Romanian flag and historic cathedral at Alba Carolina Citadel in Alba Iulia, Romania

Romania Visa & Immigration Services

Hudson McKenzie advises individuals, families, professionals and international businesses on Romanian visa and immigration matters, including employment and work authorisation, EU Blue Cards, corporate transfers, Digital Nomad applications, commercial and professional activities, family reunification, study, residence permits and longer-term residence.

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Romania is a member of the European Union and has been fully part of the Schengen Area since 1 January 2025. Immigration requirements depend on nationality, the purpose and duration of stay, proposed activities and the applicant’s personal circumstances.

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EU, EEA and Swiss citizens benefit from European free-movement rights, while most non-EU nationals intending to live or work in Romania need to use the appropriate Romanian immigration route.

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For many non-EU applicants, moving to Romania involves more than obtaining an entry visa. Depending on the route, the process can include employer action or other prior approval, a Romanian long-stay visa and an application for the appropriate residence permit after arrival.

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Romania also provides specialist routes for highly qualified workers, intra-corporate transferees, digital nomads, entrepreneurs, regulated professionals, students and qualifying family members.

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Hudson McKenzie can assess the available Romanian immigration options and coordinate visa, work-authorisation, residence and supporting-document requirements for individuals and businesses.

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Non-EU nationals taking up employment in Romania will generally require appropriate work and immigration permission unless an exemption applies.

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The correct route depends on factors including the worker’s nationality, proposed role, Romanian employer, qualifications, nature of the work and intended duration of stay.

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Standard Employment: For many employed workers, the Romanian employer must first obtain a work authorisation from the General Inspectorate for Immigration.

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Once the work authorisation has been issued, the employee can proceed with the appropriate Romanian long-stay visa for employment.

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A person intending to work and remain in Romania for more than 90 days must also obtain the appropriate temporary residence permit after arrival.

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The work authorisation and immigration permission should therefore be viewed as connected but separate stages. A work authorisation does not by itself establish a right to enter or reside in Romania.

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Employment Categories: Romanian immigration law provides different employment categories, including:

permanent workers;
highly qualified workers;
seasonal workers;
posted or deployed workers;
intra-corporate transferees;
trainees; and
other specialist categories.

The requirements applying to each category can differ.

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Seasonal Workers: Romania provides a separate framework for qualifying seasonal employment. Different residence and employment conditions apply compared with standard permanent employment.

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Posted Workers: Specific rules can apply where an overseas employee remains employed outside Romania but is temporarily posted to Romania to provide services.

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The immigration analysis should consider the nationality of the employee, overseas employer, Romanian beneficiary, contractual structure, duties and duration of the assignment.

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Immigration Stage	Main Purpose	Who Normally Initiates It?	Important Point
Work Authorisation	Authorises qualifying employment in Romania	Romanian employer	Does not by itself establish residence rights
Long-Stay Employment Visa	Allows qualifying entry for employment	Foreign national following employer authorisation	Appropriate visa category depends on the employment route
Temporary Residence Permit	Extends lawful stay in Romania for employment	Foreign national after arrival	Normally relevant where the stay exceeds 90 days

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Hudson McKenzie can advise employers, HR teams and employees on the appropriate Romanian employment route and coordinate work-authorisation, visa and residence procedures.

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Romania provides specialist immigration options for highly qualified workers and employees transferring or being assigned within international businesses.

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EU Blue Card

The Romanian EU Blue Card is intended for qualifying highly qualified non-EU professionals taking up employment in Romania.

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Under the current framework, the employer must employ the foreign national in a highly qualified role under a full-time employment contract of indefinite duration or for a fixed term of at least 6 months.

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The applicant must possess the required higher professional skills and satisfy any professional-authorisation requirements that apply to the occupation.

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Current Romanian guidance also requires the employment contract to provide remuneration at least at the applicable average gross salary level. Because this figure changes, the current threshold should be checked when an application is prepared.

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Following the relevant employment and visa process, the applicant obtains the EU Blue Card as the residence document.

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EU Blue Card holders can also benefit from specific mobility provisions within the wider EU Blue Card framework.

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Intra-Corporate Transfers

The ICT framework can apply where a non-EU national employed outside the European Union is temporarily transferred within the same corporate group to an entity in Romania.

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It can cover qualifying:

managers;
specialists; and
trainee employees.

Current Romanian rules generally limit ICT residence to a total of 3 years for managers and specialists and 1 year for trainee employees.

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International Assignments & Posted Workers

Separate provisions can apply where an overseas employee is posted to Romania while remaining employed by the foreign sending organisation.

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The immigration structure can depend on:

employee nationality;
overseas employer;
Romanian host or beneficiary;
relationship between the organisations;
nature of the services;
employee role;
length of assignment; and
where the employee remains employed and paid.

