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We are frequently asked for advice on a wide range of topics in relation to Romania. Over the course of time we have gathered together these pieces of information and offer them in the hope that they will benefit others. There can be no guarantees from us on any of this - we are just passing on what we hear!
Please cast an eye down all of this page - you may find a new item or something else of relevance to you further down
Last updated: 24th June 2006
Police roadside stop checks
Following a report of someone being stopped and fined by a person purporting to be a police officer we circulated a warning. The following advice was given in response.
"The system for police handling fines changed somewhere around the start of this year. The police are not entitled or expected to collect money now. They will give you a paper informing you of the fine and their details, and you then need to pay this at a prefectura office (I believe within seven days). We understood that it does not have to be in the county you were stopped in, and we were fined for speeding at 50km/h!! - in Bacau and were able to pay in Iasi - but had been unable to pay in Suceava. When you pay the fine you receive another piece of paper, which you must then send to the police station where the officer came from!! Slightly complicated - but designed to reduce corruption. Also the only police who should be asking you to pull over are "politia rutiera" (traffic police) who wear white topped caps, and usually a fluorescent vest with the Romanian words on the back. Other police may stop you, if assisting at accident or similar - but would not be able to issue fine requests."
"All police have an identity card (credit card size of laminated plastic) with their photo, name, number, etc. I wonder whether the individual who stopped one correspondent and took a bribe was really a police officer? It wouldn't be the first case of a criminal or a con man impersonating a Romanian police officer. Anyone stopped by the police is entitled to ask to see identification before handing anything over. I hope that the victim contacted the authorities as impersonation of officials does seem to be taken seriously in Romania." 01.08.02
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Advice for those travelling by train
We have received two reports advising awareness and caution whilst travelling by train in Romania. It appears that there are criminals whose motive is to steal and that they will initially appear friendly. They offer drugged drinks (coffee, beer, etc) and then rob their unconscious victim. We are told that Romanians are targeted as much as foreigners and that contacts who work for SNCFR confirm that this is a problem. It is good advice not to accept any beverage from anyone on the train.
It sounds as though the railway authorities and police are sympathetic and helpful.
03.07.02
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New telephone dialling codes in Romania
A subscriber has just sent us news that Romania's telephone dialling codes are to change. He says,
"It was a Government Ordinance from Minister of Communication and Technical Information - number 463/2001.
Basically the changes occur at 00.00 hrs on June 14, and the old numbers will be cancelled on 00.00hrs on September 14.
The international code prefix of 00 remains the same.
I suggest if people are not clear, that they contact the groups they work with in Romania to clarify. A simple check is that all old numbers including town prefix had 9 digits, they will all now have 10 digits."
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Operator
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Type
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Current number prefix
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New Prefix
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Example of prefix
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Romtelecom
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Landline
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01x xxxxxx
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021x xxxxxx
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eg Bucharest
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02x xxxxxx
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099x xxxxxx
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03x xxxxxx
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023x xxxxxx
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eg Suceava was 030 - will be 0230
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04x xxxxxx
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024x xxxxxx
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eg Tulcea was 040 - will be 0240
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05x xxxxxx
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025x xxxxxx
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eg Timisoara was 056 - will be 0256
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06x xxxxxx
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026x xxxxxx
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eg Brasov was 068 - will be 0268
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080 0xxxxx
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0800 8xxxxx
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Orange
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Mobile
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090 xxxxxx
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0740 xxxxxx
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(formerly
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094 xxxxxx
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0744 xxxxxx
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Dialog)
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095 xxxxxx
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0745 xxxxxx
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Connex
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Mobile
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091 xxxxxx
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0721 xxxxxx
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092 xxxxxx
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0722 xxxxxx
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093 xxxxxx
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0723 xxxxxx
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Cosmorom
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Mobile
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096 xxxxxx
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0766 xxxxxx
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Zapp
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Mobile
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098 xxxxxx
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0788 xxxxxx
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04.06.02
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Hoax emails from Nigeria
Many charities are now being targeted to receive advance fee fraud e-mails from Nigeria.
The message will offer you millions of dollars if you will give your banking details and/or a copy of your letterhead. You should not reply!
Advice during the summer from the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) was that they were interested in having any such e-mail forwarded to them. They are now asking that they are not sent to them but to the Fraud Squad at the recipient's local Police Headquarters, in order that they can be assessed and filtered locally.
I have been unable to establish any central index of contact points so one has to refer to the local telephone directory. Our local Fraud Squad were interested when I spoke with them last week and gave me a contact point (for Surrey).
18.10.01
Surrey Police have now asked not to be sent any more routinely, unless the victim has parted with money.
23.06.02
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Minibus Transport in Romania.
We can recommend the services of Florian Corboveanu (E-mail Address: rider@rdslink.ro) who drives a modern minibus, and can provide a second one for larger parties.
He is based in Bucharest, can arrange hotels there, is useful for transfers between the city and Otopeni Airport, and can take parties anywhere in the country. His charges are negotiable and reasonable.
If you wish, the driver can stay with you on a trip round the country and help you as interpreter. His English is very good.
Allow some time when booking as there can be delays in confirming when he is off on a trip!
07.10.01
We have been advised of another minibus operator running the Bucharest / Brasov route with minibuses. His prices are also negotiable and he can act as interpreter.
Contact can be made via Istvan Szakal at szakal@rdslink.ro
07.10.01
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Bank notes.
Avoid taking any sterling or dollar notes which are (even slightly) torn or written on. They are likely to be refused in Romania.
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Packaging
Goods must be packed with a single category to a box eg keyboards in one box, monitors in another;
rubber gloves can't be mixed with nappies; pencils can't be packed with text books etc.
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Electrical safety testing.
All electrical items (other than those that are new and boxed) now require an electrical safety inspection certificate. (We have found a firm, Electratest Ltd., who seem to be nation-wide, who efficiently inspected a batch of our stuff at £1.97p per item, subject to a minimum charge of GBP 40.00
28/04/01
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Food
News received from Link European :-
"In place of the ban on all foodstuffs from UK, we are now told that the following can be sent: rice, flour, pasta, sugar, pulses - all other food products are currently banned."
