Romania's work permit and long-stay visa system changed on 8 August 2026, when the government's new digital platform, WorkinRomania.gov.ro, went live after a test period that ran through 7 August. The platform replaces a fragmented, paper-heavy process with a single online system for work permit applications, long-stay visas, and employer registrations — but it also introduces new visa categories, new employer classifications, and a narrower route for non-EU secondments that employers need to account for immediately.
What Has Changed
The reform, first published in Romania's Official Gazette on 27 April 2026, restructures the work authorisation system around two visa types:
- D/AM1 visa — for highly qualified and special-category roles, including Moldovan, Ukrainian, and Serbian citizens, sportsmen, and academic staff. This category is not subject to quotas or a shortage occupation list.
- D/AM2 visa — for general labour, subject to an annual quota and a shortage occupation list.
Employers are also now split into two categories that determine which routes they can access:
- Registered employers, who can access D/AM1 visas.
- Authorised employers, who can access D/AM2 visas directly. To hire directly for D/AM2 roles without going through an agency, a company must show an average of at least 50 employees over the preceding year and at least 24 months of activity.
Previously, all employers went through the same procedure — a single work authorisation and long-stay visa process — regardless of size or hiring volume. Access now depends on the employer's registration status as much as the individual application.
The reform also narrows the definition of a "seconded employee." Third-country nationals can no longer enter Romania's labour market through a posting arrangement originating outside the EU or EEA. The concept of secondment is now limited to non-EU nationals seconded to Romania by an employer established in an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland. For everyone else previously relying on a classical non-EU posting, intra-company transfer (ICT) is now the only available route, provided the intra-group and eligibility conditions are met.
Applications submitted before the new system took effect continue to be processed under the previous rules. Family reunification residence permit applications are unaffected and still require in-person processing outside WorkinRomania.
What This Means for HR and Mobility Teams
For companies currently employing or planning to bring non-EU staff into Romania, three things change in practice:
- Route eligibility now depends on employer status, not just the individual case. HR teams should confirm whether their entity qualifies as a "registered" or "authorised" employer before submitting a new application, since this determines which visa type is even available.
- Postings from outside the EU/EEA need restructuring. Any company relying on a classical posting arrangement from a non-EU jurisdiction into Romania should review those cases now. The options are an ICT transfer (if intra-group conditions are met) or a direct local employment contract under D/AM1 or D/AM2.
- Expect early friction on the platform itself. Because WorkinRomania only went live on 8 August after a short test window, the exact list of supporting documents and contract templates is still being finalised by the authorities. Early filers should expect additional document requests and evolving procedural expectations until the system stabilises.
The D/AM2 shortage occupation list — which determines quota-based eligibility for general labour roles — is expected imminently; employers hiring into non-specialist roles should track its publication closely, as it will directly affect whether a D/AM2 application can proceed.
Action Steps
- Confirm your entity's employer classification (registered vs. authorised) before filing any new Romania work permit application.
- Audit any current non-EU postings into Romania and identify which need to convert to ICT or direct employment.
- Build in extra processing time for applications filed in the weeks immediately following the 8 August launch.
- Track publication of the D/AM2 shortage occupation list if you hire for non-specialist roles.
- Confirm bilingual employment contract and worker mobility limit requirements are reflected in your current templates, as these are now mandatory under the reform.
At xpath.global, our Romania immigration team is filing under the new WorkinRomania system now, tracking the platform's evolving document requirements in real time so clients aren't the ones absorbing early-stage delays or reclassification issues. Whether you have an existing posting that needs restructuring or new hires in the pipeline, our specialists manage the full D/AM1 and D/AM2 process end to end.
From employer classification to D/AM1 and D/AM2 filings and ICT restructuring, our Romania specialists handle the full process end to end.
Speak to our Romania immigration team