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Route	Typical Situation	Employment Relationship	Key Distinction
EU Blue Card	Highly qualified professional recruited into Romanian employment	Romanian employment	Highly qualified employment and Blue Card requirements apply
ICT	Manager, specialist or trainee transferred within an international corporate group	Existing overseas group employment / intra-group transfer	Specific intra-corporate transfer framework
Posted Worker	Overseas employee temporarily providing services in Romania	Employee generally remains with overseas employer	Assignment and service structure determines requirements

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Choosing between standard Romanian employment, the EU Blue Card, ICT or posting framework should be done before the assignment begins.

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Hudson McKenzie can advise employers and professionals on the appropriate route and coordinate Romanian immigration requirements with the wider international assignment.

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Romania provides immigration options for qualifying remote workers, entrepreneurs, company owners and professionals carrying out regulated activities.

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Romania Digital Nomad Visa

Romania recognises digital nomads within its long-stay visa framework for other purposes.

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The route is intended for qualifying foreign nationals who work remotely using information and communications technology while:

being employed by a company registered outside Romania; or
owning and remotely managing a company registered outside Romania.

The remote activity must remain connected to the overseas company rather than ordinary Romanian employment.

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Applicants must provide evidence of their employment or company ownership, remote-working arrangements and financial circumstances, together with the other supporting documentation required for the visa.

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Current Romanian rules require digital nomads to demonstrate income of at least three times Romania’s average gross monthly earnings for each of the six months preceding the visa application, as well as for the period covered by the visa.

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Because the underlying Romanian salary figure changes, the corresponding monetary threshold should always be checked at the time of application.

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A person intending to take employment with a Romanian company should not assume that the Digital Nomad route is appropriate simply because the work can be performed remotely.

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For wider remote-working options, see Hudson McKenzie’s Digital Nomad Visas and Remote Working Visas.

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Commercial & Entrepreneur Immigration

Romania also provides an immigration route for qualifying non-EU nationals undertaking commercial activities.

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The route can be relevant where the foreign national is a shareholder or associate with management or administrative responsibilities in a Romanian company.

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Current Romanian guidance requires qualifying applicants to obtain the relevant technical endorsement relating to the proposed commercial activity before applying for the long-stay visa.

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Following entry, the applicant must obtain the appropriate residence permission and continue to satisfy the conditions applicable to the business activity.

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Simply incorporating, owning shares in or investing in a Romanian company should not be treated as automatically conferring Romanian residence rights.

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Professional Activities

Separate immigration provisions apply to certain foreign nationals intending to carry out regulated professional activities in Romania.

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Applicants must first establish whether Romanian law permits them to practise the relevant profession and whether recognition, licensing or professional authorisation is required.

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Qualifying applicants may then need a long-stay visa for professional activities and, for longer stays, the relevant residence permit.

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Hudson McKenzie can assess the applicant’s employment, business or professional structure and coordinate the Romanian immigration process alongside relevant corporate, tax or professional advisers where appropriate.

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Foreign nationals who establish a qualifying residence history in Romania may eventually consider long-term residence, permanent residence under the EU free-movement framework or Romanian citizenship.

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These are separate legal statuses and should not be treated as automatic consequences of living in Romania for a particular period.

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Long-Term Residence for Non-EU Nationals

A qualifying non-EU national can generally apply for long-term residence after five years of continuous qualifying residence in Romania, subject to the remaining statutory requirements.

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For the standard five-year calculation, Romanian guidance provides that qualifying absences should generally not exceed:

6 consecutive months; or
10 months in total during the five-year period.

Only half of a qualifying period spent in Romania for study purposes is generally counted towards the long-term residence calculation. Certain other categories of temporary stay do not count.

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Applicants must also satisfy the applicable requirements relating to matters including:

sufficient financial resources;
health insurance;
accommodation;
Romanian-language knowledge; and
public-order and security requirements.

Permanent Residence for EU/EEA/Swiss Citizens

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and qualifying family members use a separate permanent-residence framework.

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A person with continuous and legal residence in Romania for a period exceeding five years can generally apply for permanent residence, subject to the relevant free-movement conditions.

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Romanian Citizenship

Romanian citizenship is separate from residence status.

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Under the current Romanian Citizenship Law, standard naturalisation generally requires the applicant to hold long-term or permanent residence and to have lived legally in Romania for at least 8 years.

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Where the applicant is married to and living with a Romanian citizen, the relevant period can generally be 5 years from the date of marriage, subject to the remaining statutory requirements.

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Applicants must also satisfy requirements relating to matters including:

lawful means of support;
conduct;
loyalty to the Romanian state;
Romanian-language knowledge;
knowledge of Romanian culture and civilisation;
knowledge of the Romanian Constitution; and
knowledge of the national anthem.

