category: articles

The European Union’s AI Act sorts artificial intelligence systems into tiers of risk, and the tier carrying the heaviest paperwork — “high-risk” — covers tools used in hiring, credit scoring, policing, education, migration and critical infrastructure. Regulators are still finishing guidance on which systems fall into that category, and the compliance deadline for most of them has just been pushed back by more than a year.

A four-tier risk ladder

According to the European Commission’s page on the regulatory framework for AI, the Act sorts AI systems into four risk levels: unacceptable risk, high-risk, limited (transparency) risk, and minimal or no risk. Most AI applications used in the EU fall into the minimal-risk category and face no new obligations. The Act bans nine specific “unacceptable risk” practices, such as harmful manipulation and social scoring; eight of those bans took effect in February 2025, while the ninth, covering non-consensual intimate deepfake content and child sexual abuse material, applies from December 2026.

High-risk systems sit one step below an outright ban — they remain legal but are subject to the law’s strictest compliance regime before they can be placed on the EU market.

What Annex III actually lists

A system becomes “high-risk” through one of two routes set out in Article 6, according to the European Commission’s AI Act service desk: as a safety component in products already regulated under EU product-safety law (Annex I), such as machinery or medical devices, or through Annex III, which lists use cases automatically treated as high-risk.

Drawing on the Annex III categories as summarized by the EU-focused policy tracker artificialintelligenceact.eu, those use cases include: biometric identification and categorization (remote biometric identification and emotion recognition, though one-to-one identity verification is excluded); AI managing critical infrastructure such as electricity, gas, water, heating and road traffic; education systems deciding access to institutions, grading exams or monitoring students during tests; employment systems used to target job ads, filter applications, evaluate candidates or monitor worker performance; systems deciding eligibility for essential public or private services, including credit scoring (apart from fraud-detection tools) and insurance-risk pricing; law-enforcement tools assessing reoffending or victimization risk, evaluating evidence or supporting criminal profiling; migration and border-control systems used for visa, asylum or risk assessments; and tools used in the administration of justice or in processes that could influence elections.

Article 6(3) adds a filter that can take a listed system out of the high-risk category if it does not pose a significant risk to health, safety or fundamental rights — for example because it performs only a narrow procedural task, improves the output of work a human has already completed, or detects patterns without replacing human judgment. The Commission’s draft guidance, published for feedback on May 22, 2026 and reported by the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, illustrates this with HR examples: a tool that ranks, scores or shortlists candidates is high-risk, while one that merely schedules interviews, verifies credentials or parses CVs into a database is not. Systems that perform profiling of individuals, however, remain high-risk regardless of this filter.

What providers of a high-risk system must do

Providers that place a high-risk AI system on the EU market face a compliance package drawn from Chapter III of the Act, summarized by artificialintelligenceact.eu: a risk-management system running through the product’s lifecycle; data-governance practices to keep training and testing data representative and free of errors; detailed technical documentation; automatic logging of safety-relevant events; instructions enabling deployers to comply with their own obligations; human-oversight features; defined levels of accuracy, robustness and cybersecurity; a conformity assessment culminating in a CE mark and an EU declaration of conformity; and registration in a centralized EU database before the system goes into service, as required under Article 49.

The phase-in timeline — and a mid-2026 delay

The Commission’s regulatory-framework page lays out the broad schedule: the prohibited-practices rules took effect in February 2025; obligations for general-purpose AI (GPAI) model providers, covering transparency and copyright-related disclosures, became applicable in August 2025, supported by guidelines, a voluntary code of practice and a training-data-summary template.

High-risk obligations were originally due to apply from August 2, 2026 for stand-alone Annex III systems and from August 2, 2027 for AI embedded in regulated products under Annex I. That changed in 2026: according to the law firm Gibson Dunn, EU institutions reached a provisional political agreement on a “Digital Omnibus” simplification package on May 6, 2026, later confirmed by member states, pushing the Annex III deadline — including EU database registration — to December 2, 2027, and the Annex I deadline to August 2, 2028. The deferral came bundled with other changes, per Gibson Dunn: the Commission gained power to reduce duplicate requirements where sectoral product-safety law already applies; the “safety component” definition was narrowed so AI used only for convenience or optimization no longer automatically triggers high-risk status; the EU AI Office’s enforcement powers were expanded; and the sandbox deadline for member states moved a year later, to August 2, 2027. Article 50 transparency obligations, covering disclosure of AI-generated or manipulated content, were unaffected and remain on the original August 2, 2026 timeline.

Where things stand now

As of this writing, the Commission’s draft guidance on high-risk classification remains open for stakeholder feedback, a sign regulators are still clarifying borderline cases ahead of the new December 2027 deadline. Businesses deploying tools in the listed sectors — recruitment, lending, policing, education, infrastructure and migration — now have more time to build out risk-management, documentation and registration processes, but the classification rules and obligations themselves have not been removed, only rescheduled.

Header photo: European Commission in Brussels by Jai79, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

The post What counts as “high-risk” AI under the EU’s AI Act, and what rules apply first appeared on WOW Magazine.

Quantum computing has moved from physics-lab curiosity to a technology that large companies, banks and governments are actively spending money on. But it has not moved to your desk, and it is not about to. Here is what the machines actually do, what they cost to try, and what has genuinely changed in the last year or so — without the overstatement that usually surrounds the topic.

Qubits versus bits, without the metaphors

A classical computer stores information as bits, each one strictly 0 or 1. A quantum computer uses qubits, which can be in a combination of 0 and 1 states at once — a property called superposition. The practical consequence is mathematical, not magical: a system of qubits can represent and process a combination of possibilities simultaneously, and certain calculations that would require checking possibilities one by one on a classical machine can, for specific problem types, be done far more efficiently.

The second key property is entanglement: the state of one qubit becomes correlated with another, so measuring one affects what you know about the other, even though nothing is “communicating” between them in the everyday sense. Superposition and entanglement together are what let a quantum processor explore a problem’s structure in a fundamentally different way than a classical chip. They do not make a quantum computer a faster version of a laptop — it is only faster, if at all, on specific classes of problems (simulating molecules, certain optimization and sampling tasks), and slower or useless on most everyday computing.

Why building one is hard

Qubits are fragile. Superconducting qubits (used by IBM and Google) must be cooled to near absolute zero, and trapped-ion qubits (used by companies such as IonQ) require precise laser control of individual ions. Any stray vibration, temperature fluctuation or electromagnetic noise causes “decoherence,” corrupting the calculation. That is why quantum error correction — spreading one logical qubit’s information across many physical qubits to catch and fix errors — has been the central engineering problem of the field. Google said in October 2025 that its 105-qubit Willow chip demonstrated that its error-correction approach keeps improving as more qubits are added, rather than degrading, which it and outside physicists describe as a necessary step toward large, reliable machines — not a finished one.

What it costs to actually use one, right now

Nobody needs to buy a quantum computer to try one; several providers rent time on real hardware over the cloud. IBM’s published rates run from a free “Open” tier of about 10 minutes of runtime a month, up to pay-as-you-go access starting at $96 per minute of processor time, a “Flex” tier at $72 per minute with a 400-minute annual minimum, and a “Premium” tier at $48 per minute with a 5,200-minute annual minimum — roughly $250,000 a year at the floor, according to IBM’s own quantum products page.

Amazon’s Braket service prices differently: a flat $0.30 fee per task plus a per-“shot” (per-run) charge that varies by hardware partner — for example $0.08 per shot on IonQ’s Forte system versus $0.000425 per shot on Rigetti’s Cepheus processor, per AWS’s published pricing page. Braket also offers hourly dedicated-reservation blocks ranging from roughly $2,500 to $7,000 an hour depending on the machine, and a free allotment of one hour per month of classical simulator time for new accounts’ first year. In short: casual experimentation is cheap or free; meaningful, sustained access to real quantum hardware still costs real money.

Who is actually using it, and for what

The honest picture is exploration, not production. A survey tracked by the industry publication The Quantum Insider in March 2026 found more than 15 global banks — including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, HSBC and Barclays — running quantum research programs aimed at portfolio optimization, risk modeling, derivatives pricing, fraud detection and post-quantum cryptography. The same report states plainly that none of the major banks have deployed production quantum systems for live financial operations; programs remain in exploratory or pilot phases, with JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs described as the most advanced, having demonstrated quantum advantage only on narrow, specific test problems. Logistics and materials-science research groups, and some pharmaceutical teams running small molecular simulations, are in similar territory: real experiments, not deployed products.

What actually changed recently

Two developments in the past year are genuine, verifiable milestones rather than hype. First, Google’s October 2025 announcement — published alongside a paper in Nature — that its Quantum Echoes algorithm ran roughly 13,000 times faster on the Willow chip than the best available classical approach on a supercomputer, for a specific physics-measurement task. Google says this result is “verifiable” because it can be reproduced and cross-checked on another comparable quantum machine, unlike earlier sampling-based demonstrations. Second, in May 2026 the U.S. Commerce Department, via NIST and funded through the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, announced roughly $2 billion in grants to nine quantum computing companies — including IBM, GlobalFoundries, D-Wave, Rigetti and PsiQuantum — taking minority, non-controlling government stakes in each, with IBM separately committing to match its $1 billion award to help build a quantum chip foundry in Albany, New York, according to CNBC’s reporting.

What it is not

Quantum computers are not close to “breaking all encryption” overnight — that remains a longer-term, actively studied risk that is driving the post-quantum cryptography work banks are already doing, not an imminent event. Nor are they curing diseases: pharmaceutical use today is confined to small-scale simulation research, years away from any claim about treatments. For now, quantum computing in 2026 is a real, funded, increasingly capable research and engineering effort — not yet a deployed technology most people or institutions depend on.

Header photo: Wire Bonded Superconducting Quantum Chip with 6 Transmons 002 by OJB Quantum, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

The post What is quantum computing, and why does it actually matter in 2026? first appeared on WOW Magazine.

Morocco is one of the main countries of origin for Romanian work authorisations, according to a 14 July 2026 release from Romania’s General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI). Two sets of rules apply: Romania decides the visa, and Moroccan law controls who may recruit you for a job abroad and what they may charge. This guide sets out what official sources in both countries say in November 2026. Fees change, so check each figure with the office concerned before you pay.

