Romania work permit guide for non-EU workers, job seekers and employers

01

Overview

Romania's non-EU work system is mostly employer-led: the employer or service beneficiary usually obtains the work or posting permit first, the worker then uses the matching long-stay visa if applying from abroad, and after arrival files for a single permit, EU Blue Card, or another residence permit with the General Inspectorate for Immigration. The main practical split is between standard sponsored employment, highly qualified work, scientific research with a hosting agreement, and ICT or secondment cases. 3 4 6 11 14

Romania's current gross minimum salary changes over time and is referenced across visa, research, and residence filings, so this guide cites the rule structure rather than publishing a potentially stale salary amount. 12 6 16

02

Permit routes

4 routes currently recognised

Single permit

★ MOST NON-EU HIRES WITH A ROMANIAN EMPLOYER AND A STANDARD SPONSORED JOB OFFER

Romania's main work route is the employer-backed single permit. In the usual outside-Romania flow, the employer first gets the work permit, the worker applies for the D/AM long-stay visa, and after arrival requests the single permit from IGI at least 30 days before the current stay expires.

Min salary: At least the guaranteed gross minimum salary, unless a more specific route rule applies.
Timeline: Work-permit processing is 30 days, extendable by 15; residence-permit extension is also 30 days, extendable by 15.

3 4 12 15

EU Blue Card

★ HIGHLY QUALIFIED HIRES WHOSE ROMANIAN EMPLOYER CAN SUPPORT THE HIGH-SKILL FILING

Romania issues the EU Blue Card inside the same general work-permit ecosystem, but only for highly qualified work. The employer still drives the sponsor-side file, and the worker then files for the Blue Card residence document with IGI after entry or, in some in-country cases, after changing status lawfully.

Min salary: Current statutory high-skill threshold applies; verify the current official figure before filing.
Timeline: Residence-permit handling follows the usual 30-day IGI rule, with a 15-day extension possible; second-member-state Blue Card cases have a 15-day rule for the stay-extension request.

4 3 7 14 15

Residence permit for scientific research

★ RESEARCHERS WITH A ROMANIAN HOST INSTITUTION AND A FORMAL HOSTING OR RECEPTION AGREEMENT

Scientific research uses its own route rather than the ordinary work-permit path. The host research institution must secure the favorable opinion and approved hosting arrangement, the worker gets the research visa if needed, and the residence permit is then issued for the research activity period, up to the statutory cap.

Min salary: Means of support of at least the gross minimum basic salary for at least 6 months are required.
Timeline: The IGI favorable opinion for the visa is issued within 30 days, extendable by 15; residence-permit requests are also handled within 30 days, extendable by 15.

6 12 15

ICT route

★ MANAGERS, SPECIALISTS, OR TRAINEES TRANSFERRED WITHIN THE SAME COMPANY OR GROUP

Romania has a separate ICT track for intra-company transfers. It is not a general employer-sponsorship shortcut: the transfer must be within the same company or group, the Romanian side needs the posting or ICT permit support, and the permitted duration is capped by worker category.

Min salary: Proof of means at least at the level of the minimum gross salary in the economy is required for the residence stage.
Timeline: Residence handling follows the 30-day IGI rule, extendable by 15, and total ICT residence cannot exceed 3 years for managers and specialists or 1 year for trainees.

3 4 9 12 14

03

Eligibility (common baseline)

01

Most non-EU employment cases require the Romanian employer or service beneficiary to obtain the relevant work or posting permit before the worker starts using the visa or residence process.

3 11 14
02

The standard outside-Romania route is permit first, then the matching long-stay visa, then the single permit, EU Blue Card, or other residence permit after entry.

3 4 12
03

Single permit and EU Blue Card filings at IGI must be lodged at least 30 days before the current right of stay expires, and the same timing rule applies to research residence renewals.

4 6
04

Highly qualified work requires a highly qualified job and a full-time employment contract for an indefinite period or for a fixed term of at least 6 months.

7 3 14
05

Research cases require an attested research and development institution plus a hosting or reception agreement approved through the competent research authority workflow.

6 12 15
06

ICT cases are limited to transfers within the same company or group and the total residence period cannot exceed 3 years for managers and specialists or 1 year for trainees.

4 9 14

04

Documents checklist

Passport, visa, and application forms

Use the route-specific long-stay visa paperwork abroad where required, then the IGI residence application after arrival.

12 4 6

Work permit or sponsor-side approval basis

Most D/AM and D/DT filings are built on the work or posting permit, while research uses the approved hosting or reception agreement pathway instead.

12 3 6

Employment contract, offer, or host agreement

Applicants need the job-backed contract or offer for work routes, or the research hosting documents for the research route.

