A seasonal work permit in Romania now comes through the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform rather than through a separate seasonal work authorisation from the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI). Under the Government Emergency Ordinance on foreigners' access to the Romanian labour market, seasonal workers from outside the EU fall into the D/AM2 category of long stay employment visa. An authorised placement agency, or an authorised employer, files a single application on the platform for a fixed term job in an occupation on the official list of shortage occupations. Once that is approved, the worker applies for the visa at a Romanian consulate, enters Romania and, for stays over 90 days, applies to IGI for a residence permit. There is one major obstacle: the platform states that the Bucharest Court of Appeal has suspended the order approving the shortage occupation list, and that employer registration, employer authorisation and D/AM2 single applications are disabled. While that suspension lasts, new seasonal applications cannot be filed. This guide explains how the seasonal route works, who qualifies, what the previous aviz de muncă system involved, how long seasonal workers can stay and what to watch for.

Seasonal work permit in Romania at a glance

• Visa category: seasonal workers use the long stay employment visa type D/AM2, together with permanent and cross border workers who do not meet the criteria for D/AM1.
• Who files: an agency authorised by the National Agency for Employment (ANOFM) acting for the employer, or an authorised employer filing directly. The worker does not file the application.
• Where: exclusively through the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform run by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
• Occupation: must appear on the list of shortage occupations approved by ministerial order.
• Quota: applications are checked against the annual quota of newly admitted foreign workers.
• Current status: D/AM2 single applications are disabled on the platform while the court suspension of the shortage list order applies.
• Previous system: the separate IGI work authorisation for seasonal workers (aviz de muncă) belongs to the procedure that the platform replaced.

What counts as seasonal work in Romania

Romanian law defines a seasonal worker as a foreign national who keeps their main residence in a country outside the EU, lives in Romania legally and temporarily, and works under a fixed term employment contract for an activity that depends on the succession of the seasons. Seasonal activity means work tied to a particular time of year by a recurring event or pattern of events, during which the need for labour is much higher than for ordinary operations. The platform's visas and residence page gives farm workers and vegetable growers as examples of seasonal workers.

In practice, seasonal demand in Romania is associated with agriculture and horticulture (planting, harvesting, fruit and vegetable picking, vineyards), food processing linked to harvests, and tourism and hospitality on the Black Sea coast in summer or in mountain resorts in winter. Whether a particular job is seasonal in the legal sense depends on the activity and the contract, not on the job title alone.

Temporary is not the same as seasonal

Many short jobs are temporary without being seasonal. A six month contract on a building site, a fixed term warehouse role during a busy period or a factory project is ordinary employment. On the platform, these fall under the permanent worker category of D/AM2, which covers both fixed term and open ended contracts. Posted workers sent by a foreign employer, intra corporate transferees and trainees are separate categories again. The seasonal category only fits where the activity itself follows the seasons and the contract is limited to that season.

The distinction matters because the right of stay follows the category. A worker admitted for a season should not expect to stay on afterwards in a year round job, and a worker who needs a year round job should not accept a seasonal contract hoping to convert it later.

Who needs a seasonal work permit

The seasonal procedure is for third country nationals, meaning people who are not citizens of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can take seasonal jobs in Romania freely, without a visa or work permit, although they must register their residence if they stay longer than three months. The EU rules on seasonal workers do not apply to third country nationals who already hold long term resident status with the right to work, as the Your Europe guidance on seasonal workers from outside the EU explains.

Citizens of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia

Under the previous system, IGI information material stated that citizens of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia could be employed full time for up to nine months in a calendar year without a work authorisation. The platform now lists citizens of these three countries employed under a full time contract in the D/AM1 category, which is not tied to the shortage occupation list. This makes their route different from that of other seasonal workers. Ask the Romanian consulate or IGI which conditions apply to your contract before relying on it.

People already in Romania

The seasonal category assumes the worker comes from abroad for the season and then returns home. Foreign nationals already living in Romania on another residence permit, such as students or family members, usually work under the rules of that permit. Check with IGI before assuming the seasonal route is the right one.