Where Moroccans apply: the embassy in Rabat

Visas are handled by the consular section of the Embassy of Romania in Rabat, 10, Rue Ouazzane, Hassan, whose consular area covers Morocco and Mauritania. The embassy’s Romanian-language consular page says:

• you first file the application on the e-Visa portal (evisa.mae.ro) and enter the consular section only with the appointment it gives you
• you must appear in person, with supporting documents in original and copy
• no applications are accepted through intermediaries or representatives, or by email, post or fax
• consular appointments are free
• someone who cannot use the portal can come during public hours to get an appointment

The same page gives public hours of Monday to Thursday, 09:00 to 15:00, a call centre (+212 537 72 14 93) and the email rabat.cons@mae.ro. The embassy’s English page still lists different hours, so confirm before you travel.

The embassy lists honorary consulates in Agadir, Casablanca, Fès, Marrakech and Tangier. It does not say that any of them accepts visa applications, and it names no outsourced visa centre.

Booking the appointment

The e-Visa portal recommends that supporting documents be translated into Romanian or English by an authorised translator. Filling in the form online does not replace the visit: the time for deciding is counted from the day you appear at the mission, and the decision is sent by email.

Appointment waiting times. When we checked on 4 November 2026, the embassy had published no notice about appointment backlogs on its visa pages or in its news list.

Fees and processing time

• Long-stay (D) visa: the Foreign Ministry’s fee table sets EUR 300 for e-Visa applications from 27 April 2026 (EUR 120 before). Fees are collected in advance, in euro, US dollars or local currency, at the average exchange rate.
• Dirham amount and payment method: the Rabat embassy’s pages give neither, so ask the consular section before your appointment.
• Refusal: the e-Visa portal says the fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.
• Processing time: the Foreign Ministry’s long-stay visa page sets a maximum of 30 days from submission at the mission. A work visa is normally granted for 90 days. The worker then applies for a residence permit in Romania.
• In Romania: IGI charges EUR 120 (paid in lei) for the right of stay, plus 265 lei for the residence permit card.

The Romanian side: no new D/AM2 applications for now

Under Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 32/2026, in force since 27 April 2026, the worker does not apply for a work permit. The employer, or an authorised Romanian placement agency, files a “single application” on WorkinRomania.gov.ro, and the worker then applies for the visa. Jobs such as courier, goods handler and kitchen helper, the most common in IGI’s 2026 figures, fall under the D/AM2 visa for permanent, seasonal and cross-border workers. D/AM1 is mainly for highly qualified staff.

On 4 November 2026 the WorkinRomania homepage still showed this notice (our translation): following the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision to suspend Labour Ministry Order 1073/2026, “the WorkinRomania flows for employer registration, employer authorisation and filing of the single application for D/AM2 long-stay visas are disabled.” The notice gives the case number (5633/2/2026) but no date. Economica.net reported (16 September 2026) that the court ruled on 11 September.

So on 4 November 2026 no new D/AM2 application could be filed, and anyone who says they have just filed one for you should be able to explain how. The embassy’s English visa page still describes the pre-2026 rule, a visa based on a work permit. The full process is in our guide “Romania work permit in 2026: how hiring a non-EU worker works now”.

The Moroccan side: ANAPEC and authorised agencies

ANAPEC, Morocco’s national employment agency, publishes job offers from employers abroad and runs services for workers going abroad, including seasonal farm work. Its website says (our translation): “All of ANAPEC’s services are free.”

Private agencies. Under the Moroccan Labour Code (Law 65-99), in the Ministry of Justice’s consolidated version of 26 October 2011:

• a private recruitment agency needs an authorisation from the ministry responsible for labour (Article 477), which can withdraw it (Article 487)
• it may not take fees or charges from job seekers, directly or indirectly (Article 480), nor accept deposits or guarantees (Article 485)
• every employment contract abroad concluded through a private agency needs the ministry’s prior approval (visa), and any costs charged to the worker must follow a specification (cahier des charges) the agency commits to when it applies for authorisation (Article 489)
• if a contract abroad is not carried out for reasons beyond the worker’s control, the agency pays the trip home and the worker’s costs (Article 490)
• breaches are fined 10,000 to 20,000 dirhams, doubled for a repeat offence (Article 494)

Romania’s OUG 32/2026 points back to these rules: a Moroccan recruiter working with a Romanian agency must be authorised under Moroccan law and may charge only within Moroccan legal limits (Article 38). The Romanian agency may not charge you anything (Article 23).

Documents: passport, criminal record and diplomas

• Passport: you bring the original to the embassy.
• Criminal record: Morocco issues two documents. The criminal record extract (extrait du casier judiciaire, Bulletin n°3) is issued by the Ministry of Justice’s national centre and by the courts of first instance; people born in Morocco can request it online. The fiche anthropométrique is requested from the police where you live and is valid for 3 months. OUG 32/2026 asks for a criminal record certificate “or other document with the same legal value”, translated into Romanian, English or French, as applicable, and legalised. Ask the agency which document your file uses, and whether a French-language version needs further translation.
• Diplomas: where the job requires them, WorkinRomania asks for a CV and documents on education, qualifications or experience.

Apostille instead of legalisation. Morocco joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 27 November 2015, with effect from 14 August 2016. The Hague Conference lists one objection to Morocco’s accession, by Germany. Romania, a party since 2001, did not object, so a Moroccan apostille can replace consular legalisation for documents used in Romania.

Who issues it. According to Morocco’s foreign ministry and the national apostille portal (apostille.ma, set up by the Interior and Justice ministries):

• court documents, including those of clerks and notaries: the King’s prosecutor at the court of first instance
• documents from the Ministry of Justice’s central administration: its secretary-general
• administrative documents, which the portal says include diplomas: the wali or governor of the prefecture or province

You can apply in writing or online on apostille.ma. Apostilles are issued only on original signatures and certify the signature and seal, not the content.

Translations in Romania. Documents filed with Romanian authorities are usually needed in a certified Romanian translation, made by a translator authorised by Romania’s Ministry of Justice, whose signature a notary can legalise.

Scam patterns and red flags

ANAPEC’s “Ma sécurité” page warns about fake contracts used to get money, fake recruitment websites, misuse of the ANAPEC or International Organization for Migration logos, informal “recruitment fairs” and paid intermediaries. It says an honest recruiter never asks you to pay for a job, advises you to have your contract approved by the employment ministry before leaving, and notes that ANAPEC’s seasonal farm-work offers are never published online.

WorkinRomania lists these warning signs:

• being asked to pay a commission for a job
• no contract before departure, or a contract in a language you do not understand
• vague or changing terms on pay, hours, housing or transport
• promises of entry without a visa
• someone keeping your passport, or asking you to sign papers you do not understand
• a different job from the one in the contract

Signs specific to Morocco, based on the rules above:

• any fee or deposit asked by a recruitment agency
• a contract abroad through a Moroccan agency that the ministry has not approved
• a “visa fee” paid to a person instead of the embassy
• a paid “guaranteed appointment”, or an offer to submit your application at the embassy for you
• an ANAPEC logo on an offer that ANAPEC does not list

Our guide “How to check a Romanian job offer and work permit are real in 2026” explains how to check the employer and the agency.

Where to complain

In Morocco

• ANAPEC: check any offer using its name on its website or at the nearest ANAPEC agency.
• The employment ministry: it authorises private agencies, approves contracts abroad and can withdraw an agency’s authorisation.
• Once abroad: Morocco’s consular call centre answers on 00 212 537 66 33 00 (08:00 to 20:00 Morocco time) and takes requests and complaints online.

In Romania

• WorkinRomania: the “Report Regarding Foreign Workers” form.
• Labour Inspectorate (inspectiamuncii.ro): an online petition form, with a page to check its status.
• Other institutions: IGI, the Romanian Police and the National Agency against Trafficking in Persons.

Your rights once employed are covered in “Your rights as a foreign worker in Romania in 2026: contract, hours, overtime, leave and unpaid wages”. Pay and take-home figures are in “Minimum salary in Romania in 2026: gross, net and what foreign workers take home”.

Check your own file: our free Romania documents checklist lists the documents for your situation and country, and shows which need a Romanian translation and an apostille.

Header photo: Hassan Tower Columns Rabat Nov25 A7CR 08839 by This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but pl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped; this crop is released under the same licence.

The post Romania work visa from Morocco in 2026: embassy, fees and how to avoid scams first appeared on WOW Magazine.

Filipino workers going to Romania deal with two sets of rules: Romania decides the visa, and the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW, which took over the former POEA) controls recruitment and departure. This guide sets out what official sources in both countries say in November 2026 on where to apply, fees, documents and fraud. Fees change, so check each figure before you pay.

Where Filipinos apply: the embassy in Manila

Romania’s Foreign Ministry says visas are applied for only at Romanian embassies and consulates. For the Philippines that means the Embassy of Romania in Manila, 150 Legaspi Street, G.C. Corporate Plaza, 6th floor, Legaspi Village, Makati City. The embassy’s consular page says:

• visa applications are received online only, through the e-Visa portal (evisa.mae.ro)
• passports are submitted only by appointment, given through the e-Visa application
• foreign citizens are received on Mondays and Tuesdays, 09:30 to 12:30; Thursday mornings are for releasing visas only
• closed on Romanian and Philippine public holidays (email: manila.consul@mae.ro)

The embassy names no outsourced visa centre, does not say its honorary consulates (Angeles City, Cebu City) take visa applications, and on 4 November 2026 its news pages had no notice on waiting times.

Booking the appointment

You fill in one e-Visa application per person, and the embassy may email you for more documents before validating it. The portal recommends translations into Romanian or English by an authorised translator. You present originals and copies in person; the decision period runs from that day, and the decision comes by email.

An outdated page. The embassy’s “Employment visa (D/AM)” page still describes the pre-2026 work-permit procedure. Ask which document list applies now.

Fees and processing time

• Long-stay (D) visa: the embassy lists USD 338 for e-Visa applications from 27 April 2026 (USD 135 before). The Foreign Ministry’s fee table sets it at EUR 300, collected in euro, US dollars or local currency. DMW relayed the USD 338 fee in Advisory No. 38 (6 July 2026).
• Payment: in cash, in US dollars, at the counter at the consular interview.
• Refusal: the e-Visa portal says the fee is not refunded.
• Processing time: a maximum of 30 days from submission at the mission, according to the Foreign Ministry. The work visa is normally valid for 90 days; the worker then applies for a residence permit in Romania.
• In Romania: the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) charges EUR 120 (paid in lei) for the right of stay, plus 265 lei for the residence permit card.

The Romanian side: no new D/AM2 applications for now

Since 27 April 2026, Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 32/2026 has governed foreign workers’ access to Romanian jobs. The worker does not apply for a work permit: the employer, or an authorised Romanian placement agency, files a “single application” on WorkinRomania.gov.ro, then the worker applies for the visa. D/AM2 covers permanent, seasonal and cross-border workers; D/AM1 is mainly for highly qualified staff.

