Since April 2026 an Ordinary Worker Cannot Apply at All: a Licensed Placement Agency Files for Them, and Only for an Occupation on the Shortage List
Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 rebuilt Romanian labour migration on 27 April 2026, and it split third-country workers in two. The employment visa now comes in two kinds. D/AM1 is for a closed list of five categories - the highly qualified, people on activities requested by ministries, academic and artistic staff, professional sportspeople, and citizens of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia on a full-time contract - and for those the employer files the single application itself, through a state platform called WorkinRomania.gov.ro. Everybody else needs D/AM2, and for D/AM2 the application is filed not by the employer and not by the worker but by a licensed placement agency, on a tripartite placement contract. Two further gates sit on top: the occupation has to be on a Shortage Occupations List approved by order of the labour minister, and the D/AM2 visa is issued only while the annual quota of newly admitted workers has not been exhausted. The transition is not over. Until 7 August 2026 the new Title I runs only so employers can register, agencies can be licensed and the platform can be tested; and a separate window, open until 31 December 2026, lets foreigners who overstayed an employment visa or single permit extend their residence without obtaining a new visa at all.
At a glance
- Who files the application
- The employer for D/AM1, a licensed placement agency for D/AM2
Article 44(2) of Ordinance 194/2002 as replaced by Emergency Ordinance 32/2026, read with articles 27^1(1) and 27^2(1).
- Who gets D/AM1
- Five categories, among them citizens of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia on a full-time contract
Article 27^1(1)(a) to (e) of Ordinance 194/2002, the other four being the highly qualified, activities requested by central government, academic and artistic staff, and professional sportspeople.
- The occupation gate
- It must be on the Lista ocupaţiilor deficitare
Article 1(2) and (3) of Title I of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026. The list is approved by order of the Minister of Labour and updated at least every six months.
- The quota
- A D/AM2 visa is issued only while the annual contingent is not exhausted
Article 44(6) of Ordinance 194/2002. Article 53 of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 applies Government Decision 1,169/2025, the 2026 contingent, until a new decision is issued.
- Salary floor
- The guaranteed national minimum gross base salary, full time
Article 56(1) of Ordinance 194/2002, which raises it to the average gross wage for highly qualified workers and for staff teaching in state higher education.
- How long the permit runs
- The length of the contract, and not more than 2 years
Article 56(2) of Ordinance 194/2002. Article 56(3) gives highly qualified workers the contract plus 3 months up to 3 years, and article 56(4) caps seasonal workers at 180 days in any 365.
- If the job ends
- The permit stays valid for up to 90 days, or for as long as unemployment benefit runs
Article 56(6) of Ordinance 194/2002.
- When the new regime bites
- 8 August 2026
Article 48 of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026, which runs Title I and the single-application residence provisions until 7 August 2026 only for registering employers, licensing agencies and testing the platform.
- If an admissibility decision goes against you
- It cannot be contested
Article 44(13) of Ordinance 194/2002, which bars any challenge to a single application rejected under article 44(12) for failing the conditions in article 44(3) and (4).
Requirements
- An occupation on the Shortage Occupations List, for anyone outside the five D/AM1 categories
- A placement contract with a licensed placement agency, and an employer registered on WorkinRomania.gov.ro, for a D/AM2 visa
- A full-time employment contract registered in REGES-ONLINE paying at least the guaranteed national minimum gross base salary, or the average gross wage for the highly qualified
- Travel medical insurance with minimum cover of 30,000 euro and a criminal record certificate
- Room in the annual quota of newly admitted workers, for a D/AM2 visa
Country-level policy
Romania publishes its law in Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, and that is the only text with legal force. Everything a reader can actually open is a consolidation, and Romanian consolidations are unusually honest about what they are. The consolidated text of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 that the immigration authority itself publishes prints, above the first article, that the content of this act belongs exclusively to S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. It then prints something more useful still: a window. The copy read for these records states that it is valid from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026 - a four-day window that closed more than five months before it was read, because an amendment took effect on 1 May 2026 and this file was never replaced. The consolidation of Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on the same site carries a window that closed on 14 March 2024. The tax administration says the same thing in its own words about the Fiscal Code: the text is updated by electronic means and is not a republication, and it names the last amending law rather than a date to which anything was swept. A Romanian text that looks current is making two separate claims, and the smaller print tells you which one has expired.
Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 came into force on 27 April 2026 and did three things at once. It repealed Title I of Ordinance 25/2014, which is the old work-authorisation regime - the aviz de angajare an employer used to obtain before a worker could apply. It created a new one in its place: a Shortage Occupations List approved by ministerial order, licensed placement agencies that file the application instead of the employer, an electronic platform called WorkinRomania.gov.ro, and an annual quota of newly admitted workers set by Government decision. And it gave itself a run-up. Article 48 says that Title I and the new single-application residence provisions apply until 7 August 2026 only so that employers can be registered, agencies licensed and the platform tested by simulating applications - so the regime that decides real cases begins on 8 August 2026. Article 49 keeps every application already lodged under the old law, and gives 180 days to use an authorisation already issued. Article 53 holds the 2026 quota at the figure in Government Decision 1,169/2025 until a new decision is made. And article 52 opens something that rarely appears in a statute: until 31 December 2026, foreigners who stayed on after an employment visa or single permit expired, and against whom no return obligation was established, may have their work residence extended without obtaining a new visa at all - provided they turned up at an immigration office within 60 days of 27 April 2026 to declare where they live.
Exceptions by origin
None of the New Labour Regime Applies: No Shortage List, No Placement Agency, No Quota, and Six Months to Look for Work
The whole of the April 2026 rebuild - the Shortage Occupations List, the licensed placement agencies, the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform, the annual contingent of newly admitted workers - sits in Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 and in Emergency Ordinance 194/2002, and neither reaches a Union, EEA or Swiss citizen. Article 2(a) of Ordinance 194/2002 defines a foreigner as a person who holds neither Romanian citizenship nor that of another member state of the Union or the European Economic Area nor Swiss citizenship, which removes them from that statute entirely; and article 1(2) of Title I of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 says in terms that the Shortage Occupations List exists in order to protect the interests of Romanian workers and of those from the Union, the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation. What applies instead is Emergency Ordinance 102/2005: three months of residence on entry with no condition at all, six months for a job-seeker, and residence beyond three months on worker status, with a registration certificate to be applied for within three months.
What the law says
«(2) În scopul protejării intereselor lucrătorilor români şi ale celor din statele membre ale Uniunii Europene, Spaţiului Economic European şi ai Confederaţiei Elveţiene se aprobă Lista ocupaţiilor deficitare prin ordin al ministrului muncii, familiei, tineretului şi solidarităţii sociale, care se publică în Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I.»Our translation - not official
For the purpose of protecting the interests of Romanian workers and of those from the member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation, the List of shortage occupations is approved by order of the Minister of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity, which is published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I.
The gate is an administrative list, not a statutory one: the Ordinance creates it and the minister writes it.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(3) Procedurile de angajare în muncă pe teritoriul României a străinilor prevăzuţi la art. 27^2 din Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr. 194/2002 privind regimul străinilor în România, republicată , cu modificările şi completările ulterioare, pot fi iniţiate numai dacă ocupaţia pentru care se solicită angajarea este inclusă în Lista ocupaţiilor deficitare.»Our translation - not official
The procedures for employment on the territory of Romania of the foreigners referred to in article 27^2 of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 194/2002, republished, as subsequently amended and supplemented, may be initiated only if the occupation for which employment is sought is included in the List of shortage occupations.
