How Long Does It Take to Get a Work Permit and Single Permit in Romania? A 2026 Timeline for Employers

Hiring a non-EU employee in Romania is rarely a fast process, and under the 2026 overhaul of the work authorisation system, HR teams need a realistic planning horizon rather than a single number. Between employer registration, work authorisation, the long-stay visa, and post-arrival residence formalities, a straightforward hire can reasonably take two to four months from a confirmed job offer to the employee's first day with a valid residence document in hand. This guide walks through each stage in order, what documents are needed at each point, and where hires most often lose weeks.

The Stages at a Glance

Since the entry into force of Government Emergency Ordinance 32/2026, Romania's employment-based immigration route runs through a single digital platform, WorkinRomania.gov.ro, and issues one of two visa categories: D/AM1 for highly skilled roles and special categories, which is not subject to an annual quota, and D/AM2 for shortage-occupation and general labour roles, which draws against the national quota and requires the hiring company to hold full ANOFM employer authorisation. The stages an employer should plan for are:

• Internal readiness and role classification (deciding D/AM1 vs D/AM2, checking the Shortage Occupations List)
• Employer registration or authorisation on WorkinRomania.gov.ro
• Submission of the work authorisation / visa application and supporting documents
• Government Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) review and approval
• Long-stay visa application and issuance at a Romanian consulate abroad
• Employee travel to Romania and registration of address
• Single Permit (residence permit) application at IGI and card collection

Each of these stages has its own document set, and each is a place where a file can stall if something is missing or inconsistent.

Stage 1: Vacancy Assessment and Employer Readiness

Before anything is filed, the employer needs to confirm the role actually qualifies for sponsorship. For D/AM2 positions this means checking the current Shortage Occupations List, since only listed occupations draw against the quota. It also means confirming the company itself meets the conditions to sponsor D/AM2 roles directly, which under the new framework generally requires at least 24 months of continuous economic activity, an average of 50 employees over the prior year, and a financial guarantee per worker. Companies that do not meet these thresholds typically need to hire through a licensed placement agency instead.

This is also the stage to gather internal documents that rarely change hire to hire but are unavoidable at the file stage: Trade Registry certificates confirming the company's legal status and fiscal good standing, the job description, and evidence that the position was genuinely advertised and unfilled by an EU/EEA or Romanian candidate where that test applies.

Realistic planning time: this stage is largely within the employer's control and can be compressed to days if the corporate documents are already on hand, or extended by weeks if Trade Registry certificates or fiscal clearance need to be obtained fresh.

Stage 2: Employer Registration and Application Filing

Once the role is classified, the employer (or its licensed agency) files the application through WorkinRomania.gov.ro. The core candidate-side documents needed at this point are:

• Valid passport
• Signed employment contract, in the bilingual template now required for non-EU hires
• Proof of qualifications, generally with certified translation and, where relevant, diploma recognition
• Medical fitness certificate
• Criminal record clearance from the candidate's country of residence
• Passport-style photographs
• Proof of accommodation in Romania
• Health insurance coverage

Missing or improperly legalised documents, particularly diplomas and police clearance certificates that require apostille or consular legalisation, are one of the most common reasons a file bounces back for correction rather than moving forward on the first pass.

Stage 3: IGI Review and Work Authorisation

Once a complete file is submitted, the General Inspectorate for Immigration has a statutory 30 days to process the work authorisation application, with the possibility of an additional extension of up to 15 days where further verification is needed. Employers should treat 30 to 45 days as the realistic window for this stage rather than assuming the shorter figure will apply, since additional verification is common for first-time employer files or roles requiring diploma or professional qualification checks.

Stage 4: Long-Stay Visa at the Consulate

Once work authorisation is granted, the employee must apply for the long-stay D visa at a Romanian embassy or consulate, generally in their country of residence, and must do so within 60 days of the authorisation being issued or the authorisation lapses. Consulate-level visa issuance is commonly reported in the range of 10 to 30 days depending on the post, though appointment availability at some consulates can itself add real time, particularly in locations with high application volumes. HR teams should book the consulate appointment as early as the authorisation stage allows rather than waiting for the physical document to arrive.

Stage 5: Arrival and Single Permit Application

After entering Romania on the long-stay visa, the employee must register their address and then apply for the Single Permit, which functions as the combined work and residence document, at the relevant IGI territorial office or through the Portal IGI online pre-filing system. Guidance is consistent that this application should be submitted at least 30 days before the visa's validity expires, and IGI has a standard 30-day window to decide, again with a possible extension of up to 15 days for additional checks. In practice, employers should plan for four to six weeks from filing to card collection at this stage, and should not schedule the employee's first working day to depend on having the physical card in hand, since the application receipt itself generally serves as interim proof of legal status.

Where Hires Actually Slip

The stages above are the formal windows, but the delays HR teams actually experience tend to come from a handful of recurring causes:

• Diplomas or police clearance certificates that are not apostilled or translated correctly the first time
• Employer corporate documents (Trade Registry extracts, fiscal clearance) that have expired by the time the file is reviewed
• First-time employer or agency files, which IGI more often flags for the additional verification period
• Consulate appointment backlogs in high-volume locations
• Address registration or accommodation proof that does not match the documentation submitted at the visa stage
• Confusion between D/AM1 and D/AM2 classification, which can require refiling if the wrong category was used

Building a two to four month buffer into any non-EU hiring plan, and front-loading document collection and legalisation before the formal filing even opens, is the single most effective way to keep a hire on schedule.

How Nestlers Group Supports the Timeline

Nestlers Group's Single Permit management service coordinates the full sequence described above, from the initial immigration route assessment and employer Trade Registry certificate preparation through to work visa assistance, permit collection by power of attorney where the employer prefers not to have the employee travel back for card pickup, and ITM notification once the contract is registered. For candidates coming from outside the EU on their first assignment, the team also runs the non-EU first residence permit checklist, arranges diploma recognition and police clearance where these are required, and supports medical insurance arrangements so that documentation is consistent across every stage of the file. Where a company does not yet meet the conditions to sponsor D/AM2 roles directly, Nestlers' Global Mobility management and relocation and settling-in services help route the hire correctly and get the employee established once they arrive, reducing the number of points at which a file can be sent back for correction.

Sources: General Inspectorate for Immigration (igi.mai.gov.ro) and Portal IGI guidance on Single Permit processing timelines; EURAXESS Romania work permit information page; WorkinRomania.gov.ro employer guidance; Navigate Migrate, "How to Get a Romania Work Permit in 2026 (GEO 32/2026)"; Trenity Consultants, "Hiring Foreign Workers in Romania in 2026: GEO No. 32/2026"; Fragomen, "Romania: New Unified Work Permit System and Online System Implemented."