On 4 November 2026 the WorkinRomania homepage still showed this notice (our translation): following the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision to suspend Labour Ministry Order 1073/2026, which approved the shortage-occupation list, “the WorkinRomania flows for employer registration, employer authorisation and filing of the single application for D/AM2 long-stay visas are disabled.” The notice gives the case number (5633/2/2026) but no date; Economica.net reported (16 September 2026) that the court ruled on 11 September.

So no new D/AM2 application could be filed; anyone claiming to have just filed one for you should explain how. The full process is in our guide “Romania work permit in 2026: how hiring a non-EU worker works now”.

The Philippine side: licensed agencies, the OFW Pass and direct hiring

Use a licensed agency. DMW asks jobseekers to deal only with licensed recruitment agencies (Advisory No. 26, 2024). Its “Licensed Recruitment Agencies” directory shows each agency’s status (valid, expired, delisted, cancelled). Its “Approved Job Orders” list can be browsed by jobsite; DMW warns vacancies may already be filled.

The Romanian employer must be accredited by DMW to hire through a licensed agency, under the 2023 DMW Rules for land-based workers. A 2024 DMW circular placed Romania under its planned Migrant Workers Office in Budapest for accreditation.

OFW Pass, formerly the OEC. In 2023 DMW renamed the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) the “OFW Clearance”, or OFW Pass, which every OFW needs when leaving for or returning to work abroad. It is issued only after the contract is processed and the OWWA contribution paid, and is valid for 60 days for a first deployment (Sections 123 and 124). The eGovPH app version launched in November 2025 initially covers only returning workers (Advisory No. 38, 2025).

Direct hiring is banned unless exempted by law or a DMW issuance (Section 126). In 2023 DMW warned that Facebook groups were charging direct-hire applicants for “assistance” outside the legal process (Advisory No. 20, 2023).

OWWA and orientation. OWWA membership costs USD 25 and lasts two years, according to DMW’s office in Tokyo. OWWA calls the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) mandatory and country-specific.

Insurance. For agency-hired workers, the agency pays the compulsory insurance under Section 37-A of the Migrant Workers Act, covering accidental death, permanent disability, repatriation and medical emergencies. Direct hires and rehires may ask the employer to pay, or pay and be reimbursed (Advisory No. 11, 2025). Romania also requires travel medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000.

What you may be charged in the Philippines

Under the 2023 DMW Rules:

• You pay documentation costs (passport, NBI/police/barangay clearance, PSA birth certificate, diploma, professional licence, TESDA certificate, medical exam) and PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and SSS membership “pursuant to existing laws” (Section 55).
• Placement fee: at most one month’s basic salary in the DMW-approved contract, paid only after you sign it, against a BIR-registered receipt. None may be charged to domestic workers or for countries whose system bars such fees (Section 56). DMW has issued no-placement-fee advisories for Qatar and Canada; we found none for Romania among its 2022-2026 advisories.
• The employer pays the visa, work and residence permits, round-trip airfare, transport to the jobsite, the DMW processing fee and the OWWA fee (Section 58). No other fees may be charged (Section 59).

In Romania, the placement agency may not charge you anything (OUG 32/2026, Article 23), and its Philippine partner must be licensed at home and may charge only within Philippine limits (Article 38). Romanian law puts the visa and travel on the worker unless the firm job offer says otherwise (Article 40), so check the offer against your DMW contract.

Documents: passport, NBI clearance, diplomas and the apostille

• Passport: a copy goes with the single application; the original goes to the embassy.
• NBI clearance: applications start with online registration on the NBI’s official clearance site, which also offers online verification. OUG 32/2026 requires the criminal record certificate to be translated into Romanian, English or French and legalised.
• Diplomas: the DMW rules refer to transcripts and diplomas certified by CHED and apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). For qualified roles, Romania asks for a CV with a recognised diploma or proof of qualification.

Apostille instead of legalisation. The Philippines joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 12 September 2018, with effect from 14 May 2019, according to the Hague Conference (HCCH). Germany, Finland, Austria and Greece objected; all but Germany have since withdrawn. Romania, a party since 2001, did not object, so a DFA apostille can replace legalisation for Philippine documents used in Romania. If in doubt, confirm with the embassy.

The DFA route. The HCCH names the DFA’s Office of Consular Affairs (Authentication Division) as the apostille authority, at PHP 100 for regular and PHP 200 for expedited release (entry updated October 2024). The DFA’s consular site links to online apostille appointments and an e-register to verify apostilles.

Translations for use in Romania. A certified translation is made by a translator authorised by Romania’s Ministry of Justice, and a notary can legalise the translator’s signature.

Scam patterns and red flags

DMW warns of fake job posts on Facebook groups, social media and imitation job portals that misuse real agencies’ names and logos, and of direct-hiring schemes without DMW approval (Advisory No. 26, 2024).

WorkinRomania’s warning signs include a commission for a job, no contract before departure or one in a language you do not understand, vague or changing terms, promised entry without a visa, someone keeping your passport, and a different job from the contract.

Signs specific to the Philippines, based on the rules above:

• money asked before you have a job, or no BIR receipt (both offences under Section 139)
• an agency not shown as valid in the DMW directory, or no Romanian job order in DMW’s approved list
• a “direct hire” without DMW clearance, or paid “help” to get one
• being asked to pay the visa, permits or airfare the rules put on the employer
• a “visa fee” paid to a person instead of in cash at the embassy
• being made to use a clinic or training centre the agency chooses at your cost, or a lender it designates (both barred by Section 139)

Our guide “How to check a Romanian job offer and work permit are real in 2026” explains the checks.

Where to complain

In the Philippines

• DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau: for illegal recruitment and online job scams, mwpb@dmw.gov.ph or 8721-0619 (Advisory No. 26, 2024). DMW decides recruitment violation cases, including fee refunds (Section 138).
• Insurance claims: Migrant Workers Offices, the DMW hotline or the Insurance Commission (Advisory No. 11, 2025).

In Romania

• WorkinRomania: the “Report Regarding Foreign Workers” form.
• Labour Inspectorate (inspectiamuncii.ro): an online petition form, with a status check.
• Others: IGI, the Romanian Police and the National Agency against Trafficking in Persons.

Your rights at work are in “Your rights as a foreign worker in Romania in 2026: contract, hours, overtime, leave and unpaid wages”; pay figures are in “Minimum salary in Romania in 2026: gross, net and what foreign workers take home”.

Check your own file: our free Romania documents checklist lists the documents for your situation and country, and shows which need a Romanian translation and an apostille.

Header photo: Makati, Metro Manila skyline – Flickr by jopetsy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

The post Romania work visa from the Philippines in 2026: embassy, fees and how to avoid scams first appeared on WOW Magazine.

In its 14 July 2026 release, Romania’s General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) listed Egypt third among the countries of origin for work authorisations, after Nepal and Sri Lanka. Egyptian workers deal with two sets of rules: Romania decides the visa, and Egypt regulates recruitment for work abroad. This guide sets out what official sources in both countries say in November 2026. Fees change, so check each figure with the office concerned before you pay.

Where Egyptians apply: the embassy in Cairo

Visa applications can only be submitted to Romanian embassies and consulates, according to Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For Egypt that means the Embassy of Romania in Cairo, 6 El-Kamel Mohamed Street, Zamalek (consular email cairo.consul@mae.ro, phone +20 2 27360107). Its schedule says it receives visa requests Monday to Thursday, 10:00 to 14:00, except on Romanian and Egyptian public holidays.

For Egypt, the Foreign Ministry’s list of missions shows only the Cairo embassy, with no consulate or honorary consulate, so plan for a visit to Cairo.

Booking the appointment

The embassy says appointments are made exclusively online: on the e-Visa portal (evisa.mae.ro) for visas, and on econsulat.ro for other consular services. You fill in the e-Visa form, one per person, and upload your documents. The embassy emails the appointment after it has checked and validated the application.

The portal recommends that supporting documents be translated into Romanian or English by an authorised translator. You bring every document as an original and a copy, including your original passport. The time for deciding is counted from the day you appear in person, and the decision is sent by email.

The embassy’s “Employment visa (D/AM)” page still describes the pre-2026 procedure, with an IGI work permit and a EUR 120 fee; ask the consular section which checklist applies now.

Fees and processing time

• Long-stay (D) visa: the Foreign Ministry sets the fee at EUR 300 for e-Visa applications from 27 April 2026. The Cairo embassy’s notice lists USD 355 “for the visa applications uploaded after April 28th, 2026”.
• Payment: US dollars, cash only, at the appointment; card payment is not available. The embassy adjusts consular fees monthly against the euro at the European Central Bank’s average rate, so the dollar amount can change.
• Refusal: the e-Visa portal says the fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.
• Processing time: a maximum of 30 days from submission at the embassy, according to the Foreign Ministry. A work visa is issued for 90 days. In Romania, the worker then applies to IGI for a residence permit, which costs EUR 120 (paid in lei) for the right of stay plus 265 lei for the card.

The Romanian side: no new D/AM2 applications for now

Since 27 April 2026, Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 32/2026 has governed foreign workers’ access to Romanian jobs. There is no separate work permit: the employer, or an authorised Romanian placement agency, files a “single application” on WorkinRomania.gov.ro. D/AM1 is mainly for highly qualified staff; D/AM2 is for permanent, seasonal and cross-border workers. The jobs IGI lists most often, such as couriers and goods handlers, fall under D/AM2.

On 4 November 2026 the WorkinRomania homepage showed this undated notice (our translation): following the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision to suspend Labour Ministry Order 1073/2026, which approved the shortage-occupation list, “the WorkinRomania platform flows for employer registration, employer authorisation and filing of the single application for D/AM2 long-stay visas are disabled.” The case number is 5633/2/2026. Economica.net reported (16 September 2026) that the court ruled on 11 September.

So on 4 November 2026 no new D/AM2 application could be filed; anyone claiming to have just filed one for you should be able to explain how. Our guide “Romania work permit in 2026: how hiring a non-EU worker works now” covers the full process.

The Egyptian side: licensed recruiters and departure steps

Only licensed recruiters may place you. Under Egypt’s Labour Law (Law No. 14 of 2025), Egyptians are placed in jobs abroad by the Ministry of Labour, by employers hiring their own staff, or by private employment agencies licensed by the ministry (Article 40). Recruiting through websites, pages or online platforms needs a ministry licence, unless done by a licensed agency (Article 52). In a June 2026 statement, the ministry said a company’s licence can be checked at its General Directorate of Overseas Recruitment Companies, at the ministry’s former headquarters in Nasr City, Cairo.

