how to apply for a visa to Romania, lists the necessary paperwork, and addresses other frequently asked topics.

Nationals of these nations must present an invitation letter approved by the Inspectorate General for Immigration of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs when applying for a short-stay visa.

Additionally, Romanian visa requirements apply to those who do not have biometric passports and are citizens of the following nations:

• Albania
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Georgia
• Moldova*
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• Serbia
• Ukraine

Palestine and Kosovo are not recognized as states by Romania. To apply for a Romanian visa, they must also get a letter of invitation which is approved by the Inspectorate General for Immigration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Romania Visa Exemptions

Additionally, you do not need to apply for a Romania short-stay visa (up to 90 days) if you fall under one of the following categories:

• You have a valid short-stay visa, long-stay visa, or residence permit issued by a Schengen member state.*
• You have a valid short-stay visa, long-stay visa, or residence permit issued by Bulgaria, Cyprus or Croatia.*
• You have a valid long-term resident’s EC residence permit issued by an EU member country.
• You have a valid permanent residence permits issued by the UK or Ireland which is valid for at least five years.
• You are a non-EU family member of a Romanian, EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen. This only includes the spouse, children under 21, and parents who are dependent on the EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen.

*You are only allowed to stay in Romania for the remainder of the validity of your current Schengen/Bulgaria/Cyprus/Croatia visa. For example, if your visa was issued for 20 days, and you spend 10 of them elsewhere, you may only spend the remaining 10 in Romania.

What Are the Types of Romanian Visas?

Romania visas are divided into four main categories:

• The Romania Airport Transit Visa (A Type), which allows the holder to enter the international area of a Romanian airport to wait for a connecting flight to another destination.
• The Romania Transit Visa (B Type), which allows the holder to transit through the territory of Romania for a maximum of 5 days, on their way to another country.
• The Romania Short Stay Visa (C Type), which allows the holder to stay in the country for a maximum of 90 days within a six-month period. The Romania Short Stay Visa is issued for the following reasons:
  • Tourism
  • Private visit
  • Business
  • Partaking in sports activities
  • Partaking in cultural, scientific or academic events
  • Official government mission
  • Transportation
• The Romania Long Stay Visa (D Type), which allows the holder to enter Romania and request the right to stay in the country for longer than 90 days (a Romanian residence permit). As such, the visa itself is valid for no longer than 90 days, but if you receive a residence permit, you can stay in the country long-term for employment, study, or family reunification purposes, among other reasons.
  • You cannot request a Romanian residence permit if you enter the country on a short-term (C) visa.

How to Apply for a Romania Visa?

You can apply for a Romania visa in the following ways:

• By yourself. If you’re applying for a visa along with someone else, everyone has to submit their own applications. Even if you have a minor child, you must start a separate application on their behalf.
• Through a legal representative, if you are:
  • Underage
  • Traveling with a tourist group
• Through an accredited tourist agency, if you are travelling to Romania as part of an organized trip.

When can I apply for a Romania visa?

Keep in mind that you should apply for a visa at least two weeks before you intend to travel to Romania, but no earlier than three months.

Romania Visa Application Steps

When applying for a Romania visa, you have to start an online application first, and then lodge a visa application file personally at a Romanian diplomatic mission or consulate. The Romania visa application process is as follows:

Begin the application online

Start your Romania visa online application the website of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During this part of the application process, you must have access to a computer which supports the application tool, as well as to Adobe Reader or another type of PDF reader.

During the online application process, you have to answer several questions and upload electronic copies of your required documents.

All the documents you attach on the online application tool have to be in one of the following formats: jpeg, jpg, tif, png, bmp, txt, rtf or pdf. They cannot exceed the size of 2 MB, and must be in either English or Romanian (if they are not, translate them by an authorized translator).

Submit the documents at the Romanian consulate/embassy

When applying for a Romania visa, you must have several documents which support your application. You must have the originals of all the documents you submitted online when you appear at the Romanian consulate.

The Romanian consular services review your application, inform you of the outcome and tell you whether you need any additional documents. Bring copies of the required documents when you travel to Romania, because the immigration officers may ask to see them before deciding whether to allow you entry into the country.

Schedule and attend a Romania visa appointment

Once your application is validated (it says “Valid” on the online application), the Romanian consular services set up an appointment when you must appear in person before the Romanian consulate to get your original documents verified and lodge your Romania visa application file.

