Digital Nomad Visa for Romania
Quick Visa Facts
Visa length N/A
Possible to extend? N/A
Who can apply? N/A
Minimum Income Requirements N/A
Time for visa applications N/A
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Quick Facts about Romania
Romania has been a favorite destination of many digital nomads due to its fast internet, stunning landscapes, and accessibility. It is a beautiful country, full of interesting history, unique cultural sights, and alluring scenery. The country is full of natural, architectural, and artistic treasures that you don't want to miss. And now you don't have to thanks to the new digital nomad visa for Romania.
Capital Bucharest
Form of Government Parliamentary Republic
Population 19.29 million
Climate Temperate-continental climate
Language Romanian
Currency Romanian leu (RON)
8 people in Romania!
Join the community of remoters!
Living in Romania as a digital nomad
Romania is definitely an up-and-coming destination for digital nomads. The Balkan countries often get overlooked when researching European destinations, but they provide the same infrastructure, culture, and amenities with a more affordable price tag.
Attractions and best places to visit
Most of Romania’s tourism revolves around its beautiful and picturesque landscapes. Around two-thirds of the country is covered in hills and plains. The culture is heavily influenced by its folklore, which attracts the attention of history enthusiasts. If you’re interested in history and culture, Romania has plenty of both!
Plus, this country has many beautiful landscapes that make every city perfect for photography. Romania has many Instagrammable places, so if you have a personal blog or looking to showcase your experience as a digital nomad, it works perfectly for you.
Once you’re there, moving around is super easy. Romania has an efficient railway network and its mass transit network is the fourth largest in Europe. Driving around the country is also an amazing experience. Romania is home to Transfagarasan highway, which is known as the “world’s best driving road”.
Romania has a lot to offer to digital nomads. The country has many interesting sights for you to explore. From the famous Dracula Castle to the tallest wooden church in Europe. There are countless museums for you to visit, beautiful churches, and the landscapes are to die for.
Digital Nomad Hotspots
Romania has so many popular places that attract the attention of digital nomads. The capital city is Bucharest, which is known as “Little Paris”. Bucharest has a population of 1.8million people. It is lively, so if you enjoy the buzz of city life, Bucharest is the place for you. It has a large IT sector, so it attracts many major companies and has plenty of startups.
Not only that, but Bucharest has a beautiful historic town center, surrounded by nightlife and good energy. Of course, not everything is perfect in the city. As in many big cities, it has its dirty side and people often complain about traffic. But if you’re looking to live and work in the city, Bucharest is the perfect place for you.
Cluj Napoca is another great hub for nomads in Romania. This city houses many universities. People living in this city enjoy the vibrant nightlife and exciting lifestyle Cluj Napoca has to offer. This city has a great coffee culture, and the city is full of coffee shops and restaurants that are perfect to work remotely while enjoying local food. Plus, Cluj Napoca is known for its historical landmarks that date back to the Hungarian and Saxon rule.
But, the most popular city for nomads in Romania over the past few years is Timisoara. This is the third-largest city in Romania. It attracts the attention of many visitors because of its pedestrian, old-town vibes. It has three large squares that offer lots of restaurants and bars. Surprisingly, it doesn’t have many individual shops, most of them can be found in big shopping centers
All of these cities have plenty of low-pricing co-working spaces or coffee shops and restaurants with high-speed internet. You will find a welcoming digital nomad community and you will have the opportunity to connect with, not just locals, but with people all over the world.
Cost of Living
The cost of living in Romania is one of the most attractive aspects of the country. On average you can expect to spend around $1500 a month on living expenses.
Digital Nomad Essentials
What makes the country perfect for digital nomads, however, is how well-developed is their internet infrastructure. Romania is proud of having the top connection speed in the region, so working remotely will be surprisingly easy for you. You’ll often see speeds of ver 100mbps, even at cafes!
There’s no shortage of coworking spaces dotted are Romania. In Timisoara, you’ll find Cowork Timisoara and Devplant Cowork. In Bucharest, Idea Perpetua Hub and We Love Digital Unirii are the most well-visited options. And in Cluj Napoca you’ll find The Guild Hall and Cluj Cowork.
If you prefer working in cafes, then you can also take advantage of Romania’s bumping coffee scene, especially in Bucharest, where the wifi is incredibly fast.
Need help applying?
Raluca - Romania Immigration Lawyer
Visa Overview
Romania is one of the newest countries offering a digital nomad visa. The country started working on the visas a long time ago and they were officially announced on December 21st, 2021.
The digital nomad visa in Romania works similarly to the visas offered in other countries in Europe. The program is offered exclusively to digital nomads, which the Romanian authorities describe as “foreigner who is employed with an employment contract by a company registered outside Romania or who owns a company registered outside Romania and may work as an employee or within the company, remotely.”
This new visa was introduced with the idea of helping the country’s economic sector. Especially after the damages provoked by Covid-19, the country is looking to boost the economy of the country.
This visa is available to any Non-EU citizen. Their target is to attract over 2000 digital nomads annually via this visa. Since the country is looking to re-activate its economy, it means the cost of living is rather low, which is perfect if you’re planning on staying there for long periods of time.