What a recruiter may charge. Article 43 bans taking any money from the worker, directly or indirectly, for a placement; the employer pays. The one exception: a licensed private agency may take up to 1% of the worker’s wage, for the first year only, as administrative expenses. Any other payment, under any name, is banned. Romania’s OUG 32/2026 points back to these limits: an Egyptian recruiter working with a Romanian agency must be licensed in Egypt and may charge only within Egyptian law (Article 38). The Romanian agency may not charge you anything (Article 23).

Unlicensed recruitment, taking money without right from a worker’s wages or dues, and false information about contracts abroad are punishable by prison, a fine of EGP 20,000 to 100,000, or both, and the court orders the money returned (Article 291).

For overseas jobs the ministry itself advertises under government agreements, applications go only through its website; it says these jobs are “completely free of charge” and that it “does not work with any intermediaries”.

Before you travel. The Ministry of Labour certifies individual employment contracts for citizens travelling abroad, to complete their travel procedures. It asks for the original contract and a copy, and copies of your passport, national ID and visa; women also need a family member’s consent declaration. Separately, the Interior Ministry has a General Administration for Work Permits with Foreign Bodies, whose online services include a first-time work permit. Ask your labour directorate which steps apply to you, and their cost, before booking a flight.

Documents: criminal record, diplomas and legalisation

• Passport: a copy goes with the single application; the original goes to the embassy.
• Criminal record certificate (sahifat al-hala al-jina’iya, often called “feesh we tashbeeh”): issued by the Interior Ministry’s General Administration for Criminal Evidence Investigation, online through the ministry’s portal (moi.gov.eg) and mobile app. OUG 32/2026 requires it to be translated into Romanian, English or French and legalised.
• Diplomas and experience letters: needed for qualified roles, also “translated and legalised”.

No apostille for Egypt. Egypt is not among the 130 contracting parties on the Hague Conference’s status table for the Apostille Convention (last updated 30 June 2026). The Romanian embassy’s legalisation page confirms this: Egyptian documents for use in Romania must be legalised in Egypt. The document first goes to Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which legalises the issuer’s seal and signature; under the page’s general rule, the Romanian mission then superlegalises it. The embassy does not help with the Egyptian ministry’s step, and its website lists no fee for its own, so ask the consular section.

Stamps needed first. Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad lists who must stamp a document before the ministry authenticates it:

• criminal record: none for the electronic certificate; the main Criminal Evidence department for the paper one
• degrees: the faculty and then the university’s secretary-general for government universities; the Ministry of Higher Education for private universities and higher institutes; Al-Azhar University for its degrees
• experience certificates from private employers: the local notary (Shahr al-Aqari) office, then its secretary-general

Its authentication offices include Cairo, Giza and Alexandria (San Stefano and Smouha). An ordinary authentication costs EGP 115, charged separately on a document and its translation.

Translations in Romania. A translator certified under Romanian law signs the translation, and a notary legalises that signature (Article 153 of Law 36/1995).

Scam patterns and red flags

WorkinRomania lists these warning signs:

• being asked to pay a commission for a job in Romania
• no contract before departure, or none in a language you understand
• vague or changing terms on pay, hours, accommodation or transport
• promises of entry without a visa or outside the legal procedure
• someone keeping your passport, or asking you to sign papers you do not understand
• a different job from the one in the contract

Signs specific to Egypt:

• a recruiter asking for more than 1% of your first-year wage, or for a “deposit”
• a company or social media page that cannot show a Ministry of Labour licence
• money demanded for a job under a government labour agreement
• a “visa fee” sent to a person or account, when the embassy takes cash at the appointment
• a paid “guaranteed” appointment, when the embassy itself emails appointments
• a promised new D/AM2 visa while WorkinRomania shows that flow as disabled

Our guide “How to check a Romanian job offer and work permit are real in 2026” explains how to check the Romanian employer and agency.

Where to complain

In Egypt: to check an overseas job offer, the Ministry of Labour says to visit its General Directorate of Employment, 3 Youssef Abbas Street, Nasr City, Cairo, or your governorate’s labour directorate. It says it takes legal action, with the security agencies, against fake job advertisements and unlicensed recruitment. The Labour and Interior ministries’ websites link to the government’s unified complaints portal (shakwa.eg).

In Romania:

• WorkinRomania: the “Report Regarding Foreign Workers” form; reports are reviewed by the competent institutions.
• Labour Inspectorate (inspectiamuncii.ro): an online petition form, with a page to check its status.
• Other institutions: IGI, the Romanian Police, the National Agency against Trafficking in Persons and the National Agency for Employment (ANOFM), according to WorkinRomania.

Your rights once employed are covered in “Your rights as a foreign worker in Romania in 2026: contract, hours, overtime, leave and unpaid wages”. Pay and take-home figures are in “Minimum salary in Romania in 2026: gross, net and what foreign workers take home”.

Check your own file: our free Romania documents checklist lists the documents for your situation and country, and shows which need a Romanian translation and legalisation.

Header photo: Cairo skyline in the morning – Flickr – StartAgain by Gary Denham from Edinburgh, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped; this crop is released under the same licence.

The post Romania work visa from Egypt in 2026: embassy, fees, documents, legalisation and how to avoid scams first appeared on WOW Magazine.

Since 30 November 2023, most drinks in Romania sold in plastic, glass or metal containers of 0.1 to 3 litres carry a deposit of 0.50 lei per container. You pay it at the till and get it back in full when you return the empty container at any return point in the country. You do not need the receipt, and the shop does not need to be the one where you bought the drink. Return machines pay out a voucher (or a bank transfer); manual return desks can also pay cash. The system is called SGR (sistemul de garanție-returnare) and is run by RetuRO Sistem Garanție Returnare SA. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with RetuRO or the shop’s return point.

The legal basis and the version we read

The scheme is set by Government Decision (Hotărârea Guvernului, HG) 1074/2021, republished in 2022. We read the consolidated HG 1074/2021 on the Portal Legislativ in its version of 2 November 2026, which includes the latest amendment, HG 951/2026. Article 10(1) makes the system mandatory for all producers and retailers from 30 November 2023, for Romanian and imported drinks alike.

Which containers carry the deposit

Annex 1, point 1(b) of HG 1074/2021 defines the covered packaging as single-use primary containers (ambalaje primare nereutilizabile) that are:

• made of glass, plastic or metal;
• between 0.1 litres and 3 litres inclusive;
• used for beer and beer mixes, alcoholic mixed drinks, cider and other fermented drinks, juices, nectars, soft drinks, mineral water and drinking water of any kind, wine and spirits.

So a beer can, a plastic water bottle and a glass wine bottle are all in.

Annex 1, point 1(b) also lists what is not covered: drinking cups, pouches (flexible layered bags), bag-in-box drinks, and any container that cannot keep its shape once empty. Cartons are not in the material list, and in the version we read milk is not among the drink types.

How to recognise an SGR container: the logo

Article 24 of HG 1074/2021 requires producers to mark every covered container with:

• a single national SGR symbol, a trademark owned by the environment ministry, printed on the container, its label or an extra label;
• a national barcode linked to the SGR packaging register.

RetuRO’s consumer FAQ calls the symbol Ambalaj cu garanție (“packaging with deposit”). Only containers with the symbol carry the deposit and get it back. Older unmarked stock could be sold only until 30 June 2025, after which its sale is banned (Article 10(6), as amended by HG 1709/2024). In 2026 a covered drink on the shelf should therefore carry the logo.

The deposit: 0.50 lei, shown separately

Article 12(5) of HG 1074/2021 sets the deposit (garanția) at 0.5 lei for all types of SGR packaging. Under Article 12(6)-(7), RetuRO can ask the environment ministry to change it, including by material, but a change needs a new Government decision. In the version we read (2 November 2026), the amount is still 0.5 lei.

Article 12(1) says the deposit is separate from the price and is refunded in full when you return the container. On the receipt and the shelf:

• Article 6(1)(b) requires shops to show the deposit separately from the price, both on the shelf label and on the fiscal receipt (bon fiscal). A six-pack of cans should show 3 lei of deposit as its own line or amount.
• Article 12(9) says that if you send back an order (for example an online purchase), the refund of the price includes the deposit.
• For VAT, the deposit is not treated as payment for a sale. Article 315^5(2) of the Fiscal Code (Law 227/2015), consolidated version of 25 October 2026, says the SGR deposit is not consideration for a supply in the scope of VAT.

Where you can return containers

Under Article 6(1)(h)-(i) of HG 1074/2021, retailers (comercianți) that sell SGR drinks must run return points (puncte de returnare). They must accept all SGR containers and refund the deposit at the moment of return. The key consumer rules in Articles 13 and 14:

• A return point must accept SGR containers wherever the drink was bought. It cannot ask for the receipt (Articles 13(1) and 14(1)).
• You can use any return point in Romania (Article 14(1)).
• The return point is inside the shop or within 150 metres of it, with at least the same opening hours (Article 13(3)).
• Shops must display which products are in the system, the deposit amount, the return point’s address and hours, whether returns are manual or by machine, how you get paid, and when a return can be refused (Article 6(1)(g)).

Some sellers are exempt from running their own return point:

• Online-only sellers (Article 17(2)).
• HoReCa businesses: hotels, restaurants, cafés and other food-service operators (Article 17(5); Annex 1, point 1(g)).
• Sellers that sell drinks only through vending machines (Article 17(6)).
• Small shops under 200 square metres can share a joint return point with other small shops or set one up with the town hall. It must then be within 500 metres in rural areas and 150 metres in towns (Article 17(7)-(8)). A small shop that relies on a return point run with the town hall must display the notice “Acest magazin nu funcționează ca punct de returnare a ambalajelor” (“This shop does not operate as a packaging return point”) and say where the nearest one is (Article 6(2)).

In cafés and bars, Article 17(3) says the deposit is charged only on drinks you take away, not on drinks consumed on the premises.

Machine or counter: how you get the money back

Article 14(2) of HG 1074/2021 sets the refund method by type of return point:

• Return machine (echipament automat de preluare, often called an RVM): you get a voucher. You can exchange it for cash or spend it on shopping with the same retailer that runs the machine, within 12 months of its issue. You can ask for a bank transfer instead.
• Manual return at a counter: you get the deposit in cash, by voucher or by bank transfer.

In both cases a bank transfer happens only if the retailer agrees, and you pay the bank charges.

