Romania Residence Permit: Types, Requirements and How to Apply

If you plan to live and work in Romania for more than 90 days, the first thing you need is a Romanian residence permit — the biometric card, issued by the General Inspectorate for Immigration, that certifies your right to reside in the country. For non-EU workers, the process is sequential: a work permit, then a long-stay visa, then the residence permit. This guide explains the permit types, who qualifies, the documents you need, how to apply, the fees, the important 2026 changes, and how to build toward permanent residence and citizenship.

In short, a non-EU worker needs a work permit from the immigration inspectorate, within an annual quota, then a long-stay visa, then a residence permit — three authorisations that must all be in order. Romania is an EU member, joined the Schengen Area fully in 2025, and uses the leu. A 2026 reform moves work applications onto a single online platform. Permanent residence is granted after five years, and Romania allows dual citizenship.

What is a Romanian residence permit?

A Romanian residence permit is a biometric identity card issued by the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI), under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, that certifies a non-EU national’s right to reside in Romania for a specific period. It is your main legal ID and, for workers, follows a work permit and a long-stay visa. Romania is an EU member and completed its Schengen accession, including land borders, in 2025, but it uses its own currency, the leu. Because Romania is in the Schengen Area, the card also allows short-stay travel across Schengen. EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens have free movement and are required to register their residence with the inspectorate. The permit is renewed periodically and builds toward permanent residence over five years.

Types of residence permits in Romania

The main routes for non-EU nationals are:

• Temporary residence for employment: held after a work permit and a long-stay work visa — the standard route for workers.
• EU Blue Card: for highly qualified workers with a degree and a qualifying salary.
• Temporary residence for study, family reunification, business or other grounds.
• Permanent residence is reached after five years of continuous residence.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens register their residence rather than holding a permit.

Who can apply?

Any non-EU national with a genuine job offer can apply, with the employer taking the first step. The employer — which must have been active in the field for at least a year and free of undeclared-work penalties — applies for a work permit within the annual quota, set at 90,000 for 2026. The role must pass a labour market test showing it cannot be filled by a Romanian, EU or EEA national or a permanent resident. The EU Blue Card is for graduates in higher-qualification roles above a salary threshold. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens live and work here.

Do you need a visa first?

Yes, and the order matters. The employer first obtains the work permit from the inspectorate; you then have 60 days to apply for a long-stay (D or AM) visa for employment at a Romanian embassy; after arriving, you apply for the residence permit at the inspectorate within 90 days. You cannot travel to Romania first and then seek a work permit. From August 2026, work applications move onto the WorkinRomania online platform, combining the work permit and the work visa in one process. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens instead register their residence. Confirm your entry requirements before you travel.

Documents you need

Prepare a complete, well-organised package — several 2026 rules are exacting:

• A valid passport and your long-stay visa
• Your employment contract, now drafted bilingually in Romanian and your language
• Proof of qualifications, translated and validated by the Ministry of Education
• A medical certificate and a clean criminal-record certificate
• Health insurance valid across the EU, covering emergencies and repatriation
• Proof of means and of accommodation

Documents issued abroad must be officially translated into Romanian and notarised. Confirm the current checklist with the inspectorate before submitting.

Establish your legal purpose.

The work permit is the foundation, and it is quota-controlled and employer-initiated: the employer submits the application with the labour market evidence, including the national employment agency’s vacancy record, and the inspectorate decides within about thirty days, extendable by fifteen if further checks are needed. The application must fall within the year’s quota, so employers should check availability early. From 2026, salaries of non-EU workers must be paid by bank transfer, and placement-agency rules will be tightened. The purpose must be genuine and documented.

Register and get your CNP.

When your residence is granted, you receive a personal numeric code (CNP) — a thirteen-digit identifier issued once and used on all your Romanian documents. You apply for the residence permit at the territorial office of the inspectorate for your area, within 90 days of arrival, where you are photographed and fingerprinted, and you should register your address. The decision is generally made within thirty days. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens instead receive a registration certificate, often quickly. Keep your details current throughout your stay. The personal numeric code stays with you for life in Romania and changes only if you later acquire Romanian citizenship.

How to get a residence permit in Romania, step by step

1. Secure a job offer from a Romanian employer.
2. The employer applies for the work permit within the annual quota.
3. Apply for a long-stay (D or AM) work visa at a Romanian embassy within 60 days.
4. Travel to Romania within the visa’s validity.
5. Apply for the residence permit at the inspectorate within 90 days of arrival.
6. Give your biometrics and register your address.
7. Receive your personal numeric code (CNP) and residence card.
8. Register with the national health system and begin work.

Processing time

The inspectorate processes a work permit application within about thirty days, extendable by fifteen if further checks are required. You then have 60 days to obtain the long-stay visa, and after arriving, you apply for the residence permit, which is decided within about thirty days. Starting in August 2026, the single WorkinRomania platform is intended to streamline the stages of work. Prepare a complete file to avoid delays, apply within the quota window, and file any renewal at least thirty days before your current permit expires.

Government fees and costs

The residence permit card costs around €52, the long-stay visa around €300, and the work permit carries its own tax, all alongside the cost of certified Romanian translations and document validation. Health insurance valid across the EU, with a substantial minimum coverage, is also required. Pay only through official channels and keep every receipt. Fees are set in leu and updated periodically, so confirm the current figures with the inspectorate and the visa portal before you apply. The employer typically bears the work-permit costs, while the visa and card fees fall to the worker.

