Work Permit in Romania

Foreign nationals can relocate to Romania and engage in remunerated work, provided that they have a work permit in Romania. Our immigration lawyer in Romania can help you apply for the work visa and its corresponding residence permit.

Who must apply for the work permit in Romania?

Non-EEA citizens must obtain a long-stay visa for employment (the work visa, type D/AM1 or D/AM2) before they travel to Romania to engage in paid work; the separate work permit (aviz de angajare) formerly issued by the General Inspectorate for Immigration was abolished by GEO 32/2026.

EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals are allowed to work in Romania without obtaining a specific work visa, but by meeting the conditions for holding a lawful residence permit during their stay in the country.

What types of work permits can I apply for?

Starting in 2026, there are two types of work visas in Romania. Our Romanian immigration lawyer lists these below:

1. The D/AM1 work visa: for highly qualified workers and other special categories (staff requested by ministries or other central authorities, higher-education and cultural staff, professional athletes, as well as citizens of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia employed full-time); the single application is filed by the employer;
2. The D/AM2 visa: for foreign nationals who require a work permit in Romania but do not fall under the D/AM1 categories. These are permanent workers such as cooks or electricians (among others), seasonal, or cross-border workers, hired for occupations on the list of deficit occupations and within the annual quota of newly admitted workers.

The list of shortage occupations and the annual quota do not apply to the categories for which the employer files the single application directly (visa D/AM1): highly qualified workers; persons carrying out activities requested by ministries or central public authorities; teaching, scientific and artistic staff; professional athletes; and citizens of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia employed full-time.

Categories of workers

Depending on the type of activity you want to work in Romania, you can hire yourself as:

– permanent worker – a foreigner employed on the territory of Romania with an individual contract of employment for an indefinite or fixed term, concluded with an employer on the basis of an approved single application;

– trainee employee – a foreigner holding a university degree, transferred to Romania within the same company (intra-corporate transfer) for a determined period, for career development or training purposes;

– seasonal worker – foreigner who maintains his main residence in a third country but temporarily lives in Romania, being employed on the territory of Romania with an individual fixed-term employment contract, concluded with an employer on the basis of an approved single application, to perform an activity that takes place according to the succession of the seasons;

– a cross-border worker – a foreign national who is a citizen of a state with a common border with Romania and who lives in the frontier zone of that state, employed in a border town on the territory of Romania with an individual contract of indefinite duration or on fixed term, concluded with an employer on the basis of an approved single application;

– a highly qualified worker – a foreigner employed on the territory of Romania on a highly qualified job, with an individual full-time contract of indefinite duration or a fixed term of at least six months, concluded with an employer on the basis of an approved single application;

– posted worker – a qualified foreigner temporarily posted to Romania by an employer established in an EU or EEA member state or in Switzerland, with which he remains bound by a valid employment contract, for 12 months, extendable to a maximum of 18 months in any 36-month period, provided that he holds a residence permit issued by that state. Posted workers follow a separate procedure (long-stay visa for posting, type D/DT), described on our page on detachment in Romania;

– an ICT worker (intra-corporate transferee) – an alien residing in a third country at the time of the application and being transferred within the same company.

– an au pair worker – a foreigner temporarily employed by a host family on the territory of Romania to improve their language skills and competences in exchange for easy domestic care and childcare.

The conditions and documents for the single application depend on the category of worker (permanent, seasonal, trainee, cross-border, highly qualified, posted, ICT or au pair) and are published on the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform.

What are the conditions for the approval of the single application?

If you do not have Romanian citizenship or the citizenship of another Member State of the European Union or the European Economic Area you can be employed in Romania on the basis of an approved single application if the following conditions are met:

• For highly qualified workers, the employer proves that the vacancy could not be filled by Romanian citizens, citizens of EU / EEA member states or Switzerland, or long-term residents in Romania; for permanent, seasonal and cross-border workers, the occupation must be on the list of shortage occupations;
• Fulfill your special training, work experience and licensing conditions;
• Prove that you are medically fit to do the job;
• You do not have a criminal record that is incompatible with the activity that you are or will be pursuing on the territory of Romania;
• You are in the annual quota approved by the Government Decision;
• The employer has paid up the obligations to the state budget up to date;
• The employer carries out activities compatible with the job for which the foreigner is required to work;
• The employer / beneficiary of the service has not been sanctioned for undeclared work or illegal employment in the last 6 months prior to the settlement of the demand for permanent / seasonal / trainees / cross-border / highly skilled / au pair / detached / ICT workers.

The fees provided by law (for the long-stay visa and for the residence permit) must be paid; the amounts are set by the applicable legislation. Proof of payment of the applicable fees is presented together with the application.

What are the general steps for obtaining the right to work and live in Romania?

Applying for a work permit in Romania is only one of the steps required in the case of foreign nationals who must apply for this permit.

The employer files the single application electronically on WorkinRomania.gov.ro, together with the firm job offer and the required documents; the General Inspectorate for Immigration verifies the admissibility conditions within 30 days and the result is communicated on the platform.

After the single application has been approved on WorkinRomania.gov.ro, you apply for the long-stay visa for employment (D/AM1 or D/AM2) at the diplomatic missions or consular offices of Romania; after entering Romania you apply to the General Inspectorate for Immigration for the single permit (residence and work).

As an internal procedure, the long-stay visa for employment (D/AM1, D/AM2) is approved by the National Visa Center on the basis of the single application verified on the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform, without a separate opinion of the General Inspectorate for Immigration. For the categories that can work without a single application, the visa is granted with the approval of the General Inspectorate for Immigration. The long-stay visa application is decided within 30 days from the date on which the foreigner appears at the Romanian diplomatic mission or consular office.

