Under what conditions can one have access to the labour market in Romania?
As a foreign citizen you have unrestricted access to the labour market in Romania if:
- you have a long-term permit to stay on Romanian territory.
- you have a temporary stay permit for family reunification and are a family member of a Romanian citizen.
- you have a temporary stay permit for studies (only with an individual labor contract for part-time work, no more than 4 hours/ day).
- Romania has signed treaties with your country of origin in which labor-related aspects are regulated.
- you are engaged in teaching, scientific or other such specific activities, with temporary character, in relevant entities accredited or provisionally-licensed in Romania.
- you are engaged in temporary activities requested by Ministries of the government or other entities of the central or local public administration or by autonomous administrative entities.
- you have been appointed in charge of a subsidiary, representation or branch, operating on Romanian territory, of a company whose head office is in another country, as demonstrated by documents required by applicable Romanian law.
- you have a temporary stay permit as issued to victims of a crime (e.g. victims of trafficking in human beings or migrant smuggling).
- you previously had a stay permit in Romania as a family member of a Romanian citizen, and are now in one of the following situations:
- your marriage has been pronounced terminated.
- your partnership relationship has ended.
- your Romanian-citizen sponsor has died.
- you have come of age or have turned 21 years old, in the situation where you are a family member of a Romanian citizen.
- you have been granted a form of protection in Romania.
- you are tolerated, in which case you have access to the labour market for the duration of you having tolerated status in Romania.
Important to know!
- If you want be employed in Romania, the documents necessary for obtaining the visa for work purposes include the employment notice as a copy. This is a document that the Romanian employer receives from the territorial office of General Inspectorate for Immigration in the county in which he has his registered the office after he has made the decision to hire you.
- The application for an employment permit must be filed by the employer on your behalf.
- The employment permit is not transferable. This means you cannot use the same permit to get a different job or to work for a different employer from the one with whom you had your original labor contract in Romania.
- The single employment permit is valid for 1 year, and can be extended for successive periods of one year each, for as long as you are under contract with your employer.
- In case your labour contract expires before the end of the period for which your residence permit is valid, you have 90 days to find a new job. If you find a new employer, he/she will be under an obligation to facilitate a new notice of employment, and afterwards you can sign a new labour contract with them. Following that, you will need to go to the General Inspectorate for Immigration to get an extension of your residence permit. If you cannot find a job within the 90 days mentioned above, you will have to leave Romanian territory, unless you are entitled to unemployment benefit.
Authorities in charge:
- The General Inspectorate for Immigration – issues the employment permit.
- The Territorial Labor Inspectorates – provide oversight in labour relations and health & safety.