Since HG 951/2026, the value of vouchers that expire unused counts as an unclaimed deposit (Article 12^1(1) and Annex 1, point 1(s)). Article 19(6) says such income may be used only to run the system.

Condition rules: crushed, damaged or full containers

Under Article 14(3) of HG 1074/2021, a return point must take the container and refund the deposit if it meets all of these conditions:

• the SGR symbol and barcode are present and visible or legible;
• it is returned whole, and is not damaged or deformed so much that its SGR status cannot be established;
• it is completely empty;
• if the producer has stopped selling that product, it is returned within 24 months of RetuRO’s notice of that on its website.

If any condition fails, the return can be refused. RetuRO’s consumer FAQ is stricter in its advice: containers should not be broken, flattened or pressed, and the label must be visible and intact. It warns that leftover liquid changes the weight and can make the machine reject the item. In short, RetuRO asks for containers that are not crushed.

On quantity, RetuRO’s FAQ says there is no set maximum number of containers per return. In the version we read, HG 1074/2021 does not set a limit either.

Who runs the system: RetuRO

Article 18 of HG 1074/2021 says the SGR administrator is a single national Romanian joint-stock company (societate pe acțiuni), set up only to run and finance the system. Under Article 19(5), the Romanian state, through the environment ministry, holds 20% of the shares. Producers’ associations hold up to 75% and retailers’ associations up to 25%.

On its About RetuRO page, RetuRO Sistem Garanție Returnare SA describes itself as the designated administrator, owned by three private shareholders and the state. It says it runs on a not-for-profit principle and reinvests any profit in the system. Its home page gives a return rate above 85% for January-September 2026. The legal targets for 2026 are 85% for glass and 90% for plastic and metal (Article 4(2)(c)). RetuRO’s call centre is 031 9003, Monday to Friday 9:00-17:30, according to the contact details on returosgr.ro.

If a shop refuses or overcharges: retailer obligations and fines

Article 25(3) of HG 1074/2021 sets these fines for shops:

• Not accepting SGR containers or not refunding the deposit at return (Article 6(1)(i)): 8,000 to 16,000 lei.
• Not showing the deposit separately from the price (Article 6(1)(b)): 16,000 to 30,000 lei.
• Not organising a return point, or refusing containers bought elsewhere (Articles 6(1)(h) and 13(1)): 20,000 to 40,000 lei.

Under Article 25(4)(c), the consumer protection authority ANPC checks the consumer-facing duties: deposit display, in-store information and taking back containers. The National Environmental Guard (Garda Națională de Mediu) checks most of the other duties under Article 25(4)(a).

Recent changes, 2024-2026

The consolidated HG 1074/2021 records these amendments:

• HG 580/2024 (published 31 May 2024): updated the marking rules (symbol plus barcode) and the condition list for refunds (Articles 14(3) and 24(1)).
• HG 1709/2024 (published 31 December 2024): set 30 June 2025 as the last date for selling unmarked stock (Article 10(6)).
• HG 659/2025 (published 18 August 2025): repealed one administrator obligation, Article 23(9^1).
• HG 951/2026 (published 2 November 2026): added rules on unclaimed deposits, including expired vouchers (Article 12^1).

None of these changed the 0.50 lei deposit or the 0.1-3 litre range. In the version we read, the HoReCa and online-sales rules in Article 17 carry no amendment later than November 2023.

The deposit is refunded when the container comes back, so it is not a lasting cost. For the costs that are, see cost of living in Bucharest vs Cluj-Napoca and utilities in Romania in 2026.

Checklist

• The Ambalaj cu garanție logo: glass, plastic or metal, 0.1-3 litres, drinks only.
• A 0.50 lei deposit per container, shown separately on the shelf and the receipt.
• Containers whole, empty and with the label intact, not crushed.
• Any return point in Romania; no receipt needed.
• Machine voucher: cash or shopping at the same retailer within 12 months. Counter: cash, voucher or bank transfer.
• Small shops, cafés, online-only and vending sellers may not take returns; a small shop using a town-hall return point displays a notice with the nearest point.
• Refusing a valid container is a matter for the consumer protection authority ANPC (Article 25(4)(c)).

Header photo: Bales of PET bottles closeup by Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped; this crop is released under the same licence.

The post Bottle deposit in Romania (RetuRO) in 2026: how the 0.50 lei SGR deposit works and where to return first appeared on WOW Magazine.

A Romanian power of attorney is called a procură. The Civil Code (Law 287/2009) makes it follow the form of the act it is used for, so a procura to sell or buy land or a flat must be authenticated by a notary. If no end date is written in, the mandate ends after 3 years (Article 2015), and you can revoke it at any time (Article 2031). From abroad you can sign one at a Romanian consulate, or before a local notary and then add an apostille (or legalisation) and a certified Romanian translation. The legal minimum notary fee in Romania for most procuras is 100 lei, under Annex 1 of Justice Minister Order 177/C/2024. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with the notary or the Romanian consulate that will handle your file.

What a procura is

Under Article 2009 of the Civil Code (consolidated version of 3 May 2026), a mandate (mandat) is a contract in which one person, the mandatar (agent), agrees to carry out one or more legal acts on behalf of another, the mandant (the person giving the power). Article 2012 adds that the authority to represent, or the document that records it, is called a procură.

With it, your agent can sign a contract, apply for a document or deal with an authority in your name, within the limits written in it.

When the procura must be notarised

The Civil Code allows a mandate in written, authentic, private or even verbal form (Article 2013(1)). The catch is Article 2013(2): a mandate for an act that the law makes subject to a particular form must respect that same form. Article 1301 says the same thing about representation in general: the authority has no effect unless it is given in the form required for the contract the agent will sign.

The most common case for foreigners is property. Under Article 1244, contracts that transfer or create real rights to be entered in the land register (cartea funciară) must be concluded as an authentic document, on pain of absolute nullity. So a procura to buy or sell a flat, a house or land has to be an authentic notarial act too. For the purchase itself, see our guide on whether a foreigner can buy property in Romania.

Second, when you are represented at a Romanian notary, Article 91(2) of the notaries law, Law 36/1995 (republished, consolidated version of 6 December 2024) says the agent needs a special authentic procura (procură specială autentică), with exceptions set by law. So a procura used to sign a notarial deal in your name, such as a sale or a donation, has to be authentic.

General or special procura

Article 2016 of the Civil Code draws the line:

• General mandate (mandat general): it only allows acts of preservation and administration, such as managing a property.
• Express (special) powers: needed to sell or mortgage, to settle disputes, to sign bills of exchange or promissory notes, to start court cases and for any other act of disposal.

The mandate also covers everything needed to carry it out, even if not listed (Article 2016(3)). The agent may not go beyond the limits set in the mandate (Article 2017(1)), so conditions such as a minimum price or a named buyer work only if written in.

How long it lasts and how to revoke it

If the parties set no term, the mandate ends 3 years after it was concluded (Article 2015 of the Civil Code).

Revocation is always possible. Article 2031(1) lets the mandant revoke the mandate at any time, expressly or tacitly, whatever its form and even if it was declared irrevocable. Revoking an “irrevocable” mandate without good reason can make you liable for the agent’s losses (Article 2032).

A mandate also ends when either side dies, loses capacity or goes bankrupt, or when the agent renounces it (Article 2030). Third parties are protected: under Article 1306 a revocation must be brought to their attention, otherwise it cannot be used against them unless they knew or should have known.

The national register of procuras and revocations

The national union of notaries (UNNPR) keeps several national registers. Article 164(1)(d) of Law 36/1995 lists the Registrul național notarial de evidență a procurilor și revocărilor acestora (RNNEPR). It records procuras given for notarial acts and procedures, and the acts that revoke them.

Two rules make it work:

• The notary who authenticates a revocation of a notarial procura must send it to the national register at once (Article 2033(1) of the Civil Code). The same applies to revocations done at Romanian embassies and consulates (Article 2033(3)).
• The notary who authenticates the deal must check the register, and Article 91(2) of Law 36/1995 tells the notary to refuse the authentication if the procura has been revoked.

These duties apply when the revocation itself is authenticated by a notary or a Romanian consulate, which is how it reaches the register.

Signing a procura before a notary in Romania

Under Article 90 of Law 36/1995, authentication means three steps: the notary establishes your identity, you state your consent to the content, and you sign and date the document. Identity is checked under Article 85 with a legal identity document or a passport. For non-resident foreigners the mandatory details are name, citizenship and declared habitual residence (Article 85(3)(b)).

Notarial acts are drawn up in Romanian (Article 82(1)). If you do not speak or understand Romanian, Article 82(2) gives you the right to learn the content through a translator or interpreter authorised by the Ministry of Justice, or through the notary if the notary is authorised or it is their mother tongue. The translator signs the notarial certificate (încheiere) together with the notary.

The agent does not need to be present. The Romanian Embassy in Berlin asks for the agent’s identity details and the papers the procura draws on, such as a land register extract or a car registration certificate.

Signing at a Romanian consulate abroad

Romanian embassies and consulates can perform notarial acts (Article 8 of Law 36/1995), including authenticating documents such as a procura (Article 18(2)). There are two limits:

• Under Article 18(2)(b), consulates cannot authenticate acts between living persons that create or transfer ownership, or matrimonial property regime acts. They can do the procura, but the sale itself happens at a notary in Romania.
• Foreign citizens can use the service only if the act produces legal effects in Romania and the host state’s laws or bilateral agreements do not oppose it (Article 18(4)).

Consulate pages give the practical rules. The Consulate General in London says you must attend in person, by appointment booked through the e-Consulat portal, and that documents sent by post, fax or e-mail cannot be authenticated. Foreigners identify with a valid passport, or an EU national ID card, and must come with a translator authorised by the Romanian Ministry of Justice. The Berlin embassy also allows consent through a consular officer who knows the language.

A procura made at a Romanian consulate is a Romanian authentic act (Article 90(1) of Law 36/1995), and the Apostille Convention does not apply to documents executed by diplomatic or consular staff (Article 1). So it needs no apostille to be used in Romania.

On costs, the London page says its consular services are free, apart from a charge of 3 pounds for notarial publicity on procuras for property and inheritance. The Berlin page lists a consular fee of 3 euros for notarial publicity, paid by bank transfer.

Signing before a foreign notary: apostille and translation

The other route is a local notary in your country. Two extra steps are needed before a Romanian notary will accept it.

