To get a work permit in Romania as a citizen of a country outside the EU, you need three things in sequence: an approved application filed by your Romanian employer (or by an authorised placement agency acting for it), a long stay employment visa issued by a Romanian consulate, and a residence permit for work, the single permit or permis unic, issued by the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) after you arrive. You do not file the first stage yourself. Romania has replaced its old paper procedure, in which the employer obtained a work authorisation (aviz de muncă) from IGI, with a single digital channel called WorkinRomania, created under a new emergency ordinance on foreigners' access to the Romanian labour market. That change matters right now: a court has suspended the official list of shortage occupations on which most applications depend, and the platform has switched off several application flows as a result. This guide explains the full process as it now works, who does what, the documents and fees that official sources confirm, the time limits, how long your permit lasts and how to renew it, the EU Blue Card route, and how family members can join you.

How a work permit in Romania works now

A work permit in Romania is not one document but a chain of decisions, each handled by a different body.

• The employer side. Your future employer registers or is authorised on WorkinRomania, publishes a firm job offer and files a unique application (cerere unică) for you. The National Agency for Employment (ANOFM) runs the employer registration and authorisation module, and IGI and the Labour Inspectorate are connected to the same system.
• The visa. Once the unique application is approved, you apply at a Romanian embassy or consulate for a long stay employment visa, now issued as type D/AM1 or D/AM2.
• The residence permit. After entering Romania and starting work under an individual employment contract, you apply to the IGI office in the county where you live for a residence permit for work. This card is your single permit: it combines the right to live and the right to work in one document and serves as your identity document in Romania.

The legal basis is the new emergency ordinance on foreigners' access to the Romanian labour market, together with the Government Emergency Ordinance on the regime of foreigners, which still governs visas and residence. According to an ANOFM Timiș press release on WorkinRomania, the new ordinance repealed the part of the earlier Government Ordinance on the employment and posting of foreigners that organised the old procedure, the platform is now live, and applications for the covered categories of workers can no longer be handled under the old rules. Hiring permanent, seasonal and cross border workers from outside the EU now runs only through the platform.

Many people still call the approval that unlocks the visa an aviz de muncă. Under the new system it is the decision on the unique application, communicated through the platform. Get its reference number from your employer, because the consulate will ask for it.

Current status of applications on WorkinRomania

Before you plan anything, check the notice on the home page of the WorkinRomania platform. It states that the Bucharest Court of Appeal has admitted a request to suspend the order of the Ministry of Labour that approved the list of shortage occupations under the new ordinance. As a result, the platform has disabled the flows for employer registration, employer authorisation and the submission of unique applications for D/AM2 visas. The notice does not give a date when these flows will reopen.

The practical consequences for you are significant:

• If your job falls under D/AM2 (most permanent jobs in construction, manufacturing, logistics, hospitality, retail, cleaning and similar work), your employer currently cannot start a new application through the normal channel.
• Workers already in Romania who are changing employer and need to extend their residence for work under D/AM2 are also affected. IGI has published a notice on extension requests linked to a change of employer explaining that such unique applications, which cannot currently be sent through WorkinRomania, will be analysed individually once the transmission function is restored, taking into account the employer's objective inability to complete registration or authorisation because the shortage list is suspended.
• The D/AM1 route for highly qualified workers is not tied to the shortage list, so it is not affected by the suspension in the same way. Confirm the current position with your employer before relying on this.

There is no official fast track around the suspension. The only reliable sources on when applications reopen are the platform itself, IGI and ANOFM.

Choosing between the D/AM1 and D/AM2 Romania work visa

The new system splits employment visas into two types. The WorkinRomania visas and residence page sets out who falls into each.

D/AM1 for highly qualified and specially listed workers

D/AM1 covers vacancies that require highly qualified foreign workers for at least six months, with examples such as IT specialists, engineers, economists and managers. It also covers people doing work requested by ministries or central authorities, teaching, research or artistic activity, professional athletes with a contract with a Romanian club, and citizens of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia employed full time. The registered employer files the unique application directly, without an agency.

