Romania digital nomad visa (2026)

Who can apply

Only non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals.

• Employed by a company registered outside Romania, or running a foreign company registered at least 3 years ago
• Income of at least three times the average gross salary for each of the last 6 months
• Health insurance of at least €30,000 and accommodation in Romania
• Clean criminal record and taxes paid up in your country of tax residence

Income requirement

You need to show at least RON 27,576 per month (about €5,400) (about US$5,785 a month at rates from 11 Nov 2026). Three times Romania's average gross monthly salary (RON 9,192 for 2026) for each of the 6 months before applying and for the whole visa period; no family add-on is published.

Documents you need

• Work contract with the foreign company, or proof of ownership and remote management of your company
• Company letter with its details, field of activity and your role
• Letter of intent explaining the purpose of the stay
• Apostilled certificate showing taxes are paid and no tax-fraud record
• Proof of income, health insurance, accommodation and travel booking
• Apostilled criminal record certificate (all foreign documents with certified Romanian translation)

How to apply, step by step

1. Apply for the long-stay visa at a Romanian embassy or consulate (online form on the e-visa portal)
2. Wait for the General Inspectorate for Immigration opinion and the visa decision
3. Enter Romania on the 90-day visa
4. At least 30 days before the visa expires, apply in person at the local IGI office for the residence permit

Where and how to apply

The process has two stages run by two different authorities. The 90-day long-stay visa is applied for at a Romanian embassy or consulate (the IGI page links to the Foreign Ministry's list of missions). Applicants first fill in the online form on the E-VIZA portal (evisa.mae.ro), where documents can be uploaded as files of up to 2 MB, translated into Romanian or English by an authorised translator, and then appear in person at the chosen mission with the originals. The portal advises filing at least two weeks and no more than three months before travel, and the processing period starts only on the day you present yourself at the mission, not when you submit online. Inside the system, the National Visa Centre may approve the visa only after the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) has issued a favourable opinion. The second stage, the residence permit, is handled in Romania by the IGI territorial office of the county where you live; documents can also be lodged through the online IGI portal (portaligi.mai.gov.ro) before you go to the counter. The IGI pages describe no way to obtain the nomad visa itself from inside Romania, so you should plan to apply from abroad.

Timeline

1. Pre-fill the E-VIZA form 2 weeks to 3 months before travel
   Drafts are kept on the portal for 30 days. Each traveller, including children on a parent's passport, needs a separate application.
2. Lodge the file at the mission Processing clock starts here
   Bring originals and copies; the mission may request more documents. The visa fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.
3. IGI opinion and visa decision IGI opinion within 30 days, extendable by 15
   The National Visa Centre can approve the visa only after IGI's opinion. You are notified of the decision by email.
4. Arrive and register accommodation Within days of entry
   IGI's portal states that hosts must announce a foreigner's accommodation within 3 days of entry, and hotels within 24 hours.
5. Apply for the residence permit At least 30 days before the visa expires
   File at the county IGI office (documents can also be sent through the IGI portal). The first permit is issued for 6 months.
6. IGI permit decision 30 days, extendable by 15
   If information is missing, IGI sets a deadline of up to 30 days and the clock stops until you reply. If you filed on time, your right to stay continues until the decision.
7. Renew At least 30 days before each permit expires
   From the second extension onward, income must be proved with an income certificate from the tax authority and health cover with proof of social health insurance.

Proving your income

The income test is cumulative: you must show means of support from the remote activity itself of at least three times Romania's average gross monthly wage for each of the six months before the visa application, and that level must continue for the whole visa period. Because the test applies month by month, one low month can be enough to fail it, and income from investments or savings is not the qualifying source. Employees show a work contract with a company registered outside Romania that allows remote work through information and communications technology; company owners show that they have run their company abroad remotely and that it has been registered for at least three years. In both cases you also need a document from the foreign company describing it, its line of business, your role and its legal representatives, in the original with an authenticated Romanian translation. At visa stage, the tax-residence-country certificate that you have paid your taxes must be apostilled or super-legalised. When you extend the permit the income must again be three times the average gross wage for the period requested, and from the second extension onward the proof has to be an income certificate issued by the competent tax authority, not just bank statements. Since the threshold is set in lei and the average wage is updated each year, recalculate the euro or dollar equivalent close to the filing date.

Bringing your family

The IGI page for digital nomads does not mention family members, so there is no nomad-specific dependant route and no published extra income per dependant. Family members can still use Romania's general family reunification procedure, but its conditions are demanding for a nomad. IGI states that the sponsor must normally hold a temporary residence permit valid for one year; the exceptions it lists (researchers, EU Blue Card and intra-corporate transferees) do not include digital nomads, and the first nomad permit is issued for only six months. The sponsor must also have means beyond their own needs equal to the guaranteed minimum gross base wage for each family member, suitable housing for the family, health insurance and proof of the family link. Eligible relatives are the spouse, unmarried minor children of the sponsor or spouse (including adopted children), dependent parents of the sponsor or spouse who lack family support at home, and adult unmarried children who cannot support themselves for health reasons. IGI decides the reunification request within at most three months, after which the relatives have 60 days to apply for a long-stay family visa at a Romanian mission. The IGI pages checked do not say whether family members admitted this way may work.

