If you have a simple passport, you can obtain a short-stay visa with one or more trips if you present to the diplomatic missions or consular offices a written invitation letter (model here), endorsed by the General Inspectorate for Immigration, from a natural or legal person in Romania.
The invitation, accompanied by a series of documents, depending on the purpose, is picked up, completed in two copies and submitted to the headquarters of the territorial formations of the General Inspectorate for Immigration, for approval. Consult the list of documents necessary to endorse the invitation depending on the purpose of coming to Romania: visit, tourism, business.
An invitation endorsed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs – General Inspectorate for Immigration, presented in original at the time of submitting the short-stay visa application, is required for nationals of the following states: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Russian Federation, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Yemen (the revised list approved by Order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs no. 1743/2010, as amended by Order no. 645/2024).
Invitations shall be approved within 45 days of the date of submission, with the possibility of extending the period by 15 days in justified cases.
For foreigners who are to come to Romania for tourism purposes, in organized groups of at least 20 people, at the request of companies regulated by Law no. 31/1990, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions, members of the National Association of Travel Agencies from Romania, the approval of the invitations is made within 30 days from the date of submission.
In case of approval, a copy of the invitation will be handed to the person who invited you, who will send it to you. You will present the invitation, in original, to the diplomatic mission or to the consular office, accompanied by the other documents, for obtaining the Romanian visa. You must apply for a visa within 30 days of approval of the invitation, otherwise it will lose its validity.
The guest, natural or legal person will bear the expenses occasioned by the removal from the territory of Romania of the invited foreigners. The invitation constitutes an enforceable title in case the invited foreigner does not leave Romania until the date on which the right of residence established by visa ends.
Exceptions for short-stay visas
There are certain situations when you no longer need an invitation endorsed by the General Inspectorate for Immigration to obtain a short-stay visa, in which case you apply for a visa from diplomatic missions or consular offices with a notarized invitation. (See exceptions to the invitation procedure).
Notarial invitation
Important:
1. The invitation of the foreign citizen is made at the notary only for visas for the purpose of VISIT.
2. The notarial invitation is required only for nationals of the following countries:
South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma / Myanmar, Cambodia, Cape Verde, China, Congo (Brazzaville), Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Philippines, Gambia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Eswatini (Swaziland), Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe (nationals of these states need a visa under Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 but are not on the list of states subject to the IGI invitation procedure)
Documents required at the notary’s office for the invitation of a foreign citizen in Romania:
- the identity document of the party domiciled in Romania and which makes the invitation for the foreign citizen1;
- copy of the identity card of the foreign citizen.
[1] If the person making the invitation is a foreign citizen with a residence permit in Romania, it is also necessary to present the residence permit, and the identification will be made with the passport.
Model of notarial invitation
INVITATION
The undersigned ……………………………, Romanian citizen, domiciled in …………………………………………… .., with CNP …………………… .. , holder in the CI / BI would be ……. no. … ../ …… …., issued by ………………, I invite to my home in Romania, for the purpose of visiting, during the period ……… -…. ……, Mrs. ……… .. …………… .., citizen ……………………., Domiciled in …………… ………, holder of type passport… .. no… ../ …………… ….… .., issued by ………………………, identification number ……………….
In the event that Mrs. / Mr. ……………………… .. will not respect the term of stay in Romania, the undersigned undertakes to cover the expenses related to his maintenance (accommodation, food, medical assistance, transport ticket, etc. .), as well as the expenses regarding the remission in his country of domicile. I give this statement for use before the authorities concerned.
Written today, the date of authentication at the Public Notary’s Office…………….., in three copies, of which two copies were issued to the party.
Declarant,
(signature)
Approval of the General Inspectorate for Immigration and entry without a visa
In order to approve a short-stay visa, the National Visa Center requests the approval of the General Inspectorate for Immigration, thus increasing the term for granting the visa. The General Inspectorate for Immigration issues the approval for the short-stay visa within 7 working days from the date of receipt of the application, and in duly justified situations the term may be extended by another 7 working days. However, there are also situations in which this opinion is no longer needed. (See the list of exceptions to the I.G.I. opinion).
If you are a citizen of the states whose nationals need a visa (see list) you can enter Romania without a visa if you find yourself in one of the following situations:
- – are holders of uniform Schengen visas, visas with limited territorial validity covering Romania, long-stay visas or residence permits issued by another Schengen Member State – since Romania is a full Schengen member (1 January 2025), these documents allow transit and stays not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period, counted in the whole Schengen area, if the documents presented are valid, and the number of entries and the duration of the authorized stay have not been exhausted. The right of residence on the territory of Romania may not exceed the right of residence conferred by the respective visas / residence permits.
- – hold a valid long-term residence permit issued by an EU Member State – for an uninterrupted stay or for several stays the total duration of which does not exceed 90 days during any period of 180 days prior to each day of stay on the territory of Romania; You can calculate your right of residence by using the computer provided by the European Commission.
- – you are the holder of a small traffic permit, issued in accordance with the O.U.G. no. 194/2002 on the regime of aliens in Romania and Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EC) no. 1931/2006 of 20 December 2006 laying down rules on small border traffic at the external land borders of the Member States and amending the Schengen Convention, provided that you exercise your right of movement in accordance with the low border traffic regime .
- – you are the holder of travel documents with a red or blue cover, issued by the United Nations, except for those with a blue cover and the numerical series preceded by the letter A – for an uninterrupted stay or more
For foreign nationals who intend to come to Romania and remain in the country for purposes that are not short-term, but focus on medium to long-term stays, our team is also able to provide details on the procedure to acquire Romanian citizenship by application. This is based on the naturalization of the foreign national and application is possible after at least eight years in the country (less in some cases).