12/09/01
A contributor has told us that....
"We recently (24th Sept) entered Romania with a small amount of food (flour, pasta, rice), and had great difficulty with the flour. We ended up having to leave it at the border at Bors and collect it on the way out. This is because of new regulations (!) concerning the import of flour, as of September. Apparently you now need a document a bit like the Catre Vama, but from the Ministry of Agriculture in Bucharest, not sure of more than this. Also heard from people having problems with rice, although they let ours through....."
17.10.01
It appears that in August there were three new regulations enacted which set technical standards to which any wheat or wheat flour must conform, in order to imported. I don't have the details of these standards so cannot advise further. Any group wishing to send or take flour will need to make careful enquiries beforehand.
23.10.01
During November there were several more reports of difficulties with flour and rice.
06.12.01
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Gluten free flour
Following the difficulties of importing gluten free flour into Romania we have now found a source in Bucharest who are manufacturing to a Dutch recipe. The product has the approval of the appropriate Romanian authorities, and is a little cheaper than the bulk price we were previously paying in UK. Please contact us if you need details.
18.10.01
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Hungarian Transits - latest news
Over the past two or three months there have various reports, sometimes contradictory, about the requirements imposed by the Hungarians for aid shipments crossing their borders. This is the latest information we have, from a team just returned from a trip to Romania......
"They duly presented their papers at the Hungarian Border at Nicklesdorf and asked about paying the tax for transiting as per the Hungarian Embassy letter.
They were given the following on a small piece of paper that was attached to their documents and queried it as they didn't want problems when leaving Hungary but were told it was correct."
'Please pay attention to the fact that international relief entering the territory of the Republic of Hungary has been exempted from any customs security and vehicle tax.
The relief - as customs goods - is put into the registration at the entry customs office. You are kindly requested to present the customs documents at the exit customs office to facilitate the customs administration work there.
Should you fail to meet these transit relief regulations or to keep the deadline for displaying the relief at the exit customs office, you will be punished.
Thank you for your understanding, Customs and Finance Guard.'
12.08.01
Another contributor says...
"I have returned this weekend, from taking a lorry to Romania. A value was given to the load and a deposit was paid at Nickelsdorf. I was given the piece of paper and handed into the same office at Artand, where I received the same amount of money back.
I found the Hungarion toll charges quite expensive as compared to the vignette's for Austria and Germany. Does anyone know if there are exemptions from this charge?
13.08.01
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Procedure and Admin to send aid shipment
The following notes are our understanding of the position (as at June 2006) when sending aid to Romania via a haulier (such as Link European).
(Those conveying their goods themselves will require additional documents.)
The overriding principle is that items sent as 'humanitarian aid' will be admitted to Romania free of import duty.
Most items that can be regarded as 'aid' can be sent, but we are aware of the following exceptions:
Second-hand clothes and bedding can only be sent once they have been fumigated, and need to be accompanied by a fumigation certificate.
Clothes and shoes that are obviously brand new (and preferably in their original wrappers) can be sent.
Food items such as tinned and dried pulses, pasta, vegetables, fruit and sugar can be sent provided that they are in individual packets of no more than 1 kilo and where appropriate at least 6 months in date.
Second-hand electrical items need a certificate of PAT testing and a current PAT label on the item itself.
Second hand computers can be sent, but not new ones.
No second-hand lingerie or underwear.
No second-hand clothing for children under 36 months.
Items such as coffee, tea, alcohol and bars of chocolate or containing chocolate cannot be sent.
Once items are sorted they need to be packed in boxes that are tightly filled (so that they will not collapse when stacked)
Each box needs to be marked with a number (that will tie up with the manifest), the type of contents and the weight.
The following documents are needed:
A Delivery Form. To include details of Donor Organisation and Romanian beneficiary.
A Manifest Sheet (for each destination) with brief description of contents, weight, volume (in metric) and value.
A Manifest Summary for each category.
Separate sheets of details of medicines by box with quantities, strengths and expiry dates,
medical items by box with expiry dates
Separate sheet of details of toiletries.
Declaration that aid poses no danger to health or the environment.
Letter of donation to donor
Sample wording is:
Please accept our donation of Humanitian Aid for use within Romania. None of the items are for re-sale and are donated freely from the UK.
Approx weight (total weight in kg) of humanitarian aid.
List of goods on Manifest Summary.
All items are in date and are certified as sound and appropriate and comply with Romanian law. None of the items represent a toxicological or ecological risk. Where appropriate a certified electrician has checked and certified all electrical goods.
Letter of acceptance from donor
Many thanks for your kind offer of (brief description of goods) to help in our work. We are pleased to accept the consignment you are sending. We confirm that none of these items will be sold but given freely to the needy people of this area.
Medicines need to be sent to a recognised medical establishment, such as a hospital, who will need to certify to the Ministry of Health in Bucharest that they have a properly controlled pharmacy, and a qualified pharmacist. The receiving establishment will need to get additional documents for medicines from the Ministry of Health in Bucharest or the goods will be held by Romanian Customs. They will need to notify the Ministry of the index number of the truck bringing the medicines, and the expected arrival date, so you will need to pass this information across to the beneficiaries as soon as it is known!
All medicines need to be within their expiry dates - in practice we, with the agreement of our receiving hospital, work on a minimum of 6 months validity, as the hospital risks problems if it dispenses out of date items. Rather than risk sending doubtful items it is better to check first (a) whether Romania classifies them as 'medicine' or 'food' and (b) whether they are acceptable to the Ministry of Health.
Our associated company, Cleaford Services Ltd, who are software developers, have produced a simple software package for the production of the necessary documents. Once the details of each box have been entered the various lists, labels for medicine boxes, and the various summaries are calculated and produced without further entering. Use of the standard forms also makes the carriers' processes easier when consolidating a total load. Details of the ROMAID software are at http://www.cleaford.co.uk/romaid.htm
25.06.06
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Import duty on aid - recipient must be authorised
Following our circulation of a couple of days ago, we have today received this helpful information from the London Embassy, which confirms that NGOs in Romania must be authorised by the Ministry of Finance in order to be exempt from duty on imported goods.
