Romania Work Permit Documents Checklist and Requirements

Paperwork is where most Romanian work permit files succeed or fail. A missing apostille, an expired criminal record certificate or a translation done by the wrong translator can send an otherwise strong application back to the start. This EU Helpers checklist goes through the documents behind a Romanian work authorisation one by one: what each paper proves, who issues it, how it must be legalised and translated, and when it should be dated. It covers the single application (cerere unică) that has replaced the former work authorisation (aviz de muncă), the D/AM1 and D/AM2 long-stay visas, and the work residence permit issued by the General Inspectorate for Immigration (Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări — IGI). If you are still looking for a job offer to build your file around, you can explore Romanian opportunities through EU Helpers. Romania has been a NATO member since 2004 and an EU member since 2007, joined Schengen for air and sea borders in March 2024 and became a full member from 1 January 2025; it uses the Romanian leu (RON), not the euro.

Essential Context: Romania's Distinctive Character

Romanian administration is formal and paper-based, even after the move to online filing. Officials expect documents in Romanian, with clear chains of certification, and they check dates carefully.

The practical rule is simple: every foreign public document should carry an apostille or legalisation, followed by an authorised Romanian translation, unless the authority tells you otherwise.

Romania's Immigration Framework

Your documents pass through several hands. Employers and authorised placement agencies upload employer-side papers and the single application on WorkinRomania.gov.ro, with authorisation of agencies and direct-hiring employers handled by the National Agency for Employment (Agenția Națională pentru Ocuparea Forței de Muncă — ANOFM). Romanian consulates under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerul Afacerilor Externe) examine your personal visa file. IGI checks the residence permit file after arrival.

The National Centre for the Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas (Centrul Național de Recunoaștere și Echivalare a Diplomelor — CNRED) deals with diploma recognition, while the National Trade Register Office (Oficiul Național al Registrului Comerțului — ONRC) issues the company extracts employers attach to their part of the file.

Main Romania Work Visa Routes

Your checklist changes with the route, so identify it first.

Employer-Side Documents for the Single Application

Although your employer handles this part, you should know what it involves, because delays here delay you. Employers must be registered on the platform and, where they recruit general workers directly, hold ANOFM authorisation backed by a financial guarantee of approximately EUR 1,000 per worker. Typical evidence includes a trade register extract (certificat constatator) from ONRC, a tax compliance certificate (certificat de atestare fiscală) showing no outstanding debts, the firm job offer stating gross and net pay, and, for agency recruitment, the service and tripartite placement agreements.

The employment contract must be bilingual: in Romanian and in your language or an international language you understand. A contract drafted only in Romanian can trigger a fine for the employer and should be refused.

Personal Documents for the Visa and Residence Permit

Your passport should typically be valid for at least three months beyond the requested stay and contain blank pages. The criminal record certificate must come from your country of citizenship or residence, carry an apostille or legalisation and usually be issued within the last six months. Diplomas and transcripts, or employer references proving experience, support the qualification claim; nurses, doctors and other regulated professionals may need CNRED recognition and professional registration.

At the consulate you also show medical insurance, proof of accommodation and the approval of the single application. For the IGI residence permit, accommodation is proved by a lease registered with the tax authority (ANAF) or a loan-for-use agreement (contract de comodat) with the owner's identity and property documents. A medical certificate confirming fitness for work must be presented no later than your first working day.

Several mistakes recur in rejected files. Applicants submit a criminal record certificate that has expired by the time of the consulate appointment, or one issued by the wrong country when they have lived abroad recently. Translations are sometimes made from an unapostilled copy, so the apostille itself is missing from the Romanian version. Experience letters without signatures, company stamps or contact details carry little weight. Finally, names transliterated differently in the passport, diploma and contract can trigger requests for clarification, so ask for a consistent spelling across every document from the start.

Required Documents

Use the table below as your master checklist.

Application Process Step-by-Step

Step 1 — Confirm the route. Ask your employer whether you are filed under D/AM1, D/AM2 or the EU Blue Card, because the checklist differs.

Step 2 — Check passport validity. Renew your passport first if it would expire within the permit period.

Step 3 — Order the criminal record certificate. Request it from your home authorities, timing it so it is still recent at the consulate.

Step 4 — Apostille or legalise. Obtain an apostille, or legalisation through your foreign ministry and the Romanian consulate for non-Hague states.

Step 5 — Translate into Romanian. Use a translator authorised by the Romanian Ministry of Justice or a consulate-accepted translator, with notarisation where requested.

Step 6 — Collect qualification evidence. Gather diplomas, transcripts and signed experience letters on company letterhead.

Step 7 — Review the contract. Check that the bilingual contract matches the job offer on salary, hours and accommodation.

Step 8 — Assemble the visa file. Add insurance, accommodation proof, photographs and the single-application approval, then attend the consulate.

Step 9 — Prepare the IGI file. After arrival, add the registered lease or comodat, medical certificate and REVISAL contract record.

Step 10 — Keep a renewal folder. Store copies and track expiry dates so renewal documents are ready at least 30 days before your permit expires.

Fees and Costs

Document costs add up before you pay any official fee. Budget for criminal record certificates, apostilles, authorised translations and notary certification, which are usually charged per page. The long-stay visa fee is approximately EUR 300, and the IGI residence permit and card carry further charges in lei. Once in Romania, living costs are moderate: one-bedroom flats in Bucharest (București) and Cluj-Napoca typically cost approximately EUR 450 to 750 per month, and less in Timișoara, Iași or Brașov.

Romania's Distinctive Character

Romania's geography runs from the forested Carpathians, home to large populations of brown bears, to the Danube Delta and Black Sea resorts. Cities such as Sibiu, Brașov and Sighișoara preserve medieval Saxon centres, while Bucharest mixes grand nineteenth-century boulevards with modern business districts.

Economically, Romania combines manufacturing exporters such as Dacia and Ford Otosan with energy producers such as OMV Petrom and technology firms including UiPath and Bitdefender. This mix means document requirements range from simple trade certificates to university degrees.

Pathway to Permanent Residence and Citizenship

Good document habits continue after your first permit. Renewals require an updated contract, accommodation proof, insurance and evidence of salary. After about five years of continuous legal residence, IGI can grant long-term residence (drept de ședere pe termen lung) on proof of income, accommodation, insurance and Romanian language skills, so keep payslips and tax records.

For citizenship, the National Authority for Citizenship (Autoritatea Națională pentru Cetățenie — ANC) generally expects about eight years of legal residence, or five when married to a Romanian citizen, together with a birth certificate, criminal record certificates and proof of integration, all apostilled and translated.

Final Guidance

Treat your Romanian work permit file as a project with deadlines. Order the criminal record certificate last among the slow documents so it is still recent, but apostille and translate everything else early. Check that names are spelled the same way on every document, because small differences cause queries. Insist on a bilingual contract, and keep certified copies of everything you submit. Requirements are still being refined after the reform, so confirm the latest list with the consulate and IGI. When you are ready to pair your documents with a real job offer, explore Romanian opportunities through EU Helpers.