Romania - Self-employed worker

Long-stay visa

You must apply for a long-stay visa for professional, commercial or economic activities at the Romanian embassy in your country of origin or residence.

Temporary residence permit

Upon arrival, you must apply for a temporary residence permit for professional, commercial or economic activities at the General Inspectorate for Immigration.

Long-stay visa

Long-stay visa for professional activities

To obtain a long-stay visa for professional activities, you must:

• show that you meet the legal conditions for performing the specific profession;
• show that you performed a profession in your home country similar to that which you envisage carrying out in Romania;
• provide a criminal record; and
• provide a medical insurance covering the entire length of your stay, as set out in your visa.

Long stay visa for commercial activities

Issuance of this kind of visa will be available shortly.

Long-stay visa for economic activities

To obtain a long-stay visa for economic activities, you must:

• prove that the conditions relating to the certification of professional training, as set out in the legislation on the organisation economic activities, are met;
• have medical insurance;
• present a criminal record certificate or other document with the same legal value.

Temporary residence permit

General conditions

If you entered Romania on the basis of a long stay visa, you may be granted a temporary residence permit, which will extend your right to stay on the territory for successive periods of up to one year.

You must:

• have a valid travel document;
• request an extension of the right to stay in Romania on the same grounds for which the visa/residence right was initially granted;
• have legal ownership or a lease contract for the living space at the address stated as residence in Romania and effectively reside there;
• comply with the general and special conditions for extension of the right to stay, depending on the scope of your residence in Romania;
• submit proof of health insurance;
• pay the fees for the document issued to you.

Temporary residence permit for professional activities:

In addition to the general conditions set out above, you must also prove that you:

• carry out the relevant activity in compliance with the conditions set out by national legislation;
• have financial means to support yourself (at least at the level of the average gross monthly salary, for the period for which the extension of residence right is requested).

Temporary residence permit for commercial activities:

In addition to the general conditions set out above, you must:

• have legal ownership of the headquarters of the company;
• be an associate or shareholder, with management or administrative capacity;
• have means of at least 700 EUR per month to support yourself if you are a shareholder, and of at least 500 EUR per month if you are an associate;
• have a business plan, approved by the Romanian Centre for Trade and Investment (Internet page will be available shortly);
• present a document issued by the Romanian Centre for Trade and Investment, proving that your activity is carried out in compliance with your business plan;
• provide a certificate from the Registry of Commerce, that states your role, the name, headquarters and scope of the company, and financial and economic details regarding the commercial activity;
• provide a certificate issued by the Territorial Labour Inspectorate referring to the number of employees hired by the company.

Temporary residence permit for economic activities :

In addition to the general conditions set out above you must:

• present an original and a copy of the authorisation to carry out the relevant activity;
• have a proof of legal ownership of the space where the activity is carried out;
• prove that you have financial means to support yourself (at least at the level of the average gross monthly salary, for the period for which the extension of residence right is requested);
• prove that the activity is carried out according to the same conditions for which the residence permit was initially granted and that the scope of this activity is the same as the previous one, or is a continuation or result of the previous economic activity.

The long-stay visa allows you to stay in Romania for a maximum of 90 days. Within this period you should apply for a temporary residence permit at least 30 days before expiry of the visa.

The residence permit for professional, economic or commercial activities is valid for up to one year, renewable.

If you have a residence permit for commercial activities and can prove that you have invested over 500.000 EUR or created over 50 jobs in Romania, your right to temporary residence can be extended for successive periods of up to three years.

More on permits for carrying out professional activities (in Romanian).

More on permits for carrying out commercial activities (in Romanian).

Long-term residence

To be granted a long-term residence permit, you must show that your temporary stay in Romania has been legal and continuous for at least five years. Only half the time spent as a student with a temporary residence permit can be taken into account when calculating this period.

During the five-year period, you must not have left Romania for more than six months in one year and more than ten months in total.

You must show:

• sufficient financial resources, either by showing proof of your bank account, or a monthly income such as salary, pension etc, at least at the level of minimum wage);
• proof of health insurance;
• adequate accommodation, for example a registered lease contract.

You must also do a language test to prove a satisfactory level of Romanian and must not pose a threat to public order or national security.

If you have obtained a permanent right to stay you will be issued with a long-term residence permit, renewable every five years.

Long-term resident status gives you equal treatment with Romanian citizens regarding the conditions for access to the labour market (except public prerogatives), education and vocational training, social security, social and health care, social protection and medical assistance.

More on permanent residence status (in Romanian).