How the D/AM2 procedure works for seasonal workers

The platform describes a sequence that applies to all D/AM2 workers, including seasonal workers. Once the suspension ends, it runs as follows.

1. The employer registers or becomes authorised. Employers must be registered or authorised on the platform before hiring foreign workers. Employers working with an agency register; employers that want to recruit directly must obtain authorisation.
2. A firm job offer is uploaded. It must state the duration of the contract, pay, working hours, leave, health and safety, and whether the employer provides accommodation or transport.
3. The single application is filed. For D/AM2, an authorised placement agency files it on behalf of the employer, or an authorised employer files it directly, after the job offer is uploaded and before the worker applies for the visa.
4. The authorities review it. They check the employer's legality, pay and working conditions, the worker's eligibility and the annual quota. The decision, approval or refusal with reasons, is communicated through the platform.
5. The worker applies for the visa. After approval, the worker applies for the D/AM2 visa at a Romanian embassy or consulate in their country of origin or residence.
6. The worker enters Romania and starts work. The employment contract must be signed and registered before work begins.
7. The worker applies for a residence permit where needed. For stays over 90 days, the application goes to the IGI territorial office in the county of residence before the visa expires.
8. The worker leaves at the end of the permitted period. Leaving on time also matters for future seasons.

The shortage occupation list and the court suspension

For D/AM2 applications, the occupation must appear on the list of shortage occupations. ANOFM draws up the list with input from the Labour Inspectorate and IGI, after consulting social partners, and it is approved by ministerial order and updated every six months or when needed. Highly qualified workers in the D/AM1 category are not subject to this condition.

The WorkinRomania home page carries a notice stating that the Bucharest Court of Appeal has admitted a request to suspend the order approving the shortage occupation list, filed by an employers' organisation. As a result, the platform flows for employer registration, employer authorisation and submission of the single application for D/AM2 visas are deactivated. Because seasonal workers fall under D/AM2, new seasonal applications cannot currently be started on the platform.

An IGI notice on applications linked to a change of employer confirms the knock on effect: some single applications to extend the right of temporary stay for work in the D/AM2 category cannot be sent through the platform, because employers cannot complete registration or authorisation. IGI says these applications will be assessed individually once submission resumes, taking into account the employer's objective inability to complete the platform steps.

A court suspension can be lifted, confirmed or overtaken by a new order. Before any seasonal plans are made, check the platform home page for the current status. No legitimate intermediary can bypass the suspension.

Employer and agency conditions

The ordinance on foreigners' access to the labour market sets the rules for employers and agencies. Its main points for seasonal hiring are these.

Registered employers

To register, an employer must have no tax arrears, and a company must have at least one year of activity in a field compatible with the job. Other conditions concern sanctions, criminal records, national security and money laundering risks. ANOFM decides on registration within 30 working days of the request being uploaded. A legal entity may offer jobs to foreign workers up to its average headcount of the previous year, and an individual employer to no more than three foreign workers. Registration can be suspended for six months if more than 20 percent of the foreigners an employer hired lacked valid residence over six consecutive months.

Authorised employers

An employer that wants to hire without an agency must be authorised. The conditions include 24 months of continuous activity, at least 50 employees on average and a financial guarantee of 1,000 euros per foreign worker, paid to the Treasury or provided as a bank guarantee, which covers return costs and state support costs. ANOFM decides within 15 working days. Authorised employers may hire only for shortage occupations, may not charge workers fees or ask for deposits, and may not place workers with other employers.

Placement agencies

Placement agencies for foreign workers must be authorised by ANOFM and may place workers only in shortage occupations, on the basis of employers' job offers. They may charge only the employer, under the service contract, and are prohibited from charging the foreign workers they place any commission. The platform publishes registers of registered employers, authorised employers and authorised agencies, which you can use to check a recruiter.