At the appointment, you have to pay the Romania visa processing fee.

Wait for processing

You can use the online application service to check on the status of your application.

The Romanian consular staff will inform you when you can go back to the consulate to receive the results of your visa.

If your Romania visa is approved, they will affix it on your passport, and you are allowed to travel to Romania.

Romania visa application for the family members of EU/EEA citizens

If you are an immediate family member of a Romanian or another EU/EEA/Swiss national, you don’t have to apply for a Romania visa via the method described above. You can simply submit an application at a Romanian consulate or diplomatic mission during opening hours. In this case, they will process your application free of charge and through a quicker procedure. You need the following documents with you:

• The Romania visa application form.
• Your valid passport.
• Proof of family ties.
• The passport/ID of your EU/EEA/Swiss family member.

Can you Apply for a Romania Visa From Another Country?

Yes, you can. In some cases, you may have no other choice.

You can only submit a Romania visa application to the consulate or diplomatic mission of Romania. If there is no Romanian consulate/diplomatic mission in your country, you will have to travel to another, nearby country to do so.

However, you can only submit the Romania visa application in the Romanian consulate/mission that is in a country where you are a citizen or a legal resident. In case there’s no Romanian mission in the country you live in, submit the application to the Romanian diplomatic mission that has accreditation over your country of residence.

You cannot submit a Romania visa application in the Romania consulate or mission of a country for which you have a tourist visa, except in emergencies.

How Long Does it Take to Process a Romania Visa?

The time it takes for a Romania visa to be processed may be between 10-14 days working days or longer. The Romania visa processing time depends on the specific case.

As such, the Romanian immigration authorities advice that you apply at least 2 weeks before you intend to travel, but not earlier than three months.

If you are applying for a long-stay visa, you should apply a minimum of 45 days before you intend to travel.

How Much is the Romania Visa Fee?

When you submit your visa application at the Romanian consulate or diplomatic mission, you must also pay a non-refundable Romania visa processing fee. The fees for a Romania visa are as follows:

• Short-Stay Visa: €80
• Long-Stay Visa: €120
• Airport Transit Visa: €80
• Transit Visa: €80

Nationals of the following countries pay a reduced Romania visa fee (€40):

• Albania
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Georgia
• Montenegro
• Russian Federation
• Ukraine

Nationals of the following countries do not have to pay a Romania visa processing fee:

• Republic of Moldova
• Republic of North Macedonia
• Serbia

Do I Need Something Other Than a Visa to Enter Romania?

Yes, you need permission form immigration officers at border points.

A Romanian visa does not allow you to automatically enter the country. You will still have to go through immigration control at the border points. It is the immigration officers who ultimately decide whether you can enter, so you must have all the documents necessary to convince them.

They will want to see proof you will leave after your visa ends, how long you will stay, and what you are travelling for.

So, it is best that you carry copies of the documents you submitted for the visa application with you.

Is Romania Part of Schengen?

No, Romania is not currently part of the Schengen Area, which ecompasses 26 European countries that have established visa and border control-free travel between them.

However Romania, along with Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Croatia, is set to join the Schengen Agreement in the near future.

These four countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Croatia) however, do allow visa holders to travel among them, even if they only have a visa for one of the countries.

Can You Enter the Schengen Area With a Romania Visa?

No, since Romania is not part of the Schengen Agreement yet, a Romanian visa does not allow the holder to travel to or enter any country in the Schengen Zone. If you hold a Romanian visa and want to enter the Schengen countries, you may need to apply for a Schengen visa.

A Romania visa only allows the holder to enter and stay in Romania or Bulgaria, Cyprus and Croatia, under the conditions of Decision No 565/2014/EU of the European Parliament.

Can You Enter Romania if You Have a Schengen Visa?

Yes, the Romanian government allows the holder of a valid Schengen visa to enter Romania, provided that the Schengen visa is still valid and has at least two more entries. You can only stay in Romania with a Schengen visa for the time that the visa is issued for or the time you have left.

You can also enter Romania if you already have a valid visa that was issued by Bulgaria, Cyprus or Croatia, under the conditions of Decision No 565/2014/EU of the European Parliament.

What If I Want To Stay in Romania for More than 90 Days?

Anyone who wants to travel to Romania to stay for a period longer than 90 days, has to apply for a Romania long stay visa, except EU/EEA/Swiss nationals.