Romania Golden Visa

Romania doesn’t have a formally branded Golden Visa program in force. What it does have is a long-stay visa for commercial activities, known as D/AC, followed by temporary residence permits for non-EU and non-EEA nationals who are shareholders or associates with management responsibilities in Romanian companies.

That makes this route closer to an investor visa than a passive residency scheme. It’s built for people who want to run or help run a business in Romania, not for tourists or investors looking to park money and stay out of day-to-day operations.

The core idea is simple, but the process isn’t especially flexible. You first need the D/AC visa, then you apply for a residence permit after entering Romania and that permit can be renewed if the general and specific conditions keep being met. Those conditions include investment approval, proof of business activity, sufficient monthly means, health insurance and proper accommodation.

Who it’s for

• Non-EU investors and entrepreneurs: third-country nationals who want to take an active role in a Romanian company.
• Shareholders or associates: people with management or executive responsibilities, not passive buyers.
• Business-focused applicants: the route is aimed at capital investment and job creation, not simple residency through ownership alone.

There’s been plenty of talk about a separate Romanian Golden Visa bill with passive investment options, but that hasn’t turned into an official standalone program on government portals. For now, the confirmed framework is still the commercial-activity route under GEO 194/2002 and the EU Immigration Portal’s investor guidance.

That matters because the label can be misleading. If you’re looking for a true passive route, Romania doesn’t officially publish one yet. If you’re ready to tie residency to an operating business and meet the investor conditions, this route is the one to look at.

Romania doesn’t run a formally branded “Golden Visa” program. The route that actually exists is a long-stay visa for commercial activities, known as D/AC, followed by renewable temporary residence permits for non-EU, non-EEA nationals who are shareholders or associates in a Romanian company and have management responsibilities.

That means this route is for people who are genuinely setting up or running a business, not for passive investors looking to park money and wait for a residence card. You also need prior technical approval for the investment and business plan before the visa is issued.

To qualify, you generally need to fit the official investor profile and meet the residence rules attached to it. The main conditions include:

• Company role: You must be a shareholder or associate with management or executive responsibilities.
• Investment approval: The competent ministry has to approve the feasibility of your investment and business plan first.
• Subsistence means: For permit extensions, you need at least €700 a month if you’re a shareholder or €500 a month if you’re an associate, from activity in Romania.
• Investment and jobs: Later extensions require at least €70,000 and 15 full-time jobs for shareholders or €50,000 and 10 full-time jobs for associates.
• Higher thresholds: If the investment reaches €150,000 or the business creates at least 25 jobs, subsistence can be proved with other legal documents. At €200,000 or 50 jobs, proof of subsistence isn’t required.

There are also general checks. You need a valid travel document, legal title to the company’s registered office, health and social insurance and you have to actually live at the declared address. The authorities also look at criminal record and security issues, so anyone flagged as a risk to national defense, public security or public health can be refused.

There’s no stated minimum age in the investor route, but you do need to legally qualify as a shareholder or associate. Family members, including a spouse and minor children, can later apply through family reunification once the sponsor already holds a residence permit and can meet the housing and subsistence rules.

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Romania doesn’t have a separate, officially branded "Golden Visa" programme in force. What exists is the investor route tied to a long-stay visa for commercial activities, known as D/AC, followed by renewable temporary residence permits for third-country nationals who are shareholders or associates with management duties in Romanian companies.

The first hurdle is the visa itself. For the D/AC visa, the applicant needs the specialised technical approval from the ministry in charge of foreign investments and business environment, a criminal record certificate or equivalent, medical insurance valid for the visa period and proof of accommodation. These are filed with a Romanian embassy or consulate, so don’t expect to submit a bare-bones application online.

Documents for the first residence permit

• Application form: the standard residence permit request.
• Passport or travel document: original and copy.
• Ministry approval: the notice or approval tied to the foreign investment route.
• Company papers: registration certificate, articles of incorporation and the court order registering the company.
• Financial means: proof of at least €500 a month for associates or €700 a month for shareholders for the permit period.
• Office and housing proof: legal possession of the registered office and the residential address, both original and copy.
• Health and medical documents: insurance for the first extension, plus a medical certificate showing you don’t have diseases that endanger public health.
• Fees: proof that you’ve paid the required charges.

What changes for later extensions

Renewals ask for more company evidence and that part can feel heavy. You’ll need the passport, medical certificate, proof of living space, social health insurance, proof of subsistence means, proof of payment, a specialised technical opinion showing the company matches the business plan, an ascertaining certificate from the Trade Register, documents showing changes to the constitutive act and an attestation from the labour inspectorate on the number of full-time employees.

For later extensions, the income test stays the same, €700 a month for shareholders and €500 a month for associates from Romanian activity, but the official framework also allows waivers or alternative proof if the investment is high enough or jobs have been created. Passport validity should cover the visa or residence period and foreign documents usually need authorised translation. The official investor guidance doesn’t spell out a separate apostille rule, so that part follows general Romanian practice rather than a special investor-specific list.

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Romania doesn’t have a separate, officially branded "Golden Visa" fee schedule. The confirmed route for investors is the long-stay visa for commercial activities, followed by a temporary residence permit tied to your company and ongoing business activity.

The main government charges are straightforward, but they’re not cheap. The long-stay visa fee is 120 EUR, paid in local currency at the exchange rate used when you file. The visa is for third-country nationals using the commercial-activity route, not short visits.

• Long-stay visa fee: 120 EUR, about $130.
• Residence permit extension fee: 120 EUR, about $130 to $135.
• Residence permit card: 259 RON, about $55 to $60.

