EU registration certificate in Romania in 2026: who needs it, documents and fees

An EU, EEA or Swiss citizen can live in Romania for up to 3 months with only a valid ID card or passport. To stay longer, they register at the local office of the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) within 3 months of arrival and receive a registration certificate (certificat de înregistrare), which IGI says it issues the same day. Family members from outside the EU apply for a residence card (carte de rezidență) instead. This guide is general information, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm the details with your IGI office before you go.

The legal basis

The rules come from Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 102/2005 on the free movement of EU citizens in Romania, which transposes EU Directive 2004/38/EC. The latest consolidated version on the Ministry of Justice portal dates from 8 March 2024 (OUG 102/2005, consolidated). Article 39 extends it to citizens of EEA countries and Switzerland and their families. Parts of the text still name the old Romanian Immigration Office, which is now IGI.

The first 3 months

Under Article 11, an EU citizen may stay in Romania for up to 3 months from entry “without any additional condition”. A family member of any nationality who accompanies or joins them has the same right. Someone who comes to look for work may stay for up to 6 months from entry without extra conditions (Article 11(2)).

When you need the registration certificate

Article 12(1) gives a right of residence for more than 3 months to an EU citizen who:

• is a worker, employed or self-employed in Romania;
• has sufficient means for themselves and their family, as a rule at least the level of Romania’s guaranteed minimum income (venitul minim garantat), plus health insurance;
• is a student at an accredited institution in Romania, with health insurance and a statement or other proof of sufficient means;
• is a family member of an EU citizen in one of these groups, or of a Romanian citizen living in Romania.

The application is filed within 3 months of the date of entry, at the IGI territorial office for the place where you live (Articles 13-14). IGI’s residence registration page says the same: register with the IGI office in your county of residence.

Worker status can survive a job loss. Someone who has worked for more than a year and becomes unemployed keeps it while unemployed. Someone who worked less than 12 months, or on a contract shorter than a year, keeps it for 6 months. Status also continues during vocational training linked to the previous job, and during temporary inability to work because of illness or accident (Article 12(4)-(7)).

Documents for each category

Every application starts with the IGI application form and a valid ID card or passport, original and copy. IGI’s list for EU/EEA citizens then asks for:

• Employees: the employment contract (original and copy) and an original employer’s certificate, plus a printout of the employee from the employer’s staff register, stamped and signed by the employer. The ordinance itself refers to a contract or employer certificate endorsed “under the law” (Article 13(1)(a)).
• Self-employed: for company administrators, a certificate from the Trade Register (ONRC). For other economic activities, an ONRC certificate showing you may operate under Government Ordinance 44/2008. For liberal professions, the authorisation issued under the law for that profession.
• Posted workers: the posting contract and posting notification, translated and legalised, plus a statement from the Romanian branch or company on the posting period.
• Sufficient resources: proof of means and proof of health insurance. IGI’s means of support sheet accepts a pension slip issued no more than 3 months before entry, the previous year’s income tax statement, or a bank statement or similar document.
• Students: proof of enrolment at an accredited institution, health insurance, and proof of means. The same sheet says students may give a sworn statement that they can support themselves.
• EU-citizen family members: a copy of the EU citizen’s ID and residence document, a marriage certificate or proof of the family link, proof of means and health insurance. Family members of a Romanian citizen bring the Romanian’s ID card (original and copy) and proof of health insurance; IGI says Romanian citizens do not have to prove means for their family.

IGI’s health insurance sheet accepts proof of cover in the Romanian public system, a European Health Insurance Card or another document issued under Regulation (EC) 883/2004, or a private policy covering at least the risks of Romanian public insurance. Travel insurance is not accepted. People insured in Romania without paying contributions are exempt from this proof, IGI says.

Issue, validity and renewal

Article 15(1) says the certificate is issued “immediately” on the basis of the documents. If something is missing, IGI can ask for more within a period of no more than 30 days. A refusal is given in writing and can be challenged at the administrative court (Article 15(2)-(3)).

The certificate is valid for 5 years. At the holder’s request it can be issued for a shorter period, but not less than one year (Article 15(4)). If you stay, you return to IGI before it expires to get a new one (Article 15(5)).

Fees

We found no fee for the registration certificate on IGI’s EU-citizen pages, and the ordinance sets none. The EU’s Your Europe portal says such a document should cost no more than the ID card nationals pay (Your Europe, last checked 1 July 2026). Ask your IGI office whether any fee applies.

