How to exchange a foreign driving licence in Romania in 2026: list, steps and fee

If you live in Romania and hold a licence from a state on the Interior Ministry’s list, you can swap it for a Romanian licence without an exam at the driving licence office in your county. The fee went up to 139 lei on 15 September 2026, and the office checks your licence with the country that issued it before the new card is made. If your country is not on the list, as with India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, there is no swap: you sit the Romanian exam, after a driving school course. This is general information, not legal advice; rules change, so confirm with your county licensing service (SPCRPCIV) or the Directorate General for Driving Licences and Registrations (DGPCI).

For which licences are valid on Romanian roads, International Driving Permits and EU and UK licences, see Driving in Romania as a foreigner in 2026. This guide covers the exchange procedure itself.

The legal basis

Article 83(3) of Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 195/2002 on road traffic says foreign licences held by people resident in Romania “may” be exchanged, under conditions set by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs (OUG 195/2002, art. 83). That order is Order 163/2011, published in the Official Gazette on 16 August 2011. The consolidated text on the official portal includes amendments up to Order 178/2024 of November 2024 (Order 163/2011, consolidated).

The order has three annexes of licences that can be exchanged without an exam or test (Article 2):

• Annex 1: EU countries, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
• Annex 2: a named list of states that are parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. The law refers to the states “listed in Annex 2”, so being a party to the convention is not enough on its own.
• Annex 3: non-convention states Romania accepts anyway: Canada, South Korea, Egypt, Jordan, Japan, Lebanon, the United States, Australia and China. Chinese licences are exchanged for category B only, until a bilateral treaty is signed.

Is your country on the list?

Checked against the consolidated annexes:

• Pakistan: Annex 2, no. 33. Exchange without an exam.
• Philippines: Annex 2, no. 16. Exchange without an exam.
• Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, Ukraine, Moldova, the UAE and Saudi Arabia: all on Annex 2.
• India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka: not on any annex. You have to take the exam.

DGPCI’s exchange page links to all three annexes for any other country.

Who can apply

Only people with a domicile or residence in Romania can apply, as defined in Article 23^1(2) of OUG 195/2002. In practice that usually means living here at least 185 days a year. You confirm this in a signed declaration on the application form. Foreigners prove it with the document showing their current right to stay, usually the residence permit (Order 163/2011, art. 1(2), (4) and (6)). You file at the office for the county where you live.

Some licences cannot be exchanged even if the country is listed (Articles 4 and 5):

• an International Driving Permit
• a provisional, temporary or learner licence
• a lost or stolen licence, or an expired one, unless it was issued in an Annex 1 country; an expired Annex 2 or Annex 3 licence that was itself issued in exchange for a Romanian licence can still be swapped, for the categories held in Romania
• a cancelled, suspended or withdrawn licence
• a licence held alongside another national licence
• licences of people convicted of certain driving offences

The documents

Under Article 6 of the order and DGPCI’s document list, you file in person:

• Your original foreign licence. If it comes from an Annex 2 or Annex 3 country, add a Romanian translation that is either legalised by a notary or made by an authorised translator. Our guide to certified, notarized and apostilled documents explains the difference.
• Your identity document and proof of residence, for most non-EU readers the passport and residence permit.
• The application form (Annex 4). Fill it in legibly in capital letters and sign it. DGPCI publishes it under Taxes and forms.
• Proof that you paid the licence fee.
• Your express consent for the office to obtain an extract from your criminal record. This was added in November 2024.
• A medical certificate, only if you ask for a licence with a new administrative validity period. It must come from an authorised medical unit in Romania.

The order does not list a psychological assessment for the exchange.

The fee in 2026

From 15 September 2026, the licence fee is 139 lei, up from 89 lei, according to the DGPCI fee page. The money goes to an account of the state protocol administration (RA-APPS), not to the licensing office (OUG 195/2002, art. 11^1(3)). You can pay:

• online through ghiseul.ro
• by bank transfer
• by postal order
• at SelfPay terminals and in BCR and CEC Bank branches

You cannot pay in cash at the counter.

Payments made at the old 89-lei rate before 15 September 2026 can no longer be used. RA-APPS refunds them on request, according to the Neamț prefecture. Some official pages still show 89 lei, including the national public services catalogue and part of DGPCI’s own exchange page. The DGPCI fee page and the county notices give 139 lei.

