How do you apply for a residence permit in Romania in 2026?

Decide your lane first. EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens staying over three months generally register at the territorial IGI office with passport or national ID, proof of address (often an ANAF-registered lease or notarised host declaration), and proof of work, self-employment, or sufficient resources plus health cover. Non-EU citizens usually combine a long-stay D visa purpose with a later residence-permit file at IGI, often bookable or submitable through PortalIGI.

Gather passport bio pages, visa evidence where required, accommodation proof, employment or enrolment papers, medical certificates when listed, fee receipts, and notarised Romanian translations when originals are not accepted in Romanian or English. Bank and tax identifiers often sit beside the residence story: Open a bank account and Get a CNP.

IGI guidance tells non-EU applicants to file for the residence permit at least 30 days before the stay right from the visa expires. Resolution is commonly described in roughly 30-day bands, with longer windows for some family cases and possible extensions when checks deepen. Renewals follow the same clock discipline.

Local employment for many non-EU workers sits on a separate employment authorisation track before or beside the residence card. A D visa alone is not a work permit. Confirm your category on IGI pages before you treat a tourist stamp as permission to invoice Romanian clients. Overstay risk is separate from rent maths: Monthly budget. Social weeks in Bucharest still need lawful status underneath Meetup calendars: Social life.