The two most used resident permits are temporary and permanent stay permits. Like their name implies, the main difference between the two is how long the visitor intends to stay in Romania.
Temporary
All foreign nationals need to apply for a temporary residence permit if they plan to stay in Romania for 120 days or more. It is required that foreigners, before making the trip, contact the office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the area in which they plan to reside to make sure they will be able to get the temporary residence permit.
Permanent
Residency in Romania is approved by the head of the Office for Immigration. Foreigners may establish their residence in Romania if they simultaneously meet the following conditions:
- A temporary legal stay and continuous for at least
- Three years, in the cases of foreign citizens married with Romanian citizens
- Six years for the other categories.
During this entire period, it is also necessary to have acquired the following means of support
- At least the level of the monthly average salary (only applicable to foreign citizens married to Romanian citizens)
- A place to live
- Proficiency in speaking Romanian
The application for establishing residence in Romania needs to be personally submitted to the territorial units of the Office for Immigration. This application should be filed in Romanian, and needs to be accompanied by the following documents:
- Notarized copies of Civil Status Documents
- A State border crossing document, an original and a copy
- Supporting documents regarding the living situation, an original and a copy
- Documents proving the means of support
- A criminal record certificate or other document of the same legal value issued by the authorities from the country of origin or by the Romanian authorities
- A medical certificate issued by a public or private medical institution proving there is no disease endangering public health
- Proof of medical insurance
Once a residence request is approved, it is required that the foreign citizen return to the place where the application was filed, to receive the permanent stay permit. The permit begins when residence was established and ends after 5 years. After this, the permit may be renewed for the same time duration.