Booking the appointment

Book through the DGPCI online system at dgpci.mai.gov.ro/drpciv-booking. Choose your county from the list and pick the foreign-licence exchange service. Booking is free. In Bucharest, foreign-licence exchange files are accepted only with an online appointment, not with a queue ticket (Bucharest Prefecture). Neamț applies the same rule and adds that the name and personal numeric code (CNP) on the booking must match your documents.

Verification, timing and the temporary permit

The exchange can only go ahead after the issuing state’s authority confirms that your licence is genuine and valid, category by category (Order 163/2011, art. 6(3)). DGPCI says it checks either by writing to the foreign authority or through that country’s embassy in Romania.

For some countries, you have to get the confirmation yourself. DGPCI’s page names the United States, Canada, Israel, South Africa, the UAE, Egypt, Japan, Australia, Belarus and Switzerland, plus a UK driving record with a check code. Chinese documents need an apostille. Any such confirmation must be issued no more than 60 days before you file, and you add an authorised Romanian translation.

When you hand in your licence, you get a substitute document (dovadă înlocuitoare). If your licence has not expired, it lets you drive for up to 30 days, and a new one is issued each time until the foreign authority answers (art. 7(3) and (5)). The Romanian licence is issued within 30 days of filing. If the checks take longer, it is issued within 15 days of the checks ending (art. 7(4); DGPCI FAQ). The Ialomița service warns that waiting times depend on how quickly each country replies.

The new licence is posted to you or collected at the office. Under “Restrictions” it carries the EU code 70 for the exchange (code 71 is used for any later renewal or replacement) and the name of the country it was exchanged from (art. 7(6)). The prefecture then sends your old licence back to the issuing authority with an official letter (art. 10). You do not get it back.

If your country is not on the list: the Romanian exam

Article 83(3^1) of OUG 195/2002 says holders of licences that cannot be exchanged can sit the Romanian exam if they prove they are medically fit. Since March 2024, though, the ordinance requires everyone who sits the theory and practical tests to show they took courses at an authorised school (art. 23(4) and (4^1)). The exam procedure, Order 268/2010, also asks for a driving school record (fișa de școlarizare) in the exam file (Order 268/2010, art. 6). We found no exemption for foreign licence holders, so expect to enrol in a driving school.

The main steps:

• Eligibility: you need a domicile or residence in Romania, or proof that you are studying here for at least 6 months (OUG 195/2002, art. 23^1(1)).
• Before the course: a compulsory psychological evaluation (art. 23(3^1)). The driving school record must also carry a medical opinion that you are fit to drive (Order 268/2010, art. 6(2)(b)).
• Criminal record: for foreigners, the service obtains an extract with your consent in every case (Order 268/2010, art. 6(7)).
• Theory test language: on request, foreigners can take it in English, French or German. No other foreign language is provided (Order 268/2010, art. 5(3)). DGPCI notes that its online practice tests are in Romanian only.
• Theory test format: for category B it has 26 questions in 30 minutes, and you pass with at least 22 correct answers (art. 10(2)(b)). If you fail, you can retake it after at least 15 days, paying the fee again (art. 12(2)).
• Practical test: for category B it is on public roads only, on a different day from the theory test (art. 3^1).

Once you pass, the licensing service sends your foreign licence back to the authority that issued it, noting that you now hold a Romanian licence (OUG 195/2002, art. 83(3^2)).

Driving on your foreign licence in the meantime

We found no deadline for residents in OUG 195/2002, its implementing regulation (Government Decision 1391/2006) or Order 163/2011. Article 83(1) lets holders of valid licences from EU countries, Vienna Convention states and treaty partners drive. Article 83(2) says other licences must be carried with an International Driving Permit.

The UN treaty records list Pakistan and the Philippines as parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are parties only to the older 1949 Geneva Convention. Nepal is a party to neither. So under Article 83(2), an Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan or Nepali licence must be carried with an IDP, unless Romania has signed a recognition treaty with that state. An IDP cannot itself be exchanged.

Step by step

• Check your country against Annexes 1-3 of Order 163/2011.
• Get your residence permit. You must be resident in the county where you file.
• Have the licence translated (for Annex 2 or 3 countries) and, if your country is on DGPCI’s list, get the validity confirmation, issued within the last 60 days.
• Pay 139 lei online and keep the receipt.
• Book online with DGPCI and bring the original licence, passport, residence permit, form and receipt.
• Drive on the 30-day substitute document and renew it if the checks run on.
• Receive the Romanian licence by post or at the office. If your country is not listed, enrol in a driving school and follow the exam steps instead.

Bringing a car too? See how to register a car in Romania as a foreigner.

Header photo: Driver holding key near steering wheel in Volkswagen car while starting the engine by Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

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