Romania Digital Nomad Visa

Romania’s digital nomad route isn’t a tourist workaround. It’s a national long-stay visa, coded D/AS, that specifically includes digital nomads and is tied to a temporary residence permit issued in Romania.

The visa is for non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss citizens who work remotely for a company registered outside Romania or who own a company registered outside Romania and earn income online using information and communication technology. Romanian law added the category through Law no. 22/2022, which amended the foreigners regime and made digital nomads an express part of the D/AS visa category.

That distinction matters. This isn’t the same thing as a Schengen or tourist visa and it’s not meant for people working for Romanian employers. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals don’t need this route for residence under free-movement rules.

The visa is issued by Romanian diplomatic and consular missions outside Romania. It gives you an initial 90-day stay for entry, then you use it in Romania to apply to the General Inspectorate for Immigration for a temporary residence permit under the digital nomad grounds. The system is set up for longer stays, but it comes with strict checks on income, insurance, accommodation and background.

• Visa type: National long-stay visa for other purposes, D/AS
• Who it’s for: Non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss remote workers and company owners
• Work setup: Income must come from outside Romania
• Entry validity: 90 days
• Next step: Apply in Romania for a temporary residence permit

The official rules are pretty clear on the structure, but not every practical detail is spelled out in the research here. For example, it doesn’t provide fixed processing times or fee figures, so those need to be checked separately on the current official instructions before you apply.

Romania’s digital nomad route isn't a tourist workaround. It’s a national long-stay visa, the D/AS visa, made for third-country nationals who work remotely for a company outside Romania or own a company registered outside Romania.

That means EU, EEA and Swiss citizens don’t use this route. They already fall under separate free-movement rules. The Romanian digital nomad visa is for people from outside that group who need a long-stay visa for more than 90 days.

To qualify, you need to show that your income is steady and earned online through information and communication technology. The income test is strict: you must prove means of subsistence equal to at least three times the average gross monthly salary in Romania for each of the last six months before you apply and for the whole period covered by the visa.

The official portal doesn’t give a fixed euro or lei figure, so you’ll need to check the current Romanian average gross salary and do the math yourself. That part is annoying, but it’s how the rule is written.

• Nationality: Third-country national, not EU, EEA or Swiss.
• Work setup: Remote work for a company registered outside Romania or ownership of a company registered outside Romania.
• Income: At least three times Romania’s average gross monthly salary, shown for the last six months and for the visa period.
• General long-stay requirements: Valid passport, medical insurance for the visa period, proof of accommodation in Romania and a criminal record certificate or equivalent.

There’s no separate age rule in the digital nomad provisions and the visa page doesn’t create a special family-member regime either. If you later want to bring family members, that falls under Romania’s broader residence rules, not the digital nomad category itself.

Applicants can still be refused if they can’t prove the purpose of stay, can’t document their income or have a criminal record that raises problems under Romanian law. The visa is meant for legitimate remote workers, not people trying to dress up ordinary relocation as “digital nomad” status.

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Romania’s digital nomad route sits inside the long-stay visa for other purposes or D/AS. It’s a national visa, not a tourist or Schengen visa and it’s meant to turn into a temporary residence permit once you’re in Romania.

The basic visa file is pretty specific. IGI says you need proof of your digital nomad status or purpose, proof of medical insurance valid for the visa period, proof of accommodation and a criminal record certificate or an equivalent document from your country of origin.

For digital nomads, the income bar is also high. You need means of subsistence from remote work equal to at least three times the average gross monthly salary in Romania for each of the last six months before you apply and for the full period covered by the visa. The official pages also say the work has to be carried out remotely using information and communication technology.

• Valid passport: You have to apply with a valid border-crossing document and the original passport plus all supporting documents must be shown in person at the consulate.
• Visa-purpose documents: The official pages confirm that you’ll need evidence tied to the digital nomad category, but they don’t spell out the full list in open text. The detailed checklist sits in the law and consular guidance.
• Medical insurance: Coverage must be valid for the whole visa period.
• Accommodation proof: You’ll need to show where you’ll stay in Romania.
• Criminal record check: IGI asks for a criminal record certificate or a document with equivalent legal value from your country of origin.

The residence permit stage has its own paperwork and it’s not light. IGI’s generic extension rules call for an application form, passport original and copy, documents proving the reason for staying, proof of means of maintenance at least at the monthly average gross salary for the requested period, proof of legal housing, proof of social health insurance and payment of fees.

Timing is strict too. You have to file the extension request at least 30 days before your current right of stay expires and you can submit it in person or through the IGI online portal. If you apply while you’re still lawfully in Romania, you can stay until the decision is made.

Romania’s digital nomad route sits inside the long-stay visa for other purposes, known as D/AS. The government’s published fee for that long-stay visa is €120 and that’s the only clear official visa price tied to this route.

That fee is paid in the state where you submit the request. It applies to the long-stay visa category that now includes digital nomads and the official pages don’t publish a separate higher fee just for nomad applicants.

There’s a catch, though. The visa is only the first bill. After you arrive, you still need to move on to a temporary residence permit in Romania and the official guidance says fees apply there too, but it doesn’t give a fixed amount or a separate card-issuing charge on the published pages.

