The Romanian Digital Nomad Visa Requirements and Income Mechanism

Romania Digital Nomad Visa Income Threshold 2025: the Mechanism, Not the Number

Your application lives or dies on one number, and that number moves every month. The threshold is 3 times the Romanian average gross monthly salary, published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). For 2025, the average gross salary was 8,585 RON per month. That sets the 2026 threshold band at 25,755 RON per month. Do not use a figure you memorised last year. Check the INS publication or the consulate's website on the day you apply. The consulate uses the most recent published average, and quoting a stale number gets your file rejected before anyone reads further.

Who This Visa is for and Who Skips it

Eligibility at a Glance

This long-stay visa, symbol D/AS, is for non-EU, EEA, or Swiss nationals who want to stay in Romania beyond 90 days in any 180-day period. As of January 1, 2025, Romania is fully inside the Schengen zone. Your 90-day Schengen clock now counts time in Romania alongside all other Schengen states.

If you hold an EU, EEA, or Swiss passport, you do not need this visa. You need a registration certificate after 90 days instead.

Who Qualifies as a Digital Nomad

The visa is designed for remote workers employed by or running a company registered outside Romania. Freelancers with multiple clients must prove a registered business entity, not just a collection of invoices.

Dependants, meaning a spouse and minor children, can apply for family reunification only after you have obtained your residence permit. They cannot join the initial visa submission. Each dependant requires proof of an additional 1 times the average gross monthly salary on top of your own threshold.

Required Documents: What You Hand Over and Why it Gets Rejected

The Core Paperwork

Files fail most often on incomplete documents, income below the threshold, or unverified employer status. Submit an employment contract from a company registered outside Romania, or proof of your own company registered abroad. Attach bank statements showing the required monthly income for the last 6 consecutive months.

Your health insurance must cover the entire Romanian stay with a minimum of 30,000 EUR in coverage. Provide a clean criminal record from your country of residence or nationality, translated into Romanian and legalised or apostilled.

Accommodation and Fees

Accommodation proof means a rental contract, property deed, or a hotel or hostel booking that covers your intended stay. The visa fee in 2026 is 120 EUR, paid in Romanian lei at the consulate. The residence permit card fee is 259 RON, paid after you arrive and submit your file to the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) within 30 days of entry.

The Application Process in Procedural Steps

Stage One: The Visa

You submit the visa request at a Romanian embassy or consulate in your country of residence or nationality. The consulate has up to 60 days to process it from the date you submit a complete file. The visa itself is valid for 90 days, single or multiple entry, and is marked D/AS.

Stage Two: The Residence Permit

Within 30 days of arriving in Romania, you must apply to the IGI for a residence permit. The IGI has up to 30 days to process that submission. The permit is valid for 1 year and is renewable. To renew, you repeat the income proof and health insurance requirements, using the INS average gross salary figure in force at the time of renewal.

Common Rejection Cases and What They Look Like

The most frequent rejection reason is incomplete documents. A missing translation or missing apostille on a criminal record stops your file at the consulate before any income check happens.

The second most common is income below the threshold. This happens when a freelancer submits client invoices instead of a registered company proof, or when bank statements show an average below 3 times the INS figure across the full 6 months. Unverified employer status triggers a rejection if the consulate cannot confirm your employer exists as a registered entity in its home country. A criminal record with unresolved issues, or health insurance that does not meet the 30,000 EUR minimum, also ends the process.

The single thing that most often goes wrong is attempting to submit a single client contract when the consulate interprets it as employment with a Romanian company. That disqualifies you from the digital nomad designation. If your client is a Romanian entity, you are not a digital nomad under this visa.

What to Do Next

Go to the INS website. Find the most recent average gross salary publication for the month before you intend to apply, then multiply it by 3. That is your income target. Do not use a number from any blog or forum. Use the official INS publication. Then check your 6 months of bank statements against that figure before you pay the consulate fee.