Guides and updates for international entrepreneurs in Romania

The first thing to establish is the purpose of your stay: work, business, investment, studies, family or another reason. If you are a non-EU citizen and intend to live in Romania long term, you will usually need a long-stay visa matching that purpose, and after entering Romania you will apply for the residence permit.

Yes. You can set up and own a company in Romania even if you live in another country. The main steps are deciding the company structure, reserving the name, the registered office, the articles of association and the documents of the shareholders and directors. Much of the procedure can be done through a representative, although certain banking formalities may require you to be present in person.

First you need to decide how the investment will be made: by setting up a company, buying a stake in an existing company, acquiring an asset, a real estate investment or another structure. Before any money is transferred, the legal structure, the tax implications and, for an acquisition, the legal and financial position of the target should be checked. Important: investing in Romania does not automatically give you the right of residence.

Yes, such options exist, but simply setting up a company does not automatically grant the right of residence. For a shareholder involved in managing the company there is the procedure for commercial activities, and in certain situations there is also a procedure for a company director who is not a shareholder. Each option has its own conditions regarding the company structure, the investment and the person's role in the company.

If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen and are going to be employed in Romania, the general rule is: first, the employer files the single application needed to obtain the D/AM1 visa or, where applicable, the D/AM2 visa, and after entering Romania you obtain the residence permit.

There are also exempt categories and special procedures, depending on citizenship and the type of activity.

The procedure depends on the status of the person who already lives, or will live, in Romania. For a non-EU citizen with the right of residence in Romania, the usual route is the family reunification procedure, followed by the long-stay visa for the family members and then the residence permits after arrival. Different rules apply to family members of Romanian or EU citizens.

Most day-to-day activities can be organised remotely if bank access, electronic signature, accounting, company documents and locally authorised persons are properly set up. Operations that require physical presence, a notarised signature or direct interaction with an institution can be planned separately or, where the law allows, carried out through a representative.

It depends on the activity, but usually the next steps are opening and activating the bank account, organising accounting and tax, access to the necessary electronic systems, preparing contracts and, where relevant, hiring staff, obtaining permits and the specific tax registrations. The company needs to be ready not just to exist legally, but to actually operate.

The first step is to set the final goal and what needs to be in place before you can get there. For example, if you want to move to Romania to run a business, the company, the right of residence, accounting, the bank account and possibly your family's relocation all have to be aligned. The order matters, because some procedures cannot start until the previous stage is complete.

No. You can request a single service or a single procedure. If, however, that stage depends on other formalities that must be completed first, those have to be resolved beforehand so that the requested procedure can go ahead.

To begin with, your passport or ID, proof of address and a short description of your situation are useful. If a company already exists, its company documents are needed too. For immigration, your current permit, visas or family documents may be relevant, and if a procedure has already started, send the applications, decisions and correspondence received so far.

No. Some procedures can be carried out through a representative, without you having to be in Romania. For example, setting up a company, changes at the Trade Register and many administrative formalities can be handled by a representative. Opening a bank account can also be done, depending on the bank and its internal procedures, either in person or through an authorised representative.

Certain immigration procedures, however, require you to be present in person. For example, filing the residence permit application requires mandatory personal attendance at the General Inspectorate for Immigration.

Yes, in principle a procedure that has already started can be taken over. To do so, we need to review the documents already filed, the number or proof of registration of the application, the responses received from the authorities, any running deadlines and the mandate previously granted. After this review we can establish whether the procedure can continue where it left off or whether certain stages need to be redone.

The first step is to send a short description of your situation and the documents you have. Once the procedure is established, we define the services needed, the costs, the documents still to be prepared and the order of the stages. After the engagement documents are signed and the KYC formalities are completed, the procedure itself can begin.