"According to art. 69 from the Government Ordinance no. 59/2003 (gazzetteed by the Monitorul Oficial No 615/29.08.2003), the following goods are exempted from the payment of the import duties :
a) primary necessity goods which are imported by the state organisations or by other charitable or philanthropic organisations authorised by the Ministry of Public Finance, in order to be distributed free-of-charge to poor people;
b) any kind of goods sent free-of-charge and without a commercial purpose by any person or organisation outside Romania to state organisations or other charitable or philanthropic organisations authorised by the Ministry of Public Finance;
c) office equipment and stationary sent free-of-charge and without a commercial purpose by any person or organisation established outside Romania to organisations with a charitable or philanthropic character authorised by the Ministry of Public Finance, in order to be used exclusively for carrying out their activities and for implementing their charitable and philanthropic purposes;
The exemption from the import duties is not granted for the following categories of goods: alcohol products; tobacco and tobacco products; coffee and tea; automobiles other than ambulances.
In addition, the exemption from the import duties is granted only to the organisations whose accounts allow the competent authorities to check their activities and offer all the necessary guaranties."
Comment:
The new element in the legislation is that only the organisations authorised by the Ministry of Public Finance (as a result of Government Ordinance no. 59/2003) can benefit from these exemptions. Therefore, the Custom Authority will not be able to grant the exemption of import duties to these organisations, unless they are authorised by the Ministry of Public Finance.
Consequently, the beneficiary Romanian state and charitable organisations which have not been authorised by the Ministry of Public Finance (as a result of Government Ordinance no. 59/2003) will have to pay customs duties for the goods received as humanitarian aid. However, they will be still exempted from the payment of VAT, based on authorisation issued by their local Customs Office. All these formalities have to be carried out by the Romanian beneficiary NGO prior to receiving the goods.
09.12.03
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Administrative requirements for sending a load of medicines or medical aid.
Over the past few months we (The Cleaford Christian Trust) have experienced several changes to the procedures and administrative requirements being made of us when sending aid to a major Romanian hospital. Following a visit a fortnight ago, during which we met the Hospital Director and Administrator, we thought it may be helpful to others to report the position as we find it now. We have been sending medicines, medical equipment and general aid items (e.g. children's toys) - slightly different rules apply to each category.
It seems best to send a separate letter of donation and manifest for each category, as the recipient hospital will be sending them in different directions within the Romanian system! The letter of donation /manifest for medicines must detail both the proprietary names and generic names of all the medicines. The recipient will also need details of the vehicle upon which medicines and medical equipment will arrive - type of vehicle (van, 7.5 tonne lorry, etc.) registration number and anticipated arrival date at the border customs post. Where these details will not be known prior to departure (eg when using a hired vehicle) it is suggested that the likely details should be sent and if, in the event, these prove to be incorrect the driver should carry a notice on official letterhead stating that the specified vehicle was not available for technical reasons, and giving the details of the actual vehicle being used. (Please note we have no experience of whether this proviso works.)
The hospital must next prepare a letter of acceptance /manifest which is translated and stamped. This letter must then go to the local office for Administration for the issue of an approval document. We believe that this Local approval is to confirm that the recipient hospital has a pharmacist capable of handling medicines and a proper pharmacy in which they can be safely stored.
All three documents must next be sent to Bucharest (Ministry of Health) for the issue of a Catre Varma (Customs exemption).
If medical equipment is involved another document called a SVIAM must be obtained from a different department of the Ministry of Health.
For medicines a document called a Certificat de Abilitare is required - this comes from the department at the Ministry of Health in Bucharest that also issues the Catre Varma . For this the hospital will again need to supply the vehicle details (as above) , and the manifest of medicines (proprietary and generic names) will form an appendix thereto. This Abilitare is only valid for a single 'transport'.
We are told that the whole process can be accomplished in ten working days .....
(We believe there is no change to the existing practice of attaching to each box of medicines a list giving the types, strengths quantities and expiry dates, other than the new requirement to show generic names alongside proprietary.)
25.03.04
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Buying a vehicle for Romanian associates
We have done quite a bit of research into the most cost effective way of buying a vehicle for the use of our Romanian associates.
We are part way through the purchase process, and will let you know if we find any snags.
The best deal seems to be to buy a new vehicle in Belgium and have one of our Romanian associates come and collect it and drive it back home.
We shall make a deposit to the Belgian dealer for the VAT amount, which will be refunded when they receive a Romanian VAT receipt. The vehicle will be registered in Romania, and Romanian import duty and VAT will be paid on entry.
Buying a NEW vehicle this way is working out about GBP 2,000 cheaper than the equivalent SECONDHAND one bought in Germany, and rather cheaper than buying a LHD in UK.
21/05/01 Update
We completed the purchase and transit into Romania last week. Do contact us if you want to know more
12.08.01
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Left hand drive vehicles only
We were asked recently for advice about donating a right hand drive drive to a church in Romania. We have long known that there are difficulties with this, usually involving costly conversion to left hand drive. We checked with our Romanian associates and were told,
"Re. Registering a right hand drive car in Romania, I have to inform you that it is not possible. All cars in Romania have to be left hand drive to be registered. Also, from the 1st January, 2002, all vehicles will have to meet EURO 3 standards. "
06/01/02
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Seeking funding for a Pastor's house
We are currently investigating the feasibility of funding the purchase of a house for a church minister (with wife and three children) in Romania, to replace inadequate accommodation in a cramped flat. We would be grateful for any pointers towards sources of suitable grants and/or loans at preferential rates for this type of project.
email response to The Cleaford Christian Trust
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Property purchase in Romania
One of our contacts has sent the following:
"You might be interested to know that we have been advised by a friend in Bucharest NOT to buy property just yet as there is legislation going through in Romania which will allow foreigners to buy land as well as the building standing on it. The advice was that when this new law is passed it might affect previous purchases and it would be best to wait until New Year 2002. I do not have official confirmation of any of this, but do believe that the information came from a sensible source."