Validity and renewal

A temporary residence permit for employment is generally issued for up to twelve months and can be extended, on later applications, for one to five years depending on the purpose. Renewal applications must be filed at least thirty days before the permit expires. From 2026, bilingual contracts and bank-transfer salaries are required, and new grounds for ending a contract include rejection of the application or a finding of illegal residence. Keep your employment, insurance and address in order, and file in good time for permanent residence.

Changing employer or purpose

Changing employer is significant in Romania: it generally requires restarting the entire process from the beginning — a new work permit, a new visa stage and a new residence permit — and workers placed through an agency may be barred from changing employer for six months from starting work. Moving between purposes, such as from employment to business, is a change of basis requiring a fresh application. Always keep your work and residence documents aligned, because working outside your permit’s scope carries penalties.

Benefits of holding a permit

A valid permit gives you legal identity in Romania and access to services, banking and the labour market, in an EU country with a low cost of living and a growing economy. Because Romania completed Schengen accession in 2025, your residence card allows short-stay travel across other Schengen countries, and its own goods vehicles now cross internal EU borders without stops. Employed residents join the national health system; family members can join you, and continuous legal residence counts toward permanent residence, which brings EU long-term resident mobility. Romania’s low costs and growing economy have made it an increasingly common destination for workers from across Asia.

Family reunification

Family members of a resident — a spouse and minor children — can apply for a residence permit on family grounds, and family members with a residence card can generally work and attend local schools; a family member of a Romanian citizen may receive a longer, ten-year permit. Each family member files their own application, with documents translated into Romanian. After five years, family members are usually eligible for permanent residence. Confirm the current requirements before applying, as they are updated from time to time.

Pathway to permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence is generally granted after five years of continuous legal residence — with absences no longer than six consecutive months, or ten months in total — provided you show adequate means and a satisfactory level of Romanian, and it brings EU long-term resident status and mobility to other EU states. Romanian citizenship by naturalisation generally requires eight years of lawful residence, or five years if you are married to a Romanian citizen, together with Romanian language, integration and lawful means, and Romania allows dual citizenship. See our Romanian citizenship guide.

For professional drivers in Romania

Romania is a strong destination for professional drivers. Constanța is the largest port on the Black Sea and, since 2022, a key transit hub for Ukrainian grain moving through the region’s solidarity lanes, alongside the Danube ports of Galați and Brăila and the transit corridors linking central Europe to the Black Sea. Demand for drivers is high, and Romania actively recruits non-EU drivers from countries such as Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Bangladesh to fill its shortage. Since full Schengen accession in 2025, Romanian-registered trucks run into the rest of the EU without border stops. Non-EU drivers need the sequential work permit, long-stay visa and residence permit, within the annual quota, while EU drivers work freely. You will need your driving licence categories and Certificate of Professional Competence. EU driving qualifications are recognised, and drivers should confirm the current quota position with a prospective employer before starting the process.

• Browse driver vacancies in Romania.
• Register a driver profile.
• For employers — hire international drivers with compliance support

Residence permits by Romanian region

Romania can be seen through its eight development regions. The process is the same everywhere — a work permit, a visa and then a residence permit — but here is what each region offers, especially for drivers.

Bucharest-Ilfov

The capital region and largest job market, with the main international airport and the greatest concentration of business and central distribution. The capital anchors the national road network, and its ring of logistics parks handles much of the country’s warehousing. Driver jobs in Bucharest-Ilfov.

South-East

Home to Constanța, the largest Black Sea port and a key grain-transit hub, along with the Danube ports of Galați and Brăila — the country’s freight heartland. Since 2022, the region has carried a large share of Ukrainian grain toward world markets, adding to its already heavy port traffic. Driver jobs in the South-East.

West

The western region around Timișoara and Arad is the main road gateway to Hungary and the EU on Corridor IV, with a strong automotive and industrial base. The Nădlac crossing into Hungary is one of Romania’s busiest freight gateways to the rest of the EU. Driver jobs in the West.

South-Muntenia

A region around Ploiești, surrounding the capital, with oil refining, agriculture and the Giurgiu crossing on the Danube toward Bulgaria. Its refineries and farmland generate steady freight across the region. Driver jobs in South Muntenia.

North-West

The region around Cluj-Napoca, a growing technology and business centre with industry and routes toward Hungary. Cluj-Napoca’s fast-growing economy has drawn new distribution and manufacturing to the region. Driver jobs in the North-West.

Centre

The central region around Brașov and Sibiu, with a strong automotive and manufacturing base in the Carpathians. Brașov and Sibiu host major car-parts plants whose output moves by road across Europe. Driver jobs in the Centre.

South-West Oltenia

A region around Craiova, with automotive manufacturing, industry and Danube routes toward Bulgaria and Serbia. Craiova’s car plant is a significant generator of components and finished-vehicle freight. Driver jobs in South-West Oltenia.

North-East

The most populous region, around Iași near the Moldovan border, with agriculture and cross-border links to the east. Bordering Moldova, the region is a crossing point for traffic between Romania and its eastern neighbour. Driver jobs in the North-East.

Related guides

• Europe residence permits — all countries
• Romanian citizenship
• Health insurance in Romania
• Romania short-stay visa

Official government sources

• General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) — residence and work permits.
• e-Visa Romania (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) — long-stay visas.
• WorkinRomania — official work-permit platform.
• European Commission — EU Immigration Portal.

Information only — not legal advice. The Romanian authorities make final decisions, and rules and fees can change without notice. Always verify on the official portals above before you apply or pay anyone.