Romania Digital Nomad Visa

Romania’s digital nomad visa is a long-stay national visa for non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss remote workers who earn their income from outside Romania and want to stay longer than a short tourist visit. It’s meant for people working for a foreign employer or a foreign-registered business, not for anyone planning to take a local Romanian job.

The visa sits in Romania’s Type D long-stay framework, so it’s different from the short-stay Schengen rules that apply to tourism and brief business trips. That matters. Short stays still run on the usual 90 days in any 180-day period, but the digital nomad route is designed for a longer stay and is handled as a national visa through the Romanian system.

The official process runs through Romania’s eVisa and consular setup. You can file online, upload your documents there and then attend a consular appointment later, with status tracking handled online too. The portal is useful, but it’s not especially forgiving, so expect a bit of friction if your files are messy or incomplete.

• Who it’s for: Third-country nationals working remotely for an employer or company outside Romania.
• What it’s for: Living in Romania while continuing foreign remote work, not local employment.
• How it’s handled: Through Romania’s official eVisa and consular system.
• How it differs from tourism: It’s a long-stay national visa, while tourist travel falls under the short-stay Schengen rules.

The income threshold and supporting paperwork are the parts applicants tend to trip over and the official rules haven’t been described as easy or flexible. The research confirms the program still sits inside Romania’s long-stay national visa regime and I couldn’t verify any official redesign of the digital nomad route itself. So don’t assume the rules changed just because Romania’s short-stay border setup did.

If you’re comparing it with a standard tourist entry, the distinction is simple: tourism is for short visits, while the digital nomad visa is for remote work and a much longer stay. If you want to stay in Romania beyond the normal visitor window, this is the route to look at.

Romania’s digital nomad route is for non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals only. If you’re from the EU or EEA, you don’t need this visa category and you’ll use free-movement rules instead.

The permit sits under Romania’s long-stay visa system, so there isn’t a separate “digital nomad visa” code. In practice, it’s for people who work remotely for a company registered outside Romania or who own a company registered outside Romania and do their work through information and communication technology while in the country.

Who can apply

• Employee of a foreign company: You work for an employer registered outside Romania.
• Owner of a foreign company: You own or control a company registered outside Romania.
• Remote-only work setup: Your income comes from remote work, not from a Romanian employer or a Romanian-registered business.

The law also points to a fairly strict work-history test. The foreign employment or ownership relationship is expected to have existed for at least three years, which is one reason this visa is harder to qualify for than it first looks.

Income test

This is the real gatekeeper. You need to show income equal to at least three times the Romanian average gross monthly salary for each of the previous six months and you also have to meet that level for the full stay you’re asking for.

No fixed euro figure is published by the ministries, because the threshold is tied to the average wage in Romania. That means the number moves, so applicants should check the current wage benchmark before applying rather than relying on old blog posts.

What proof usually matters

• Remote-work proof: Employment contract or company ownership documents.
• Income proof: Bank statements, pay slips or other records showing the required earnings for the last six months.
• Compliance proof: For company owners, tax or financial documents may be needed to show the business is real and active.

Romania also expects the usual supporting basics, including health insurance and proof that you can support yourself for the stay. The official process still runs through the long-stay visa framework, then a residence permit after arrival if you’re approved.

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Romania’s digital nomad route isn’t a separate visa label in practice. It’s a long-stay visa for other purposes, type D, followed by a residence permit after you arrive. The paperwork is a bit tedious and the official document list isn’t neatly gathered on one government page, so consulates still matter a lot.

The core rule is straightforward. You need to earn at least three times Romania’s average gross monthly salary from remote work for a company or employer registered outside Romania and you have to meet that income level for each of the last six months before you apply and for the full visa period. The law pegs the threshold to the average salary, so there isn’t one fixed euro figure on the official visa rules. That amount changes, so confirm it with the consulate before you file.