For highly qualified workers the occupation does not have to be on the shortage list. Instead, the employer must show that it tried to fill the vacancy with a Romanian citizen, a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, or a foreigner with long term residence in Romania. The county employment agency issues a certificate on available labour for that vacancy, valid for 90 days, according to the ANOFM Timiș release. The platform describes D/AM1 as leading to a long term right of residence and work.

D/AM2 for permanent, seasonal and cross border workers

D/AM2 covers everyone who does not meet the D/AM1 criteria: permanent workers on fixed term or open ended contracts, seasonal workers and cross border workers from neighbouring countries. The occupation must appear on the official list of shortage occupations. As a rule, the hiring goes through a licensed placement agency; a registered employer may file directly only as an exception, and an employer that wants to recruit directly must first be authorised. The platform describes D/AM2 as a fixed term right of residence. Seasonal work has its own rules on sectors and maximum duration, which are covered in our separate guide on seasonal work in Romania.

People who do not need this procedure

Citizens of EU member states, the EEA and Switzerland do not need a work permit in Romania. They can work freely but must register their residence with IGI if they stay longer than three months. Some third country nationals are also exempt from the work authorisation stage, for example holders of long term residence in Romania and certain researchers, according to the EU Immigration Portal page for employed workers in Romania. Exemptions are defined in the Government Emergency Ordinance on the regime of foreigners and can change, so confirm your category with IGI before you assume you are exempt.

What your employer must do first

You cannot start the process from abroad on your own. The WorkinRomania platform does not accept CVs or applications from foreign workers; hiring goes through employers and, where applicable, placement agencies. Understanding what the employer has to do helps you judge whether an offer is genuine and how long it might take.

• Registration. Any employer must register on the platform, which places it in the register of employers of foreigners. According to the WorkinRomania employers page, a registered employer must have no debts to the state budget, no relevant sanctions in the previous six months and no convictions for labour, exploitation or certain other offences. For the agency route it must also have at least one year of activity in a field compatible with the shortage occupations.
• Authorisation for direct recruitment. An employer that wants to recruit D/AM2 workers directly, without an agency, needs authorisation from ANOFM. The conditions include at least 24 months of uninterrupted activity, an average of at least 50 employees in the previous year, no more than 20 per cent of the foreign workers it hired in the previous year losing their visa or residence through cancellation or revocation, no recent sanctions for undeclared work or safety breaches, and a financial guarantee of 1,000 euro per foreign worker covered by the request. ANOFM must decide on authorisation within 15 working days.
• The firm job offer. The employer uploads a firm job offer (ofertă fermă) for a position declared vacant with ANOFM. It must state the job title, duties, salary, working hours, rest and leave, contract duration, workplace and whether accommodation and transport are provided and who pays for them.

Placement agencies need their own authorisation and must lodge a guarantee of 75,000 euro for up to 250 placed workers, with an additional 50,000 euro for each further 250, according to the text of the ordinance published on the WorkinRomania legislation page. The platform has a registers section where you can check whether an agency or employer is authorised. Our separate guide on employers hiring foreign workers in Romania covers employer duties in more detail.

The unique application that replaces the aviz de muncă

The unique application is a single online file covering the employment conditions, the employer, the worker and the documents that will later support the visa and the residence permit. It is filed after the firm job offer is published and before you apply for the visa.

Who files it. For D/AM1, the registered employer files it directly. For D/AM2, it is filed by an authorised employer, or by a placement agency on behalf of a registered employer. You, the worker, do not file it, but you must provide your information and documents to the employer or agency.

What it contains about you. According to the WorkinRomania visas and residence page, the application includes your identity details, qualifications, the job, the salary, the contract length, the working schedule, accommodation if the employer provides it and health insurance. For D/AM1 it may include diplomas and, where relevant, a contract with a central public body.

Contracts. Both routes rely on an individual employment contract. For D/AM2 there is also a service contract between the employer and the agency, and a tripartite placement contract between you, the agency and the employer. The placement contract must list the taxes you pay to Romanian authorities and the contact details of the bodies where you can complain.

What the authorities check. They verify that the employer is operating legally, that pay and working conditions comply with the law, that you are eligible and that the annual quota for newly admitted workers has not been reached. The decision is published on the platform, and a refusal must give reasons.