The annual quota and seasonal workers

Each year the Government sets a quota of foreign workers newly admitted to the Romanian labour market, and the platform review checks compliance with it. The Government may increase the quota by decision if the number of D/AM2 visas reaches the limit. Seasonal workers count within the quota.

Seasonal hiring from outside the EU has been a small route in Romania. In one four month reporting period under the previous system, IGI's work authorisation figures recorded 171 seasonal authorisations among more than 42,700 issued from the quota, against over 42,300 for permanent workers. Few employers have routine experience with seasonal recruitment, so ask detailed questions before accepting an offer.

What the single application contains

The platform lists what goes into the single application:

• Worker data: identity, qualifications and experience, the job, salary, contract duration, working hours, accommodation if offered, and health insurance.
• Employer data: identity, field of activity and the firm job offer.
• External partners: such as a foreign recruitment partner, where applicable.

Three contracts are involved for D/AM2. The individual employment contract must be written in Romanian and in the worker's language or an international language the worker understands. A service contract between the agency and the employer contains the firm job offer and covers monitoring of working and accommodation conditions. A placement contract signed by the agency, the employer and the worker must also be in Romanian and in a language the worker understands.

What the worker should prepare

The worker usually supplies a passport, CV, photographs and proof of qualifications and experience. Documents issued abroad generally need a certified translation into Romanian and legalisation or an apostille, which can take time. Many seasonal jobs are low skilled roles where formal qualifications are not required, but proof of relevant experience still helps. Fees for platform steps, the visa and the residence permit are set separately; ask which fees apply and who pays each one, and pay only official fees through official channels.

Accommodation rules for seasonal workers

Housing is a central protection for seasonal workers. The job offer must state clearly whether the employer provides accommodation or transport. Where an employer covered by the ordinance provides accommodation, the rent may not exceed 25 percent of the worker's net pay. The platform states that proof of accommodation is among the documents for the residence permit, and the agency's service contract must cover monitoring of accommodation conditions.

Under the previous Ordinance on the employment of foreigners, employers hiring seasonal workers also had to provide a notarised declaration and proof of the right to use the dwelling for free housing, or a lease where the rent was not excessive compared with net pay and was not automatically deducted from wages. The EU rules, summarised by Your Europe, describe adequate housing as safe, clean, not overcrowded and ventilated, with heating, sanitary facilities, privacy, cooking facilities, running water and a reasonable distance from work, and require that inspectors can check both workplaces and accommodation.

Before accepting an offer, ask for the address, the number of people per room, whether the housing is free or rented, the exact rent and how it is paid. A written arrangement within the legal cap is the legal model; a hidden deduction from wages is a warning sign.

The D/AM2 visa and entering Romania

After the single application is approved, the worker applies for the long stay visa for employment at a Romanian embassy or consulate. The platform states that the D/AM1 and D/AM2 visas have an initial validity of 90 days and allow entry to Romania for work. Consulates may ask for further documents such as medical insurance and proof of means of subsistence, so check the consulate's requirements as soon as the application is approved.

Romania is a full member of the Schengen area, but a Romanian employment visa does not allow work in another Schengen country. Entering visa free or on a short stay visa gives no right to work in Romania. Working on a tourist entry is undeclared work, with consequences for both worker and employer.

Residence permit and how long a seasonal worker can stay

A third country national working legally in Romania for more than 90 days needs a residence permit. The platform explains that the worker applies after arrival, by appointment at the IGI territorial office in the county of residence, before the visa expires. The documents are the passport, work visa, employment contract, proof of accommodation, proof of health insurance and proof of fee payment. IGI checks the legality of stay, the contract, pay and compliance with labour law. The permit's validity follows the employment contract, and D/AM2 holders receive a fixed term right of stay, unlike the long term right linked to D/AM1.

Maximum length of stay

Under EU law, seasonal workers may stay for between five and nine months in any 12 month period, with each member state setting its own maximum within that range. The EU Immigration Portal page on seasonal workers in Romania states that the seasonal authorisation is valid for at most six months in any 12 month period and that the right of residence is extended for the contract period plus five days, up to 180 days in any 365 day period. That page describes the previous procedure, so treat the figure as an indication and ask IGI to confirm the current maximum before agreeing dates.

