- Romania launched a new digital workflow for foreign-worker recruitment via the Work-in-Romania portal.
- The system splits visas into two distinct tracks based on skills and labor market shortages.
- Full operational use begins August eighth, twenty twenty-six, requiring employer registration and financial guarantees.
Romania launched WorkinRomania.gov.ro under Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026, moving foreign-worker recruitment and visa processing into one digital workflow. The legal change took effect on 27 April 2026. Full operation follows on 8 August 2026. The clock is running.
Employers register through the MAI hub using CEI, ROeID, or Ghișeul.ro. From there, they file recruitment and employment requests, upload job offers, and track the hiring file online. Workers do not start the process. An eligible Romanian employer does.
In some cases, an authorized placement agency can open the file. The platform is built for employer-led hiring, not self-service migration. That is the point. It moves the first filing to the Romanian side.
The system also separates the visa route into D/AM1 and D/AM2. D/AM1 covers highly qualified workers and several special categories, including IT professionals, engineers, managers, economists, cybersecurity professionals, researchers, teachers, artists, and professional athletes. It is the higher-skill track.
D/AM2 covers permanent, seasonal, and cross-border workers, plus shortage-occupation hires. Those cases tie back to the List of Shortage Occupations, which the platform publishes and updates using labor-market shortage data. The list is live. So is the pressure to use it correctly.
Guidance places the transition phase through 7 August 2026, with full operational use beginning 8 August 2026. During the transition, employers can already prepare or submit requests digitally. Soon, the platform becomes the sole interface for many employer-led foreign hiring procedures. Old paperwork is being squeezed out.
The two visa tracks split by skill and occupation
The split is blunt.
| Track | Workers covered | Platform link |
|---|---|---|
D/AM1 | highly qualified workers, plus IT professionals, engineers, managers, economists, cybersecurity professionals, researchers, teachers, artists, and professional athletes | routed through the new system |
D/AM2 | permanent, seasonal, and cross-border workers, plus shortage-occupation hires | tied to the List of Shortage Occupations |
The employer still has to qualify first
Not every company can file. Employers must be registered in the Register of Employers of Foreign Nationals and on the platform before they begin hiring. Some direct-hire categories need extra authorization from the employment authorities. That authorization includes a financial guarantee of EUR 1,000 per foreign worker. The gate is still there.
The visa route still runs past the border
The platform streamlines the front end, but it does not erase the rest of the route. Foreign workers still need employer approval, a visa at a Romanian embassy or consulate, entry into Romania, and a residence-permit filing after arrival. The employment visa remains a short-stay entry authorization. It is generally issued for 90 days before the residence-permit stage begins.
