WorkinRomania: Everything Employers Need to Know Before Hiring a Non-EU Worker

WorkinRomania.gov.ro is now the mandatory gateway for every non-EU worker hired in Romania. Since its operationalisation under Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026 — published in Official Gazette No. 335 on 27 April 2026 — no employer can engage a third-country national through the Romanian work permit system without an active presence on the platform. The application for the work authorisation notice, the submission of supporting documentation, and the declaration of both employer and candidate data all flow through WorkinRomania.

For companies that have not yet hired non-EU workers, the platform introduces requirements that must be met before the first application can even open. For companies that have, the platform changes how existing processes work. This guide covers what every employer needs to know, in the order they need to know it.

Step One: Understand That the Platform Comes Before the Candidate

The most operationally significant shift introduced by WorkinRomania is that employer preparation now precedes candidate selection — not the other way around. Under the pre-GEO 32/2026 system, employers could begin the work permit process once they had identified a candidate and obtained an employment commitment. Under the current framework, the employer must be registered on the platform, must meet specific eligibility conditions, and must have the correct authorisation type in place before a valid application can be submitted.

Starting a WorkinRomania application without having completed this groundwork does not produce a delayed approval. It produces a blocked or rejected file.

The Two Hiring Routes: Registration and Authorisation

GEO 32/2026 introduced two distinct routes for non-EU hiring, and the platform handles both differently.

The D/AM1 route applies to highly qualified workers, EU Blue Card applicants, and intra-company transferees in the specialist and senior employee categories. These workers are hired outside the national quota. The employer submits a registration notice (aviz de angajare) through WorkinRomania rather than applying for an ANOFM authorisation. The registration route does not require the employer eligibility conditions linked to workforce size or financial guarantees — but the employer must still be registered on the platform, and all platform documentation requirements apply in full.

The D/AM2 route applies to permanent workers, seasonal workers, cross-border workers, and trainees drawn from the national quota. Romania's 2026 quota is set at 90,000 positions. For D/AM2, the employer must first obtain an ANOFM authorisation before any individual application can be submitted. That authorisation requires the employer to meet three specific conditions:

• At least 24 months of economic activity in Romania prior to the application
• An average workforce of at least 50 employees in the year preceding the application
• A financial guarantee of the equivalent of EUR 1,000 per foreign worker to be hired, deposited with ANOFM

Employers who do not yet meet the workforce size or activity duration conditions cannot access the D/AM2 route and should consider the Employer of Record structure as an alternative path to legal non-EU hiring in Romania.

Employer Registration on the Platform

Before any application can be submitted, the company must complete its registration on WorkinRomania. This involves:

• Creating an account using the company's CUI (fiscal identification code)
• Registering the authorised representative — the person legally empowered to act on behalf of the company in the hiring process
• Declaring the relevant CAEN activity codes (the Romanian economic activity classification) for the roles being filled
• Confirming that the company has no outstanding fiscal obligations to the Romanian state
• Confirming that the company has not been sanctioned for undeclared work or illegal employment of foreign nationals in the six months preceding the application

That last condition — the no-sanctions clause — is checked as part of the registration and application process. Employers who have received sanctions in the relevant period are blocked from submitting applications. The condition resets after six months from the date of sanction.

What Documents the Employer Must Prepare

Before opening the first candidate application, the employer should have the following documentation ready:

• The standard bilingual employment contract template, as required under Ministry of Labour Order No. 655/2026 for all non-EU workers — this must be prepared in Romanian and the worker's language before the contract is registered at ITM
• The firm job offer (oferta ferma de angajare), which must specify the role, the COR occupation code, the gross salary, and the required qualifications with enough detail to establish the candidate's eligibility
• Proof of the company's economic activity, fiscal status, and workforce composition — for D/AM2 ANOFM authorisation applications
• The ANOFM financial guarantee documentation — for D/AM2 applicants

The firm job offer is one of the most frequently underestimated documents. It must be detailed enough that the reviewing authority can confirm, from the face of the document and the candidate's attached files, that the hire is compliant. Vague or generic job descriptions generate supplementary requests.

