WorkinRomania.gov.ro Explained: Romania's New Digital Gateway for Hiring Foreign Workers

# WorkinRomania.gov.ro Explained: Romania's New Digital Gateway for Hiring Foreign Workers

As of 27 April 2026, every company in Romania that wants to hire a non-EU national must do so through a single official channel: the government platform WorkinRomania.gov.ro. Introduced under Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026 (GEO 32/2026) and operated by Romania's Ministry of Internal Affairs, the platform replaces the fragmented, paper-based employment notice system that preceded it. For HR managers and global mobility teams, understanding how the platform works — and what it requires of employers — is now a compliance baseline, not an option.

What Is WorkinRomania.gov.ro?

WorkinRomania.gov.ro is Romania's centralised electronic platform for managing the legal employment of third-country nationals. It handles everything in one place: employer registration, placement agency authorisation, job offer publishing, single-application filing, and real-time monitoring by state authorities.

The platform serves three distinct groups of users:

Employers use it to register their company, post firm job offers, submit single applications for foreign worker permits, and track the status of their requests.

Placement agencies use it to obtain and renew their operating authorisation, enter into placement contracts, and report on the workers they place.

Foreign workers can consult the platform for official information on working conditions in Romania, verify whether a placement agency is legitimately authorised, and — critically — report situations of abuse or exploitation confidentially.

The platform is still in a testing phase as of mid-2026, and data entered during this period will be cleared at official launch. However, procedural compliance obligations under GEO 32/2026 are already in effect.

Two-Tier Employer System: Registered vs. Authorised

One of the most significant structural changes introduced by GEO 32/2026 is the creation of a two-tier employer classification that determines which hiring route a company may use.

Registered Employers

Any legal entity wishing to hire a foreign national in Romania must first register on WorkinRomania.gov.ro and be listed in the new Register of Employers of Foreigners (RAS). Registration requirements include: no outstanding budgetary debts, at least one year of effective commercial activity in a sector compatible with Romania's List of Deficit Occupations, no prior sanctions for undeclared work or immigration violations, and integrity checks on the company's legal representatives, shareholders, and beneficial owners.

Registered employers who want to hire workers in the permanent, seasonal, or cross-border categories must contract with a licensed foreigners' placement agency. This involves two instruments: a services contract between the employer and the agency, and a tripartite placement contract signed by the agency, the employer, and the foreign worker — prepared in Romanian and in the worker's language or another internationally recognised language they understand.

Authorised Employers

Companies that wish to hire certain categories of foreign workers directly, without going through a placement agency, must obtain an additional authorisation from the National Employment Agency (ANOFM). The bar for this tier is significantly higher: a minimum average headcount of 50 employees in the prior year, at least 24 months of effective activity in a relevant sector, a financial guarantee of EUR 1,000 per foreign worker (via treasury deposit or bank letter of guarantee), and a clean record on all immigration and labour compliance.

The List of Deficit Occupations: The Central Filter

A foundational element of the new system is the List of Deficit Occupations, to be approved by the Minister of Labour within 45 days of GEO 32/2026's entry into force. This list functions as the gateway to the entire platform: with limited exceptions, foreign worker hiring procedures — including registration, authorisation, and single-application filing — can only be initiated for occupations that appear on it. The list is developed and updated by the National Agency for Employment based on national and county-level labour market needs. Employers and HR teams should monitor it closely, as it directly determines where foreign recruitment is legally permitted.

The Single Application: Replacing the Old Aviz System

The most operationally significant change for employers is the abolition of the employment notice (aviz de angajare/detașare) and its replacement with a single application filed exclusively through WorkinRomania.gov.ro. Applications are processed within 30 days, with priority given to highly qualified workers.

Before any application can be submitted, employers must upload a firm job offer to the platform containing: the job title and duration, working hours, gross and net salary (no less than the legal minimum), salary supplements, paid leave entitlements, conditions for repatriation, and an explicit breakdown of who covers accommodation, meals, and transport costs.

The single application is filed by the employer (for highly qualified, ICT, and other special-category workers under a D/AM1 visa) or by the placement agency or authorised employer (for permanent, seasonal, and cross-border workers under a D/AM2 visa).

New Employer Obligations Under GEO 32/2026

Beyond the digital filing requirements, GEO 32/2026 introduces a set of substantive obligations that every employer of foreign nationals in Romania must now meet:

Bilingual employment contracts: Individual labour agreements must be drawn up in Romanian and in the foreign worker's language of origin or an international language they understand. A fine of RON 6,000 applies per contract executed only in Romanian.

Salary via bank transfer: All remuneration must be paid into the foreign worker's bank account — cash payment is no longer compliant.

Romanian language and integration courses: Employers must provide courses for a minimum of 6 months from the start of employment, at least 6 hours per week.

Accommodation cost cap: Where accommodation is employer-provided, the rent charged to the worker cannot exceed 25% of their net salary.

Record-keeping: Copies of workers' identity and residence documents must be retained for at least 5 years after the employment relationship ends.

Confidential complaint channels: Employers must ensure workers have access to a mechanism for reporting workplace grievances confidentially.

Sanctions and Suspension

The sanctions regime under GEO 32/2026 is substantially tighter than previous rules. Fines range from RON 5,000 to RON 30,000 for breaches of employer or agency obligations. More serious consequences include loss of public aid and EU funds for up to 5 years, recovery of state aid received in the prior 12 months, and temporary or permanent closure of business premises.

Employer registration on the platform can be suspended for 6 months if compliance conditions lapse, if more than 20% of foreign workers hired over any 6 consecutive months lose their right of residence, or following labour inspector findings of contract breaches. During suspension, no new job offers may be uploaded and pending applications are paused.

Transitional Provisions

Companies with employment notices pending before GEO 32/2026's entry into force may still process them under the old rules. Long-stay visas connected to those notices can be requested within 180 days of the notice being obtained. Applications for employment notices filed with the Immigration Inspectorate up to 7 August 2026 for change-of-employer purposes continue under prior rules.

Foreign nationals already in Romania whose right of stay has expired (and against whom no return order has been issued) may, until 31 December 2026, request an extension of their right of stay for work purposes without obtaining a new long-stay visa — provided they declared their actual address to the Immigration Inspectorate within 60 days of GEO 32/2026's entry into force.

How Nestlers Group Supports Employers Navigating WorkinRomania.gov.ro

The WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform represents a significant shift in how foreign labour is managed in Romania — one that touches every stage of the employment process, from job offer design through to ongoing compliance monitoring. Nestlers Group works with multinational companies, staffing firms, and in-house HR teams to navigate this new framework through its Employer of Record (EOR) service in Romania, Work Permit and Visa Support, Payroll and HR Compliance, and Global Mobility and Relocation services. For organisations managing non-EU workforce growth in Romania, having a compliant operational infrastructure in place before the platform's official launch is essential.

Sources

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

Leroy Law — "Employment: Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026" (30 April 2026): https://www.leroylaw.ro/en/news/employment-government-emergency-ordinance-no-32-2026-on-the-access-of-foreign-workers-to-the-romanian-labor-market

bpv GRIGORESCU ȘTEFĂNICĂ — "Updates on the Employment of Foreigners in Romania" (30 April 2026): https://www.bpv-grigorescu.com/latest/publications/updates-on-the-employment-of-foreigners-in-romania-and-eu-guidelines-on-pay-transparency

WorkinRomania.gov.ro — Official platform homepage: https://workinromania.gov.ro/