Whatever the exact ceiling, the contract, visa and residence permit must all fit within it. Staying beyond the right of stay is illegal residence and can lead to a return decision, a fine and an entry ban that would also block future seasonal work in Romania and the rest of the Schengen area.

Pay, contract and equal treatment rights

Seasonal workers from outside the EU are entitled to the same working conditions as Romanian workers doing similar work. Your Europe lists pay including the national minimum wage, working hours, leave and holidays, and health and safety, and equal treatment in social security branches such as sickness, maternity, pension and accident benefits. The platform review also checks pay and working conditions.

Employers covered by the ordinance must pay foreign workers into a bank account, give them the contract in Romanian and in a language they understand, provide Romanian language classes, and report to the agency and IGI within five working days when a worker is absent, the contract ends or there is a risk to the worker. Under the Labour Code, the contract must be concluded in writing and registered in the general register of employees before work starts. Salaries in Romania are stated as gross amounts, from which income tax and social contributions are withheld, so ask for both the gross and the expected net figure.

The seasonal contract is full time and fixed term. Overtime, rest periods and pay for extra hours follow the Labour Code as for Romanian employees. Problems with pay, hours, housing or safety can be reported to the territorial labour inspectorate, and the platform has a channel for reporting abuse. Your Europe notes that sanctions for employers who break seasonal worker rules can include withdrawal of the authorisation, fines and a future ban on hiring workers from outside the EU.

Changing employer, extensions and job loss

The platform states that any change of employer, address or the end of a contract must be notified to the authorities, and that a residence permit can be renewed if the employment continues, by applying before it expires. For seasonal workers, renewal is limited by the maximum length of stay for the season.

Under the previous Ordinance on the employment of foreigners, seasonal workers were excluded from the general rule allowing foreign employees to change employer: a seasonal worker could move to another employer only within the maximum period of stay and only on the basis of a new seasonal authorisation. The EU Immigration Portal goes further and says changing employer is not covered for seasonal workers in Romania. In the new system, a move requires a new single application, which is currently affected by the suspension described above. Starting work for another business without approval is illegal work.

The EU Immigration Portal also states that a seasonal worker who becomes unemployed is not entitled to remain in Romania to look for work, and that a seasonal authorisation cannot be converted into an ordinary work authorisation from inside the country. If a seasonal contract ends early, contact IGI promptly about your right of stay. Authorised employers must help a worker move to another employer through an agency if a contract ends early. Our separate guides on changing employers on a work permit and on job loss on a work permit cover the wider rules for single permit holders.

Returning for another season

Seasonal work is designed to be repeated. Your Europe confirms that the EU rules set no limit on how many times the same worker can be rehired for later seasons, as long as each period fits within the maximum and the worker returns home between seasons. Under the previous Ordinance on the employment of foreigners, an employer rehiring a worker who had done the same seasonal work for it in the previous five years did not need to prove the worker's qualifications again, provided the worker had left Romania when the earlier contract ended. Whether a similar facilitation applies on the platform is not yet clear from official guidance.

Each season still needs its own application, visa and quota place. Keep copies of every contract, payslip, visa and exit stamp as proof that you complied.

How the previous aviz de muncă system worked

Many older guides, and some offers, still describe the previous procedure. Under it, the employer applied to an IGI territorial office for a work authorisation for seasonal workers (aviz de angajare pentru lucrători sezonieri) for a full time, fixed term contract. IGI's employment and posting guidance described a decision period of 30 days, extendable by 15, and a fee equal to 25 euros in lei paid by the employer. IGI's seasonal worker document list included the firm job offer, trade register and tax certificates, the worker's CV and photographs, a declaration of medical fitness and language knowledge, proof of qualifications or experience, the employer's criminal record and the passport copy. With the authorisation, the worker applied for a D/AM visa.