Article 27^2 is the D/AM2 route, which is everybody outside the five D/AM1 categories.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(5) La propunerea Ministerului Muncii, Familiei, Tineretului şi Solidarităţii Sociale, în concordanţă cu politica privind migraţia forţei de muncă şi luând în considerare situaţia pieţei muncii din România, anual, prin hotărâre a Guvernului se stabileşte contingentul de lucrători străini nou-admişi pe piaţa muncii din România. Ministerul Afacerilor Externe şi Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări, după caz, transmit, în format electronic, semestrial, Ministerului Muncii, Familiei, Tineretului şi Solidarităţii Sociale situaţia statistică a vizelor de lungă şedere pentru angajare în muncă, respectiv a permiselor unice şi a permiselor de şedere care conferă şi drept de muncă.»The annual quota of newly admitted workers, set by Government decision on the Labour Ministry's proposal.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(1) În vederea solicitării unei vize de lungă şedere tip D/AM1, pentru angajare în muncă prin intermediul platformei «WorkinRomania.gov.ro», prevăzută la art. 3 alin. (1) din titlul I din Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului privind accesul străinilor pe piaţa muncii din România, precum şi pentru modificarea şi completarea unor acte normative, denumită în continuare platforma electronică, se completează o cerere unică, exclusiv de către angajator, pentru următoarele categorii de străini: a) înalt calificaţi; b) care urmează să desfăşoare pe teritoriul României activităţi solicitate de ministere ori alte organe ale administraţiei publice centrale, inclusiv în cadrul unor proiecte care contribuie la dezvoltarea şi modernizarea infrastructurii economice naţionale; c) care urmează să desfăşoare activităţi didactice, ştiinţifice sau alte categorii de activităţi specifice în instituţii de învăţământ superior de stat din România, în baza unor acorduri bilaterale, în conformitate cu ordinul ministrului educaţiei şi cercetării, precum şi în concordanţă cu strategia instituţională a instituţiilor de învăţământ superior de stat, pe baza deciziei rectorului şi cu avizul Ministerului Educaţiei şi Cercetării, personalul cu calificare specială, precum şi străinii care desfăşoară activităţi artistice în instituţii de cultură din România, în baza ordinului ministrului culturii; d) sportivi profesionişti care au încheiat un contract individual de muncă cu o structură sportivă; e) cetăţenilor din Republica Moldova, Ucraina şi Republica Serbia încadraţi în muncă pe teritoriul României cu contract individual de muncă cu normă întreagă.»The closed list of categories whose employer may file directly. Letter e) is a nationality rule: citizens of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia on a full-time employment contract.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(1) În vederea solicitării vizei de lungă şedere pentru angajare în muncă tip D/AM2 pentru lucrătorii permanenţi, sezonieri şi transfrontalieri, agenţia de plasare a străinilor prevăzută la titlul I art. 2 alin. (2) lit. b) din Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului privind accesul străinilor pe piaţa muncii din România, precum şi pentru modificarea şi completarea unor acte normative, denumită în continuare agenţie de plasare a străinilor, completează o cerere unică prin intermediul platformei electronice, în baza contractului de plasare, a contractului de prestări servicii şi a contractului individual de muncă înregistrat în Registrul general de evidenţă a salariaţilor - REGES-ONLINE potrivit Hotărârii Guvernului nr. 295/2025, cu modificările ulterioare, cu încărcarea în platforma electronică a acestor contracte şi a următoarelor documente privind străinul:»For permanent, seasonal and cross-border workers the single application is completed by the placement agency, on the basis of a placement contract, a services contract and an employment contract registered in REGES-ONLINE.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(6) Eliberarea vizei de lungă şedere în scop de angajare în muncă de tip D/AM2 se realizează dacă contingentul de lucrători nou-admişi pe piaţa muncii, aşa cum este prevăzut la art. 1 alin. (5) din titlul I din Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului privind accesul străinilor pe piaţa muncii din România , precum şi pentru modificarea şi completarea unor acte normative, nu a fost epuizat.»Our translation - not official
The issue of the long-stay visa for employment of type D/AM2 takes place if the contingent of newly admitted workers on the labour market, as provided for in article 1(5) of Title I of the Government Emergency Ordinance on the access of foreigners to the labour market in Romania and amending and supplementing certain normative acts, has not been exhausted.
The quota is a condition of issue, so it bites after the application has passed everything else.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(12) Cererea unică se respinge dacă nu sunt îndeplinite condiţiile prevăzute la alin. (3) şi (4) fără a mai fi verificate celelalte condiţii. (13) Soluţionarea în sens negativ a cererii unice potrivit alin. (12) nu poate fi contestată.»Our translation - not official
The single application is rejected if the conditions laid down in paragraphs (3) and (4) are not met, without the other conditions being checked. A negative decision on the single application under paragraph (12) cannot be contested.
A rejection on admissibility is final by statute. A negative decision at the consulate under paragraph (14) can be contested under article 31(5).
