If you are an EU or US citizen and your planned stay in Romania doesn’t exceed 90 days, then things will be pretty straightforward for you. It is recommended that you make your presence known at the nearest police precinct if you planning to remain in the country for a period longer than 10 days; there are no strict controls in place to monitor this, but it should only take up about 30 minutes of your time, so it’s worth doing.Things do start to change when you are planning to stay for longer than 90 days; in that situation, the famous Romanian red tape rears its ugly head. Your application to stay may be submitted in person at the immigration office (birou emigrari) or via their portal.
Here is how to get your Romanian residence permit if you are an EU citizen:
• complete an application form
• provide the original and copy of your ID document
• provide proof of accommodation (original and copy)
• provide proof of a valid health insurance policy
• confirm the availability of sufficient funds
• provide the criminal record certificate issued by the Romanian authorities
In order to prove you have sufficient funds you will need to have the following paperwork:
• a pension statement for the past three months
• a tax statement from the previous year proving that you meet the minimum required income – so a bank statement proving that you have the money or any other document demonstrating that you have sufficient funds
• a letter from your employer confirming regular salary and any bonus entitlement
• for students, a declaration that you have sufficient funds is acceptable along with proof that they are studying in the country; this could be a letter from school or university
Please bear in mind that you must apply for a residence permit in the country (or an extension of it) 30 days before the expiration of your current document.
You can apply for a long-term right to remain after continuously staying in Romania for the past five years. The stay is considered continuous if the absence from the Romanian territory is less than six consecutive months and does not exceed a total of 10 out of 12 months. Also, any period in which you have travelled abroad for activities of international transportation and for which you can present written evidence will not be counted towards your absence from Romania. The length of stay for study purposes is calculated at half of the long-term residence permit. Please be aware that in this instance, your residence under a short-stay visa, diplomatic visa, employment visa (including a seasonal worker visa) will not be taken into consideration.
The documents required for a new long-term residence permit application are:
• a completed application form
• a border crossing document in original and duplicate
• proof of address in original and duplicate
• if you are a family member of a Romanian citizen, you will need to pay the fee of RON 259
• if you are NOT a family member of a Romanian citizen, the charge will be RON 128
The documents required for the renewal of the long-term residence permit are:
• a completed application form
• a border crossing document in original and duplicate
• proof of address in original and duplicate
• confirmation that the 120 EUR and consular duty of RON 259 fees have been paid
You won’t be able apply for a long term right of residence in Romania if you fall into one of these categories:
• your main purpose for being in Romania is studying
• you are an asylum seeker or a beneficiary of temporary humanitarian protection, or you enjoy the temporary protection of the Romanian state
• you are in Romania with a short-stay visa or a right to stay conferred by a diplomatic or work visa
If you have a long-term right to stay in Romania, you are entitled to equal treatment when compared to Romanian citizens. This means that:
• you can work on Romanian territory without authorization, under an individual work contract approved by the Territorial Labour Inspectorate
• you have access to all forms and levels of education and professional training, including the granting of scholarships, validation of studies and recognition of diplomas, certificates, certificates of competence and professional qualifications
• you will enjoy social security and protection, healthcare and social assistance
• you can benefit from tax deductions on your global income and from tax exemptions
• you have access to public goods and services, including the obtaining of housing and freedom of association as well as affiliation and membership to a trade or professional union.
The long-term right to stay will be withdrawn in the following situations:
• in the case of cancellation or revocation, for example if you provided fraudulent or untrue information at the time of your initial application
• if you obtain a long-term right to stay in another state
• in the case of absence from the Romanian territory for a period exceeding 12 consecutive months, except if during that time you benefited from a right of temporary residence in a member state of the European Union
• in the case of absence from the Romanian territory for a period longer than six consecutive years, even if during this time you benefited from a right of temporary residence in a member state of the European Union
• upon your request
• upon being granted Romanian citizenship
• in the case of the cancellation of international protection in Romania, if the long-term right to stay was obtained in this capacity.
The above information comes from the Romanian Immigration website. A complete list of all the documents required can be found on the website but as things stand, all the lists are only available in Romanian. However, all the documents required are pretty standard and you shouldn’t have any issues obtaining them for the purpose of your application. If required, the list can be translated for a fee.
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