Romania Digital Nomad Visa 2026
Romania’s route is real, but narrower than many competitors: it is for remote employees of foreign companies or owners of foreign companies, not a generic local freelance permit.
Who qualifies?
Remote employees
You work under an employment contract with a company registered outside Romania and perform the job remotely through information and communication technology.
Founders and foreign company owners
You own a company registered outside Romania, have held it for at least 3 years before the visa application, and manage it remotely through ICT.
Who does not fit
EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals plus generic freelancers without the foreign-company employee or foreign-company owner structure should not assume this route is a straightforward match.
Important: Romania’s digital nomad law is narrower than a typical “EU freelancer visa” article suggests. The statute is built around foreign employment or ownership of a foreign company, plus proof that the work is done remotely through ICT.
Required documents
Valid passport
Passport or travel document used for the D/AS visa and later IGI residence-permit process.
Employment contract or foreign-company ownership proof
Original employment contract with a company registered outside Romania proving remote work via ICT, or proof that you have owned a foreign company for at least 3 years and manage it remotely.
Official company-status document
Original document, with authenticated Romanian translation, showing the foreign company’s identity, contact details, activity, your role/participation, and legal representatives.
Letter of intent
Original letter, with authenticated Romanian translation, explaining why you are coming to Romania and the activities you plan to carry out there.
Tax-compliance and fiscal-residence certificates
Original, apostilled or legalized where required, proving you or your foreign company are up to date with taxes and not registered for tax evasion or fraud.
Proof of income / means of support
Evidence that you had at least RON 27,816 per month for each of the last 6 months and for the visa period (current 2026 working estimate).
Travel medical insurance
Insurance valid for the requested period of stay in Romania, with minimum coverage of EUR 30,000.
Accommodation proof
A hotel reservation, tourist-accommodation voucher, or other proof that accommodation is arranged in Romania.
Criminal-record certificate
Certificate from the country of origin and, where applicable, the state of legal residence/income source, apostilled or legalized and translated into Romanian when required.
Important: Romanian translations, legalization, and company-status evidence often decide whether the file is usable. Build the document set early instead of treating translation as a last step.
Application timeline
Confirm the legal route
Same dayCheck that you are applying as a foreign-company employee or as the owner of a foreign company you manage remotely.
Collect and legalize documents
2-6 weeksGather company, tax, insurance, criminal-record, accommodation, and income documents. Arrange apostille/legalization and Romanian translations where needed.
Submit the D/AS visa file
1 day + consular schedulingCreate the application in eVisa and attend the Romanian consulate or embassy handling your file.
Wait for consular and IGI review
30-45+ daysThe MFA notes that long-stay applications should be filed at least 45 days before travel. IGI’s favorable opinion on “other purposes” cases is generally issued within 30 days, extendable by 15.
Enter Romania on the 90-day visa
Within visa validityTravel on the issued D/AS visa and prepare the IGI residence-permit filing before the visa window expires.
Apply to IGI for temporary residence
Before day 60 of stay, in practiceFile the residence-permit extension at least 30 days before the visa-based stay expires.
Renew with continued fiscal proof
OngoingThe first digital-nomad residence extension is 6 months. Later renewals require the same income threshold plus a fiscal certificate from the competent authority.
Costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Official D/AS long-stay visa fee | EUR 120 |
| Authenticated translations / apostille / legalization | EUR Varies |
| Travel medical insurance premium | EUR Varies |
| Accommodation evidence and move-in costs | EUR Varies |
The official numeric fee confirmed on Romania’s eVisa portal is the EUR 120 long-stay visa fee. Translation, legalization, insurance, and housing costs depend on your file and location.
Benefits
- ✓Romania gives digital nomads an official D/AS route instead of forcing tourist-stay workarounds.
- ✓Romania remains one of the lower-cost EU bases for rent, food, and day-to-day spending relative to the visa income floor.
- ✓You can base yourself in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi, Brasov, or the Black Sea coast while keeping foreign employment or a foreign company.
- ✓Romania offers strong internet infrastructure and easy regional access across the EU and Schengen area.
Restrictions
- ⚠This is not a generic local freelancer permit. The law is written for foreign-company employees or owners of foreign companies working remotely via ICT.
- ⚠EU/EEA/Swiss nationals do not use this route.
- ⚠You must keep proving the 3x gross-salary threshold and continued tax compliance abroad.
- ⚠The initial residence-permit extension is only 6 months, which is shorter than many competing EU nomad routes.
- ⚠Romania does not advertise a special flat tax regime for digital nomads in the visa rules.
Family members
Eligible relatives
Spouse, Unmarried minor children, Dependent parents or adult children in narrower cases
Main route
Separate family-reunification approval from IGI, followed by a long-stay visa for family reunification
Permit duration
Depends on the sponsor’s residence status and the family-reunification file
Key timing note
IGI states that third-country sponsors generally need a temporary residence permit valid for one year before requesting family reunification. The initial digital-nomad extension is only 6 months, so timing matters.
Tax and residence notes
No special nomad tax regime
Romania’s digital-nomad provisions focus on foreign tax compliance and continued foreign-source activity. The visa rules do not create a dedicated flat nomad tax regime.
Visa versus residence permit
The D/AS entry visa is valid for 90 days, but the first IGI digital-nomad residence extension is only 6 months. That distinction matters for planning housing, family timing, and renewals.
Renewal means fiscal proof
The first IGI extension is 6 months. Subsequent extensions are possible only if you still meet the 3x income threshold and present a fiscal certificate from the competent tax authority.
Important: You must present tax-compliance documents from your foreign tax residence for the visa, and later renewals require a fiscal certificate. Whether you also become taxable in Romania depends on residence days, treaty position, and your factual setup.
Why Romania can still fit digital nomads
Lower operating costs
Romania can still undercut many Western European hubs on rent, food, and daily spending if you already clear the legal income bar.
Strong internet
Romania remains known for reliable internet and practical city choices such as Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Brasov, and Timisoara.
Official route
This is an actual legal route for foreign-company employees and foreign-company owners, not a tourist-stay workaround.
Regional mobility
Romania gives a practical base for travel and business across the region while you maintain foreign-source work.
Check Romania before you commit time or money
Romania can be a strong fit if you clear the income bar and genuinely sit inside the foreign-company employee or foreign-company owner route.