How a Romania work permit actually works
The worker does not apply for the permit. The Romanian employer files for the aviz de muncă at the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI), after a labour market test and inside the annual quota — 90,0005 for 2026.
With the approved aviz, you apply for the D/AM long-stay visa at the Romanian consulate in your country of residence. Indians apply in India, Pakistanis in Pakistan; people working in Dubai can apply at the consulate there if they hold UAE residence. Once in Romania, you file for the residence permit at IGI.
The permit is tied to the sponsoring employer. Changing jobs means a new procedure, not a transfer.
If you own the company that hires you
Company owners who move to Romania often ask whether their own SRL can sponsor them. The employer route still requires a real post, a salary of at least the RON 4,325/month3 minimum and a labour market test — IGI looks at the company, not only at you.
The alternative is residence for commercial activities: a permit up to 1 year27, with a business plan approval and a D/AC visa. Which route fits depends on whether you will be on the payroll. Tax residency is a separate question — see Romanian tax rates 2026.
Is a Romanian work permit paper real?
No agent can sell a permit: only the employer can apply, and only IGI can issue it.
A genuine aviz de muncă is issued by IGI to a named employer. A scanned “work permit” sent by an agent before any employer contract exists is a common fraud aimed at applicants from South Asia. Our guide on checking a work permit shows what to verify.
Who this route is not for
- Freelancers without a Romanian employer — look at the digital nomad visa.
- People with Romanian grandparents — citizenship by descent needs no job at all.
- Anyone looking for residence through investment alone: Romania has no golden visa.