For non-EU family members, IGI’s fee sheet of August 2025 lists 70 lei for the residence card, payable at CEC Bank or by transfer. IGI’s other sheet, with a EUR 120 consular fee plus 265 lei, is for residence permits (permis de ședere) for other foreigners, not for EU citizens’ families (IGI fee sheet). For how that system works, see our guide to residence permits in Romania for foreigners in 2026.

The residence card for non-EU family members

A “family member” under Article 2 is the spouse; children and grandchildren under 21 or dependent, including the spouse’s; and dependent parents and grandparents, including the spouse’s. Registered partners and dependants have separate rules.

A family member who is not an EU citizen applies for the residence card within 3 months of entry (Article 16(1)). IGI’s family members page asks for:

• the application form;
• a valid passport, original and copy;
• a copy of the EU citizen’s ID or travel document and of their Romanian residence document;
• the marriage certificate or other proof of the family link;
• proof of means;
• proof of health insurance;
• proof of fee payment.

Partners and dependants bring documents from the competent authority of their home country proving that status.

On filing, IGI gives the applicant a certificate (adeverință) proving the right of residence until the card is ready. The card is issued within 90 days at most, and later applications within 30 days (Article 16(4) and (7)). It is valid for up to 5 years, but not beyond the EU citizen’s residence period. It lapses after more than 6 months’ absence from Romania in a year. Exceptions are military service, or up to 12 consecutive months for reasons such as pregnancy and birth, serious illness, study or a work posting. Renewal is requested at least 30 days before expiry (Article 17). The card is biometric: a facial image and two fingerprints, though children under 12 are exempt from giving fingerprints (Article 41^1).

Documents issued abroad

Civil status and kinship documents issued abroad must be prepared in one of three ways, says Article 9(6) and IGI’s guidance:

• an apostille, if the issuing country is party to the 1961 Hague Convention;
• no formality, if Romania has a judicial assistance treaty with that country;
• superlegalisation, in all other cases.

For an unregistered partnership, IGI asks for a sworn statement that the partners live together and neither is married, with proof of cohabitation. The ordinance has no general translation rule, but IGI requires a translated, legalised posting notification for posted workers. Ask your office whether other foreign documents need a Romanian translation.

Change of address, lost documents and fines

Within 10 days, you must tell IGI about a change of name, citizenship or address; non-EU family members also report changes in civil status (Article 9(1)). IGI’s other requirements page says this means getting a new certificate or card; an address change needs no proof beyond your own statement. Theft of a document is reported to the police within 48 hours, and loss or damage to IGI within 48 hours (Article 9(2)-(3)). Missing the registration, renewal or reporting obligations is a contravention fined 25 to 50 lei (Article 38).

The CNP

Every registered EU citizen and family member receives a personal numeric code (CNP). It is written on the document that proves residence in Romania (Article 41(1)). Cross-border workers get a CNP without a residence document (Article 41(2)). More in our guide to the CNP in Romania for foreigners.

Permanent residence after 5 years

After 5 years of continuous legal residence, EU citizens and their family members gain permanent residence (Article 20). The permanent residence card is valid for 10 years, or 5 years up to age 14, and is issued within 30 days for EU citizens and 90 days for family members (Article 22). It is lost after an absence of more than two consecutive years (Article 20(6)), as IGI’s free movement page also says. See our guide to permanent residence in Romania in 2026.

UK nationals

The ordinance covers citizens of EU member states (Article 2) and of EEA countries and Switzerland (Article 39). The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, as IGI’s Brexit page notes. That page is written for people covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, under Emergency Ordinance 204/2020. For one group, British students who first came to Romania after 31 December 2020, it says national immigration rules apply. Other UK arrivals should ask IGI which rules cover them.

Step by step

• Live in Romania with your ID card or passport for the first 3 months.
• Choose your category: worker, self-employed, resources, student or family member.
• Collect the IGI documents for it, originals and copies.
• Before the 3 months end, apply at the IGI office for your county. IGI’s home page describes an online portal for uploading supporting documents before the counter visit, without saying which applications it covers, so ask your office.
• Collect the certificate (EU citizens) or the adeverință, then the card (non-EU family).
• Report a new address or name within 10 days, and renew before expiry.

Header photo: European Union Flags 2 by Thijs ter Haar, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

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