• Long-stay visa fee: €120
• Residence permit fee: charged, but the official pages don’t list the exact amount
• Other likely costs: private health insurance, translations and legal help, though the government doesn’t publish standard figures for these

That missing detail matters. If you’re budgeting, you can’t rely on the visa fee alone, because the residence-stage costs can add up and the official portals don’t spell them out in one neat place.

There’s also no published consular fee table for dependents of digital nomads in the official material reviewed here, so any extra family costs have to be treated as unknown unless the relevant consulate gives you a separate price list.

Romania’s digital nomad route is a national long-stay visa for other purposes, D/AS, followed by a residence permit once you’re in the country. You apply from abroad, not after arrival and the visa is only open to non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss citizens who work remotely for or own, companies registered outside Romania.

The first step is the online application through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs eVisa portal. You fill in the form and upload supporting documents there, then the Romanian embassy or consulate validates the file. After that, they email you for an interview and ask you to show the original documents and your passport in person.

Here’s the basic flow:

• 1. Start online: complete the D/AS application in the eVisa system and upload your documents.
• 2. Wait for validation: the mission reviews the file and contacts you if an in-person step is needed.
• 3. Attend the appointment: show your passport and the originals of all documents.
• 4. Receive the visa decision: the standard decision time for a long-stay visa is 30 days from submission.
• 5. Enter Romania and apply for residence: file for the temporary residence permit before your visa-based stay runs out.

The visa is granted for 90 days with one or multiple entries. The official rules don’t give a separate processing time specifically for digital nomads, so the general 30-day long-stay visa timeline is the one to use as a guide.

Once you arrive, don’t sit on the visa and hope for the best. You have to apply in person at the General Inspectorate for Immigration or through its online portal, at least 30 days before your visa stay expires. That residence stage can take up to 30 days, with a possible 15-day extension if extra checks are needed and if the authorities ask for more documents, the clock pauses until you send them in.

The residence permit file is checked against the purpose of stay, so expect the authorities to look closely at income, accommodation, health insurance and background conditions. If the application is still pending, you’re allowed to stay lawfully in Romania while it’s being processed.

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Romania’s digital nomad route starts with a national long-stay visa, type D/AS. That visa is issued for 90 days with one or more entries, so it’s not a long stay by itself. It’s the entry point that lets you apply in Romania for a temporary residence permit.

That part matters, because the real staying power comes from the residence permit, not the visa stamp. Under the foreigners rules, the right of temporary residence for other purposes is extended in successive periods of up to one year and digital nomads are now explicitly included in that category.

There’s one wrinkle in the official commentary around the 2022 law. For digital nomads, the first extension is described as being granted for 6 months, with later extensions possible for up to one year. The public IGI page doesn’t spell out that 6-month first step in the same detail, so the cleanest reading is that the route begins on the 90-day D/AS visa, then moves into residence extensions once you’re in Romania.

Renewal isn't automatic. You have to apply at least 30 days before your current right of stay expires and the authorities say they decide extension requests within 30 days, with a possible 15-day add-on if they need more checks. If you still meet the legal conditions, the residence can keep being renewed.

• Initial D/AS visa: 90 days, with one or more entries.
• First residence extension: described in official commentary as 6 months for digital nomads.
• Later extensions: up to one year at a time.
• Renewal timing: file at least 30 days before expiry.
• Decision window: 30 days, with a possible 15-day extension for checks.

The official materials don’t give a fixed maximum total stay for digital nomads. They also don’t say that this route changes the normal path to long-term residence or citizenship, so you shouldn’t assume any shortcut there. If you’re planning to stay for years, the paperwork rhythm matters more than the visa label.

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Romania’s digital nomad route is an immigration status first, not a tax program. The official visa and residence pages cover who can apply, how the stay works and the basic eligibility checks, but they don’t set out any special tax treatment for remote workers.

That means there’s no visa-page confirmation of a tax break, flat rate or exemption for digital nomads. The immigration authorities also don’t explain when a holder becomes a Romanian tax resident, how foreign income is taxed or whether remote workers need to register with the tax office.

The practical takeaway is simple, though not especially convenient: you can’t rely on the visa guidance alone to work out your tax position. You’ll need to check Romanian tax law and guidance from the National Agency for Fiscal Administration separately, especially if you’re spending long periods in the country or earning income from outside Romania.

• Tax residency: The official digital nomad visa pages don’t give a residency threshold or timing rule.
• Income tax: They don’t say how foreign-source remote income is treated.
• Social security: There’s no online immigration guidance on contributions for digital nomads.
• Double-tax treaties: The visa pages don’t explain how treaty relief applies to remote workers.

Romania’s digital nomad visa is a national long-stay visa for other purposes, valid for 90 days at the visa stage and meant to be converted into a temporary residence permit in Romania. That residence process comes with immigration checks on income, insurance, accommodation and background, but the tax side is still a separate file.

So if you’re planning a long stay, assume the visa gets you in, not tax certainty. That part needs direct tax advice or a check of Romanian tax rules before you settle in.