Romania’s Workinromania.gov.ro: Single-Application System for Foreign Worker Visas

(ROMANIA) — Romania has replaced its foreign-worker permit system with a single digital application process centered on WorkinRomania.gov.ro under Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026.

The ordinance was published on 27 April 2026. A transition period runs through 7 August 2026, with full operational use of the new system beginning on 8 August 2026.

During the transition, authorities are registering employers, authorizing placement agencies, and testing the platform. After the transition ends, WorkinRomania.gov.ro will become the sole interface for new employer-led foreign hiring procedures.

The reform abolishes the former employment permit and secondment permit framework. Employers will instead submit a single application for long-stay employment permission through the platform, linking authorization and visa administration within one digital process.

Employers must register through government credentials such as CEI, ROeID, or Ghișeul.ro before creating an account on WorkinRomania.gov.ro. They then submit job offers and supporting documents, manage the file electronically, and follow its progress through the system.

An authorized placement agency may initiate a case in some circumstances, but the process remains employer-led. Foreign workers cannot generally begin the procedure as a self-service application independent of a Romanian employer or authorized agency.

WorkinRomania.gov.ro is designed to do more than receive documents. The platform will manage employer registration and accounts, agency authorization and renewal, submission and processing of the single application, publication of shortage-occupation data, monitoring of employer and agency activity, reporting, and access for relevant institutions.

Some workflows will also allow foreign workers to register themselves and access information. The platform is therefore intended to serve as the central operating system for Romania’s foreign-worker recruitment process, rather than as a document-upload portal.

GEO 32/2026 creates two principal visa tracks, D/AM1 and D/AM2. D/AM1 covers highly skilled workers and special categories including IT specialists, engineers, managers, economists, cybersecurity professionals, researchers, teachers, artists, and professional athletes.

D/AM2 covers permanent workers, seasonal workers, cross-border workers, and workers hired for occupations on the official shortage occupations list. The distinction determines which route applies to a foreign worker and how the employment is assessed under the new framework.

The shortage occupations list is expected to be published and updated using labor-market data. It must be approved by the Minister of Labour within 45 days of publication of the ordinance, linking many D/AM2 cases to the government’s assessment of vacancies that are difficult to fill.

That connection gives the list a central role in foreign recruitment. Employers hiring for covered occupations will need to match the proposed job with the relevant category, while workers will face a process tied more closely to the role and the labor-market classification attached to it.

Registration is now a prerequisite for employers seeking to hire foreign nationals. The framework distinguishes between registered employers and authorized employers or agencies, with different eligibility and operating conditions applying to each group.

The platform will store information about the legal representatives, shareholders, and administrators of applicant entities. Employers and agencies must therefore complete their registration and authorization requirements before moving a hiring file to the next stage.

The removal of the former work-permit step is one of the largest structural changes. Before the reform, an employer generally needed a permit before the worker could proceed with the visa process. Under the new model, the employer submits one application for long-stay employment purposes through the digital platform.

That application connects the authorization process with the visa stage. The government has moved away from separate permit and visa filings toward a centralized sequence managed through the platform and linked institutions.

The financial and documentary requirements have also tightened. Some direct-hire categories require additional authorization and a financial guarantee of EUR 1,000 per foreign worker.

Placement agencies face separate authorization, renewal, monitoring, and guarantee requirements. The rules also place greater emphasis on formal service contracts and standardized documents before the worker reaches the visa stage.

Job offers must contain more detailed information, including pay, benefits, working hours, rest periods, and accommodation or transport arrangements where applicable. Advisers have also identified bilingual contractual obligations and more detailed documentation for placement arrangements.

The changes give authorities greater control over employer and agency conduct. The framework includes monitoring, notification, and sanctioning obligations, with the platform collecting activity records and supporting inter-agency oversight.

The system is not merely digitized. It is a whole-system rewrite that combines employer registration, agency authorization, a single-application system, shortage-occupation targeting, electronic authorization procedures, and new compliance controls.

The two visa categories form one part of that structure. The broader change is the relocation of the foreign-worker pipeline into a state-managed digital framework, beginning with the employer and continuing through authorization and visa processing.

Foreign workers must still complete additional immigration steps after the digital application. Employer approval does not itself grant entry to Romania.

A worker must obtain a long-stay visa through a Romanian diplomatic mission, enter Romania, and file for a residence permit after arrival. The visa remains an entry authorization, while the residence permit governs the worker’s stay after entering the country.

The transition rules create an important cutoff for employers with pending or planned cases. Applications and procedures submitted during the transition may continue under temporary implementation rules, while new filings after 8 August 2026 must comply with the platform-based system.

Pending matters submitted before the switch will continue under the old rules. New employer-led procedures will need to use WorkinRomania.gov.ro and meet the requirements of the new framework.

Administrative preparation can take time. Employers must complete platform registration, obtain any required authorization, prepare the job offer and supporting documents, and determine whether the position fits the relevant visa category or shortage-occupation route.

The electronic system also depends on document completeness and access credentials. Employers that delay registration or wait until the last moment to prepare their files could face delays as full operation begins.

The government’s approach places responsibility at the start of the process. Romanian employers and authorized agencies must establish their eligibility before a foreign worker can proceed, shifting the first administrative burden away from applicants and toward sponsoring entities.

That structure also gives employers a larger role in coordinating the worker’s immigration path. The sponsor must support the application, provide the required employment information, and ensure that the authorization and visa stages connect correctly.

WorkinRomania.gov.ro will publish and manage information used in the process, including shortage-occupation data and employer or agency records. Authorities will use the system to monitor activity, support reporting, and give relevant institutions access to case information.

The reform also creates a more formal relationship between recruitment agencies and the state. Agencies must secure authorization, renew it when required, comply with monitoring rules, and meet financial and contractual conditions before handling foreign-worker placements.

Employers hiring outside the agency model face their own conditions. Depending on the category, they may need additional authorization and the EUR 1,000 per foreign worker financial guarantee, along with the job-offer and contract documents required by the platform.

The process remains tied to the Romanian labor market even when a foreign worker has already been identified. D/AM2 cases can depend on the shortage occupations list, while D/AM1 cases focus on highly skilled and specified professional categories.

Romania has therefore combined immigration administration with labor-market screening. The new system does not simply replace paper permits with online forms; it links recruitment, employer eligibility, job classification, authorization, monitoring, and visa processing in a single government-controlled workflow.

The transition ends on 7 August 2026. From 8 August 2026, employers beginning new foreign-worker procedures will have to work through the digital system, with the sponsor, the proposed occupation, and the supporting documents all recorded before the case reaches the visa stage.