1. Apostille or legalisation. Under Article 139(2) of Law 36/1995, Romanian notaries accept documents from another state’s authorities only if the signatures and seals are legalised by the Romanian embassy or consulate in that state or by Romania’s foreign ministry. Article 139(3) adds that international conventions to which Romania is a party take precedence. The main one is the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Article 1 covers notarial acts, and Article 3 makes the apostille, issued by the competent authority of the state where the document was made, the only formality required. According to the HCCH status table, the Convention entered into force for Romania on 16 March 2001. If your country is not a party, the legalisation in Article 139(2) applies, unless another treaty provides otherwise. Our guide to apostille in Romania explains the chain.

2. Certified Romanian translation. Documents presented to a Romanian notary must be in Romanian (Article 82(3)). The translation is made by a translator authorised under Romanian law, and a notary legalises the translator’s signature (Article 153). Our guide on certified, notarized and apostilled documents explains the difference between these steps.

Because the form rule in Article 2013(2) of the Civil Code still applies, a procura for a property deal needs authentic form. In the sources we read, whether a foreign notary’s act meets that form is left to the Romanian notary who uses it.

Notary fees for a procura in Romania

Minimum notary fees are set by Order 177/C/2024 of the Minister of Justice (Monitorul Oficial no. 70 of 26 January 2024). Under point 5.1 of Annex 1, the minimum fee for authenticating a procura is 100 lei. That covers procuras for buying or selling movable or immovable property, inheritance, partition, property management, banking, company matters and representation before courts or authorities. Article 11(5) of the norms says this fee applies whatever the number of principals and representatives. Point 5.2 sets 8 lei for procuras to collect pensions, social aid or state allowances. A footnote to Annex 1 adds an archiving fee of 10 or 20 lei per act. These are minimum fees (Article 2(1) of the norms). A later amending order, Order 2864/C/2024, did not change the procura fees.

Checklist

• Decide what the agent must do and whether it needs express powers (sale, mortgage, court) under Article 2016.
• If the deal needs authentic form (property, a notarial deal), get a notarial procura.
• Ask the Romanian notary or lawyer for the exact wording they need, and give it to the consulate or foreign notary.
• Prepare your passport or ID, the agent’s full identity details and the documents about the property, car or company.
• If you do not speak Romanian, book an authorised translator or interpreter.
• Abroad: book a consulate appointment on e-Consulat, or use a local notary plus apostille or legalisation.
• Get a certified Romanian translation of a foreign-notary procura, with the translator’s signature legalised by a Romanian notary.
• Revoke through a notary or a consulate so the revocation reaches the national register.

Header photo: Power of attorney, 01.11.1927, notarized by the Justice of the Peace, Principality of Bulg by Cyril S, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped; this crop is released under the same licence.

The post Power of attorney in Romania in 2026: the notarial procura, signing abroad, apostille and translation first appeared on WOW Magazine.

Sick pay in Romania is a health insurance benefit set by Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 158/2005. In 2026 ordinary illness pays 55%, 65% or 75% of your average gross income depending on how long the illness episode lasts. For certificates issued between 1 February 2026 and 31 December 2027, the first day of each episode is not paid, and employers cover the next five. You normally need 6 months of insurance in the last 12, and the medical certificate must reach whoever pays you by the 5th of the following month. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with your employer or your county health insurance house (casa de asigurări de sănătate, CAS).

The law, and what changed in 2025-2026

The basic law is OUG 158/2005 on health insurance leave and allowances (we read the version consolidated to 1 July 2026). The details sit in its application norms, approved by Order 15/2018/1.311/2017 of the health minister and the National Health Insurance House (CNAS) (norms, version consolidated to 24 July 2026).

Recent changes:

• New percentages from 1 August 2025. Law 141/2025 (art. IX and X) rewrote art. 17 of OUG 158/2005, so ordinary sick pay now depends on the length of the illness episode.
• One unpaid day from 1 February 2026. OUG 91/2025 (art. II) reduces the allowance by one day for certificates issued from 1 February 2026 to 31 December 2027. Law 64/2026 approved and amended it: the day is now deducted once per episode, and some patients are exempt.
• From 1 July 2026, OUG 89/2025 added art. 17(1^2), on how top-ups are declared when an episode continues into the next month and reaches a higher rate.

Who is entitled

Under art. 1 of OUG 158/2005, you are insured for sick leave while you have your domicile or residence in Romania and you:

• earn income under an employment contract (contract individual de muncă), a civil-service relationship or a secondment, including from a foreign employer outside the EU social security rules (art. 1(1)(A)-(B));
• or receive unemployment benefit (art. 1(1)(C)).

For employees, the right is financed by the employer’s work insurance contribution (contribuția asiguratorie pentru muncă) under the Fiscal Code (art. 3(1)).

Self-employed people and PFAs (persoană fizică autorizată) are not covered automatically. They must sign a sick leave insurance contract (contract de asigurare pentru concedii și indemnizații) with the CAS where they are registered, based on their health contribution (CASS) tax return (art. 1(2) and 6(6)). They then pay 1% of the insured monthly income written in the contract (art. 3(3)). That income must be between one and three national minimum gross base salaries (art. 5(1^1), as amended by OUG 8/2025).

Foreigners have the same rights as Romanians once they are insured here and live here. For the wider picture on health cover, see Health insurance in Romania for foreigners in 2026.

The minimum insurance period (*stagiu de asigurare*)

You need at least 6 months of insurance in the 12 months before the month of the leave (art. 7). If you recently moved, insurance periods from another EU or EEA country or Switzerland count when they are confirmed on the European form for totalising insurance periods issued by your previous insurer (art. 8(2)(d^1)). The same applies to countries with a social security agreement with Romania (art. 8(2)(d^2)).

No minimum period is needed for medical-surgical emergencies, certain burns, tuberculosis, group A infectious diseases, cancers (neoplazii), AIDS, and infectious diseases that require isolation (art. 9).

The payer also asks for a statement (adeverință) of your sick days in the last 12 or 24 months, except for emergencies, certain burns, group A infectious diseases, isolation and quarantine (art. 3^1).

How much you get

The base. For employees it is the average gross monthly income from the last 6 of the 12 months that make up your insurance period. It is capped at 12 national minimum gross salaries a month (art. 10(1)). For contract-insured people such as PFAs, the cap is 3 minimum gross base salaries (art. 10(3)). Only the working days in your leave are paid (art. 10(8)).

Ordinary illness or a non-work accident (art. 17(1), in force since 1 August 2025):

• 55% when the certificate covers up to 7 days;
• 65% when it covers 8 to 14 days;
• 75% when it covers more than 15 days. The law does not say which rate applies to exactly 15 days.

The percentage depends on the whole illness episode, not on each certificate. Under art. 30^1 of the norms, the days on the first (inițial) certificate and on any follow-up (în continuare) certificates are added together. The rate for that total then applies to every day of the episode.

Higher rates:

• 75% for the cardiovascular diseases on the special list (art. 17(1^1));
• 100% for tuberculosis, AIDS, cancers, group A infectious diseases, medical-surgical emergencies and certain burns, including recovery (art. 17(2)). These are gross amounts.

The unpaid first day, and who pays which days

The permanent rule is in art. 12: the employer pays days 1 to 5, then the National Single Health Insurance Fund (FNUASS) pays from day 6. FNUASS pays from day 1 for people insured by contract, such as PFAs, and for unemployment benefit recipients.

For certificates issued from 1 February 2026 to 31 December 2027, OUG 91/2025 art. II(1) changes this:

• day 1 is not paid (in practice the first working day, norms art. 78^4(4));
• the employer pays days 2 to 6;
• FNUASS pays from day 7, or from day 2 where it would have paid the whole allowance anyway (for example a PFA with a contract).

Since Law 64/2026, the day is deducted once per continuous illness episode, however many certificates you get (art. II(1^1)). The unpaid day still counts towards your insurance period (art. II(2)).

Exempt from the unpaid day (art. II(4)-(5)):

• maternity leave;
• leave to care for a family member with cancer;
• maternal-risk leave;
• patients enrolled in national health programmes;
• certificates issued while you are in hospital.

These exemptions apply from 1 June 2026, the first day of the month after Law 64/2026 took effect on 18 May 2026 (art. VI(4)). In the version we read, the exemption list does not include leave to care for a sick child, so the one-day deduction applies to it as well. In the consolidated texts we read, no Constitutional Court decision affecting the unpaid day is noted.

The medical certificate (*certificat de concediu medical*)

The certificate is the payment document (art. 36(1)). It is issued by a treating doctor who has a contract or agreement with the CAS: your family doctor, a specialist or a hospital doctor (art. 11). See how to register in Family doctor in Romania for foreigners.

Limits in the norms:

• A family doctor can give at most 7 calendar days per illness episode, in at least two stages, the first of at most 4 days (norms art. 20(1)).
• A specialist can extend it in stages of up to 30/31 days, within the overall limits of the law (art. 20(2) and 18 of the norms).
• Family doctors can give at most 28 days in total in the last year for one person. After that, only specialists issue certificates (art. 20(3)).
• A certificate is issued on the day of the consultation. It can be backdated by 24 hours only for a first certificate, and only if you could not get to the doctor (norms art. 9).
• When you leave hospital, the doctor can give 1 to 7 days, or up to 21 days with the head of department’s approval (norms art. 25(3)).

Since OUG 91/2025, CNAS can audit certificates, and one issued unlawfully is not paid (art. 51(2^5), as amended by Law 64/2026).

Deadlines and payment

• Hand in the certificate by the 5th of the month after the month the leave covers (art. 36(2); norms art. 60(1)).
• Your employer pays no later than with that month’s salary (art. 36(3)(a)).
• For people paid by the CAS, such as PFAs, the CAS pays by the 10th of the following month (art. 36(3)(c)). PFAs must attach the standard claim form (cerere-tip) to the certificate (norms art. 60(1)).
• The allowance can be claimed within 90 days of the date you became entitled to claim it (art. 40).
• A late, wrongly backdated or incomplete certificate can be refused (norms art. 71).

If you fall ill during annual leave or unpaid leave, that leave is interrupted and the unused days are rescheduled (art. 16(1)).

How long sick leave can last

For ordinary illness, the allowance is paid for at most 183 days in one year, counted from the first day of illness (art. 13(1)). From day 91, a specialist can extend the leave only with the approval of a social insurance medical expert (medic expert al asigurărilor sociale) (art. 13(2)).

Beyond 183 days, the medical expert can extend the leave by up to 90 more days if recovery is possible, or decide on reduced hours, return to work or invalidity retirement (art. 14).

Some illnesses have longer limits (art. 13(3)):

• certain cardiovascular diseases: 1 year within 2 years;
• AIDS and cancers: 1 year and 6 months within 2 years;
• tuberculosis and certain burns: the whole treatment period, until recovery.

