Family reunification in Romania in 2026: visa, residence permit and documents

A non-EU spouse or child joins family in Romania through one of two procedures. The main one is family reunification under Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 194/2002 on foreigners. The second covers the families of Romanian citizens. Many English pages treat that second case as an “EU residence card” route, but the law does not. This guide follows the ordinance as amended up to 27 April 2026 and is general information, not legal advice.

Two routes, two sets of rules

Route A: the sponsor is a non-EU national living in Romania. The family needs an approval from the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) first. The family members then apply for a long-stay family reunification visa (code D/VF) and finally for a residence permit in Romania.

Route B: the sponsor is a Romanian citizen. A non-EU spouse of a Romanian is also covered by OUG 194/2002, not by OUG 102/2005. OUG 102/2005 defines an “EU citizen” as a citizen of any member state “other than Romania” (Article 2). Its residence card (carte de rezidență) is therefore for the non-EU family members of other EU, EEA and Swiss citizens. Article 46(16) of OUG 194/2002 lists the family of Romanian citizens as a separate category that applies directly for the visa.

Route A: who can sponsor and who can join

Under Article 46(1), a sponsor can apply if they hold one of the following:

• a temporary residence permit valid for one year
• an EU Blue Card
• an ICT or “mobile ICT” permit
• a long-term residence permit
• refugee status or subsidiary protection

The law sets no minimum period of prior residence beyond holding one of these documents. Researchers, Blue Card holders and ICT permit holders may apply even if their permit runs for less than a year (Article 46(6)).

The family members who qualify are:

• the spouse
• unmarried minor children of the sponsor and spouse, including adopted children
• unmarried minor children of only one of them, if that parent has parental rights; if custody is shared, the other parent must consent

IGI may also approve parents who cannot support themselves and have no family support at home. The same applies to adult unmarried children who cannot support themselves for medical reasons (Article 46(2)).

Step 1: the approval request at IGI

The sponsor files a standard application at the IGI office for the area where they live. Article 46(7) lists the documents:

• the marriage certificate or proof of kinship
• a notarised statement that the family will live together
• a copy of the sponsor’s residence document
• proof of legal possession of housing considered normal for a similar family in Romania
• proof of means of support
• proof that the sponsor is insured in the Romanian social health insurance system
• the other parent’s written consent where custody is shared
• a copy of each family member’s passport

Income. On top of the sponsor’s own needs, Article 46(9)(c) requires means equal to the national minimum gross base salary for each family member, for three months. Government Decision 146/2026 sets that salary at 4,325 lei a month from 1 July 2026. That comes to 12,975 lei per family member, or 38,925 lei for a spouse and two children. IGI’s English page describes the threshold as the “net minimum wage”. The ordinance says gross.

Deadline. IGI must decide within a maximum of three months (Article 46(11)). If documents are missing, IGI can give up to 30 days to supply them, and the three-month clock stops until they arrive.

Step 2: the D/VF visa at the consulate

The sponsor passes the approval to the family, who must present it at the Romanian embassy or consulate within 60 days of its issue, together with the visa application (Article 46(12)). They apply in person in the country where they live. Under Article 46(15) they need:

• the IGI approval
• travel medical insurance for the visa’s validity, valid in all member states, with at least EUR 30,000 of cover (as amended by OUG 32/2026)
• a criminal record certificate from the country of residence

The consulate decides within 60 days (Article 31). A long-stay visa is valid for 90 days (Article 24).

Step 3: the residence permit in Romania

After arriving, each family member applies to IGI for a temporary residence permit for family reunification, at least 30 days before the right of stay expires (Article 51). The file includes:

• the passport
• a medical certificate
• proof of housing (which the sponsor can provide)
• health insurance
• proof of means at the minimum gross salary for each month of the requested period
• proof that the fees are paid

IGI decides within 30 days, extendable by 15. For a marriage-based application that needs checks for a marriage of convenience, the deadline can stretch to 90 days, and the right of stay continues meanwhile. Both spouses can be interviewed.

The permit runs for the same period as the sponsor’s. If the sponsor holds long-term residence, it can run for up to five years (Article 62(5)). After five years, or earlier after divorce or the sponsor’s death, a family member can apply for an independent permit (Article 64). OUG 32/2026 added Article 132^1, which lists family reunification permit holders among the foreigners who can be employed on the basis of their residence permit.

Route B: spouse and children of a Romanian citizen

The non-EU spouse of a Romanian applies for the D/VF visa directly, with no IGI approval request filed by the family. Children under 21 of the Romanian, the spouse or the partner can apply the same way, and so can children under 26 who are still studying. Partners are covered too: an unmarried non-EU partner living with an unmarried Romanian can apply if they have a child together. Article 46(17) requires the marriage certificate to be issued by Romanian authorities or transcribed into the Romanian civil register. The consulate processes this visa without a fee (Article 30(10)).

In Romania, the permit can be extended if the Romanian spouse has a domicile or residence in the country. The specific conditions are a valid marriage certificate and no bigamy (Article 62(3)). The permit can run for up to five years and is exempt from consular fees (Article 62(5)-(6)). The holder can work on the basis of the permit (Article 132^1).

Costs

• Visa: EUR 300 for a long-stay visa requested through the e-Visa portal from 27 April 2026, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fee table. Earlier requests paid EUR 120. OUG 32/2026 sets a single EUR 300 fee for all long-stay visas in Law 198/2008. Only the family of Romanian citizens is exempt.
• Residence permit: IGI’s fee sheet lists a EUR 120 consular fee (paid in lei) and 265 lei for the permit card. The family of Romanian citizens is exempt from the consular fee. The fee sheet does not say whether the card cost is also waived.

Processing times: the law and the numbers

By law, the IGI approval takes up to three months and the visa up to 60 days. The permit then takes 30 to 45 days, or up to 90 days with marriage checks. IGI’s annual analysis for 2025 counts 3,357 family reunification requests in 2025, up from 2,536 in 2024, a rise of more than 32%. In Bucharest, IGI counted 1,003 requests in 2025, Agerpres reported on 21 January 2026: 487 approved, 339 rejected and 177 pending. About 41% of decided files were rejected. We found no published figure for average waiting times.

Common pitfalls

• Missing apostille or legalisation. IGI requires foreign civil-status documents to be “translated and legalized or apostilled according to the law”.
• Unregistered foreign marriage (Route B). The visa requires a Romanian-issued or transcribed marriage certificate.
• Income below the threshold. The test counts every family member and three months of the gross minimum wage. It is not a single month’s net pay.
• Missing the 60-day window. The IGI approval must reach the consulate within 60 days of its issue.
• Old documents. The ordinance sets no expiry date for civil-status documents. Consulates often expect a recent criminal record certificate, so check the mission’s own list.
• Shared custody without consent. A child’s file needs the other parent’s consent at both the approval and the permit stage.

Documents that need certified translation

Foreign documents usually need a translation by an authorised translator, plus an apostille, or legalisation for countries outside the Hague Convention. The usual ones are:

• the marriage certificate
• the children’s birth certificates
• custody rulings, adoption decisions and the other parent’s consent
• criminal record certificates, where the consulate asks for a translation
• divorce or death certificates, for an independent permit

In Cluj-Napoca, TransMondo provides certified translations with apostille and legalisation handled in-house.

Header photo: Silhouette Family by RachelH, CC0, via Stocksnap, cropped.

We use AI in our daily operations; posts are reviewed by people before publishing; automated/generated posts are marked as such where needed.