Citizenship Through Family History / Reacquisition

Romanian nationality law also contains routes relevant to certain former Romanian citizens and qualifying descendants.

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Eligibility depends on the particular statutory route and can involve detailed consideration of:

the citizenship history of the ancestor;
degree of descent;
historic territorial circumstances;
dates of birth and loss of nationality; and
supporting civil-status records.

Recent amendments to Romania’s citizenship legislation mean ancestry and reacquisition cases should be assessed against the law currently in force rather than older online summaries.

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Status	General Position	Typical Residence Requirement	Key Point
Non-EU Long-Term Residence	Long-term immigration status	Generally 5 years of qualifying continuous residence	Study periods generally count at half their duration
EU/EEA/Swiss Permanent Residence	Permanent status under the free-movement framework	Generally after more than 5 years of continuous legal residence	Separate rules apply to EU free-movement beneficiaries
Romanian Citizenship by Naturalisation	Romanian nationality	Generally 8 years, or 5 years from marriage in qualifying cases	Additional residence, language, conduct and nationality-law requirements apply

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Hudson McKenzie can review an applicant’s Romanian immigration history, residence periods, family circumstances and long-term objectives and advise on the appropriate residence or citizenship strategy.

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Other Romania Immigration Routes

Short-Stay Business & Visitor Travel

Romania is fully part of the Schengen Area.

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Depending on nationality and immigration status, travellers may require a Schengen short-stay visa for tourism, private visits or qualifying business travel.

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The general Schengen framework allows short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

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Permitted business activity can include, depending on the circumstances:

business meetings;
negotiations and commercial discussions;
conferences and seminars;
trade fairs and exhibitions; and
other qualifying short-term business activities.

A business visit should be distinguished from taking up employment or performing work that requires Romanian authorisation.

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Where the proposed activities amount to employment, posting or another form of productive work, the appropriate Romanian work-related immigration route should be assessed before travel.

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International Students & Graduates

Non-EU nationals undertaking qualifying studies in Romania may require a long-stay visa for studies and subsequent residence permission.

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Supporting documentation can include:

evidence of acceptance by the educational institution;
tuition-fee evidence where applicable;
financial resources;
accommodation;
medical insurance;
criminal-record documentation; and
parental or guardian consent where relevant.

Romanian rules allow qualifying non-EU nationals holding temporary residence for study purposes to work without the standard employment authorisation where they are employed under a part-time contract of up to 6 hours per day.

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Students considering remaining in Romania after study should assess whether an employment, EU Blue Card, business, family or another residence route is available.

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For future non-EU long-term residence, study periods are generally counted at half their duration.

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Why Choose Hudson McKenzie for Romania Immigration?

Hudson McKenzie advises individuals, families, professionals, entrepreneurs and international businesses on Romanian immigration and global mobility matters.

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Our team can assist with:

Romanian work authorisations;
long-stay employment visas;
temporary residence permits;
highly qualified worker applications;
EU Blue Cards;
intra-corporate transfers;
posted-worker and international-assignment matters;
Digital Nomad applications;
commercial and entrepreneur immigration;
professional-activity visas and residence;
family reunification;
residence for family members of Romanian citizens;
EU, EEA and Swiss residence registration;
international student immigration;
long-term residence;
permanent residence;
Romanian citizenship planning;
citizenship ancestry and reacquisition assessments;
consular application preparation;
document review and immigration strategy;
apostille, legalisation and translation coordination; and
corporate immigration and global mobility planning.

For businesses, Hudson McKenzie can support foreign recruitment, international employee transfers, highly qualified workers, ICT assignments and other Romanian immigration requirements.

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For professionals, we can compare standard employment, the EU Blue Card and assignment routes according to qualifications, employment structure and long-term objectives.

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For entrepreneurs and remote workers, we can assess Digital Nomad, commercial and professional-activity routes according to the applicant’s employment or business structure.

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For individuals and families, we can advise on family residence, study and longer-term residence options according to nationality and personal circumstances.

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Where a Romanian relocation forms part of a wider international assignment or mobility programme, our global immigration team can coordinate Romanian requirements with broader cross-border planning.

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Planning to work, establish a business, relocate employees, work remotely, study or join family in Romania? Contact Hudson McKenzie to discuss the immigration options relevant to your circumstances.

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Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Romanian and EU immigration rules, visa requirements, work-authorisation procedures, salary and financial thresholds, residence requirements and documentary requirements are subject to change. Eligibility depends on nationality, immigration category, individual circumstances and the rules in force at the relevant time. Please contact Hudson McKenzie for advice tailored to your specific circumstances.

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