Caring for a sick child

Insured parents can take paid leave to care for a sick child under 12. The limit is 18 for a child with a disability (for intercurrent illness) or a child with a serious illness on the official list (art. 26). One parent of your choice takes it and must meet the 6-month insurance condition (art. 27).

• Length: up to 45 calendar days a year per child. Infectious disease, a cast or other immobilisation, or surgery are exceptions, and then the specialist sets the length (art. 29(1)).
• Pay: 85% of the base (art. 30(1)), paid entirely by FNUASS (art. 26(2)).
• Quarantine or isolation: if a child under 18 is put in quarantine or isolation, a parent who is not under that measure gets 100% (art. 26(1^4) and 30(2)).
• Who issues it: a family doctor can give up to 14 days per illness, and a specialist or hospital doctor up to 30/31 days per certificate (norms art. 46).

For pregnancy and birth, see Maternity, paternity and parental leave in Romania in 2026.

Checklist

• Employees are insured through payroll; PFAs need a sick leave contract with their CAS and the 1% contribution.
• Count your insurance months (6 in the last 12); if you moved from another EU country, get the totalisation form.
• See a doctor who has a CAS contract on the first day. Backdating is limited to 24 hours.
• Hand it to your employer, or to the CAS if you are self-employed, by the 5th of the next month.
• For a 2026 episode, expect day 1 unpaid unless you are in hospital or in an exempt category.

Header photo: 2023 Stetoskop by Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped; this crop is released under the same licence.

The post Sick leave in Romania in 2026: who pays, how much, and how the medical certificate works first appeared on WOW Magazine.

Owners of a flat, house, plot or car in Romania pay annual local taxes to the town hall, not to ANAF. Under Title IX of the Fiscal Code (Law 227/2015, consolidated version of 25 October 2026), the tax on a home is 0.08% to 0.2% of a taxable value worked out by formula (Article 457). Whoever owns the asset on 31 December pays for the whole of the next year (Articles 461, 466 and 471). Payment is in two instalments, due by 31 March and 30 September, and the council can give up to 10% off if you pay the full year by 31 March (Articles 462, 467 and 472). After a purchase you have 30 days to file a declaration. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with the local tax office (direcția de impozite și taxe locale) of your town hall.

Who pays, and do foreigners pay the same?

Under Article 455(1) of the Fiscal Code, “any person” who owns a building in Romania owes the building tax (impozit pe clădiri). Article 463(1) says the same for land (impozit pe teren). Article 468(1) applies the vehicle tax (impozit pe mijloacele de transport) to anyone who owns a vehicle that has to be registered in Romania. In the version we read, none of these articles has a nationality or residence condition, so foreign owners are taxed exactly like Romanians.

The key date is 31 December. The whole year’s tax is owed by whoever owned the asset on 31 December of the year before (Articles 461(1), 466(1) and 471(1)). So if you buy in May 2026, the seller owes the 2026 tax and you pay from 1 January 2027 (Articles 461(2) and 466(2)).

Building and land tax is paid to the town hall where the property is. In Bucharest, both go to the sector (Articles 455(3) and 463(3)). Vehicle tax goes to the town hall where you have your domicile (Article 468(3)).

What changed for 2026

The amendment notes in the consolidated Fiscal Code show that Law 239/2025, published on 15 December 2025, changed many Title IX articles, mostly from 1 January 2026:

• A new table of taxable values per square metre for homes (Article 457(2)).
• A floor on rates: the rate a council sets for 2026 cannot be lower than its 2025 rate (Articles 457(1^1) and 458(2)).
• A vehicle tax that depends on the Euro pollution norm as well as engine size. That table, as amended by Emergency Ordinance 78/2025, applies from 1 January 2026 (Article 470(2)).

Emergency Ordinance 9/2026 then added age reductions for older buildings, in force from 27 February 2026 and applied to all of 2026 (Article 457(6^1); Article XIII of the ordinance, as amended). The consolidated text we read is dated 25 October 2026, so it will not include anything amended after that date.

How the tax on a home is calculated

For homes and their annexes owned by individuals, the town hall multiplies three things (Article 457 of the Fiscal Code):

• Built area (suprafață construită desfășurată): the floor area of every level, including balconies, loggias, basements and attics. Unused attics, stairs and open terraces are left out (Article 457(4)). If the outside cannot be measured, the usable area is multiplied by 1.4 (Article 457(5)).
• Value per square metre: 2,677 lei/m² for a building with a reinforced-concrete frame or fired-brick walls that has water, sewerage, electricity and heating. It is 1,606 lei/m² if any of those four is missing, and 803 or 535 lei/m² for walls of wood, natural stone or unfired brick (Article 457(2)).
• A correction coefficient for the locality’s rank and the zone it is in, ranging from 2.60 (rank 0, zone A) down to 0.90 (rank V, zone D) (Article 457(6)).

The value is then cut by 15% for buildings aged 50 to 100 years and by 25% for buildings over 100 years old, with age counted on 1 January (Article 457(6^1)). The council applies its rate, which has to be between 0.08% and 0.2% (Article 457(1)).

A worked example: Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca’s council set its 2026 levels in Decision 760 of 23 December 2025 – Primăria Cluj-Napoca. Article 5(1) of the decision sets 0.1% for homes. Its annex lists zone coefficients of 2.50 (A), 2.40 (B), 2.30 (C) and 2.20 (D).

Take a flat with 60 m² of built area, in a concrete block under 50 years old with all utilities, in zone A:

• 60 m² x 2,677 lei = 160,620 lei
• x 2.50 = 401,550 lei taxable value
• x 0.1% = about 401.55 lei a year

Article 2 of the decision gives a 10% discount for paying the full year by 31 March, which brings this bill to about 361 lei. Article 5(3) adds 20% to the tax for buildings that breach their building permit and 50% for buildings with no permit. Other towns set other rates in their own 2026 decisions.

Non-residential and mixed-use buildings

For non-residential buildings owned by individuals, such as an office or a shop, the rate is 0.2% to 1.3% (Article 458(1) of the Fiscal Code). It applies to one of three values from the previous 5 years: a valuation by an authorised valuer, the final construction cost of a new building, or the price in the purchase deed. If you do not file a valuation report by the first payment deadline and the tax office notified you by 31 October of the year before, the rate is 2% of the value worked out under Article 457 (Article 458(4)).

In a mixed-use building, each part is taxed at its own rate, based on your sworn declaration of the non-residential area (Article 459(1)). If you do not declare that area, 0.3% applies to the whole building (Article 459(3)).

Land tax

Land tax depends on the area, the locality’s rank, the zone and how the land is used (Article 465(1) of the Fiscal Code). For land inside the built-up area (intravilan) registered as land with buildings, the law sets a range in lei per hectare and the council picks a figure within it (Articles 465(2) and 465(9)). The range runs from 6,878-17,194 lei/ha in rank I zone A down to 142-356 lei/ha in rank V zone D. For a 500 m² plot (0.05 ha) in rank I zone A, that is roughly 344 to 860 lei a year before council indexation under Article 491(1) (Cluj-Napoca indexed by 5.6%, Decision 760 Article 4(1)).

Councils can raise the building and land tax by up to 500% for neglected buildings and land inside the built-up area (Article 489(5)).

Car tax in 2026: engine size and pollution norm

For cars, motorcycles and vehicles up to 12 tonnes, the tax is a lei amount for each 200 cm³ of engine capacity or part of it. The amount depends on the engine band and the Euro norm (Article 470(2) of the Fiscal Code). In lei per 200 cm³, the bands for cars are:

• Up to 1,600 cm³: 19.5 (non-Euro to Euro 3), 18.8 (Euro 4), 17.6 (Euro 5), 16.5 (Euro 6)
• 1,601-2,000 cm³: 29.7, 28.5, 26.7, 25.1

A 1,968 cm³ Euro 6 car counts as 10 groups, so it pays 10 x 25.1 = 251 lei, before any local surcharge. Hybrids emitting over 50 g/km of CO₂ have their own column, which is 24.6 lei in the 1,601-2,000 cm³ band. For hybrids at or below 50 g/km, the council can cut that amount by up to 30% (Article 470(3)). Electric vehicles pay 40 lei a year (Article 470(3^1)).

Councils can add up to 100% on top of the maximum levels in Title IX (Article 489(2)). Under Article 491(1), the amounts in Article 470(2) are not indexed for inflation in 2026. For the registration steps themselves, see how to register a car in Romania as a foreigner.

Declaring a purchase: the 30-day rule

You have 30 days to file a tax declaration after buying or finishing a building, buying land, or buying a vehicle (Articles 461(2), 466(2) and 471(2) of the Fiscal Code). For a vehicle bought abroad, the 30 days start when the Romanian Auto Register (RAR) issues its identity card (CIV) (Article 471(3)). The same deadline applies when you demolish a building, deregister a car or move to a new domicile (Articles 461(7), 471(4) and 471(5)). You must file even if you are exempt (Articles 461(15) and 471(7)).

Cluj-Napoca’s individual taxpayers page, for example, asks for form ITL-001, the deed and your ID. Documents in another language need an authorised translation, and owners resident in another EU state also file annexes to forms ITL-001 and ITL-003.

To complete a sale, both the seller and the buyer must show a tax certificate (certificat de atestare fiscală) proving they owe nothing to the local budget. An electronic check can replace the certificate, and a sale made without one is void (Article 159(5), (5^2) and (6) of the Fiscal Procedure Code (Law 207/2015, consolidated version of 8 August 2026)). The requirement for buyers was added by Emergency Ordinance 7/2026, published and in force on 25 February 2026 (its Article LX); the Cluj-Napoca page applies it from 2 March 2026. A car seller who uses the official sale contract form needs no certificate (Article 159(5^1)). The seller must also pay the tax for the year of the sale. The certificate is issued within two working days and is valid for 30 days (Article 159(3)). For the notary side, see can a foreigner buy property in Romania.

Paying, discounts and late penalties

If you owe 50 lei or less for one tax to the same town hall, the whole amount is due by 31 March (Articles 462(3), 467(3) and 472(3) of the Fiscal Code). Cluj-Napoca’s tax office page is one example of how to pay: at its counters, by bank transfer, or online on ghiseul.ro or the city’s own site.

Late payment adds a surcharge (majorare de întârziere) of 1% a month or part of a month, from the day after the deadline (Article 183(2) of the Fiscal Procedure Code). If you do not declare a building, its tax goes up by 30% for each six months of delay or part of six months (Article 461(4) of the Fiscal Code). Filing late carries a fine of 70 to 279 lei, and not filing at all a fine of 279 to 696 lei. Councils update these limits (Article 493(3) and (7)). For national taxes, see Romania’s 2026 tax changes.