12.08.01
In response to a request for more info a contact tells:-
As the law stood in August of this year:
Foreigners are able to buy buildings but not land. For instance, you can buy an apartment. We bought an apartment in the summer of 2000 with no trouble at all. Everything has to be dealt with through a Notar and be registered at the relevant court. You can also buy a house, but not the land. It seems that you either lease the land or you get someone you can trust to buy it for you. If you buy a house, I think there is also a 'law' that says you can own/use the land beneath your house for the life of the house.
Whatever you decide to buy, you MUST make sure that the seller has the legal ACT for the property. It is extremely important that you see this paper. Beware of being overcharged as there is a feeling that Foreigners are rolling in money. But don't try to get something for nothing. It is best to get a Romanian you know to research the prices for that particular area. Also, apartments are advertised in the local papers. There is a law going through Parliament at the moment and the laws on ownership by foreigners will be changed, possibly in the new year. All laws have to be published in the Montorul Oficial before they become law. In August this one still hadn't been published. I have this from a lawyer.
18.09.01
Another subscriber has helped with this detailed reply to our request for information:
"Regarding purchase of property in Romania, I finally managed to ascertain the current legislation after being given much misleading advise. The following is the position.
1. A foreigner (non-Romanian citizen) can purchase an appartment .
2. A foreigner can purchase a house but cannot own any land, not even the land on which the house sits. He can own the house, sheds, garage, swimming pool, even the trees, plants and the grass itself, I believe, but not the land itself!
So. likewise, a foreign organisation from the UK, or wherever, can purchase a flat or house but cannot purchase land.
The solution to the land problem is to set up a Foundation in Romania, which I believe is inexpensive to do. The Foundation, which only requires a minimum of one name, CAN purchase the land. This gives indirect ownership of the land and is a useful way around the problem of land ownership.
A recent Cleaford Romania News Item reported a rumour that the Romanian Government was undergoing a review of the legislatioin regarding foreigners owning land. I have checked into this through a lawyer and a judge and am told that it is ONLY a rumour and any change is unlikely in the forseeable future. If anybody does have any information which contradicts my findings I would appreciate it if they would pass their information on to Cleaford and myself!
There are two other possibilities regarding the purchase of land, neither of which I would recommend. Firstly, one can set up a company in Romania but this will cost you and I believe that it is necessary to submit monthly accounts (although I am not too clear on this point and what it actually involves). Secondly, a Romanian can own the land for you but be very careful!! Unless you have 100 percent trust in the person DO NOT GO DOWN THIS ROAD!! Even if you decide to use a Romanian there is a fair possibility that any written agreement between the Romanian and you (or your organisation) might not have much validity in court. Do not ASSUME that because a Notary draws up the agreement that it will automatically stand up in court. This is where a good , honest lawyer is essential.
It can sometimes be difficult to find a good Romanian English speaking lawyer and it is very important to have a good lawyer whom you can trust. If anyone needs a good, honest, English speaking lawyer in Iasi I would be happy to give a recommendation.
20.09.01
This item was received from the Romanian Embassy in March 2003
USEFUL INFORMATION FOR FOREIGN BUYERS
Any person or company can buy property in Romania: houses, villas, flats, commercial or industrial spaces.
The only restriction refers to the right of ownership over the land which is part of the property, or any other kind of land, no matter of its destination, for persons that do not have Romanian citizenship.
Foreigners can still buy land in Romania under the following circumstances:
1. If the land is given in exclusive use and the house is private property, they can buy the house and take over the exclusive use for the lifetime of the house, paying a small tax for the land every year.
2. The property is bought by a company (LTD) established in Romania, irrespective of the citizenship of the LTD owner.
3. Any house can be purchased by a foreigner and the land being part of the property will be bought by Romanian citizen, who will immediately establish an exclusive right of use for the land to the owner of the building for the lifetime of the building. He will not be allowed to sell the land to another person, without the express agreement of the building owner.
For additional information, please contact:
Real Estate Agency
UNAI Member
Adress: Romania, Constanta, 29 Siretului Street, Phone: + 40-241-508.217;
Fax: + 40-241-66.16.13; Web Site: www.elion.ro ; Email : office@ elion.ro
14.03.03
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Setting up a charity in Romania
In response to a request for advice on setting up a charity in Romania, one of our regular contributors compiled these notes of guidance.
Here are a few comments re setting up a charity in Romania - not fully comprehensive but, I hope, useful.
Get a good lawyer, in Romania. You have two choices - an Association (easy, 3 trustees, cheap and quick to set up) and a Foundation (slower, more trustees, costly). It cost me 300 EUR to set up an Association, including lawyer's fees. Make sure that your Romanian trustees are 100% trustworthy. With good, committed people, charity work can proceed well. Obviously you have to build and develop these people. Remember that these Romanian trustees are going to be the ones with access to your bank account in Romania who have to pay the bills (with your cash) and so on. This may sound like a facetious or even offensive comment - but I have seen various organisations have problems with trustees and partners a way down the road. Don't under-estimate Romanian bureaucracy. You will need a good accountant out here! (As well as the lawyer.) Remember that if an Association (or Foundation, I think) folds then the state gets the assets. When you have your association, take care to remain involved in its operation, so that the Romanian staff don't feel abandoned or dropped in it. Keep it as a partnership. Choose a good local administrator, who will be your point of contact. When you set up the charity, take care to frame its legal objectives carefully to allow for all that you do, and may in future, want to do. I wish you well.
16.02.03
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Requirement for visitors to register with police
We are told that the gist of LAW 123/2001 (the law regulating foreigners) and HG 476/2001 is:- :
"Foreigners who stay in Romania more than 15 days must register with the police within three days (if accommodated by private individuals or commercial firms) and within 24 hours if they are accommodated in hotels or other organised form of accommodation.
These are in effect from May 29th.