Documents you will typically be asked for. The platform does not publish a single worker checklist. Under the previous procedure, official EU guidance listed a passport copy, a CV, photographs, diplomas, proof of experience where relevant, a medical fitness statement and a criminal record certificate, translated and legalised. Expect similar items and ask the employer for the exact list. If you need recognition of a foreign diploma, start early with the National Centre for Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas (CNRED), as explained in our separate guide on finding a job in Romania from outside the EU.

Applying for the employment visa at the consulate

When the unique application is approved, you apply for the long stay employment visa at the Romanian embassy or consulate in your country of origin or residence. Romanian visa applications are made through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-Viza system, where you complete the online form and book an appointment with the consulate.

The consulate decides which documents it needs, and the visa section of the IGI frequently asked questions lists the core items for a work visa:

• a valid passport and the completed application form;
• a copy of the approval allowing your employment (the decision on the unique application, often still called the aviz), unless you are exempt;
• proof of means of support, which official guidance sets at least at the level of the national minimum wage for the validity of the visa;
• medical insurance covering the visa period;
• a criminal record certificate from your country of origin or residence.

Foreign public documents normally need a Romanian translation and legalisation or an apostille.

Time limit to apply. The approval gives you a limited window to file at the consulate. That window has been changed more than once in recent reforms, so read it on your decision and book the appointment as soon as the approval is issued.

Visa validity. The WorkinRomania visas and residence page states that the employment visa is issued with an initial validity of 90 days. It lets you enter Romania and start the residence formalities. Romania is a full Schengen member, but the visa gives you the right to work only in Romania and only for the employer named in your file.

Arriving in Romania and starting work

After you arrive, your employer signs the individual employment contract with you and registers it in the electronic register of employees (REVISAL) before you start work. Under the new ordinance, the contract must be drawn up in Romanian and also in the language of your country of origin or in an international language you understand. Read both versions before signing and keep a copy. If the employer provides accommodation, the rent you pay cannot exceed 25 per cent of your net pay, according to the ordinance text on the WorkinRomania legislation page.

Authorised employers must give you the required information at least ten days before arrival in a language you understand and organise transport from the border to your workplace or accommodation. All employers must provide Romanian language and culture courses for at least six months and pay your salary into a bank account in your name. Pay in the contract is a gross monthly amount in lei; tax and contributions are deducted, so ask for gross and net figures in writing before you travel.

Applying for the single permit (permis unic) at IGI

The residence permit for work is required for all citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland who work legally in Romania and stay more than 90 days. You apply at the IGI territorial office in the county where you will live, and you must file the application before your visa expires. The platform advises booking your appointment within the legal timeframe, so do not leave this to the final days of the visa.

Documents for the first residence permit

The WorkinRomania visas and residence page lists the core documents:

• your passport, with the employment visa;
• your individual employment contract;
• proof of accommodation, such as a registered rental contract or a host's documents;
• proof of health insurance;
• proof that the fees have been paid.

IGI may also ask for a medical certificate and the standard application form, and it can request other documents depending on your situation. Official EU guidance for the previous system also required a gross salary at least equal to the national minimum wage. Check the forms section of the IGI website and the instructions of your county office before your appointment.

Applying online and attending in person

IGI runs an online application portal (Portal IGI) where you can upload supporting documents before you go to the counter. Using it can shorten the visit, but you still need to attend in person. Residence permits in the EU uniform format carry the holder's photograph and fingerprints, so the IGI office records these biometrics when you submit the application. You collect the card once it is produced; ask your county office how and when.

Fees and what they cover

Official sources confirm some fees and not others. Be precise about which is which, and be wary of anyone quoting a single "permit fee" that bundles everything together.

• Visa fee. The IGI frequently asked questions state that the visa fee is 120 euro, paid in the state where you apply. This is a consular fee for processing the visa application.
• Residence permit fees. IGI publishes a fee sheet for residence permits showing two separate payments for third country nationals: a consular fee paid to the state treasury, and a charge for producing the residence card itself, payable at CEC Bank, at its payment machines or through the ghiseul.ro government payments service. Confirm the amounts currently payable with your county IGI office before paying, because the sheet is not presented as an updated tariff.
• Employer side costs. The platform does not list a government fee for the unique application. What the law does set out are the employer and agency guarantees described above, and a flat charge of 2,000 euro per person that the state recovers from the employer or agency if a worker has to be removed from Romania.
• No charges to you from agencies or employers. The ordinance prohibits placement agencies and authorised employers from charging workers commissions, tariffs, fees or deposits. The agency's service fee is paid only by the employer.