Checklist

• File the declaration within 30 days of buying a home, land or car.
• Bring the deed, your passport or ID, and authorised translations of any foreign documents.
• Look up your council’s 2026 rate and whether it gives an early-payment discount.
• Pay by 31 March and 30 September, or pay the full year by 31 March to get the discount.
• Before you sell, get a tax certificate and pay that year’s tax.
• If you move, update your vehicle tax within 30 days.

Header photo: Mucipiul Cluj Napoca (2023) – img 01 by Chainwit., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

The post Property tax in Romania in 2026: building, land and car tax for foreign owners, and how to pay first appeared on WOW Magazine.

Every car registered in Romania needs two things to stay legal on the road: a valid periodic technical inspection (ITP, inspecția tehnică periodică) and compulsory third-party motor insurance (RCA). A private car with up to 8 passenger seats has its first ITP 3 years after first registration if it was new, then every 2 years, and every year once it is at least 12 years old. When the ITP expires, the car’s registration is suspended automatically. Driving without RCA costs 1,000 to 2,000 lei, and the police keep the registration certificate. Both can be checked online. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with the Romanian Auto Register (RAR) and the Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF).

Not registered yet? See how to register a car in Romania as a foreigner first.

The legal basis in 2026

The road traffic law, Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 195/2002, requires periodic inspection to keep a registered vehicle on the road, at authorised stations or RAR offices (Article 9(4)-(5)), and bans uninsured vehicles from public roads (Article 10(1)) (OUG 195/2002, consolidated text of 25 August 2026).

The detailed ITP rules are in RNTR 1, approved by Transport Ministry Order 2133/2005 (Order 2133/2005, consolidated text of 1 June 2023). The portal does not reproduce the RNTR 1 annex, so we used RAR’s consolidated text, which includes Order 1127/2023 (RNTR 1, consolidated by RAR). RAR notes that only the Official Gazette text has legal value. On the portal we found no order amending RNTR 1 after Order 1127/2023.

RCA is governed by Law 132/2017. Law 181/2025 changed it in November and December 2025, rewriting the insurance obligation and the fine for individuals (Law 132/2017, consolidated text of 13 December 2025). The ASF detail is in Norm 20/2017, consolidated to 21 August 2023 (ASF Norm 20/2017). The portal shows no later consolidation, but the norm may have been amended since, so check the current bonus-malus classes with ASF.

How often a car needs ITP

Article 5(3) of RNTR 1 sets these intervals:

• Every 6 months: buses and coaches with more than 8 passenger seats, taxis, cars used for transport în regim de închiriere (hire with a driver), and ride-hailing cars (transport alternativ).
• Every year: vans and trucks for goods (any weight), trailers and tractor units over 3,500 kg, ambulances, and driving-school cars.
• Every 2 years: private cars with up to 8 passenger seats, but every year once the car is at least 12 years old (historic vehicles are excepted). Mopeds, motorcycles and quadricycles also fall here, as do trailers up to 3,500 kg.
• Every 3 years: caravans and beekeeping trailers.

First inspections for vehicles that were new at their first registration in Romania (Article 5(3^1)-(4^2)):

• private cars: after 3 years
• light vans up to 3,500 kg: after 2 years (1 year if approved for dangerous goods)
• motorhomes: after 4 years
• taxis and buses: after 1 year

The deadline runs from first registration, then from the previous ITP (Article 5(5)). Age is the year of the inspection minus the year of manufacture on the vehicle identity card, the CIV (Article 5(6)).

Where to go and what to bring

ITP is done by RAR itself or by private stations (stații ITP, SITP) that operate under the RAR brand through a franchise contract and are monitored by RAR (RNTR 1, Articles 3(7) and 20(1)). Some vehicles can only be inspected at a RAR office. These include historic vehicles, sports cars, vehicles for dangerous goods, and vehicles registered in other countries (RNTR 1, Article 7(1)).

Bring two documents (RNTR 1, Article 13):

• the registration certificate (certificat de înmatriculare, often called the talon), or the official substitute or temporary permit
• the vehicle identity card (cartea de identitate a vehiculului, CIV)

The car must be clean, with tyres at normal pressure (Article 14).

Price: each station must display its ITP prices on its notice board (RNTR 1, Article 10^1(1)(g)). In the version we read, RNTR 1 does not set a national price, so prices vary by station.

What is checked

The inspector checks only parts reachable without dismantling (RNTR 1, Article 2), starting with identification (Article 16(3)). For cars and vans, Annex 2 of RNTR 1 lists the checks, from identification, brakes and steering to lights, tyres, chassis and emissions.

Each defect found is classed as minor (DMi), major (DMa) or dangerous (DP), and every defect goes on the ITP report (Article 16(2)). A pass is recorded in an annex to the registration certificate and in RAR’s national database. You get an ITP certificate and a sticker (ecuson) on the front number plate (Article 16(6)). The certificate is not issued for foreign-registered vehicles (Article 17^1(2)).

If the car fails

A car is rejected if it has major or dangerous defects, and you are given the report. Rejection also ends any ITP that was still valid, and the car may not be driven on public roads until it passes a new inspection (RNTR 1, Article 16^1). That does not apply to major defects in the identification checks (Article 16^2).

If you fix the defects within 30 calendar days of the first inspection, only the failed systems are checked again. The next ITP date then runs from the day the repair is confirmed (Article 17(1)). After 30 days, you need a full new inspection (Article 17(4)).

Checking ITP validity online

RAR has an online Verificare ITP tool. You search by the CIV series (format C-123456) or the 17-character VIN; shorter VINs need the CIV series. New cars that have never had an ITP do not appear. The validity date is also on the annex to your registration certificate.

Fines and suspension for an expired ITP

OUG 195/2002 Article 11(4^5) says the car’s registration is suspended by law on the day its ITP expires or is cancelled. The suspension ends when the car passes a new ITP (OUG 195/2002).

• Fine: Article 102(1) point 39 makes driving a vehicle whose registration is suspended a class IV offence. The same class covers driving a vehicle with dangerous defects, and driving a locally registered (înregistrat) vehicle with an expired ITP (Article 102(1) point 1). Class IV is 9 to 20 fine points (Article 98(4)). One point is 5% of the national gross minimum wage (Article 98(2)). Government Decision 146/2026 set that wage at 4,325 lei from 1 July 2026, so one point is 216.25 lei and the range is 1,946.25 to 4,325 lei.
• Documents taken: the police keep the registration certificate when the registration is suspended (Article 112(1)(y)).
• Automatic deregistration: a vehicle whose registration stays suspended for 3 years without a break is removed from the register (radiere). Historic vehicles get 10 years (Article 17(5)(f)).

RCA: who needs it and how the price is set

Under Article 3 of Law 132/2017, as rewritten by Law 181/2025, the owner or user of a vehicle normally based in Romania must take out RCA and keep it valid. A vehicle is “normally based” in the country whose plate it carries (Article 2 point 25). Key points:

• Length: a policy runs from 1 to 12 months, in whole months (Article 5(1)).
• Minimum cover: 6,434,740 lei for property damage and 31,926,210 lei for injury and death, per accident (Article 6(4)).
• Price: insurers set premiums with their own risk criteria (Article 18(3)); ASF publishes a reference tariff twice a year (Article 18(2)).
• Laid-up cars: while a car’s registration is suspended, you can ask the insurer in writing to suspend the policy. The car must then be kept on private land off the public road. Leaving it on the street counts as breaking the insurance obligation (Article 6(6)-(9)).

Bonus-malus. Under ASF Norm 20/2017, a new policyholder starts in class B0. From there, 8 bonus classes lower the premium and 8 malus classes raise it (Article 31(1)). The reference period is the previous calendar year (Article 31(3)). Each paid claim where you were fully or partly at fault moves you down two classes (Article 32(3)). Annex 5 sets the multipliers: from 50% of the premium in B8 to 180% in M8.

Checking a policy, and the fine for no RCA

The insurers’ bureau BAAR runs the AIDA database of policies sold in Romania. Its Verificare poliță RCA tool checks a policy by VIN or number plate for a chosen date. The AIDA home page also offers Green Card checks and a claims-history certificate (certificat de daunalitate).

Fine: under Article 37(9) of Law 132/2017, an individual or company that breaks the RCA obligation is fined 1,000 to 2,000 lei, and the registration certificate is kept until proof of insurance is shown. Traffic police apply it only to uninsured vehicles driven on public roads. Under OUG 195/2002, the police also take the number plates of an uninsured vehicle in traffic (Article 76(2) and Article 112(1)(s) and (3)).

Foreign plates, Green Card and after an accident

Foreign-plated cars. A car is “normally based” where its plate is from, so RCA applies to Romanian-plated cars. A car from a third country needs a valid Green Card or cover guaranteed by its national bureau. Without either, it needs Romanian frontier insurance (asigurare de frontieră), issued for 30 days (Law 132/2017, Article 30). For licence rules, see Driving in Romania as a foreigner.

Green Card abroad. BAAR says that from 1 January 2025, Green Cards in PDF are valid as well as paper ones. BAAR adds that Lithuania, Luxembourg and Portugal have not yet confirmed accepting the PDF, and it recommends a paper copy as a backup.

After an accident:

• Injury or death: call the police at once, do not move anything that shows how the crash happened, and do not leave the scene (OUG 195/2002, Article 77(1)).
• Damage only: move the vehicles off the carriageway, then report to the local police within 24 hours (Article 79(1)). You can skip the police visit if both drivers complete an amicable report (constatare amiabilă de accident) (Article 79(2)).
• Amicable report rules: under ASF Norm 20/2017, Article 41, the report works only for two insured vehicles with damage only. Both drivers must fill it in and sign it, on paper or electronically. Signing it does not mean you admit fault.

Checklist

• Check the next ITP date on the annex to your registration certificate or in RAR’s tool.
• Bring the registration certificate and the CIV, with the car clean and the tyres at their normal pressure.
• If the car fails, fix it within 30 days so only the failed systems are rechecked.
• Remember that the registration is suspended from the day the ITP expires.
• Renew RCA before it lapses and check it in AIDA.
• For trips abroad, BAAR recommends a paper Green Card as a backup.

Header photo: Bucharest Traffic (128813657) by Rhys Sherring, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

The post ITP and RCA in Romania in 2026: car technical inspection and compulsory insurance explained first appeared on WOW Magazine.