COVID Certificates in Romania: How the Green Pass System Worked

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Romanian government introduced a series of restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. One of these restrictions limited access to certain economic operators selling non-essential products, as well as to public institutions, to people holding a valid COVID certificate, commonly known as a green pass. Public institutions in Romania were authorized to scan a visitor's COVID certificate and request an ID, residence card, or passport to verify their identity.

The COVID certificate was divided into three categories.

The vaccination certificate

Romania recognized the following vaccines for expats vaccinated outside the EU:

• Comirnaty (Pfizer)
• Moderna
• Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)
• Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)
• Covishield (AstraZeneca, Serum Institute of India)

The vaccination certificate became available 10 days after the final dose was administered.

The recovery certificate

People who recovered from COVID-19 received a certificate valid from the 15th day after their last positive test through the 180th day after that test.

The test certificate

People who were not vaccinated and did not hold a recovery certificate could still access public institutions and non-essential shops by presenting a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours, or a negative antigen test performed at a medical clinic no older than 48 hours.

Why this mattered

The green pass system shaped daily life and workplace access in Romania for a significant stretch of the pandemic, and expats and their employers needed a clear understanding of which certificate category applied to them and how each was obtained. Staying current on this kind of compliance requirement was, and remains, a routine part of managing an international workforce in Romania.

Sources: Romanian Government