You will also pay for your own translations, apostilles, criminal record certificate, medical certificate and health insurance; these costs vary by country.

Processing times and decision deadlines

Official sources set some legal deadlines, but none promises a total time from job offer to permit. Waiting times also depend on consular appointment availability, which varies widely between countries, and on whether the platform is accepting applications.

• Employer authorisation: ANOFM decides within 15 working days of the request being uploaded; a refusal must list the unmet conditions.
• Unique application: the platform states that the decision is published on the platform but does not publish a standard processing time for the worker's application.
• Residence permit extension: the IGI frequently asked questions state that IGI decides within 30 days, which can be extended by 15 days, and that it can ask you for missing documents.
• EU standard: the recast EU Single Permit Directive requires authorities to decide on a complete application within 90 days, including any labour market check, with a possible exceptional extension of 30 days, according to the European Parliament summary of the recast Single Permit Directive. Its transposition deadline has passed, but we could not confirm from an official Romanian source how each provision has been transposed, so treat this as an EU standard rather than a Romanian guarantee.

Validity and renewal of your residence permit for work

The length of your permit is tied to your employment contract. The WorkinRomania platform describes the D/AM2 right of residence as fixed term and the D/AM1 right as long term. Under the previous rules, EU guidance described the temporary residence permit for work as covering the length of the contract and up to one year at a time. Look at the expiry date printed on your card rather than relying on a general rule.

Renewal. Renewal (prelungirea dreptului de ședere) is possible while the employment relationship continues. The IGI frequently asked questions say you must apply at least 30 days before your current permit expires. Under the new system, extensions of the right of residence for work are also handled through unique applications on WorkinRomania, which is why the suspension of the shortage list has affected some D/AM2 extensions linked to a change of employer.

For a renewal, expect to provide much the same documents as for the first permit, plus your current card. If your permit expires before you file, you may lose the right to stay and have to start again from abroad.

Reporting changes. Any change of employer, address or the termination of your contract must be reported to the authorities. Employers must also notify the agency and IGI within five working days if a worker is absent without explanation for more than three working days, if the contract ends, or if there is a risk of exploitation.

Long term residence. After at least five years of legal and continuous residence, with limits on time spent abroad, you can apply for long term residence in Romania. EU guidance lists sufficient income, health insurance, suitable accommodation and a Romanian language test among the conditions. Long term residents no longer need a work authorisation for each job.

The EU Blue Card in Romania

The EU Blue Card is a separate residence and work permit for highly qualified workers. It follows the same broad sequence: employer application, D/AM visa, then the card from IGI. Under the new system, highly qualified hiring sits in the D/AM1 route.

The EU Immigration Portal page on highly qualified workers in Romania sets out the main conditions:

• a higher education qualification from a programme of at least three years, or, mainly for certain professions, comparable professional experience;
• a work contract or binding offer with a gross salary at or above a threshold linked to the national average gross wage, which changes when the average wage is updated, so ask IGI or your employer for the threshold currently applied;
• a medical certificate, proof of accommodation and a valid travel document when you apply for the card in Romania.

According to the same page, the Blue Card is issued for the duration of the contract plus three months, up to a maximum of two years at a time, and family reunification can be requested even if the card is valid for less than one year. Holders of a Blue Card issued by another EU country can apply for a Romanian authorisation that is assessed within 15 days. The portal page predates the most recent Romanian reform, so confirm the current procedure with IGI. The rules on changing employer as a Blue Card holder differ from those for single permit holders and are covered in our separate guide on changing employers on a work permit in Romania.

Bringing your family to Romania

Family reunification is a separate procedure that starts after you hold a qualifying permit. The EU Immigration Portal page for family members in Romania says that a sponsor must hold, for example, a temporary residence permit valid for one year, an EU Blue Card, an intra corporate transfer permit, long term residence, or international protection.