Health insurance

Health cover is checked three times, with a different standard each time. For the visa you need medical insurance valid throughout Romania for the entire visa period with cover of at least EUR 30,000. When you apply for the first residence permit the policy must cover all the risks that are normally covered for Romanian citizens, which in practice means a comprehensive plan rather than travel cover; IGI provides a standard form for this proof. For later extensions IGI asks for proof of social health insurance. Applicants should be aware that the Fiscal Code removes digital nomads from the list of people who must pay the Romanian health contribution while they stay no more than 183 days in a 12-month period, so ask the county IGI office which kind of policy or certificate it accepts at that stage. A medical certificate is also required when you file for the permit.

Cost and processing time

The fee is €120 consular fee plus RON 265 for the residence permit card (confirm the visa fee with the mission). Processing takes immigration opinion within 30 days (extendable by 15) before the visa is issued. Budget extra for translations, certified copies and health insurance.

After you arrive

• Make sure your accommodation is announced to the authorities: IGI's portal says hosts must notify within 3 days of entry and hotels within 24 hours.
• Apply at the county IGI office at least 30 days before the 90-day visa runs out, with the application form, proof of lawful accommodation (IGI's form for third-party housing), insurance, a medical certificate and the income and company documents.
• Pay the permit fees: EUR 120 consular tax (paid in lei at the Treasury or CEC, or electronically from a Romanian bank account) and RON 265 for the permit document, per IGI's fee sheet.
• Keep the 3x-average-wage income flowing every month, because the same test is applied at each extension.
• Track your days in Romania: the tax and contribution exemption for nomads only applies while you are present for no more than 183 days in any 12 consecutive months.
• Request each renewal at least 30 days before expiry; from the second renewal you will need an income certificate from the tax authority.

Tax

Romania has a specific rule for digital nomads in its Fiscal Code (Law 227/2015, as published by the tax authority ANAF). Article 228(d) makes salary and salary-type income of a person with digital nomad status non-taxable in Romania when it comes from work under a contract with a company registered outside Romania, or from a foreign company the person owns and works in, provided the person is present in Romania for no more than 183 days in total in any 12 consecutive months ending in the calendar year concerned. Articles 136(b) and 153(b) use the same 183-day condition to exclude nomads from paying Romanian pension and health contributions. The exemption is worded for salary-type income; self-employed people billing clients without a company are not expressly covered. Separately, article 7 point 28 defines a resident individual as anyone who has a domicile in Romania, has the centre of vital interests in Romania, or is present for more than 183 days in any 12-month period ending in the year in question. A resident who is not domiciled in Romania is taxed on worldwide income from the date they become resident, and the general income tax rate in the Code is 10 percent. Nomads who stay longer than one six-month permit should therefore plan for Romanian tax residence and get advice from ANAF or an adviser, including on how a tax treaty with their home country applies.

Does it lead to permanent residence?

The IGI pages for this visa do not say whether time as a digital nomad counts toward long-term residence or citizenship, and the consolidated foreigners law (OUG 194/2002) could not be opened to check. The route is built for short stays: the visa lasts 90 days, the first permit six months, and every renewal requires income of three times the national average gross wage. Romania's general long-term residence status follows the EU framework, which normally requires five years of continuous lawful residence; if you intend to settle, confirm with IGI in writing whether nomad periods are accepted and consider whether another residence purpose would serve you better.

Why applications get refused

• Income below three times the average gross monthly wage in any one of the six months before the application, or income that does not come from the remote work itself.
• Company owners whose foreign company has been registered for less than three years, or no proof of remote management.
• Tax certificate from the country of tax residence missing, not apostilled or super-legalised, or showing unpaid taxes or tax-fraud records.
• Documents without authenticated Romanian translations, or a criminal record certificate that is missing or not legalised.
• Insurance with cover below EUR 30,000 or not valid for the whole visa period; missing proof of accommodation or travel booking.
• Permit application filed less than 30 days before the visa expires, or extra documents not supplied within IGI's deadline (IGI can reject the file).

Cost of living in Bucharest

1-bedroom rent

About EUR 470–850 per month in the centre and EUR 300–640 outside the centre (Numbeo crowd-sourced ranges, page updated 12 November 2026)

Coworking desk

About RON 499–2,099 per desk per month before VAT, median around RON 1,269 (workin.space listings, updated 11 November 2026)

Home broadband of 60 Mbps or more is reported at roughly EUR 6.50–11 a month (Numbeo, 12 November 2026), among the lowest in the EU.

Good to know

• For later permit extensions you also need an income certificate from the tax authority
• The euro value of the threshold depends on the RON exchange rate

Visiting first? Entry rules for popular passports

93 passports can enter Romania visa-free for a short stay, a common way to try the country before applying. Check Romania visa requirements for your passport.

Official source

General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) – Other purposes / digital nomads

Not yet confirmed on an official source: income requirement, renewal. Check these with the consulate before you apply.