What Documents the Candidate Must Provide

Once the employer side is ready, the candidate's document package must be prepared before the platform application is opened. Required documents vary by route and nationality but typically include:

• A valid passport, with copies of all relevant pages
• Academic diplomas or professional qualifications relevant to the role, with certified Romanian translations and apostille or full legalisation depending on the country of origin
• Employment records or social insurance history from previous employers, with certified translation
• A criminal record certificate from the country of residence or origin, issued within the preceding three months and translated
• In some categories: professional authorisation documents, if the role is in a regulated profession in Romania

The translation and legalisation requirements are not optional. Documents submitted with unofficial translations — prepared by the candidate, a family member, or an uncertified service — will fail at review. The correct standard is a certified translation by a Romanian-registered translator, accompanied by the appropriate authentication for the country of issue.

The Multi-Institution Workflow

Processing a work permit application under WorkinRomania involves multiple institutions acting in sequence. Employers who do not understand this sequence cannot manage the timeline effectively.

For D/AM2, the sequence is: ANOFM authorisation (employer eligibility and quota slot allocation) then WorkinRomania application with supporting documentation then IGI work permit notice (aviz de angajare) then long-stay visa application at the Romanian consulate in the candidate's country then entry into Romania then single permit application at IGI then ITM contract registration then ANAF tax registration.

For D/AM1, the sequence is shorter: WorkinRomania registration notice then IGI processing then long-stay visa then single permit then ITM and ANAF registration.

Each institution operates on its own processing timeline. IGI processes work authorisation notices within 30 days of registration, with a possible 15-day extension for additional checks. Romanian consulates issue long-stay visas within their own timeframes, which vary by country. Single permit applications after entry are processed within 30 days. The total timeline from a complete ANOFM authorisation to the candidate's first working day in Romania, under favourable conditions, is typically three to four months.

The Compliance Principle That Runs Through Everything

WorkinRomania's operationalisation has introduced digital traceability to every step of the non-EU hiring process. Every declaration made on the platform, every document uploaded, every stated salary and qualification is now part of a record that is visible to ANOFM, IGI, ITM, and ANAF. Discrepancies between what is declared on the platform and what appears in the physical documentation are now systematically surfaced — not caught by chance.

The practical implication is that compliance cannot be treated as an afterthought or a checklist item at the end of a file-building process. It must be designed into the workflow from the moment the employer decides to hire a non-EU worker. The route must be correctly identified. The employer eligibility must be confirmed. The documents must be prepared to the correct standard. The data entered into the platform must match the documents precisely.

A well-prepared first application is not only more likely to be approved. It protects the employer's ability to use the platform for future hires, since sanctions for procedural violations can block platform access for the subsequent six months.

How Nestlers Group Manages the Full WorkinRomania Process

Nestlers Group's Work Permit and Visa Support team handles WorkinRomania applications for both D/AM1 and D/AM2 routes, managing the employer registration, the ANOFM authorisation process, the platform application, and the IGI filing from a single point of contact. Our Immigration Advisory team coordinates the multi-institution timeline so that each step is initiated at the right moment and no processing window is missed.

For employers hiring non-EU workers for the first time, we begin with a structured readiness assessment — confirming the correct route, verifying employer eligibility, identifying any gaps in the document preparation — before any platform step is taken. For employers managing recurring or high-volume non-EU hiring, our Payroll and HR Compliance team integrates the post-permit steps, including ITM contract registration, CNP and NIF coordination, and ANAF declarations, so that the full compliance trail is complete from day one.

Sources: Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026, Official Gazette No. 335, 27 April 2026; WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform documentation and employer guidance; IGI General Inspectorate for Immigration — Employment and Posting procedures; ANOFM National Agency for Employment — employer authorisation requirements and quota management; Ministry of Labour Order No. 655/2026 on standard employment contract templates for non-EU workers; Government Emergency Ordinance No. 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, republished with amendments