π·π΄ Romania β Work & Study Visas, Wages & Jobs
Last verified 2026-09-26 Β· 6/7 visa categories confirmed from official sources
Work Visas
EU Blue CardUnconfirmed figure β verify before relying on it
For highly qualified workers with a valid work contract or binding job offer of at least 1 year. No labour-market test applies. Fees: β¬173 for initial issuance/renewal, β¬53 for replacement.
Threshold/salary: At least 2x Romania's average gross annual salary β two inconsistent figures found: RON 8,620/month (effective 13 Feb 2025, ~β¬1,735/month) vs. an older RON 13,578/month (~β¬2,743/month) figure on the EU Immigration Portal, apparently from 2023; needs reconciliation against IGI or the National Institute of Statistics
Duration: Up to 2 years, or the length of the employment contract plus 3 months, whichever is shorter
National work visa/permit
As of 27 April 2026, Romania abolished the requirement for a separate employment permit for most foreign workers, restructuring around the long-stay visa itself: D/AM1 (highly qualified/special categories, no quota) and D/AM2 (general labour, subject to an annual quota and a new List of Shortage Occupations). 2026 annual quota is 90,000 work and secondment permits/visas for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals (10,000 fewer than 2025). This is a very recent structural reform β verify current procedural detail directly against igi.mai.gov.ro.
Job Seeker Visa
No dedicated general job-seeker visa for third-country nationals arriving from outside Romania was confirmed. Romania's labour-migration route requires securing employment (or a permit exemption) before the long-stay visa is issued. The closest equivalent is the study-linked post-study job-search extension for graduates.
Digital Nomad Visa
Exists β Romania's 'long-stay visa for digital nomads' (category D/AD), for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals employed by, or owning/managing, a company registered outside Romania. Digital nomads who stay over 183 days become Romanian tax residents but reportedly do not pay Romanian social security/income tax on foreign-sourced income under this regime (not independently confirmed with ANAF).
Threshold/salary: At least 3x the Romanian average gross salary for initial application (~RON 27,816/month, ~β¬5,550/month, for 2026); drops to 1x on renewal
Duration: 1 year, renewable for 1 additional year
Study Visas
Student Permit
Long-stay visa for studies covering undergraduate, Master's, doctoral, and exchange/vocational-training students at accredited Romanian institutions. Requires a Ministry of Education acceptance letter, proof of funds at least the guaranteed minimum gross salary for the visa period, minimum β¬30,000 health insurance, and a criminal record certificate.
Post-Study Job Search Permit
Graduates can extend their residence permit for 9 months after graduation to search for a job, start employment, or complete business-opening formalities.
Duration: 9 months
Researcher/PhD Permit
Hosting-agreement scheme under EU Directive 2016/801. Non-EU/EEA researchers staying more than 90 days need a Hosting Agreement with an accredited R&D unit, plus a favourable opinion from the National Authority for Scientific Research. Temporary residence for research is granted per the agreement up to a maximum of 5 consecutive years.
Duration: Up to 5 consecutive years
Wages & Earning Potential
- Statutory minimum wage: 4050 RON/month (effective 2026-01-01) β source
- Statutory minimum wage: 4325 RON/month (effective 2026-07-01) β source
Top Employers
| Company | Industry |
|---|---|
| Dacia (Automobile Dacia / Renault Group) Renault Group (French) subsidiary but treated as a flagship domestic Romanian industrial brand β Mioveni plant, tens of thousands of jobs | Automotive Manufacturing |
| OMV Petrom Majority-owned by Austria's OMV but Romania's largest energy company and former state champion | Oil & Gas / Energy |
| Bitdefender Genuinely Romanian-headquartered, globally recognized brand | Cybersecurity / Software |
| UiPath Founded in Bucharest, global RPA/AI-automation leader, now HQ'd in the US but retains a very large Romania workforce | Software / RPA-AI Automation |
| Banca Transilvania Romania's largest bank by assets; careers page not fully content-verified (403 on automated fetch) | Banking / Financial Services |
| Hidroelectrica Romanian state-owned hydropower giant; job postings under an 'announcements' page rather than a dedicated careers page | Energy / Utilities (Hydropower) |
| Bosch Romania | Engineering / Manufacturing / IT |
| Orange Romania | Telecommunications |
| Continental Romania Large plants in TimiΘoara/Sibiu | Automotive Parts Manufacturing |
| Accenture Romania Large IT/BPO delivery center | IT Services / Consulting (delivery center) |
Second/Extra Job Rules for Existing Permit-Holders
Standard work permit β no
General rule found is single-employer employment β a foreign worker holding a Romanian work permit/temporary residence permit for employment is generally tied to one employer (secondary-source, not independently confirmed against a primary IGI text). One reported exception: a 'permanent worker' with a full-time local contract may take on an additional part-time contract with a second Romanian employer without separate work authorization (not independently confirmed).
