Romanian Visa Requirements

The Romanian Visa

General information regarding the conditions of entry on the territory of Romania:

In order to comply with the requirements laid down in article 6 from GEO 194/2002 modified, upon arrival in any Romanian border post, for the purpose of entry, you must comply with the following: 

a) submit a valid travel document, recognised by Romania;

b) submit a Romanian entry visa or a residence permit, issued in accordance with the provisions of GEO 194/2002 modified through Law 157/2011 or, depending on the case, any authorization that grants the holder the right of transit or of stay on the territory of Romania, on the grounds of European legal instruments that are mandatory for and applicable to Romania, provided that it has not been differently settled through international agreements;

c) submit documents that justify the purpose of the trip, the conditions of stay and that probe the existence of appropriate means of support for the entire stay, as well as for the return to the country of origin, or for the transit towards another country where you are undoubtedly allowed entry;

d) the entry in the country of destination, as well as leaving the territory of Romania must be guaranteed, in the case of third-state citizens who transit the national territory;   

e) you do not belong to the category of third-state citizens who are refused entry on the territory of Romania, or have not been registered as undesirable; 

f) alerts with regard to the refusal of entry are not registered on your name in the Schengen Information System;

g) you do not represent a hazard to national security, order or health. 

IMPORTANT!!!

Please note that holding an entry visa does not guarantee entry on the territory of Romania. All foreign citizens who wish to travel to Romania must make sure they abide by the conditions mentioned above, in accordance with art. 18, paragraph 1 from Emergency Ordinance of the Romanian Government n˚ 194/2002 regarding the regime of third-state citizens in Romania, amended by Law no. 157/2011. The visa granting conditions and the conditions of entry are complementary. 

General information on Romanian visas and conditions of travelling to Romania

A visa is a document that enables the holder to report to any Romanian border checkpoint and to require either transit through or a short stay on the Romanian territory. The border checkpoint officers will demand proof that the general conditions of entry and stay on the Romanian territory are met as provided by law. Should those conditions not be met, aliens will not be allowed to enter the Romanian territory, although they might have previously obtained a Romanian visa.

According to the provisions of GO 194/2002 concerning the regime of aliens in Romania, republished as subsequently amended, the Romanian visa is granted by Romanian diplomatic and consular missions  abroad.

• Types of visas granted and issued by the Romanian state:

1. The airport transit visa (marked A) allows the access into and stay in the international area of an airport until boarding the plane to the country of destination;
2. The transit visa (marked B) allows access on the territory of Romania, for the purpose of transit, for a duration of at the most 5 days;
3. The short-stay visa (marked C) allows entry and a short stay of aliens on the territory of Romania for no more than 90 days within an interval of maximum 6 months from the date of entry (in the case of a multiple-entry visa, the duration of the stay will be taken into account from the date of the first entry). The Romanian short-stay visa is granted for the following purposes: official government mission, tourism, business, private visit, transportation, participation in sports activities, as well as cultural, scientific or academic events. In the case of a holder of a short-stay visa, the stay right cannot be extended.  
4. The long-stay visa (marked D) allows the entry and stay of aliens on the territory of Romania for a period of 90 days at the most, for the following purposes: economic activities, professional activities, commercial activities (such as investment), religious or humanitarian activities, work, studying, family reunification, as well as research. The right of stay in this case is of 90 days; however, this type of visa allows for its prolongation following an official request addressed to the Romanian Office for Immigration which is part of the Romanian Ministry of Administration and Interior. The requests for the extension of the right of stay must be personally submitted by the applicants, at the local branch-offices of the Romanian Office for Immigration closest to their place of residence, at least 30 days before expiry of the stay right granted by the visa. Overstaying the visa entails cancellation of the visa and the obligation of leaving the territory of Romania.

Short-stay and transit visas can be exceptionally granted by border checkpoint officers, at the Romanian border checkpoints, according to the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) 810/2009 of the European Parliament and Council of 13 July 2009 on the issue of establishing a Community Code of Visas (the Visa Code) and of Regulation (EC) no. 562/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, establishing a Community Code on the rules governing the free movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code) published in the Official Journal of the European Union L/105 of 13 April 2006.

The right of stay on the territory of Romania, granted to aliens under a short-stay visa, cannot be extended.

The purpose of the trip to Romania undertaken by aliens on the basis of a short-stay visa cannot be altered during their stay on the territory of Romania.

The long-stay visa shall only be granted with the approval of the Ministry of Administration and Interior – the Romanian Office for Immigration.

 Aliens having entered the territory of Romania with a long-stay visa may apply for the extension of the right of temporary residence and obtain a residence permit. The request filed in this respect must be addressed to the Romanian Office for Immigration within the Romanian Ministry of Administration and Interior.

All aliens requiring a Romanian visa shall attach to the duly filled-in and signed application form a valid travel document, acknowledged by the state of Romania, to which the visa sticker may applied as well as all the documents required under the law to attest the stated purpose of the trip, the duration of the stay, financial means for the stay, as well as the possibility for the aliens to return to their home country or continue the trip to a third state, upon the end of their stay in Romania.

As to the states or territorial authorities that are not acknowledged by Romania, visas shall be granted at request, on uniform forms, regulated by the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 94/2008 on establishing measures regarding the issue of electronic passports and of other travel documents.

FAQs - For more detailed information, please access the following links:

1. Do I need a visa in order to come to Romania? The conditions of travelling to Romania (annexes – the lists of third states whose citizens must possess a visa for crossing external borders and the list of third states whose citizens are exempt from this obligation)  
2. How is the Romanian short-stay visa granted and what documents do I need if I am a citizen of a state NOT on the list of states whose citizens can apply for a visa based only on an invitation approved by the Romanian Ministry of Administration and Interior / the Romanian Office for Immigration? 
3. How is the Romanian short-stay visa granted and what documents do I need if I am a citizen of a state ON the list of states whose citizens can apply for a visa based only on an invitation approved by  the Romanian Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform / the Romanian Office for Immigration?
4. Are you a citizen of: the Russian Federation, Albania, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Serbia and Montenegro? You may benefit by certain facilities when requesting a Romanian short-stay visa!
5. How is the Romanian long-stay visa granted?
6. Where should I apply for a Romanian visa?
7. Visa application forms
8. Processing fees