Romania Business Visa (D/AC)

Romania has no golden visa; investors use the long-stay visa for commercial activities (D/AC).

No investment-for-residence program appears on the foreign ministry or IGI pages. The D/AC visa is for third-country nationals who are, or are about to become, shareholders or associates with management or administrative roles in Romanian companies. It ties residence to running a business: the investment needs a technical approval, and later extensions depend on capital, jobs and income from the business.

It suits founders and investors who will take an active role in a Romanian company. Remote workers earning from abroad fit the digital nomad visa better, and the Romania guide compares both.

• Role: shareholder or associate with management or administrative duties in a Romanian company.
• Technical approval: a specialist approval of the investment from the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade, obtained before the visa.
• Means: at least €700 a month for a shareholder, earned from the activity in Romania, with a lower amount for an associate.
• Investment and jobs: for extensions after the first residence permit, €70,000 in capital or technology and at least 15 full-time jobs for a shareholder, with lower targets for an associate.

These thresholds come from IGI pages published in 2021 and 2024, before the April 2026 changes to Romania's aliens law (GEO 32/2026), and haven't been confirmed since.

For the D/AC visa, IGI lists:

• The technical approval from the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade
• A criminal record certificate or a document with the same legal value
• Medical insurance valid for the whole visa period
• Proof of accommodation

For the residence permit, IGI adds proof of the monthly means, legal possession of the company's registered office, social health insurance and the fees. Later extensions also need a technical opinion confirming that the company has followed its business plan.

• Long-stay visa: €300 for applications filed from April 27, 2026, payable in euros, US dollars or local currency.
• Residence permit card: RON 265.
• Extension of the right of residence: a consular tax of €120 in lei, per IGI's August 2025 fee sheet, which predates the April 2026 fee changes.

The capital, jobs and monthly means behind the route cost far more than the fees.

Get a technical approval from the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade, apply for the D/AC visa at a Romanian embassy or consulate, then obtain the residence permit from the IGI territorial office at least 30 days before the visa expires.

1. Obtain the technical approval for the investment.
2. Apply for the D/AC visa at a Romanian embassy or consulate. It's granted for 90 days with one or more entries.
3. In Romania, file for the residence permit at the IGI office for the county of residence, in person or through the IGI online portal.
4. Renew at least 30 days before each permit expires.

IGI decides residence applications within 30 days, extendable by up to 15 days for extra checks, and the clock stops while it waits for missing documents.

The D/AC visa gives 90 days. Temporary residence is extended in periods of up to one year. Later extensions require the company to follow its business plan, the investment and job targets, and the monthly means.

IGI's page on the route also describes three-year extensions for very large investments or job creation, but that page predates GEO 32/2026.

No official page reviewed describes how this route counts toward long-term residence or citizenship.

The D/AC route carries no special tax regime. The general Fiscal Code test applies: a person present in Romania for more than 183 days in total in any 12 months, or with a domicile or center of vital interests there, is resident for tax.

Company profits, salaries and dividends fall under the ordinary rules administered by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF). The digital nomad exemption doesn't apply, because the income comes from a Romanian company.