08/06/01
A contributor has recently sent this note about registration.
"There seem to be very confused messages within Romania about the need for EU citizens to register with the police. Although the 'official rules' state that the volunteers currently working in Romania for our organisation will need to register, their local police maintain that they do not need to register and are refusing to let them! Who knows what will happen when they get to Otopeni to leave the country without having registered. I will let you know, but I thought the confusion itself might be of interest to people about to travel abroad. I get the impression things will vary from locality to locality.
It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has been through this recently..."
23.10.01
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Visas and passports
This advice has been received from the Romanian Embassy in London. March 2003
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VISA INFORMATION
The Visa Section office hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Consul: Mr Anghel Constantin
Tel: 020 7376 0683; 020 7937 9667
Fax: 020 7937 8069
Email: Romania@roemb.demon.co.uk
Romania Visa
1. Citizens of the following countries can enter Romania and stay visa free for a maximum of 30 days: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Former Yougoslav Republic of Macedonia, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia and Yougoslavia.
2. Citizens of Turkey can enter Romania and stay visa free for a maximum of 60 days.
3. Citizens belonging to the United States of America and to the European Union Member States (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden) can enter Romania and stay, visa free, for a maximum of 90 days in a semester.
The duration of stay may be extended only upon application, and is approved by the Ministry of Interior-Department for Foreigners and Migration.
4. Citizens of the following countries can enter Romania and stay visa free for a maximum of 90 days: Canada, Costa Rica, Iceland, Latvia, Malaysia, Malta, Norway, Russia, San Marino, South Korea, Switzerland, Japan, Ukraine, Venezuela and citizens of the Special Administrative Regions of Hong-Kong and Macao.
5. Citizens of the Republic of Moldova can enter Romania on the basis of their passports.
6. Citizens of the following countries will be issued with Romanian visas, under a special procedure (official notarised invitation from a company or individual in Romania, approved by the Romanian Passport General Directorate or by any of the Romanian County Passport Authorities): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cuba, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo Zaire, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, People Democratic Republic of Korea, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, People s Republic of China, Peru, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Syria, West Samoa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, East Timor, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia and Yemen. To find out the concrete requirements please contact the Visa Section of the Embassy of Romania.
7. All other countries not mentioned so far require a visa, without an invitation.
The Romanian visa is granted by the Romanian diplomatic missions or consular offices abroad with the prior approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania.
TYPES OF VISA
1. The short-stay visa allows aliens to enter the Romanian territory with a view to an uninterrupted stay or several intervals whose total duration should not exceed 90 days within 6 months as of the first entry. Such type of visa may be issued with one or multiple entries. The right to stay in Romania, granted to the alien through the short stay visa, cannot be renewed.
This type of visa shall be granted for the following purposes:
a. mission (symbol C/M) – to aliens who, for reasons related to their political, administrative or public utility function have to travel to Romania. This type of visa shall be issued to aliens occupying positions within governments, public administrations or international organisations as well as to those who, by reason of their stay in Romania, are of interest for the relations between the Romanian State and the affiliation state. It can also be issued to the family members accompanying them. b. tourism– (symbol C/TU) - to aliens who travel to Romania for tourist reasons. This visa shall be granted upon the presentation of the following:i. a voucher or firm reservation from a tourist accommodation unit; ii. a travel ticket valid to the destination point or the driving license, green card and the registration documents of the means of transport in the case of vehicle drivers; iii. medical insurance; iv. the proof of the financial means in amount of EUR 100/day or the equivalent value in convertible currency for the entire period of time.
c. visit – to the alien who intends to travel to Romania in order to visit Romanian citizens or aliens with a valid stay permit;
This visa shall be granted to aliens if they present:
i. a travel ticket valid to the destination point or the driving license, green card and the registration documents of the means of transport, in the case of vehicle drivers; ii. medical insurance; iii. the proof of the financial means in amount of EUR 100/day or the equivalent value in convertible currency for the entire period of time; iv. the proof of providing accommodation conditions as a firm reservation with an accommodation unit, an ownership or rent agreement for a house in Romania in the name of the applicant or, as the case may be, a notarised statement of the visited person with the notarised copy of the premises documents;
d. business (symbol C/A) - to the alien who intends to travel to Romania for economic and/or business purposes, for contracts or negotiations, to learn or to verify the use and operation of goods acquired or sold under the commercial and industrial co-operation contracts;
This visa shall be granted to aliens if they present:i. a travel ticket valid to the destination point or the driving license, green card and the registration documents of the means of transport, in the case of vehicle drivers; ii. medical insurance; iii. documents which should certify the status of business operator in the country of origin;iv. documents certifying the purpose of the trip; v. financial means in amount of EUR 100/day or the equivalent value in convertible currency for the entire period of time; vi. the proof of accommodation conditions.
e. transportation (symbol C/TR) – to the alien who is to travel for short periods of time in order to carry out professional activities related to goods or persons transportation.
This visa shall be granted to aliens if they present:i. documents attesting the profession of the applicant, as well as the activity to be carried out during his stay ii. medical insurance; iii. the driving license, green card and the registration documents of the means of transport; iv. transportation license and execution license.
f. sports (symbol C/SP) – to the alien who is to enter Romania for a limited interval in order to participate in sports competitions.
This visa shall be granted to the aliens if they present:i. the invitation of the organisers attesting medical insurance and accommodation means; ii. the official list of the foreign sports association specifying the position of each member; iii. the approval of the territorially competent county directorate for youth and sports.
g. cultural, scientific, humanitarian activities, short-term medical treatment or other activities which do not breach the Romanian legislation (symbol C/ZA) – under the conditions of justifying their presence in Romania.
This visa shall be granted to aliens if they present:i. documents issued by the institutions where they are to travel to in order to justify their presence in Romania; ii. a travel ticket valid to the destination point or the driving licence, green card and the registration documents of the means of transport, in the case of vehicle drivers; iii. the proof of financial means in amount of EUR 100/day or the equivalent value in convertible currency for the entire period of time; iv. medical insurance; v. the proof of accommodation means. The issue of the Short Stay Visa for the citizens of states with high potential of emigration (annex 3) is stipulated in the para 7.
