Arrival, in the order that makes the move workable
Stages are dependencies, not an end-to-end completion promise. Appointment availability, additional evidence and third-party decisions can change the schedule.
01Establish eligibility and the two-country tax positionBefore financial commitments
Select the route for every family member and model income, company management and departure consequences.
Documents & evidence
- Passports
- Residence and travel history
- Ownership chart and accounts
- Choosing the permit before reviewing foreign-company management
- Assuming one spouse’s route covers everyone
02Prepare the application evidenceBefore the visa/registration filing
Collect route-specific records; organise lawful housing and the required insurance.
Documents & evidence
- Civil-status and custody papers
- Criminal records and translations
- Income/employment/business evidence
- Expired documents
- Names that differ across records
03Complete the appropriate admission processAuthority and appointment dependent
04Register and establish practical servicesAfter lawful arrival; before applicable expiry
File the residence application on time; establish banking, healthcare and school/household arrangements.
Documents & evidence
- Entry evidence
- Legal address proof
- Permit file
- Bank KYC documents
- Confusing a 90-day visa with a long-term permit
- Missing the 30-day-before-expiry filing point
05Complete the tax and renewal fileFirst tax year and ongoing
Track days, submit the residence questionnaire when due, reconcile foreign income and maintain the route’s renewal evidence.
Documents & evidence
- Travel log
- Foreign tax certificate
- ANAF submissions
- Business/income records
- Ignoring worldwide income
- Discovering renewal conditions after the permit expires
Document checklist
Track your preparation in this browser. Final requirements depend on the route and filing authority.
Resolve the tax and immigration route before the move
Begin with the facts that cannot easily be repaired after arrival: your current residence, planned departure date, ownership of businesses and investments, employer consent, and the status of every accompanying family member. Romania’s tax year is the calendar year, but its 183-day residence test uses a rolling 12-month period. A split across 31 December does not necessarily keep you below the relevant threshold.
For a business owner, map the people and decisions that will actually move. Working from Romania may create obligations for a foreign employer or turn a foreign company’s effective management into a Romanian issue. Review departure-country exit taxes, retained homes, pensions and disposal timing alongside the Romanian treatment, rather than pursuing a residence permit in isolation.
Build one consistent evidence file
Use consistent names, dates and addresses across passport, company registry, civil-status records and tax forms. Obtain difficult documents while still in the issuing country: criminal records, birth/marriage/custody papers, professional qualifications and tax-residence certificates. Apostille/legalisation and Romanian translation requirements vary with the document and treaty; an English scan is not universally sufficient.
Keep original investment acquisition records as well as a move-date snapshot. Brokers may change available products or reporting when your address changes. A residence update at the bank, an ANAF residence notification and an immigration permit are three different records; each should be accurate without using one as a substitute for the others.
Choose housing that works for the applications
The address should be legally available to you and supported by the documents required for the chosen permit. Before paying a deposit, establish who owns the property, who can sign, whether the lease provides the necessary occupancy proof, and which utility or building charges sit outside the rent. Do not assume a short-stay booking will satisfy every residence-renewal requirement.
Check access to healthcare before the journey. Visa travel insurance, comprehensive insurance for a residence application and entry into the Romanian social-insurance system are not interchangeable. A family with ongoing treatment should arrange continuity of medication and records, and confirm public/private provider access at the destination. School language, admissions evidence and catchment/transport arrangements should be resolved before choosing the final address.
Turn the approved plan into operating arrangements
For local operations, sequence the entity, office, payment account, tax registration, accountant, employment contracts and invoicing system. A bank may need completed registry and ownership evidence; an immigration business-plan opinion may need personal funds evidenced at a Romanian bank. Identify these dependencies early rather than ordering each service independently.
After arrival, retain the entry and accommodation evidence, complete the relevant registration or permit application, track presence days and prepare the ANAF questionnaire when required. Review the first payroll, invoice and distribution before they happen. A checklist is useful only if responsibility for each action is assigned and its evidence can be produced later.
Sources & research notes9 references
Sources supporting this guide. Research draft awaiting editorial review.
- Romanian Fiscal Code — ANAF consolidated text, articles cited in each section
- ANAF — individual tax residence guide (2025 edition)
- Law 239/2025 — fiscal amendments, payment accounts and SRL capital
- EURES — living and working in Romania
- OUG 194/2002 — current foreigners law
- IGI — current employment long-stay visa procedure
- IGI — commercial activities visa and residence
- IGI — other purposes, including digital nomads
- IGI — EU/EEA/Swiss citizens, registration evidence