The visa is valid for 12 months and it allows people to stay in the country without the need for any other additional permit or a different visa. The digital nomad visa can be renewed for another 12 months if the internationals continue to meet the necessary requirements.
Also, recently the European Parliament has stated that Romania is expected to join the Schengen area by the conclusion of 2023.
The application process is easy and quick, and renovating the digital nomad is even easier!
Need help applying?
Raluca - Romania Immigration Lawyer
Who Can Apply for the Digital Nomad Visa for Romania
A digital nomad visa is for international remote workers who wish to stay in the country. It is available to any Non-Eu citizen, anyone working remotely for a company outside of Romania, and who has a stable income.
Having this in mind, the digital nomad visa is available to those that comply with the following requirements:
Prove that you’re employed full-time or part-time outside of Romania for at least three years before applying.
Have valid proof of income for the last six months. This should be three times the Romanian average gross salary, which is around €3,700 ($4,170) per month.
Have a clean criminal record
Have a place to stay in the country
Have proof of health insurance that has coverage for Romania.
Have identification documents and employment contract.
If you have all of these things, then you can apply for the digital nomad directly at a Romanian embassy or online.
How to Apply for the Romania Digital Nomad Visa
The application process is fairly easy. In order to apply for the digital nomad visa in Romania, you must do it through a Romanian embassy or you can apply here online. However, if you’re applying through the embassy or consulate, it must be done at your country of residence/citizenship. That can be a bit of a hassle if you’re traveling around the world, but it really makes the process much faster.
The application process for the digital nomad visa in Romania is very straightforward. The process goes smoothly if you comply with all the requirements.
As mentioned before, you can apply through the Romanian embassy. You can also apply online using the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You will find the correct form to fill out on that website and you can start your process.
Take in mind you must have all the proper paperwork before you apply. Here is everything you need to consider before starting the application process:
You must have a valid email address
You must have a computer with a good internet connection.
You must have the documents ready to be uploaded.
The portal accepts the following file formats: jpeg, jpg, tif, png, bmp, txt, rtf or pdf.
Each document must not be bigger than 2MB
Only Latin characters are allowed in the filename.
Make sure to comply with all of these requirements so you don’t have any trouble while filling out your application for the E-Visa.
How much does it cost?
As of right now, the costs for applying are very minimal. They’re not confirmed by the Romanian government. This may change in the future, so check back with us for more updates!
Documents needed to apply for Romania digital nomad visa
There are many different documents you must upload in order to apply for the digital nomad visa in Romania. Here is the list of everything you need:
Proof of self-employment
Proof of your earnings for the past six months
Medical insurance that is valid in Romania (It must be valid for the whole duration of your stay)
Proof that you have a place to live (can be a rental agreement or any other form of proof)
Proof of ticket to enter the country
A letter of intention (this must detail the purpose of your travel to Romania and what activities you will be performing in the country)
The authorities may request extra documents, but they will let you know if that is the case. Usually, they don’t ask for more, so you shouldn’t worry too much about this.
Need help applying?
Raluca - Romania Immigration Lawyer
Timeline for Applying
The visa application consists of various fields which you have to fill out with your information. This includes personal information, employment, etc. You can only apply individually, so if you’re traveling with a group of friends, each person must fill out their own application.
The platform allows you to save the progress you’ve made on the application and continue later, so you have plenty of time to fill out everything you need. However, if a saved application is not updated in 30 days, it will be archived.
When the application is approved, you will be notified through email. Usually, the time it takes for a Romanian visa to be approved and processed takes around 10 to 14 working days. It may be longer, but as of right now that’s the average time.
Paying Taxes on a Romania Digital Nomad Visa
In Romania, you will not be considered a tax resident as a digital nomad if you don’t spend more than 183 days in the country during twelve consecutive months. Consequently, you don’t pay any income taxes or social charges if you don’t stay longer in the country than six months. On the contrary, that means that if you want to use your visa to the fullest for the twelve months Romania will consider you a tax resident. What this exactly means for you depends on your personal situation. Therefore, we suggest you have a consultation with our tax advisor before making your move to Romania.
Romania has a lot to offer for digital nomads. The E-Visa is a great opportunity for remote workers to stay for a longer period of time and explore everything this country has to offer. With the digital nomad visa, you can enjoy 12 months of beautiful city life and magical historical places.
Romania is a stunning European country. Its beautiful architecture and interesting culture attract the attention of digital nomads all around the globe. Working remotely here, you will be in contact with locals that are friendly and open to showing you around. It is also very likely you will come across other digital nomads, so you can connect with the community and share special experiences. You just can’t miss this opportunity to travel and work in Romania!
Curious about other digital nomad visas available to you? Why not check out Hungary or Norway? And don’t forget insurance!
Author
Nadia Dardón is a freelance writer from Guatemala. In early 2022 she embarked as a digital nomad, traveling through Europe, focusing mostly on the literary history of each country. She has worked fully remotely for the past four years as a reader, writer, and content creator with experience creating pieces for different industries. She also has a personal blog where she writes about her cultural and literary travels.