Foreign citizens who want to travel to Romania for a short period of time and are nationals of a state for which a visa is required must obtain a short stay visa.

The short stay visa allows foreign citizens to apply for entry into Romania, for reasons other than immigration, for an uninterrupted stay or several stays whose duration does not exceed 90 days during any period of 180 days preceding each day of stay on the territory of Romania. This type of visa may be issued with one or more entries.

In the case of foreigners who travel frequently in Romania, for business-cooperation relations, at the request of central administrative authorities or companies with high economic and financial capacity, the short-stay visa with multiple entries can be granted for a period of one year and, exceptionally, for a period of up to 5 years. And in these situations, the duration of the stay cannot exceed 90 days during any period of 180 days preceding each day of stay in Romania. 

The travel document of the foreign citizen in which the visa is to be applied must meet the following requirements: its validity must exceed the validity of the requested visa by at least 3 months and have been issued in the last 10 years.

The short-stay visa is granted to foreign citizens in the following cases:

1) mission;

2) tourism;

3) visit;

4) business;

5) transport;

6) sports activities;

7) cultural, scientific, humanitarian activities, short-term medical treatment or other activities that do not contradict the Romanian laws – under the conditions of justification of the presence in Romania.

Among the states whose citizens need a visa to enter Romania there are some for whose citizens it is necessary to obtain an invitation approved by the General Inspectorate for Immigration.

The invitation can be made by an individual or legal person, Romanian or foreign citizen residing in Romania. This invitation must be endorsed by the General Inspectorate for Immigration.

The invitation, accompanied by a series of documents, depending on the purpose, shall be  completed in two copies and submitted to the headquarters of the territorial units of the General Inspectorate for Immigration for approval. The invitation shall be approved within 45 days from the date of submission, with the possibility of extending the term by 15 days in justified cases.

The guest, individual or legal person shall bear the expenses occasioned by the removal from the territory of Romania of the invited foreigners. The invitation is an enforceable title in case the invited foreigner does not leave Romania until the date on which the right of residence established by the visa ceases.

If approved, a copy of the invitation will be handed to the guest, who will send it to the foreign citizen. The foreign citizen will present the invitation, in original, to the diplomatic mission or to the consular office, accompanied by the other documents, to obtain the Romanian visa. You will have to apply for the visa within 30 days of the invitation approval, otherwise it will lose its validity.

There are certain categories of people for whom it is not necessary to obtain the invitation approved by the General Inspectorate for Immigration, such as: 

– the minor foreigner whose parent is a beneficiary of refugee status or has subsidiary protection or is in possession of a residence permit in Romania, provided that it is valid for at least 90 days from the date of granting the entry visa; 

– the husband/wife and the parents of the foreigner beneficiary of the refugee status or who has subsidiary protection or who is in possession of a residence permit in Romania, provided that it is valid for at least 90 days from the date of granting the entry visa; 

– the foreign national (over 18 years) whose parent is a Romanian citizen; and

– foreigner, parent of a Roman citizen.

The right of residence on the territory of Romania, which is conferred by the short-stay visa, cannot be extended. However, if, for objective reasons, the foreign citizen cannot leave the territory of Romania within the term granted by the visa, the foreign citizen may obtain a return decision from the territorial units of the General Inspectorate for Immigration.

Author: Atty. Felicia Cioflan