The single application is rejected by the General Inspectorate for Immigration if the admissibility conditions provided by law are not met, and the long-stay visa is refused if the conditions for its issue are not fulfilled; a visa already issued may be annulled or revoked under the general rules on visas.

The work visa alone (D/AM1 or D/AM2) does not grant residency rights. The holder must apply for the single permit (residence and work) at least 30 days before the work visa’s expiry date.

Single permits are applied for in person, at the territorial unit of the General Inspectorate for Immigration in the area of residence.

What documents must I provide to obtain a work permit in Romania?

The list of required documents is influenced by the exact job and the applicable visa (one of the two types mentioned above). Below, our team lists the generally required documents:

• Valid passport/travel document;
• The documents uploaded by the employer on WorkinRomania.gov.ro (for the D/AM1 visa, the individual employment contract registered in REGES-ONLINE) and the passport, presented in original and in person at the consulate;
• Individual employment agreement, duly registered with the Romanian authorities, or the contractual documents (indicating the secured employment relationship);
• Travel medical insurance, with sufficient coverage for the intended period of stay (minimum EUR 30,000);
• Criminal record certificate, issued by the authorities in the applicant’s country of origin;
• Proof of sufficient income (Romanian gross minimum salary, guaranteed for 90 days in most cases);
• Documents indicating the applicant’s professional qualification (CV, diplomas, others as may be required on a case-by-case basis).

Who can work in Romania without a single application?

The following categories of foreigners can be employed or can work for natural or legal persons in Romania without a single application (art. 132^1 of GEO 194/2002, as amended by GEO 32/2026):

a) foreigners holding the right of long-term residence on the territory of Romania;

b) foreigners holding the right of temporary residence for family reunification as family members of a Romanian citizen;

c) foreigners holding the right of temporary residence for studies; they may be employed only with a part-time individual employment contract with working time of maximum six hours a day;

d) foreigners holding the right of temporary residence granted to victims of certain crimes according to art. 130 of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 194/2002, republished, as subsequently amended and supplemented;

e) foreigners holding a valid temporary residence permit granted for the purpose of family reunification who have previously enjoyed a right of residence on Romanian territory as family members of a Romanian citizen and who are in one of the situations envisaged to art. 64 par. (2) of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 194/2002, republished, as subsequently amended and supplemented;

f) foreigners who have acquired a form of protection in Romania;

g) asylum seekers from the date when they have the right to access the labor market according to the Law no. 122/2006 on asylum in Romania, as subsequently amended and supplemented, if they are still in the process of determining a form of protection;

h) tolerated foreigners, for as long as the tolerance of their stay on the Romanian territory is granted;

i) foreigners with the right of temporary residence for work purposes, employed on the territory of Romania with an active individual full-time employment contract, for employment with another employer, only with an individual part-time contract with the duration of the work of maximum four hours a day;

j) foreigners holding the right of temporary residence for religious activities who are to be employed on the territory of Romania within the units of worship;

k) holders of a valid EU Blue Card issued by another EU member state who come to work in Romania as highly qualified workers in the framework of a mobility;

l) holders of a valid EU Blue Card, after 12 months of legal employment on the territory of Romania as highly qualified workers;

m) holders of a long-term residence permit issued by another EU member state bearing the mention “Former EU Blue Card holder”;

n) foreigners holding a valid temporary residence permit granted for family reunification as family members of a foreign citizen.

The categories formerly exempted from the work permit under the repealed Government Ordinance no. 25/2014 (staff requested by ministries, teaching, scientific and artistic staff, professional athletes) now obtain the D/AM1 visa on the basis of a single application filed by the employer, while persons appointed to manage a Romanian subsidiary, branch or representative office of a foreign company obtain a long-stay visa for other purposes (art. 49 par. (1) lit. c^1) of GEO 194/2002). The employer of a foreigner in the categories listed above must send the General Inspectorate for Immigration a copy of the employment contract within 10 days from the start of the activity.

Can my family join me in Romania?

Yes. Your spouse (and/or minor children) can join you. They are required to obtain their own residence permit by submitting a set of documents to the immigration authorities.

How long is the work visa valid for?

The long-stay visa for employment has an initial validity period of 90 days. The holder must apply for the single permit before its expiry date.

The work residence permit has varying validity periods (depending on the duration of the employment agreement), and it can be renewed, provided that the holder continues to meet the requirements.

The long-stay visa for employment can be a route to apply for citizenship in Romania. The candidate will need to hold a long-term residence right and to have lived legally in the country for at least 8 years (or 5 years from the marriage, if married to and living with a Romanian citizen), and he will also need to provide proof of sufficient income and adequate Romanian language knowledge, among other requirements. Our team can give you more details.

What is the employer required to do?

If you want to apply for a work permit in Romania, you will have to submit a set of documents; however, it is equally important to understand that the employer is also involved in the process.

The following generally apply:

• For the D/AM1 visa, the employer, registered in the Register of authorised employers, submits a single application electronically on the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform. This is done only when there is a genuine job offer;
• For the D/AM2 visa, the single application is filed on the same platform by an authorised placement agency for foreign workers. By exception, an authorised employer may submit the single application itself, for occupations on the deficit list, rather than through a placement agency in Romania.

The Employer / Beneficiary of the service must keep at its registered office or working points a copy of the travel document or residence permit showing the legality of the foreigner’s stay on the territory of Romania, together with the supporting documents on the employer’s obligations, for at least five years after the end of the employment relationship.

Contact our immigration lawyer in Romania for complete assistance with work permit applications, both for the employer and the employee.