Romania Nomad Visa

What is the Romania digital nomad visa?

Romania lets non-EU remote workers live in the country while they keep earning from a company registered abroad. The rules were added to Romania's law on foreigners in 2022, and the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) lists them under its "other purposes" category.

The route has two stages. First you get a long-stay visa from a Romanian embassy or consulate, valid for 90 days. Then, once in Romania, you apply to IGI for a residence permit.

Who can apply for the Romania digital nomad visa?

You qualify if you are a citizen of a country outside the EU and EEA and you work remotely, using information and communication technology, in one of two ways:

• as an employee of a company registered outside Romania, or
• by running, remotely, your own company registered outside Romania for at least three years before you apply.

The three-year rule matters for founders: a company you set up recently will not qualify. Freelancers working in their own name, without an employment contract or a qualifying company, do not appear to fit the definition IGI uses. If you need a foreign employer first, see our remote jobs.

How much income do you need for the Romania digital nomad visa?

You must earn, from your remote work, at least three times Romania's average gross monthly salary. You need to show this for each of the six months before you apply and for the whole period of the visa.

IGI does not publish a fixed euro or lei amount, because the average salary changes. As a guide, the Romanian government's 2026 social insurance budget is based on an average gross monthly salary of 9,192 lei, which would put the threshold at about 27,576 lei a month. Ask the consulate which figure it applies on the day you file, and leave a margin.

How long can you stay, and can you renew it?

The long-stay visa is valid for 90 days. Before it runs out, you apply to IGI for a residence permit. For digital nomads, the first residence permit is granted for six months.

You can then keep extending it, as long as you still meet the income rule and provide the extra documents IGI asks for at each later extension, including an income certificate from the tax authority. IGI does not state a maximum total stay for digital nomads.

How much does it cost?

IGI states that the long-stay visa fee is €300, paid in the country where you apply. The residence permit has its own fees, which IGI publishes in a fee sheet on its website. Add the cost of certified translations, apostilles, health insurance and travel.

What documents do you need?

For the long-stay visa, IGI lists these documents. Foreign documents need certified translations into Romanian.

• Your employment contract with a company registered outside Romania showing you work remotely, or proof that you manage remotely a company you registered abroad at least three years ago.
• A document from that company giving its identification and contact details, field of activity, your role in it and its legal representatives.
• A signed letter explaining why you are coming to Romania and what you plan to do there.
• An apostilled or legalised certificate from the tax authority where you are tax resident, confirming that you (or your company) are up to date with taxes and contributions and have no record of tax evasion or fraud.
• A travel booking to Romania.
• Health insurance valid in Romania for the whole visa period, with at least €30,000 of cover.
• Proof of income at the required level.
• Proof of accommodation in Romania.
• An apostilled or legalised criminal record certificate from your country of origin and, if different, the country where you live and earn your income.

Start early on the tax clearance certificate, because it must come from the tax authority where you are resident and then be apostilled or legalised.

How do you apply from Nigeria?

Everyone on this route needs the Romanian long-stay visa before travelling, so you start from Nigeria.

1. Confirm that your employer or your own company is registered outside Romania, and, for your own company, that it is at least three years old.
2. Collect six months of payslips or bank statements showing income above the threshold.
3. Get your tax clearance certificate and police character certificate, have them apostilled or legalised, and arrange certified Romanian translations.
4. Fill in the visa application on Romania's e-Viza portal and upload your documents.
5. Lodge the application in person, with originals and copies, at the Romanian embassy or consulate you chose, and pay the €300 fee. Check the foreign ministry's list of missions for the one that covers Nigeria.
6. Wait while the National Visa Centre asks IGI for its opinion.
7. Once you have the visa, travel to Romania and apply to the IGI office in your county for a residence permit at least 30 days before the visa expires. You can also submit online through IGI's portal.

If you would like support with the paperwork, Premium membership includes nomad visa assistance.

How long does processing take?

IGI issues its opinion on the visa within 30 days of receiving the request, and can extend that by 15 days. The consulate's own handling time comes on top. IGI decides residence permit applications within 30 days of filing, extendable by up to 15 days if extra checks are needed.

Do you pay tax in Romania on a digital nomad visa?

Often not, for shorter stays. Law 69/2023, which amended Romania's Fiscal Code, exempts digital nomads' salary income from Romanian income tax and from social insurance and health contributions, provided they spend no more than 183 days in Romania in any 12-month period.

If you stay longer, or make Romania your main home, you may become a Romanian tax resident and be taxed under the normal rules. The detail of the exemption has been reported mainly by law firms, so check your position with a Romanian tax adviser. This is general information, not tax advice.

Can you bring your family?

IGI's digital nomad guidance does not cover family members. Romania has general family reunification rules for foreigners, but whether they apply to digital nomads, and on what terms, is not spelled out on the official pages we checked. Ask IGI or the consulate before you plan a family move.

What to know before you move

• Time difference: Romania uses Eastern European Time, one hour ahead of Lagos in winter and two hours ahead from late March to late October.
• Getting paid: your income must come from your foreign employer or company, and later extensions ask for an income certificate from the tax authority, so keep tidy records.
• Health insurance: the visa needs travel-style cover of at least €30,000; for the first residence permit IGI asks for health insurance covering the risks normally covered for Romanian citizens.
• Housing: IGI asks for proof that you legally hold your accommodation, so use a registered lease.

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