12 8 6

Housing proof, health insurance, and medical certificate

IGI asks for proof of legal possession of living space plus the health-insurance and medical documents listed for the relevant residence filing.

4 6

Means-of-support and criminal-record evidence

Visa and residence stages can require proof of means of support and a criminal record document, with route-specific thresholds and document formats.

12 6 8

Qualification or recognition evidence

Highly qualified and other skilled filings can require study-recognition or professional-qualification documents, depending on the role.

8 14

05

Application steps

1

Choose the route and line up the sponsor

Start by deciding whether the case belongs in the single-permit, EU Blue Card, research, or ICT track, because the employer or host documents differ materially between them.

3 6 14

2

Have the sponsor secure the permit or approval basis

For ordinary work and ICT or secondment cases, the Romanian sponsor usually gets the work or posting permit first; for research, the institution secures the favorable opinion and approved hosting workflow.

3 6 9

3

Apply for the long-stay visa if you need one

Most outside-Romania applicants then use the permit or approval basis to apply for the matching long-stay visa such as D/AM, D/DT, or the research visa, within the validity window published by MAE.

11 12

4

File with IGI after arrival

After entry, submit the residence application to IGI or through the Portal IGI flow at least 30 days before the current right of stay expires, with the route-specific housing, health, and status documents.

4 6 5

5

Keep the permit aligned after issuance

Renew in time, keep the employment or hosting basis consistent with the permit you hold, and treat an employer or role change as a new sponsor-side compliance event rather than an informal switch.

4 10 15

06

Timelines & fees

Typical timeline

Work or posting permit

30 days, extendable by 15 days

3
Residence-permit extension for employment or posting

30 days, extendable by 15 days

4
Research-route favorable opinion

30 days, extendable by 15 days

6
D/AM visa filing window after work authorization

Application can be lodged within 180 days from authorization issuance

12
D/DT visa filing window after secondment authorization

Application can be lodged within 60 days from authorization issuance

12

Fees

Long-stay visa (type D) EUR 120

MAE publishes EUR 120 as the standard long-stay visa processing fee, subject to specific exemptions.

13

Work permit for permanent, posted, cross-border, trainee, highly qualified, or au pair workers RON equivalent of EUR 100

This is the sponsor-side fee published by IGI for the listed work-permit categories.

3

Work permit for seasonal workers RON equivalent of EUR 25

Published separately by IGI for seasonal-worker permits.

3

07

Community tips

Anecdotal · Not verified · Treat with appropriate skepticism

Anecdotal — not official

“Employer readiness matters more than the job title”

A repeated pattern in recent Romania threads is that candidates get stuck not because the role is impossible, but because the employer is unwilling or unprepared to handle the permit file. Asking early whether the company has already sponsored non-EU hires saves time.

Logged 2026-04-23 · Mostly seen in Reddit Romania and Bucharest work-permit threads

Representative source

“Use Portal IGI before showing up in person”

Recent forum posts and the official portal help pages both point to the same practical lesson: many filings now start online, and turning up without the portal submission or appointment flow can create avoidable delays.

Logged 2026-04-23 · Mostly seen in Reddit Bucharest and AskRomania threads plus Portal IGI help pages

Representative source

“Keep every sponsor document consistent”

Applicants regularly report extra back-and-forth when the contract, role title, housing proof, or passport dates do not line up neatly across the visa and IGI stages. In practice, boring consistency beats creative explanations.

Logged 2026-04-23 · Mostly seen in Reddit visa and residence-permit threads for Romania

Representative source

08

Warnings and uncertainty

Warning

Do not treat old English pages as self-sufficient

Several core IGI English explainer pages used here are dated 27 January 2022, so they were cross-checked against current legislation and newer 2024-2025 official documents before publication. Applicants should still confirm office-level practice if a territorial unit asks for newer forms or different filing logistics.

3 4 6 14 15

Warning

Blue Card salary figures need a fresh check

The accessible official Romania source set clearly confirms the highly qualified route and contract-duration rule, but it does not surface a current Blue Card salary figure cleanly enough for publication here. Verify the current threshold directly before filing.

7 14 3

The legal framework still shows multiple exemptions and special cases for free access to the labour market or in-country status changes, so unusual fact patterns should be checked against the exact statutory category rather than inferred from the default sponsored route.

3 12 14

09

Official sources

Government portals and legislation this page cites

1

Romania – EU country

european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/eu-countries/romania_en

official · European Union · checked 2026-04-23

2

Schengen: Council decides to lift land border controls with Bulgaria and Romania

www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/12/12/schengen-council-decides-to-lift-land-border-controls-with-bulgaria-and-romania/pdf/

official · Council of the European Union · checked 2026-04-23

3

EMPLOYMENT AND POSTING

igi.mai.gov.ro/en/employment-and-posting/