Hiring foreign workers in Romania — employer guide

01

Overview

Romania's sponsor-side burden sits mainly with the employer, service beneficiary, or host institution that starts the file. In most non-EU work cases the sponsor obtains the work or posting permit first, keeps the contract and corporate documents aligned with the selected route, and then hands the worker the permit or hosting basis needed for the visa and IGI residence stages. 1 2 3 10 11

Romania's operational practice can vary by territorial IGI unit, especially because some core English overview pages are older than the newer permit document lists and the current legislation used to verify them. 1 2 7

02

Sponsor-backed routes

Single permit / permanent worker

Romanian employer

The employer drives the standard Romanian work route by obtaining the work permit, issuing the employment contract or firm offer, and keeping the sponsor-side file consistent through the visa and residence stages.

Obtain the work permit before the worker uses the standard outside-Romania filing path.
Issue the contract or firm job offer and keep salary, role, and start date aligned across the file.
Stay ready to answer IGI follow-up or support a later renewal or change-of-employer event.

1 2 4

EU Blue Card / highly qualified worker

Romanian employer

Highly qualified cases still depend on the employer's permit file, but the sponsor must also keep the role and qualification basis suitable for a highly qualified job and the contract must be full-time for an indefinite period or at least 6 months.

Prepare the high-skill sponsor file, including the firm offer, job description, and qualification-related evidence where required.
Make sure the contract duration and job level match the highly qualified route rules.
Re-check the current threshold and route fit before filing rather than assuming the standard permit logic is enough.

1 6 7 11

Scientific research

Romanian research institution or host

Research institutions do not just issue an invitation letter. They need the favorable opinion and the approved hosting or reception agreement structure that supports the visa and later residence filing.

Obtain the favorable opinion and approved hosting or reception agreement through the competent research-authority workflow.
Keep the project dates and host acceptance documents consistent for the visa and residence stages.
Support the residence-permit renewal with proof that the research activity is still being exercised.

3 10 12

ICT / secondment

Romanian service beneficiary or receiving group entity

ICT and secondment cases require the Romanian-side beneficiary to back a transfer that genuinely sits within the same company or group or within the posted-services framework, rather than ordinary local hiring in disguise.

Obtain the posting or ICT permit that matches the transfer structure.
Keep the transfer documentation and duration aligned with the manager, specialist, or trainee category used.
Support later residence extensions without exceeding the statutory maximum duration.

1 2 8 11

03

Employer requirements

01

The sponsor usually needs to obtain the work or posting permit before the worker uses the standard visa and residence flow, unless a specific legal exemption applies.

1 10 11
02

IGI states that the employer or beneficiary must not have been sanctioned for undeclared work or illegal employment during the 6 months before permit resolution for the listed work categories.

1
03

Standard and highly qualified permit files can require company-registration documents, tax attestations, labour-availability certificates, vacancy publication proof, and the worker's route-specific qualification evidence.

7 5 11
04

Research hosts need an attested research and development unit plus the approved hosting or reception agreement basis before the worker can rely on the research route.

3 10 12

04

Documents

Company registration and tax-compliance documents

Current permit document lists require sponsor-side corporate proof such as registration papers and tax attestations.

7 5

Employment contract, firm offer, and job description

Romanian sponsors need the contract or offer package, and highly qualified cases also call for a job description.

7 10 1

Labour-market and vacancy-publication evidence

Current official document lists still include labour-force availability certificates and local vacancy-publication evidence for standard and highly qualified filings unless a legal exception applies.

7 5

Worker qualification, CV, and criminal-record materials

Permit files can require the worker's CV, education or recognition evidence, and criminal-record documents translated and legalized as required.

7 11

Hosting or reception agreement for research

Research institutions need the approved host-side agreement package rather than relying on a generic invitation letter.

3 10

05

Process

1

Pick the exact route before filing

Decide whether the case is standard employment, highly qualified work, research, or ICT or secondment, because the sponsor-side documents and gatekeepers differ by route.

1 3 11

2

Assemble and submit the sponsor file

Collect the corporate, labour-market, role, and worker documents required for the permit or, for research, the favorable-opinion and hosting-agreement package, then file with the competent authority.

1 7 3

3

Hand over the visa-stage documents promptly

Once the permit or approval basis is issued, send the worker the official documents quickly so the visa can be lodged within the published filing window for that visa type.

1 10

4

Support the post-arrival residence stage

After entry, keep the local contract, housing, and sponsor-side facts stable enough for the worker's IGI residence filing and later renewal, especially if the role or employer changes.

2 9 12

06

Warnings

Warning

Blue Card threshold should be rechecked before filing

The current accessible official source set supports the highly qualified route and contract rules, but it is not strong enough to publish a current salary number in this guide. Sponsors should verify the live threshold before filing a Blue Card case.

6 7 11

Warning

Current document lists still show labour-market proofs

Recent official sponsor-side document lists still include labour-force availability certificates and vacancy-publication evidence for standard and highly qualified permits. Do not assume those checks disappear unless the exact legal exemption applies to your case.

7 5 11

07