A county employment agency press release, ANOFM Timiș on the WorkinRomania platform, states that employment of permanent, seasonal and cross border workers is now carried out exclusively through the platform and that the old certificate procedure no longer applies. If someone offers you a seasonal job based on the old IGI procedure, ask how they plan to file it, and check with IGI.

If you already hold a seasonal visa or residence permit

Workers already in Romania on a visa or residence permit issued for seasonal work keep the right of stay shown on that document until it expires, provided they keep working for the employer and in the job it was issued for. The suspension affects new applications and some extension applications that must go through the platform, not documents that are already valid. If your season is due to run past the end of your visa or permit, raise it with your employer and IGI early, because an application that cannot be filed on time leaves you at risk of overstaying. Keep written proof of any attempt to file and of IGI's answer.

Seasonal work compared with other Romania work permit routes

• Seasonal worker (D/AM2): fixed term, full time contract in a seasonal activity, shortage list occupation, fixed term right of stay limited within any 12 month period.
• Permanent worker (D/AM2): fixed term or open ended contract in a shortage list occupation, with a residence permit that can be renewed while the job continues.
• Highly qualified worker (D/AM1): filed by the registered employer, not tied to the shortage list, and giving a long term right of stay and work; the EU Blue Card has its own salary threshold linked to the average gross wage, which changes each year.
• Posted, intra corporate transfer and trainee workers: separate categories for people employed by a foreign company or in training.

If the job really follows the seasons, the seasonal category is the natural fit. If it will last beyond a season, the permanent worker category avoids a forced departure at the end of the permitted period. Our separate guide on applying for a work permit explains the standard route to the single permit (permis unic).

Recruiters, fees and warning signs

Most seasonal workers from outside the EU find jobs through intermediaries. Under the new rules, D/AM2 applications go through ANOFM authorised agencies or authorised employers, and neither may charge the worker. Warning signs include:

• a request for money to secure a job, a quota place or a faster application;
• a claim that seasonal applications can be filed despite the platform suspension;
• an offer of a seasonal visa for a job that runs all year;
• a promise that a seasonal stay can be turned into permanent residence;
• advice to enter as a tourist and arrange papers later;
• no written job offer, or an offer without pay, hours or accommodation terms;
• a request to hand over your passport.

Check the agency in the platform's registers and the employer in the trade register of the National Trade Register Office (ONRC). Our separate guide on finding a job in Romania from outside the EU covers job search and checking employers.

Checklist before you travel for seasonal work in Romania

1. Check the WorkinRomania home page to see whether D/AM2 applications are open.
2. Get a written job offer with the employer's details, place of work, contract length, gross pay, hours and accommodation terms.
3. Confirm the occupation is on the list of shortage occupations.
4. Check the agency or authorised employer in the platform registers, and the employer with ONRC.
5. Read the placement contract and employment contract in a language you understand.
6. Apply for the D/AM2 visa promptly after approval, with insurance and proof of means.
7. Book an IGI appointment for the residence permit before the visa expires if you stay over 90 days.
8. Note the last day of your permitted stay and plan your departure.
9. Keep your contract, payslips and visa for the next season.

None of these steps guarantees a job, an approval or a visa. Decisions rest with the Romanian authorities and the consulate, and the rules are changing, so confirm the current position before you commit money or travel.

Sources and References

• WorkinRomania platform and suspension notice, Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Visas and residence, WorkinRomania, Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Notice on applications when changing employer, General Inspectorate for Immigration
• Emergency Ordinance on foreigners' access to the labour market, General Inspectorate for Immigration
• Press release on the WorkinRomania platform, ANOFM Timiș
• Work authorisations issued in four months, General Inspectorate for Immigration
• Employment and posting of foreigners, General Inspectorate for Immigration
• Documents for a seasonal worker work authorisation, General Inspectorate for Immigration
• Ordinance on the employment and posting of foreigners, consolidated text, General Inspectorate for Immigration
• Seasonal workers from outside the EU, Your Europe, European Union
• Seasonal worker in Romania, EU Immigration Portal, European Commission