Romania Schengen visa in 2026: who needs one, fees and how to apply

Romania is a full member of the Schengen area, so one short-stay Schengen visa (type C) now covers Romania and the other Schengen countries under one set of EU rules. Romania still adds some national requirements. This guide explains how the system works in 2026. It is general information, not legal advice.

Is Romania in Schengen?

Yes. Romania joined in two steps. According to the European Commission, checks on people at internal air and sea borders with Romania and Bulgaria ended on 31 March 2024, and checks at internal land borders ended on 1 January 2025. Since that second date, both countries have been full members.

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) says Romania has issued Schengen visas since 31 March 2024. These “uniform” visas are valid for the whole Schengen area. Short-stay visas that Romania issued before that date stayed valid only for Romania until they expired.

Some MAE pages have not been updated and still say land border checks with Hungary and Bulgaria “will be maintained”. Those checks ended on 1 January 2025.

Who needs a visa

Romania follows the EU visa list in Regulation (EU) 2018/1806. Nationals of countries in Annex I need a visa. Nationals of countries in Annex II can visit without one for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The MAE publishes both lists.

• Need a visa (Annex I, per the MAE list): India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Saudi Arabia, among others.
• Do not need a visa for short stays (Annex II): the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

Visa-exempt visitors must still meet the entry conditions. According to the MAE, these include sufficient means and a passport issued within the previous 10 years and valid at least three months beyond the planned departure.

Does a Schengen visa from another country work for Romania?

Yes. A uniform Schengen visa issued by any Schengen country is valid for entry into Romania, and a uniform visa issued by Romania is valid for the other Schengen countries. The MAE says a uniform visa is valid for entry and free movement in “all countries fully implementing the Schengen acquis”.

The exception is a visa with limited territorial validity (VLTV). That visa is valid only in the countries printed on it.

The condition is the main-destination rule. The European Commission says applicants apply to the country where they will spend the longest time or, for stays of equal length, the first country they will enter. A trip mainly to Romania therefore calls for a Romanian visa, and a visa obtained elsewhere on a misstated itinerary can lead to questions at the border.

Where and how to apply

Applications start on the MAE’s e-Visa portal (evisa.mae.ro), used to fill in the form, upload documents and book an appointment. The visa itself is not electronic: according to the portal, examination only begins once the applicant appears in person at the consulate.

The MAE says applications can be submitted only to Romanian embassies and consulates; it names no outsourced visa centre. The Embassy in New Delhi, which handles applicants living in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, states that it “does not work with any agents/intermediaries”.

Applying from a country that is not your own. According to the MAE, these people can apply at a Romanian mission:

• nationals of the country where the mission is located
• foreigners legally resident there who show a residence permit valid for at least 6 months
• nationals of countries where Romania has no mission
• in urgent cases, people temporarily in the country

Under this rule, Pakistani or Indian nationals living in the UAE or Saudi Arabia apply at the Romanian mission there (the Consulate General in Dubai, which says it covers the whole UAE, or the Embassy in Riyadh), provided their residence meets the MAE condition. Check the mission’s own page before booking: in October 2026 the Riyadh embassy’s page listed a contact address in Amman, so arrangements there may differ.

The invitation procedure (a Romanian national rule)

Citizens of 30 countries listed by the MAE, including Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, must also present an invitation approved by the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) for private-visit, tourism and business visas.

The host in Romania files the invitation with IGI, which processes it within 60 days. After approval, the applicant has 30 days to apply for the visa.

The MAE’s exemptions include holders of a valid residence permit, or a valid visa, from an EU, EEA or Schengen state or from a country whose citizens do not need a Schengen visa. Because UAE nationals are visa-exempt and Saudi nationals are not, a UAE residence permit falls under this wording and a Saudi one does not; the mission decides.

Fees

The MAE’s e-Visa fee page lists:

• Adults: €90 for a uniform (C) visa
• Children aged 6 to 12: €45
• Children under 6: no fee

The European Commission says these amounts have applied since 11 June 2024 (up from €80 and €40). The MAE fee page waives the fee for some groups, including certain students, researchers and non-profit representatives aged 25 or under, and lists €35 for some visa facilitation countries.

The MAE says fees may be collected in euros, US dollars or local currency at the previous month’s average rate; the Embassy in Islamabad quotes $105.

Documents

The documents depend on the purpose of the trip. The usual file includes:

• the application form
• a passport that meets the conditions above
• proof of the purpose of the trip (an invitation, a hotel booking or a business letter)
• a return or onward ticket
• medical insurance: Romanian consular pages list cover of €30,000, valid for the whole trip
• means of support: the MAE sets €50 a day, and at least €500 for the whole stay

The European Commission’s table of national reference amounts, dated 8 June 2026, gives the same €50 figure for Romania. It lists €30 a day for visitors covered by the invitation procedure.

The MAE says its National Visa Centre does not issue or write invitations; they come from the actual host.

Timeline

The European Commission says applications go in no earlier than 6 months and at least 15 days before the trip, and decisions normally take 15 days, extendable to 45 when more checks are needed. The e-Visa portal asks for applications at least 2 weeks before travel.

Practice varies by mission:

• Islamabad: the Embassy says processing takes 3 to 7 days, and it does not grant tourist visas for longer than 15 days.
• Dubai: the Consulate General has posted advice, dated 2022, to apply at least three months before travel.
• Invitation procedure: any IGI invitation needed comes before all of this and can take up to 60 days.

The 90/180 rule

A short stay can last up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area. The MAE says days in Romania have counted toward that total since 31 March 2024: someone who spends 80 days in Romania on a 90-day visa has 10 days left for the rest of the area. Entry and exit days both count; time on a residence permit or long-stay visa does not.

EES and ETIAS

The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) replaces passport stamps with a digital record. It stores the traveller’s facial image and fingerprints. According to the Romanian Border Police, the rollout in Romania began in October 2025, and the system has been working at all of Romania’s external border crossing points since 2 March 2026. The European Commission says the EES has been fully operational across the Schengen area since 10 April 2026. It applies to non-EU nationals on short stays, both visa holders and visa-exempt travellers.

ETIAS is a separate travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers. It does not apply to people who hold a visa. The European Commission says ETIAS “is currently not in operation”. The EU says it will announce the start date several months in advance.

Short-stay C visa or long-stay D visa

A C visa covers tourism, family visits, business meetings and similar short trips; it is not a work visa. Work, study and family reunification use a long-stay national D visa, which the MAE says remains governed by Romanian law (Emergency Ordinance 194/2002), with its own documents and fees, and is usually followed by an IGI residence permit.

Common pitfalls

• “Guaranteed visa” offers. No agent can promise a visa. The MAE stresses that even a visa does not guarantee entry. The Embassy in New Delhi says intermediaries are “not necessary” and that using them brings no preferential treatment.
• Fake or bought invitations. For nationalities that need one, an invitation is valid only if IGI has approved it. The MAE says a host cannot file a new invitation if someone they invited earlier overstayed their visa.
• The wrong consulate. An application lodged with a country that is not the main destination, or at a mission where the applicant lacks qualifying residence, may not be accepted.
• Overstays. EES now counts days automatically. The MAE warns that staying longer than allowed can lead to removal and a ban on entering the Schengen area.

Header photo: Passengers-terminal-henri-coanda-bucharest-airport-september-2014 by timofticatalin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

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