What you’ll need

• Completed visa form: The national long-stay application form, filled out and signed through the eVisa portal.
• Passport: Valid for at least 3 months beyond the end of your requested stay, issued within the last 10 years and with at least 2 blank pages.
• Photos: Two recent color photos, sized 3 by 4 cm.
• Proof of remote work: An employment contract or proof of company ownership abroad, plus a translated Romanian copy.
• Company document: A certificate or registry extract showing the foreign company’s details, your role and the legal representatives.
• Letter of intent: A signed explanation of why you’re moving to Romania and what you’ll do there.
• Tax compliance certificate: From your country of tax residence, apostilled or legalized if needed.
• Income proof: Bank statements, pay slips or similar documents showing you hit the required income level for the last 6 months.
• Accommodation proof: Hotel booking, rental agreement or similar housing document in Romania.
• Travel ticket or itinerary: Proof of how you’re entering Romania and how you plan to leave if asked.
• Medical insurance: Coverage for the full stay with at least €30,000 in benefits.
• Criminal record certificate: From your home country and, if different, your country of legal residence.

Every document that isn’t already in Romanian usually needs a certified translation. That part slows people down more than the visa form itself. Once your D visa is approved, you still need to apply for the residence permit in Romania before your initial stay runs out.

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Romania treats the digital nomad route as a long-stay visa, so the real government cost sits inside that visa process, not a separate short-term permit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the visa fee is non-refundable if your application is refused, which is annoying but standard for this kind of filing.

The problem is that the official eVisa pages I could verify don’t publish a clean, digital-nomad-specific fee figure for every case. So I’m not going to make one up. If you’re checking your budget, the safest answer is that you’ll need to confirm the payable amount on the consular page handling your nationality and application location before you submit.

• Visa fee: The official portal confirms there's a fee, but the digital-nomad page I reviewed didn’t show a fixed amount.
• Refund policy: Non-refundable if the visa is refused.
• Processing time: Up to 60 days for a long-stay visa decision.
• Application window: Submit at least 2 weeks before travel and no more than 3 months before travel.

There are other costs too and they can add up fast. The portal says supporting documents must be uploaded online, then the originals have to be shown in person at the chosen diplomatic mission or consulate. Translations need to be done by an authorized translator and they have to be in Romanian or English. None of that comes with a government price list, so you’ll likely pay separately for translations, notarization, copies and any courier or travel costs tied to the in-person appointment.

Once you enter Romania on the long-stay visa, you can apply to the immigration authority for an extension of temporary stay and a residence permit. The official page says that extension request should be filed at least 30 days before the visa expires. That means the visa fee is only the first line item. If you’re planning a realistic budget, leave room for document prep, the residence permit stage and a bit of bureaucratic slack, because this process doesn’t move quickly.

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Romania’s digital nomad route is a Type D long-stay visa first, then a temporary residence permit once you’re in the country. You apply from abroad through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs eVisa portal and the Romanian consulate you pick in the system, then you handle the residence permit with the General Inspectorate for Immigration after arrival.

The process is a bit clunky, but it’s clear enough if you follow the order. You can’t skip the first step and apply for the nomad permit after landing, so start with the visa file before you book a long stay.

How the application works

• Step 1: Create your file in the eVisa portal and choose the Romanian mission where you’ll finish the process in person.
• Step 2: Upload scanned documents, all readable and under 2 MB each. The portal accepts common formats such as PDF, JPEG, PNG and similar file types.
• Step 3: Submit the file, then wait for validation and an in-person appointment at the embassy or consulate.
• Step 4: Attend the appointment with originals and copies. The processing clock starts when you show up in person, not when you click submit online.
• Step 5: If approved, use the visa to enter Romania, then apply in-country for the residence permit.

The official portal doesn’t publish one single, always-updated checklist just for digital nomads, so missions can ask for slightly different paperwork. That’s annoying, but normal. Expect to show proof of remote work, six months of income at least three times Romania’s average gross monthly salary, clean criminal record, health insurance with at least €30,000 in coverage, proof of accommodation, a letter of intent and a flight reservation or travel plan.