So, the official cost for the first residence permit issuance comes out to roughly $180 to $190 once you combine the extension fee and the card charge. That doesn’t include the money you’ll need to actually qualify, which is a separate issue.

The official framework also expects you to show monthly subsistence means of 500 to 700 EUR, plus health insurance for the visa and residence periods. Those aren’t government fees, but they do affect how much cash you need to keep available.

• Health insurance: required, but the official portals don’t give a fixed price.
• Translations and legalisation: likely needed for foreign documents, but no official fee is listed.
• Legal or consultancy help: not set by the government, so pricing depends on the provider.

That’s the part many applicants underestimate. The state fees are relatively clear, but the real bill can grow once you add document preparation, insurance and the funds you must keep in place to support yourself and the business.

Romania doesn’t have a separate, officially branded “Golden Visa” program in force. The route that actually exists is the investor or commercial activity, path, which starts with a long-stay visa for commercial activities, known as D/AC and then moves to temporary residence in Romania.

It’s a two-step process and the paperwork is split between outside Romania and inside Romania. First, you apply for the D/AC visa at a Romanian diplomatic mission or consular office in your country of domicile or residence. Then, once you’re in Romania, you file for a residence permit with the territorial office of the General Inspectorate for Immigration, usually called IGI.

Step 1, apply for the long-stay D/AC visa

• Where to apply: A Romanian embassy or consulate in your country of residence or domicile.
• What gets reviewed: The competent ministry’s technical approval, your criminal record certificate, medical insurance and proof of accommodation.
• Processing time: Up to 60 days.

The visa lets you enter Romania and stay for up to 90 days. That window matters, because you don’t get to sit on it. You need to move quickly and file for residence extension and the residence permit at least 30 days before the visa expires.

Step 2, file for the residence permit in Romania

• Where to apply: In person, at the IGI office responsible for your place of residence.
• Online help: IGI’s portal can handle upload and scheduling, but it doesn’t replace physical filing.
• Processing time: 30 days, with a possible 15-day extension if extra checks are needed.
• Missing documents: IGI can pause the clock and ask for more material and you can be given up to 30 days to provide it.

Once approved, you get a biometric residence card. It’s typically valid for one year, though longer validity can apply if the investment and job-creation thresholds are high enough. The permit can be renewed successively as long as you keep meeting the conditions.

Family reunification is a separate track. Dependants file with IGI too and the process can take up to three months before they move on to the visa stage and then receive residence permits tied to the sponsor’s permit period.

Romania doesn’t have a separate, officially branded “Golden Visa” program. The confirmed route is the investor or commercial activity path, built around a long-stay visa for commercial activities, then renewable temporary residence permits.

The first step is the Type D visa for commercial activities, also called D/AC. That visa gives you 90 days from entry to apply for a residence permit. If you want to stay longer, you need to move onto temporary residence status and keep meeting the business conditions tied to that permit.

For most investors, the initial temporary residence permit is valid for one year. After that, it can be extended in one-year blocks as long as the legal and business requirements are still met. That usually means the company is still active, the investment remains in place and you’re still showing the required means of support and social insurance.

There is a better deal for higher-threshold investors. If you can prove an investment of at least €500,000 or the creation of more than 50 full-time jobs, the temporary residence right can be extended for three years at a time. That’s a real difference in paperwork churn, though it doesn’t turn the route into a passive residence option.

The official framework doesn’t give a fixed maximum for how long you can keep renewing temporary residence under this route. In practice, extensions can continue as long as you keep satisfying the conditions. If the business stops meeting the rules, the permit can fall apart with it.

This path can also lead to permanent residence under Romania’s general rules. After five years of continuous temporary residence, a third-country national may apply for permanent residence, subject to the usual absence and integration requirements. Citizenship can come later, but that sits under the broader immigration regime, not the investor category itself.

• Visa stage: 90 days from entry to apply for a residence permit.
• Standard permit: one year, renewable in one-year increments.
• Higher-investment route: three-year extensions if you meet the €500,000 or 50-job threshold.
• Long-term path: possible permanent residence after five years of continuous temporary residence, if you meet the general rules.

Romania doesn’t have a separate, officially branded “Golden Visa” with its own tax perks. The confirmed route is the investor or commercial activity path under the long-stay D/AC visa, followed by temporary residence permits. For tax purposes, that means you’re dealing with Romania’s general rules, not a special investor regime.

That matters because the immigration guidance doesn’t spell out a reduced tax rate, special exemption or investor-only filing system. If you were hoping the residence permit itself would change how your income is taxed, the official material doesn’t support that.

For most applicants, the real question is tax residency. Under Romanian tax law, a person can become tax resident if their center of vital interests is in Romania or if they spend more than 183 days in the country within any 12-month period. Once you’re tax resident, worldwide income may be taxed in Romania, subject to relief under double taxation treaties.

The immigration guidance stays quiet on foreign-earned income, so don’t assume anything is exempt just because you’re on an investor permit. There’s also no official mention of a separate reporting track for D/AC holders. You should expect the usual Romanian tax and compliance rules to apply if you cross into residency.

There are a few practical points to keep in mind:

• No special investor tax regime: the official immigration framework doesn’t describe one.
• Tax residency can change quickly: spending more than 183 days in Romania in any 12-month period may matter.
• Worldwide income may be taxable: that can apply once you’re tax resident.
• Treaty relief may help: double taxation agreements can reduce overlap, but they don’t remove the need to check your position.
• Get tax advice early: the visa route and the tax rules aren’t the same thing.

Bottom line, the D/AC route is an immigration path, not a tax incentive. If your move involves salaries, dividends, rental income or company profits, you’ll want a Romanian tax specialist to map out the actual filing and residency impact before you commit.