2. Long stay visa shall be granted to aliens, upon request, for a period of 90 days with one or more entries.
Long-stay visa allows the aliens who entered the Romanian territory to request the renewal of the temporary stay right and obtain a stay permit.
This visa shall be granted for the following purposes:
a. economic activities (symbol D/AE) – shall be granted to aliens that will carry out independent economic activities or within family associations in accordance with the law on the organisation and performance of economic activities by natural persons and who have to present the following documents:
i. the proof of complying with the conditions for carrying out the activity, provided for in the law on the organisation and performance of economic activities by natural persons; ii. medical insurance for the visa validity period; iii. criminal record certificate or other document with the same legal value.
b. professional activities (symbol D/AP): shall be granted to aliens that are to carry out such activities in accordance with the special laws regulating the conditions for carrying out the respective professions.
This type of visa may be granted to aliens complying to the following conditions:i. the proof of complying with the conditions related to the means of carrying out the respective professions; ii. the proof that in the country of origin they carry out a similar profession with the one they intend to carry out in Romania; iii. medical insurance for the visa validity period; iv. criminal record certificate or other document with the same legal value;
c. commercial activities (symbol D/AC) – to aliens who are shareholders or associates in trade companies, having responsibilities for running and administering them as well as to other foreign investors;
This type of visa shall be granted on the basis of the approval of the Romanian Agency for Foreign Investment to aliens who are or will become shareholders or associates in trade companies with responsibilities in running and administering them.
The approval of the Romanian Agency for Foreign Investment shall be granted to aliens complying with the following conditions:
i. a business plan to contain data regarding the nature, location and duration of the relevant activity and the estimated needs for labour force; ii. if they have the funds necessary for the activity, in amount of minimum EUR 100.000; iii. the activity should be beneficial to the national economy and in case of companies it should consist of significant capital contributions, technology and employment iv. if in the country of origin they perform a similar activity or close to the one they intend to carry out in Romania
The application for visa shall be accompanied by the following:i. the approval of the Romanian Agency for Foreign Investment; ii. criminal record certificate or other document of the same legal value; iii. medical insurance for the period of visa validity.
The application accompanied by the documents requested shall be submitted to the Romanian Agency for Foreign Investment and the Authority for Aliens for approval according to their competence.
The approval of the Romanian Agency for Foreign Investment is meant to establish the fulfilment of the technical and economic utility conditions of the activity to be carried out by the alien.
d. employment (symbol D/AM) – to aliens who will enter Romania with the view to being employed.
This visa shall be granted on the basis of the approval of the Office for the Migration of Labour Force and of the Authority for Aliens.
The approval of the Office for the Migration of Labour Force shall be issued, upon the request of the employer who has to make the proof that he carries out a legal activity in Romania, that he does not have debts and that he made a legal selection, presenting the proofs attesting all these, as well as those related to the presentation of documents attesting the professional qualifications, the experience of the alien in this profession, the fact that he is suitable from a medical point of view to carry out the respective activity, that he does not have criminal record and that he has minimum knowledge of Romanian.
This visa request should be accompanied by the following documents: i. the written approval of the Office for the Migration of Labour Force; ii. the proof of the means of support at the level of at least three average salaries per national economy; iii. criminal record certificate or other document of the same legal value issued by the authorities of the domicile or residence country;
iv. the medical insurance for the validity period of the visa.
e. studies (symbol D/SD) –to aliens who are to enter Romania to attend highschool, undergraduate or graduate courses, as the case may be, or for obtaining scientific titles within state or accredited private institutions under the law;
The application shall be accompanied by the following documents:
i. the letter of acceptance for studies from the Ministry of Education and Research; ii. the proof of payment of the tuition fee; iii. the proof of the means of support in amount of EUR 250 monthly for the entire period of the visa except for the cases when otherwise established based on mutual bilateral agreements; iv. criminal record certificate or other document of the same legal value.
f. family reunification (symbol D/VF) – to aliens who are to enter Romania in order to regain family unity.
Aliens holding a stay permit, except those who were granted this right for studies, may request to the Authority for Aliens the family reunification for:
i. spouse; ii. minor, not married children, out of a marriage or outside the marriage as well as those adopted by both or only one of the spouses as well as those entrusted to one or spouses through the decision of a competent authority from the state of origin, under the condition that those are effectively taken care of by one of spouses. Minors over 12 years of age adopted after the applicant has been granted the stay right in Romania make an exception. The standard application shall be submitted to the territorial group of the Authority for Aliens in the area of which the applicant has his domicile or residence and it shall be accompanied by the following documents:
i. the marriage certificate or, as the case may be, the proof of kinship; ii. the applicant’s statement in original attesting that he will live together with family members; iii. copy of the stay permit; iv. the proof of the dwelling space; v. the proof of the means of support; vi. the proof of payment of the fees and taxes to the state, including to the budgetary creditors; vii. the applicant’s medical insurance.
The application shall be usually settled within 3 months as of the submission date. The visa application shall be accompanied by the following documents:
i. the approval of the Authority for Aliens provided in paragraph 6; ii. the proof of medical insurance for visa validity period; iii. criminal record certificate or other document of the same legal value issued by the authorities from the domicile or residence country of the alien.
g. Long Stay Visa for Aliens Married to Romanian Citizens (symbol D/CR) may be granted to aliens married to Romanian citizens under the condition that the marriage is not a marriage of convenience.> h. religious or humanitarian activities (symbol D/RU) - to aliens who are to enter Romania in order to carry out activities in the field of acknowledged cults or for humanitarian purpose. Long stay visa for humanitarian or religious activities shall be granted to aliens, under the following conditions:
i. the existence, as the case may be, of the approval of the Ministry of Culture and Cults or the Interdepartmental Commission for the co-ordination and support of the humanitarian activities within the Ministry of Health and Family; ii. the proof of the quality of the representative of a cult acknowledged by the Romanian State or of a humanitarian organisation; iii. the proof of the dwelling space and the means of support at the level of three average salaries per national economy; iv. the proof of the medical insurance and of the fact that they do not have diseases endangering public health; v. criminal record certificate or other document of the same legal value issued by the authorities from the country of origin.
i. other purposes (symbol D/AS) – for aliens temporarily transferred by the foreign companies, for trainees and seasonal workers, those who follow long-term medical treatment, aliens whose presence on the Romanian territory is necessary out of national security interests and those performing other activities which do not breach the Romanian laws. they prove the existence of accommodation conditions.
