Romania GEO 32/2026: Rules for Foreign Workers Changing Jobs

Romania Tightens the Rules on Changing Employers for Foreign Workers

Romania's overhaul of its foreign labour market rules did not stop at hiring. Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026 (GEO 32/2026), published in the Official Gazette on 27 April 2026, also rewrote the rules on what happens after a non-EU worker is already employed in Romania — specifically, how and when that worker can move to a new employer.

For HR teams, in-house counsel, and global mobility professionals managing non-EU talent in Romania, this is a compliance area that is easy to overlook. A worker who resigns or is recruited away too early, or through the wrong channel, can put both the worker's residence status and the new employer's hiring authorisation at risk.

Why Employer-Change Rules Matter Now

GEO 32/2026 replaced Romania's old "employment notice" system with a single-application process run through a new government platform, WorkinRomania.gov.ro, and introduced a two-tier structure of "registered" and "authorised" employers for companies hiring third-country nationals. Alongside those changes, the ordinance imposes new restrictions on job mobility that apply retroactively to anyone already working in Romania under a single permit, an EU Blue Card, or a permit obtained through a licensed placement agency.

These restrictions took effect together with the rest of GEO 32/2026 and are already shaping how companies structure onboarding, notice periods, and internal transfers for foreign staff.

The Six-Month Rule for Single Permit and EU Blue Card Holders

Under the new rules, holders of a single permit or an EU Blue Card may only change employer by resignation after completing at least six months of activity registered in REGES-ONLINE, Romania's general employee register, with their current employer. There is a limited exception where the employer is found to have seriously breached its obligations, but outside of that, an early resignation to join a new employer is not treated as a valid basis for transferring work authorisation.

In practice, this means a company that recruits a Blue Card holder away from another Romanian employer within their first six months on the job may find that the new hire's authorisation cannot be processed on the expected timeline, since the worker's departure would not meet the ordinance's conditions.

A Longer, Two-Year Restriction for Placement-Agency Workers

The rules are stricter still for permanent, seasonal, and cross-border workers who entered Romania through a licensed placement agency under Article 27² of GEO 194/2002 (typically on a D/AM2 visa). These workers may not, as a rule, take the initiative to change employer during their first six months of registered activity, again subject to a narrow exception for serious employer breach.

Even after that initial period — or where the exception applies — these workers may only change employer through the same placement agency that is party to their original tripartite placement contract, and only until two years have elapsed from the start of their registered activity. Placement agencies themselves are now subject to tighter licensing under GEO 32/2026, including a two-year ANOFM authorisation and a mandatory financial guarantee of EUR 75,000 for up to 250 placed workers, so the agency named on a worker's contract is not necessarily free to reassign that worker on request.

A Deadline Employers Should Note: 7 August 2026

GEO 32/2026 includes a transitional provision that is directly relevant to any company mid-process on a change-of-employer case. Applications for employment notices filed with the Immigration Inspectorate up to 7 August 2026, in connection with a change of employer, will continue to be processed under the previous rules rather than the new GEO 32/2026 regime.

For employers with a foreign hire already in progress under the old system, this gives a narrow window to complete the transition under familiar procedures. After that date, any new change-of-employer case will need to satisfy the six-month (or two-year) thresholds described above, filed through WorkinRomania.gov.ro rather than the previous paper-based notice process.

What This Means for HR and Global Mobility Planning

A few practical implications stand out for companies employing or recruiting non-EU nationals in Romania:

Recruitment timing matters. Sourcing a candidate who is already employed by another company in Romania on a single permit or Blue Card now requires checking how long they have been registered with their current employer, not just whether they hold a valid permit.

Contracts and offer letters need to reflect REGES-ONLINE timing. Since the six-month and two-year clocks run from the start of registered activity, not from the signing date of the employment contract, HR teams should track REGES-ONLINE registration dates as a compliance data point, not an administrative afterthought.

Placement-agency arrangements require closer oversight. Employers relying on placement agencies for seasonal, cross-border, or permanent foreign hires should confirm the agency's ANOFM authorisation status and understand that worker transfers within the first two years run through that agency, not directly between employers.

Internal transfers and promotions should be reviewed against the same rules. Moving a foreign employee between related entities in Romania can, in some cases, trigger the same change-of-employer analysis as an external hire.

How Nestlers Group Supports Compliant Workforce Transitions

Navigating employer-change restrictions, REGES-ONLINE registration timelines, and placement-agency requirements adds a layer of complexity to hiring and retaining non-EU talent in Romania. Nestlers Group works with companies across these scenarios through its Employer of Record (EOR) service, taking on the compliance burden of registering and employing foreign staff on a client's behalf, and through dedicated Work Permit & Visa Support for navigating the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform and single-application process. Its Payroll & HR Compliance team tracks the documentation, contract, and registration requirements introduced by GEO 32/2026, while its Global Mobility & Relocation service helps companies plan hiring and internal transfer timelines around the new six-month and two-year restrictions, reducing the risk of a foreign hire's authorisation being delayed or refused.

Sources

• Leroy Law, "Employment - Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026 on the access of foreign workers to the Romanian labor market," April 2026

• PwC România, "Changes regarding foreign access to the Romanian labour market," Tax and Legal Alerts, 2026

• KPMG, "Access of Foreign Nationals to the Romanian Labor Market," April 2026

• Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026, Official Gazette of Romania no. 335, 27 April 2026