Romania Digital Nomad Visa

Romania's digital nomad route is a long-stay visa for other purposes (D/AS) followed by temporary residence. Law 22/2022 added digital nomads to the D/AS category: third-country nationals who keep earning from a company registered outside Romania, as an employee or as its owner, and who work remotely through information and communication technology.

The visa gives 90 days in Romania. Before it runs out, the holder applies to the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) for a residence permit. The first extension lasts 6 months, and later ones also need a certificate from the Romanian tax authority.

The main draw is tax: pay from the foreign company is exempt from Romanian income tax while the holder spends no more than 183 days in Romania in any 12 months. The route suits people who want a base in a Schengen country for longer than a visit allows, on foreign income.

• Nationality: a third-country national, meaning not a citizen of the EU, the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
• Work: an employment contract with a company registered outside Romania, or ownership of a company registered abroad for at least 3 years at the date of the visa application. The work is done remotely through information and communication technology.
• Income: at least three times Romania's average gross monthly salary, for each of the six months before the application and for the whole period of the visa. With the average gross salary set at RON 9,192 a month from March 30, 2026, that works out to RON 27,576 a month. Neither the foreign ministry nor IGI publishes a lei figure, so the consulate has the final word on the amount.
• Taxes and record: proof of taxes paid where the applicant is tax resident, and a criminal record certificate.

The law frames the work as done for a company registered abroad. It says nothing specific about Romanian clients or about family members of digital nomads.

For the D/AS visa:

• A valid passport
• An employment contract with the foreign company, or proof of owning a company registered abroad for at least 3 years
• Proof of income from the remote work at three times the average gross salary for each of the last six months
• Proof of taxes paid in the country of tax residence
• A criminal record certificate
• Medical insurance valid in Romania for the whole visa period, with cover of at least €30,000

Consulates can ask for more under the general long-stay visa rules.

For the residence permit, IGI asks for the passport, a medical certificate showing no disease that endangers public health, proof of legal housing at the declared address, health insurance, proof of means and the fees.

• Long-stay visa: €300 for applications filed from April 27, 2026, payable in euros, US dollars or local currency at the previous month's average rate.
• Residence permit card: RON 265.
• Extension of the right of residence: a consular tax of €120, paid in lei, according to IGI's August 2025 fee sheet. The sheet predates the April 2026 fee changes, so the amount is worth confirming with IGI.

Private costs come on top: medical insurance with at least €30,000 of cover and the certificates used as proof.

Visa: online through the e-Visa portal, then in person at the Romanian embassy or consulate for the country of residence. Residence: at the IGI territorial office for the address in Romania, in person or through the IGI online portal (portaligi.mai.gov.ro).

1. File the D/AS application on the e-Visa portal and upload the documents.
2. Attend the Romanian embassy or consulate with the passport and the original documents.
3. Enter Romania on the visa, which is granted for 90 days with one or more entries.
4. Apply at the IGI office for the address in Romania, in person or through the IGI online portal, at least 30 days before the visa's right of stay ends.

No official processing time is published for the D/AS visa. IGI decides residence applications within 30 days, extendable by up to 15 days for extra checks.

The D/AS visa gives 90 days. The first extension of residence for a digital nomad lasts 6 months.

After the first six-month residence extension, further extensions are possible if income stays at three times the average gross salary and the holder shows an income certificate from the Romanian tax authority. Temporary residence is generally extended for up to one year at a time; file at least 30 days before expiry.

The law sets no maximum total stay for digital nomads, and no official page says whether years on this status count toward long-term residence.

Since April 2, 2023, the Fiscal Code has carried a rule for digital nomads: Salary or company income of a digital nomad from work for a company registered outside Romania is exempt from Romanian income tax, and the holder is outside the pension and health contribution systems, while present in Romania no more than 183 days in any 12-month period. Beyond that, the general residency test applies.

The general test makes a person resident in Romania when they're present for more than 183 days in total in any 12 months, or have a domicile or center of vital interests there. Residents are taxed under the ordinary rules administered by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF).

Later residence extensions need an income certificate from the Romanian tax authority, so long stays bring contact with ANAF in any case.