The aliens shall be granted visas if:
i. they present the proof of medical insurance for the periof of visa validity; ii. they prove the existence of accomodation conditions; iii. they hold a criminal record certificate or other document of the same legal value issued by the authorities from the country of origin.
3. Diplomatic Visa and Service Visa (symbol D/S) The diplomatic visa and service visa shall allow the entry in Romania usually for a long stay period to the aliens holding a diplomatic, respectively service passport who are to occupy an official position as members of a diplomatic representative office or of a consular office of the affiliation state in Romania. Such types of visas shall be issued to the holders of diplomatic, respectively service passports and shall be valid for their mission interval or in accordance with the bilateral agreements to which Romania is a party.
4. Collective Visa (symbol CL/B or CL/TU) is a transit or short-stay visa granted for tourist purposes and for a period which should not exceed 30 days, issued to a group of aliens, established prior to the request, provided that its members should enter, stay on and leave the Romanian territory in group.
This type of visa shall be issued for groups consisting of minimum 5 up to 50 persons. The leader of the group should have an individual passport and an individual visa.
5.Transit Visa (symbol B) allows the alien to cross the Romanian territory. The transit visa may be issued for one or two transits, the length of each transit not exceeding 5 days. This visa shall be granted to applicants under the following conditions:
i. they hold the visa of a third state and, if necessary, of a state bordering Romania enabling aliens to continue their travel; ii. they have a travel ticket valid to the destination point or they present their driving licence, the green card and the record documents of the means of transportation, in the case of vehicle.
6. Airport transit visa shall be compulsory for citizens of states included in the annex 4. Airport transit visa shall be issued with the prior approval of the Consular Relations Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the conditions of the existence of the visa of a third state allowing the aliens to continue their travel. This visa may be granted upon presenting the plane ticket valid to the destination point and allows the aliens to remain in the airport area no more than 5 days.
This type of visa shall not be necessary in the case of: i. members of plane crews; ii. holders of diplomatic, service passports or assimilated to these; iii. holders of residence permits or equivalent documents issued by the Member States of the European Union; iv. holders of visas issued by a member state of the European Union.
7. Special Rules concerning the granting of visa to the citizens of states with high potential of emigration (see annex no. 3)
The aliens in the category under Annex 3, holders of simple passports, may be granted a short-stay visa with a single or several entries, for a period up to 90 days, if they submit to the diplomatic missions and the consular offices a notarized written invitation from a natural or legal entity for the following purposes:
a. visit – the Romanian citizens with domicile in Romania or aliens holding a stay permit may make invitations if they submit, as the case may be, the following documents:i. the identity card for the Romanian citizens or the stay permit for the foreign citizens, in original and copy; ii. the proof of accommodation means; iii. the proof of the possibilities of providing support for the invited alien; iv. copy of the state border crossing document belonging to the invited alien; v. two photos of 3 x 4 cm of the invited alien; vi.the criminal record certificate of the invited alien or other document with the same legal value, issued by the authorities of the origin state, translated and notarised.
b. tourism – the companies with tourist profile may make invitations nominally for each invited alien if they submit the following documents:
i. the registration certificate and the statutes of the company in original and copy; ii. the proxy from the company for the person designated to invite on its behalf; iii. the identity card or the stay permit, as the case may be, of the authorised person; iv. copy of the state border crossing document belonging to the invited alien; v. two photos of 3 x 4 cm of the invited alien; vi. the criminal record certificate of the invited alien or other document with the same legal value, issued by the authorities of the origin state, translated and notarised.
c. business – the companies with their headquarters in Romania may usually make invitations for 3 persons simultaneously. On behalf of the companies only persons who are appointed under the law to run or administrate the investment or are holders of the majority of the social capital can make invitations.
The following documents shall be required to be submitted:
i. the registration certificate and the statutes of the company in original and copy; ii. the proof of the position of the person inviting on behalf of the company; iii. the identity card or the stay permit, as the case may be, of the authorised person; iv. copy of the state border crossing document belonging to the invited alien; v. Two photos of 3 x 4 cm of the invited alien; vi. the criminal record certificate of the invited alien or other document with the same legal value, issued by the authorities of the origin state, translated and notarised; vii. the proof of the possibilities of providing accommodation for the invited alien for the period of stay in Romania;
The invitations shall be filled in two copies and shall be submitted to the headquarters of the territorial units of the Authority for Aliens in view of approval.
The settlement of the requests for invitation approval shall be made within 60 days following their submission.
The alien may make the requst for being granted a visa within 60 following the approval of the invitation.
VISA APPLICATION PROCEDURE
a. The visas can be used within its validity and only for the period specified in it.
b. With a Singly Entry Visa the time a person is allowed to stay is stated in the respective visa.
c. With a Multiple Entries Visa there are no limitations on the number of entries but the total time that it is allowed to stay is only up to the period stated on the visa.
d. One can apply for a visa in person, by courier or by post. To apply for a visa, each applicant will need to provide, at the Visa Section, the following documents: i. a passport valid at least 6 months over the validity of the requested visa. At least one blank page should be available in the passport in order to affix the visa sticker. The damaged passports are not accepted. ii. one application Form, completed in block capitals and signed in original, for each applicant, which will enclose all the documents required for each type of visa. iii. one recent passport size photographs.
e. Visa fees
-33 Pounds Sterling for a Singly Entry Visa.
-25 Pounds Sterling for a Single Transit Visa.