Who can join you. Your spouse, your unmarried minor children (including adopted children), your spouse's minor children in their care, and in some cases dependent parents or adult children who cannot look after themselves for medical reasons.

The steps.

1. You apply to the IGI office where you live, with proof of the family relationship, a statement that you will live together, a copy of your permit, proof of adequate accommodation, proof of income of at least the minimum wage for each family member and proof of health coverage.
2. If IGI approves, you send the approval to your family. They apply at the Romanian consulate for a long stay family reunification visa (D/VF), initially valid for 90 days, with the approval, health insurance, a criminal record certificate and a travel document.
3. After arrival, each family member applies to IGI for a residence permit. Its validity matches yours.

If your spouse wants a job, check with IGI whether they need their own authorisation.

Your rights and warning signs during the process

Anyone demanding money to "secure" a work permit, a quota place or an appointment is breaking the ban on charging workers. Your employer must give you the same pay and working conditions as Romanian workers in the same job. Use the WorkinRomania registers to confirm that an agency is authorised and the National Trade Register Office (ONRC) to confirm that a company exists. The platform has a section for reporting abuse or exploitation, and the Labour Inspectorate handles complaints about undeclared work and pay.

Warning signs include an offer to come on a tourist visa and "fix it later", a request to pay for the job or visa, a contract with no translation, or an employer that keeps your passport. Working without the right permit can lead to a fine, loss of your right to stay and removal from Romania.

Refusals and appeals

Each stage can be refused. For employer or agency authorisation, the ordinance allows an administrative appeal within 30 days, which ANOFM must decide within 45 days, followed by court action that does not suspend the measure. A refused unique application must state reasons, which your employer or agency should share with you. A visa refusal can be challenged before the visa complaints commission within IGI, and IGI residence decisions can be challenged in court, with short deadlines. A refusal may reflect a missing document, an employer that failed the conditions or a full quota, so always ask for the reasons in writing.

Changing employer or losing your job

Your right to work is linked to a specific employer, so you cannot move to another without a new approval. If your contract ends early, the ordinance requires an authorised employer to put you in contact with a placement agency to look for a new employer, to record any refusal in writing, and to pay for your return to your home country if no alternative job is found.

Under the recast EU Single Permit Directive, unemployment alone should not lead to the withdrawal of a single permit if it lasts no more than three months, or six months for someone who has held the permit for more than two years; member states may also set a minimum period with the first employer before a change. How Romania applies these rules is covered in our separate guides on changing employers on a work permit in Romania and on job loss on a work permit in Romania.

Practical checklist before you travel

1. Confirm on the WorkinRomania home page whether the flow for your visa type is open.
2. Ask whether your job is D/AM1 or D/AM2, and check any agency in the WorkinRomania registers.
3. Get the firm job offer in writing, with gross salary, hours, accommodation and transport terms.
4. Prepare diplomas, criminal record certificate, translations and apostilles early.
5. Note the decision number and visa deadline, then book the consulate.
6. Book your IGI appointment well before the visa expires, and start renewal at least 30 days before the permit expires.

These rules are new and still being adjusted by the courts, the government and Parliament. If your own file differs from this guide, the decision of IGI, ANOFM or the consulate is what counts.

Sources and References

• WorkinRomania platform home page and status notice, Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Visas and residence, WorkinRomania
• Employers of foreign workers, WorkinRomania
• Emergency ordinance on foreigners' access to the labour market, WorkinRomania
• List of shortage occupations, WorkinRomania
• Press release on the WorkinRomania platform, ANOFM Timiș county agency
• Notice on residence extension requests after a change of employer, IGI
• Frequently asked questions on visas and residence, IGI
• Residence permit fee sheet for third country nationals, IGI
• Portal IGI online applications, IGI
• Territorial units and contact, IGI
• Employed worker in Romania, EU Immigration Portal, European Commission
• Highly qualified worker in Romania, EU Immigration Portal, European Commission
• Family member in Romania, EU Immigration Portal, European Commission
• Summary of the recast Single Permit Directive, European Parliament Legislative Observatory