EU Blue Card β conditional
No Romania-specific detail on EU Blue Card secondary-employment rules found beyond the general EU-wide Blue Card Directive (2021/1883) framework.
Sources & Open Questions
Every figure above is sourced from the official links inline. The items below are things our research could not confirm from an official source as of 2026-09-26 β treat them as open questions, not settled facts.
- Immigration DB: EU Blue Card salary threshold has two inconsistent figures (RON 8,620/month effective Feb 2025 vs. an older RON 13,578/month figure on the EU Immigration Portal, apparently from 2023) β must be reconciled against IGI or Romania's National Institute of Statistics before publishing a single current number.
- Immigration DB: Practical implementation detail of the 27 April 2026 reform abolishing separate employment permits and introducing D/AM1/D/AM2 visa categories is very recent β secondary-source commentary may not yet reflect final implementing rules.
- Immigration DB: Current Type D visa fee for the employment category specifically is unclear β the general Type D fee rose to β¬300 as of April 2026, but whether every sub-category (including employment) uses this exact figure needs direct confirmation.
- Immigration DB: Which Romanian mission serves Philippines applicants is unconfirmed β no resident Romanian embassy was found in the Philippines.
- Immigration DB: Foreign qualification recognition (CNRED) process and fees β existence confirmed, procedural/fee detail not retrieved.
- Immigration DB: Digital nomad visa tax-exemption claims (no income tax/social security on foreign income after 183 days) are a tax-authority (ANAF) matter, not confirmed against an official tax source.
- Immigration DB: Non-EU tuition fee figures β no single official government tuition schedule found; per-university rates vary and the ~β¬1,980/year figure captured should not be presented as a national average.
- Wage DB: Whether full-time work is permitted during semester breaks/holidays for foreign students in Romania is not addressed on the official IGI page.
- Wage DB: Whether social security/health contributions on part-time student employment must be calculated on the full minimum wage regardless of actual part-time hours is a commonly cited claim, not independently confirmed against a primary ANAF/Ministry of Labour source.
- Wage DB: Whether Romania has any student-specific personal income tax exemption or reduced threshold beyond the general 10% flat rate is unconfirmed.
- Wage DB: Realistic, sourced part-time/hourly pay figures for BPO/customer-support roles in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca specifically (as opposed to full-time monthly salary data) not found.
- Wage DB: Confirmed presence and pay data for Glovo/Bolt Food/Wolt, warehouse/fulfillment employers (e.g., Amazon), on-campus university jobs, and international retail chains specifically in Romania not sourced.
- Wage DB: Second-job and EU Blue Card secondary-employment rules specifically under Romanian national law not confirmed (only the general EU directive framework and secondary-source claims found).
- Wage DB: Primary Monitorul Oficial text of HG 146/2026 not directly fetched β minimum wage figures corroborated by mmuncii.gov.ro's own announcement plus multiple independent Romanian news outlets only.
This guide is part of Route Europa's 29-country Schengen database, compiled 2026-09-26. See all countries β
Pay, pensions and visas β compared
Take-home pay: a gross salary of β¬60,000 leaves about β¬35,100 a year (β¬2,925 a month, 58.5% kept) for a single employee in Romania β confidence: high.