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(1) Străinilor intraţi în România în scopul încadrării în muncă li se prelungeşte dreptul de şedere temporară în scop de muncă dacă prezintă contractul individual de muncă cu normă întreagă din care rezultă că salariul este cel puţin la nivelul salariului de bază minim brut pe ţară garantat în plată. În cazul lucrătorilor înalt calificaţi şi a străinilor care desfăşoară activităţi didactice, ştiinţifice sau alte categorii de activităţi specifice în cadrul instituţiilor de învăţământ superior de stat în baza deciziei rectorului şi cu avizul Ministerului Educaţiei şi Cercetării, salariul trebuie să fie cel puţin la nivelul câştigului salarial mediu brut.»The salary floor, and the higher floor for the highly qualified and for university staff.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(2) Dreptul de şedere temporară în scop de muncă se prelungeşte în condiţiile prevăzute la alin. (1) pentru o perioadă egală cu perioada de valabilitate a contractului de muncă, dar nu mai mult de 2 ani.»Our translation - not official
The right of temporary residence for the purpose of work is extended under the conditions laid down in paragraph (1) for a period equal to the period of validity of the employment contract, but not more than 2 years.
Two years is the ceiling for an ordinary worker; three for the highly qualified under paragraph (3).
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«Dispoziţiile titlului I şi dispoziţiile referitoare la obţinerea şi prelungirea dreptului de şedere în scop de muncă în baza unei cereri unice prevăzute de Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr. 194/2002, republicată, cu modificările şi completările ulterioare, se aplică până la data de 7 august 2026, exclusiv pentru derularea procedurilor de Pagina 43 din 47 înregistrare a angajatorilor străinilor şi a procedurilor de autorizare a agenţiilor de plasare a străinilor, precum şi pentru testarea funcţionalităţii platformei electronice prin simularea unor proceduri de depunere şi soluţionare a cererilor unice.»Until 7 August 2026 the new Title I and the single-application residence provisions run only for registering employers, licensing placement agencies and testing the electronic platform.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(1) Străinii rămaşi pe teritoriul României după data la care le-a încetat dreptul de şedere stabilit prin viza de lungă şedere pentru angajare în muncă sau prin permisul unic şi împotriva cărora nu a fost stabilită obligaţia de returnare pot solicita, până la data de 31 decembrie 2026, prelungirea dreptului de şedere temporară în scop de Pagina 44 din 47 muncă, fără obligativitatea obţinerii unei vize de lungă şedere pentru angajare în muncă, cu aplicarea în mod corespunzător a procedurii prevăzute art. 56 alin. (10) şi (11) din Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr. 194/2002, republicată, cu modificările şi completările ulterioare.»A window to 31 December 2026 for foreigners who stayed on after an employment visa or single permit expired and were not made subject to a return obligation. Article 52(2) requires them to declare their address to the Inspectorate General for Immigration within 60 days of 27 April 2026.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«La data intrării în vigoare a prezentei ordonanţe de urgenţă, titlul I al Ordonanţei Guvernului nr. 25/2014 privind încadrarea în muncă şi detaşarea străinilor pe teritoriul României şi pentru modificarea şi completarea unor acte normative privind regimul străinilor în România, publicată în Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, nr. 640 din 30 august 2014, aprobată prin Legea nr. 14/2016, cu modificările şi completările ulterioare, se abrogă.»Our translation - not official
On the date of entry into force of this emergency ordinance, Title I of Government Ordinance no. 25/2014 on the employment and secondment of foreigners on the territory of Romania and amending and supplementing certain normative acts concerning the regime of foreigners in Romania, published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 640 of 30 August 2014, approved by Law no. 14/2016, as subsequently amended and supplemented, is repealed.
The old work-authorisation regime, the aviz de angajare, is gone. Applications already lodged are still decided under it by article 49.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
Practical notes
The placement agency is not optional and it is not free. Article 2(2)(f) of Title I of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 makes the placement contract tripartite - agency, registered employer and foreigner - and requires it to state the fees charged by the Romanian authorities. What the agency itself may charge the worker was not read for this record.
Article 51(2) of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 lets a new employer hire without going through an agency for a number of foreigners no greater than its own average headcount in the previous year. That is a ceiling on direct hiring rather than an exemption from the regime.
This record rests on the Ordinance as consolidated to 30 April 2026 and on Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 as published. The ministerial order approving the Shortage Occupations List, the Government decision setting the 2026 contingent and the implementing decisions due within 30 and 45 days of 27 April 2026 were not read.
- administersOrdonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr. 32/2026 privind accesul străinilor pe piaţa muncii din România
Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări
About this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
- administersOrdonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr. 194/2002 privind regimul străinilor în România, formă consolidată
Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări · consolidated to 2026-04-30
About this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source