Residence Permit in Romania for Company Owners

No. The National Visa Centre approves the D/AC visa only after IGI's opinion (30 days, extendable by 15). IGI decides the permit (30 days from filing, extendable by 15). RomaniaRegist prepares the documents, files the company and keeps the dates. You appear in person for the visa. We promise no ARICE, consulate or IGI outcome.

For an SRL member, the statute asks for at least EUR 100,000 on one Romanian bank statement in your name for the ARICE opinion. Within 12 months of the permit, you then need at least EUR 100,000 of capital or technology and 10 new jobs (art. 43(2) OUG 194/2002, consolidation valid April 2026). No ARICE practice appears on the pages we read.

Not on capital alone. A new SRL needs only 500 lei of share capital (art. VI(2) Law 239/2025). But the later extensions require EUR 50,000 of capital or technology and at least 10 full-time jobs for an SRL member. ARICE also confirms that the business plan was followed. The monthly means are one condition among several.

No. Residence is a separate decision. We searched Company law and found no residence or nationality condition for members, so you can own an SRL from abroad. To live in Romania, a founder from outside the EU and EEA needs the D/AC visa, then a permit. Nationals on the EU visa-free list may stay up to 90 days in 180.

We know only the stated terms. IGI gives its opinion within 30 days, extendable by 15. The visa runs 90 days. IGI decides the permit within 30 days of filing, extendable by 15. We did not find ARICE's term on the pages we read, so we promise no total time. The registrar's one working day is the statute's term (art. 105(1) Law 265/2022, 2022 text), not ours.

For the visa, you travel. A long-stay visa applicant must appear in person at the authority that grants the visa (art. 29(5) OUG 194/2002, consolidation valid April 2026), so there is no power-of-attorney route for the visa. You file the first permit in person at the IGI county unit or through IGI's online application.

No. The D/AC visa is for foreigners who are, or will become, shareholders or members with management and administration duties in a Romanian company. It needs an operating company that you run. RomaniaRegist offers no golden-visa product, and our golden-visa guide covers that question. Citizenship is a separate procedure, which this page does not cover.

A founder from outside the EU follows IGI's order. First comes the ARICE technical opinion on the business plan. Next comes the D/AC long-stay visa from a Romanian mission. Then you file the first permit at least 30 days before the visa's stay ends. You renew each permit at least 30 days before it expires. The seven steps are set out above.

You must be, or be about to become, a shareholder or member with management or administration duties. You must also hold the ARICE technical opinion. The file adds a criminal record certificate, travel medical insurance with cover of at least EUR 30,000 and proof of accommodation. The visa fee is EUR 300 for applications from 27 April 2026.

IGI states EUR 500 a month for an SRL member and EUR 700 for an SA shareholder, for the whole permit. That makes EUR 6,000 on a 12-month permit (our computation). Renewal means must come from activity in Romania. From EUR 150,000 invested or 25 jobs, other lawful documents may prove the means. From EUR 200,000 or 50 jobs, you need no proof.

At the visa stage the conditions are assessed for each applicant separately, and the amounts rise with the number of applicants (art. 43(3)). At renewals, investment and jobs count in proportion to each person's stake in the company. A member who holds half the stake gets credit for half, on our reading of IGI's rule.

ARICE, the Romanian Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade, gives the technical opinion on a foreign investor's business plan (HG 153/2023 art. 3(2)(b) pt. 19). The opinion is valid 6 months from issue. The plan and its figures are yours. We assemble the documents and keep contact. ARICE's criteria, fee and term are not published on the pages we read.

The long-stay visa costs EUR 300 for applications from 27 April 2026 (EUR 120 before). The permit costs a consular fee of EUR 120, paid in the lei equivalent, plus 265 lei, VAT included, for the card. Check IGI's current fee sheet before paying. Our own fee is not in these figures. Pricing is on request.

A director without shares uses D/AS. This works only if you hold no shares in any Romanian legal person, now or in the last 2 years. It also needs the company to have contributed at least EUR 50,000 of capital or technology. Since 27 April 2026, no separate IGI work authorisation exists. The permit file names a valid mandate contract. For detail, see our foreign-administrator work-permit guide.

A foreigner with a right of stay in Romania counts as a sponsor for family reunification. Each family member's right of stay is extended individually, for the same period as the sponsor's. Our guide to residence permits for founders and employees sets out the detailed conditions. This page covers the founder's own file.