-33 Pounds Sterling for a Double Transit Visa.
-60 Pounds Sterling for a Multiple Entry Visa.
-6 Pounds Sterling for a Single Entry Package Holiday Visa.
An additional fee of 7 Pounds Sterling is charged for each person included in the passports, travelling with the owner.
The visa fee must be paid in cash or Postal Orders. UK bank cheque or credit cards are not accepted.
f. The visa application will be subject to examination and decision by the appropriate Romanian authorities. The processing of a visa application may take up to 3 working days for a Short Stay Visa and up to 30 working days for a Long Stay Visa.
g. The visas for citizens of States with high potential of emigration will be issued under a special procedure (see para 7) and the processing of a visa application may take up to 30 working days.
h. The visa will be issued only when an approval has been received.
i. The visa application form must indicate the contact telephone number necessary for Visa Section to inform about the decision taken.
For safety reasons, when applying by post, the documents must be sent by recorded or special delivery mail. It must enclosed an additional self-addressed recorded or special delivery stamped envelope-for the return of the passport.
j.The Visa Section office hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10,00 a.m. to 1,00 p.m.
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sorry - can’t get rid of this ‘New’ banner at present.
14.03.03
We have been sent an English language version of Visa Regulations by one of our subscribers in Romania. The document runs to over forty pages and is available at www.riac.org.uk/visas.doc
10.04.03
Update on visas experience from USA national in Romania
I thought I would tell you a little about how the new visa laws have been applied to myself and an American in Maramures County, as we applied for and received Five-Year Romanian Visas.
Newer documentation requirements included:
a.) Romanian bank statement showing that the visa applicant had at least an amount equivalent to the current Romanian 'median' monthly wage multiplied times the number of months of the visa being applied for, in their Romanian bank account. This meant 4,500,000 Lei (current median monthly wage) x 60 (months) = 270,000,000 Lei.
b.) A receipt/statement showing that the applicant's health insurance was 'paid in advance' for the term of the visa being applied for. Obviously, for longer-term visas, this particular requirement 'does not work'. Due to such things as rising insurance rates, inflation, etc., it is not possible to pay one's medical insurance five years in advance. Each eventually accommodated the police in slightly similar ways. I pay to be insured by the Romanian social healthcare system. I asked their local office to write a statement that I am only able to pay for coverage at the beginning of each calendar year. The other man purchased one year of 'private' health insurance, and asked the company to write on the receipt that 'The insured has agreed to pay for his coverage annually.'
c.) A declaration of the applicant's health, from their Romanian medical practitioner.
Other visa requirements remain essentially as they were in the past We each had our new visa entered into our 'Legitimatie', not into our passport, as was done in the past.
I was also told that in approximately December 2003, the local passport/visa offices will receive a camera to photograph and issue a new type of legitimatie for foreigners. These will be similar to the newer style plastic Identity Cards issued to Romanian citizens. Then, the expiration date of a foreigner's visa will be entered on their legitimatie/identity card. I suspect that this will also be when the police will begin issuing a seemingly important 'cod numeric' to foreigners, just as they do for Romanian citizens. The law authorising the police to issue these individual code numbers to foreigners is already in place.
12.04.03
During July, 2002 we were advised that those people already required to have a visa will need to obtain it in advance rather than rely on obtaining one at the border point of entry. We were sent this extract from a business publication.
Checkpoint Visas In Special Situations
Starting this month, foreign citizens being required visas to enter Romania should address to the Romanian embassies or consulates abroad, as visas will be granted at checkpoints only in exceptional situations, the General Inspectorate of the Border Police informs. The state border crossing points visas are granted only in emergency situations, such as disasters, natural calamities or accidents, deaths, serious illnesses (proved with papers) or to the ships or airplanes in special situations (disorders, bad weather or terrorist attack danger). Visas can also be granted at the borders to clerks belonging to international organizations delegated to achieve official missions in Romania for a short period, to participants in international actions organized in Romania, when the period of time between their notification and the date of the action does not allow getting the visas previously.
27.07.02
Passports must have six months validity
Your passport will need to have at least six months left to run in order to enter Romania.
03.09.02
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Computer viruses
Computer viruses are rife in Romania, as is cheap pirated software. We find recipients of our machines are often tempted to pick up dodgy software for ridiculous prices in the market. We also find people believe that if they put a free virus protection program on the machine they are covered. We find the hassles in dealing with an infection are so great that it is worth our paying for a regularly updated service, such as McAfee. Remind your friends that it is not a good idea to email all their contacts if they believe they have been infected!
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International adoptions
We have been told......
OUG 121/2001, published in Monitorul Oficial no 633 on October 9th, stipulates that all international adoptions involving Romanian children are suspended for a period of 12 months. This is due to the fact that the National Authority for Child Protection and the Ministry of Justice will reanalyse the juridical procedures on international adoptions for aligning the internal legislation with the international regulations in this field. OG 121/2001 entered into effect on the day it was published in the Monitorul Oficial, on October 9th.
23.10.01
UPDATE A subscriber sent the following...
"As far as the current situation goes, the moratorium on international adoptions has now been extended until the beginning of February 2003. The Romanian government is working on a new set of laws governing Child Protection, Adoption and International Adoption, which should be announced by then. These laws are intended to address the problems of child abandonment in Romania and ensure where possible the children are re-integrated in their families or are adopted within Romania. Despite the moratorium a limited number of international adoptions have been going through recently under an emergency ordinance announced last December. However these are all 'special cases' - usually where an application to adopt had been made when the moratorium was announced.
24.11.02
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Orphanages
There have been two enquiries from people who have heard that the Romanian government is intending to close all of it's orphanages. During a conversation with the Cultural Counsellor of the London Romanian Embassy recently I was able to learn that what they actually plan to do is restructure these institutions so that they each have fewer residents and are more like a family home or perhaps a halfway house, with the ultimate aim of placing children with families. This is obviously a long term exercise. I got the impression that child protection issues are being treated with some importance.
Dec 2001
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Heating oil
Following a request for advice about obtaining heating oil i
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