What to prepare before you apply

• Passport: Valid for the whole intended stay and beyond it.
• Income proof: Bank statements or payslips showing you meet the six-month income rule.
• Work proof: Employment contract, company ownership documents or equivalent foreign business records.
• Background check: Criminal-record certificate from your country of residence or citizenship.
• Accommodation: Rental agreement, purchase deed or hotel booking for at least part of your stay.
• Insurance: Policy valid in Romania with minimum €30,000 coverage.

Fees and exact processing times aren’t laid out in a single clean government page for this category, so don’t rely on random blog numbers. The safer move is to check the mission you’re applying through and leave yourself a generous buffer, because missing one document usually means starting the clock over.

Romania’s digital nomad route is built in two layers. First, you enter on a long-stay D visa, which is normally valid for 90 days of stay in Romania. Then you apply at the General Inspectorate for Immigration for a temporary residence permit under the digital nomad category.

That residence permit isn't a one-and-done deal. The law treats it as temporary residence that can be renewed if you still meet the conditions, so don’t assume the first approval gets you through a full year by default. The first extension of the temporary right of residence is granted for six months and later renewals are possible if you keep qualifying.

That means your paperwork rhythm matters. You’ll need to go back to IGI before your current permit expires and you’ll need to keep proving that you still meet the nomad rules, including the income test and the other residence requirements. One legal summary also says you may need a certificate from the competent tax body justifying your income for later extensions, which makes the process feel more bureaucratic than it should.

• Entry visa: long-stay D visa, normally 90 days
• First residence extension: 6 months
• Later renewals: possible if you still meet the legal conditions

There isn’t a clearly published official cap that says digital nomads can only stay in Romania for, say, 24 or 36 months. What’s clear is that this is temporary residence, not permanent status and the permit has to be renewed regularly. If you stay long enough, you can move toward long-term residence under Romania’s general rules, which usually means 5 years of continuous legal stay before permanent residence becomes available.

One more wrinkle, if you stay more than 183 days in any 12-month period, Romania may treat you as a tax resident. That’s a tax issue, not an immigration limit, but it tends to show up once people start renewing for the long haul.

Romania doesn’t give digital nomads a special tax bracket. You’re taxed under the same rules that apply to residents and non-residents and the visa itself doesn’t create a separate tax status.

That means the first question is residency. Under Romania’s tax rules, you stay a non-resident until you hit the residency tests, most often by spending more than 183 days in Romania in any 12-month period or by moving your centre of vital interests there, such as family, housing and main economic ties.

While you’re still non-resident, Romania generally taxes only Romanian-source income. If you’re working for a foreign employer or foreign clients and the work isn’t treated as Romanian-source income, that income usually isn’t taxed in Romania yet.

• Special nomad exemption: Digital nomads can avoid Romanian income tax and social security contributions for the first six months of stay, as long as they don’t become tax resident under the general rules.
• Tax residency trigger: Once you cross 183 days in a 12-month period or otherwise establish residency, Romania can tax your worldwide income from the date residency starts.
• General tax rate: Romania’s flat personal income tax rate is 10% for most income categories.

This is where people get tripped up. The visa may be a clean immigration route, but it doesn’t shield you from residency rules. If your stay stretches past the threshold or your life in Romania starts looking permanent, ANAF can treat you as a tax resident and expect filings, not excuses.

Double-taxation treaties can help if you’re already taxed elsewhere. Romania relies on its normal treaty and foreign tax credit rules, so any tax paid abroad may be credited against Romanian tax, up to the amount due in Romania.

There isn’t a long-term reduced tax regime for digital nomads. The advantage is front-loaded, then it disappears once you become resident. If you expect to stay near or past 183 days, talk to a tax adviser early, because the switch from non-resident to resident changes the bill fast.