Romania residence through a real business

Eligibility & suitability

Who this route is designed for

This route serves a third-country national who is an associate or shareholder with management or administrative responsibilities in a Romanian company. It is an operating-business route: the applicant needs a credible plan and resources to carry it out. Buying an apartment, opening an empty company or subscribing the legal minimum share capital does not satisfy the commercial-residence test.

The first decision is whether the proposed Romanian activity can support the required investment and jobs. Map customers, premises, equipment, staff and working capital before paying for incorporation. If your actual intention is remote work for an existing foreign employer, the digital-nomad route may be more relevant. EU/EEA/Swiss nationals use a different registration framework.

Initial approval has investment and job-creation tests

Under article 43, the initial plan includes investment through capital or technology transfer and new jobs within 12 months after obtaining residence. For an SRL associate, the thresholds are at least €100,000 and 10 new jobs; for an SA shareholder, at least €150,000 and 15 jobs. These are cumulative commitments, not an investment-or-employment choice. The business plan includes a three-year financial forecast and must show that the applicant has the resources to implement it.

The application also calls for evidence of the specified available funds through a Romanian bank account in the applicant’s own name. This is distinct from the company’s minimum legal capital and its eventual operating account. Where several foreign applicants rely on the same company, the individual participation and cumulative investment/employment requirements must be calculated rather than treating one project as unlimited sponsorship.

IGI directs applicants to obtain a technical opinion from ARICE. The opinion is valid for six months. Corporate documentation, funding evidence and the business plan need to agree with each other; a nominal management role or an unfunded forecast is not a substitute for a viable activity.

Renewal wording is different from the entry commitment

Article 55 specifies realised investment of at least €50,000 for an associate or €70,000 for a shareholder and the relevant 10 or 15 full-time jobs for subsequent extension, alongside evidence that activity follows the approved plan. Those lower figures must not be marketed as the initial route’s entry price. The approved plan and its original obligations still need to be reconciled with the renewal file.

The ordinary extension is for one year. IGI identifies a three-year extension where the applicant demonstrates investment of at least €500,000 or more than 50 full-time jobs. The investment and jobs are assessed in relation to the applicant’s share in the company. Keep the payroll, bank transfers, invoices and accounting trail from the beginning rather than reconstructing them immediately before expiry.

Residence does not settle the company or owner tax result

A Romanian operating company may fall under ordinary profit tax or, if all conditions are met, the micro-company system. The choice cannot be assumed from incorporation alone: linked-company turnover, employment, ownership and annual filing requirements matter. VAT, payroll and owner distributions remain separate costs.

The owner’s personal tax residence must be assessed from domicile, vital interests, days and the applicable treaty. A permit does not grant a foreign-income exemption. An internationally active business also needs a documented allocation of management, people and transactions across countries. This is where a coordinated tax and implementation plan becomes more useful than a stand-alone company registration.

Plan the household alongside the business

The ordinary third-country family route generally requires a sponsor with a temporary permit valid for one year, subject to the statutory exceptions. Spouse and unmarried minor-child applications require relationship and custody evidence; additional dependent-parent or medically dependent adult-child categories have narrower conditions. A business plan does not itself create a family residence entitlement.

IGI requires suitable accommodation, health coverage and support, including the prescribed minimum-gross-salary amount for each family member in addition to the sponsor’s own maintenance. Budget the household separately from company payroll and investment. Obtain a route-specific review for an unmarried or same-sex partner rather than assuming that every relationship is treated as a spouse under the national process.

What to put in the project budget

Separate committed business investment, legal capital, personal maintenance, government fees and professional services. IGI currently lists a €300 long-stay visa fee for this route; permit/card charges are additional and should be checked for the actual filing. These government amounts do not include a bank’s charges, translations, legalisation, premises, hiring or our work.

Our engagement can coordinate the international tax design and the formation, banking and immigration work with appropriate local professionals. The written scope should name the deliverables and responsibilities, including who monitors the plan and renewal evidence. Professional fees are quoted for the case; approval, a particular bank and an end-to-end completion date cannot be guaranteed.