Changes regarding foreign access to the Romanian labour market: GEO No. 32/2026

Key takeaways

Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026 (“GEO No. 32/2026”) introduces new rules concerning foreign nationals’ access to the Romanian labour market. The new measures include:

• the introduction of the obligation for employers and placement agencies to register and obtain authorisation for employing foreign nationals in Romania through the electronic platform “WorkinRomania.gov.ro”;

• the establishment of the conditions required for authorisation and registration, depending on the type of applicant, the foreign national’s occupation and qualifications, and the methods of recruitment and hiring;

• the introduction of long-stay employment visas, differentiated according to the type of worker – D/AM1 visa for highly skilled workers (also applicable to other special categories provided by law) and D/AM2 visa for permanent workers, as well as for seasonal and cross-border workers employed in activities included in the shortage occupations list;

• the introduction of a single application for long-stay employment visas through the “WorkinRomania.gov.ro” platform, alongside the elimination of employment permits and secondment permits;

• regulation of the activity of foreign worker placement agencies;

• amendments to GEO No. 194/2002 on the regime for foreigners in Romania to reflect the new changes regarding the employment of foreign nationals;

• amendments to the Labour Code;

• repeal of Title I of Government Ordinance (GO) No. 25/2014 regarding the employment and secondment of foreign nationals in Romania.

We outline below the main changes introduced by GEO No. 32/2026.

In detail

According to GEO No. 32/2026, the procedure for employing foreign nationals in Romania may be initiated through the electronic platform “WorkinRomania.gov.ro” (the “electronic platform”), within the hub.mai.gov system, by persons registered or authorised for this purpose, only under the following conditions:

• The occupation for which employment is requested is included in the “List of shortage occupations”, which will be approved by order of the Minister of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity within 45 days following the publication of GEO No. 32/2026 in the Official Gazette; or

• The individual to be employed falls within the categories of workers eligible for the long-stay employment visa of D/AM1, such as highly skilled workers.

By repealing GO No. 25/2014 as of the entry into force of GEO No. 32/2026, the obligation to obtain employment permits and secondment permits is eliminated. As a result, initiating the employment process in Romania entails applying for a long-stay visa of type D/AM1 or D/AM2, submitted either by the employer registered or authorised for this purpose, or by a foreign placement agency authorised by the National Agency for Employment, in accordance with GEO No. 32/2026.

In the case of seconded workers and those in information and communication technology, GEO No. 32/2026 provides for a simplified procedure for obtaining the right to work and reside in Romania, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria.

Registration and authorisation of employers

According to GEO No. 32/2026, to employ foreign nationals in Romania, employers must register or obtain authorisation, as applicable, on the electronic platform and are required to meet all the conditions set out in GEO No. 32/2026.

Employer registration

The obligation to register on the electronic platform applies to:

• employers intending to hire workers under the D/AM1 visa category, such as highly skilled workers;

• employers intending to hire workers under the D/AM2 visa category, such as permanent workers for occupations included on the List of shortage occupations, through foreign worker placement services provided by a placement agency authorised by the National Agency for Employment, in accordance with GEO No. 32/2026.

Employer authorisation

Employers intending to hire permanent, seasonal or cross-border foreign workers in accordance with the List of shortage occupations, and within the quota of newly admitted workers to the labour market (i.e. D/AM2 visa), without entering into a service agreement with a foreign worker placement agency, are required to obtain authorisation and must follow the National Agency for Employment authorisation procedure.

To obtain authorisation, the employer must meet various conditions, including:

• no outstanding obligations to the consolidated general budget;

• no record in the fiscal record of offences sanctioned under tax, accounting, customs or financial discipline legislation;

• effective and uninterrupted economic activity for at least 24 months prior to submitting the authorisation application;

• an average of at least 50 employees in the previous year;

• in the year prior to submitting the authorisation application, the employer must have employed foreign nationals of whom no more than 20% have had their long-stay visa cancelled or revoked;

• provision of a financial guarantee of EUR 1,000 per foreign national, corresponding to the number of foreign nationals for whom authorisation is requested.

Authorisation of foreign worker placement agencies

A foreign worker placement agency may provide placement services exclusively for occupations included on the List of shortage occupations and based on firm job offers submitted by registered employers.

For the purpose of providing such placement services, the agency must first obtain a specific authorisation issued by the National Agency for Employment. The issuance of the authorisation is subject to meeting certain conditions set out in GEO No. 32/2026.

A financial guarantee must also be provided, determined based on the number of foreign nationals to be placed, as follows:

• EUR 75,000 (equivalent in RON) for up to 250 foreign workers placed;

• EUR 50,000 (equivalent in RON) for each additional tranche of 250 foreign workers placed.

The authorisation granted under GEO No. 32/2026 is valid for two years and may be extended for successive additional two-year periods.

The single application

GEO No. 32/2026 introduces the concept of the “single application”. This is an application completed and submitted via the electronic platform, together with the relevant supporting documentation, as follows:

• by the registered employer, for obtaining a long-stay employment visa of type D/AM1, applicable to categories of workers falling within the scope of this visa, including highly skilled workers;

• by the authorised placement agency or by the authorised employer, as applicable, for obtaining a long-stay visa of type D/AM2, applicable to permanent, seasonal or cross-border workers.

The electronic platform “WorkinRomania.gov.ro”

The electronic platform is developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the purpose of implementing the provisions of GEO No. 32/2026.

Among the functions of this platform, we highlight:

• Registration of employers employing foreign nationals in Romania and their inclusion in the Register of Employers of Foreign Nationals.

• Submission of authorisation requests for foreign worker placement agencies, as well as requests for extension of authorisation validity, and the registration of authorised placement agencies in the Register of Placement Agencies for Foreign Nationals.

• Submission by legal entities of authorisation requests to act as employers hiring foreign nationals without entering into a service agreement with a placement agency, and their inclusion in the Register of Authorised Employers.

• Submission by employers of single applications for foreign nationals.

• Submission by placement agencies, on behalf of employers, of single applications for placed foreign nationals.

• Publication of the List of shortage occupations.

• Collection of data regarding the placement activity carried out by placement agencies, as well as the activity of authorised employers.

• Monitoring the activity of placement agencies and authorised employers.

Other aspects and transitional provisions

Until 7 August 2026, the provisions of GEO No. 32/2026 regarding the granting and extension of the right of residence for employment purposes based on a single application will apply exclusively to the implementation of employer registration procedures, the authorisation of foreign worker placement agencies and for testing the functionality of the electronic platform.

Applications for employment or secondment permits submitted prior to 27 April 2026, as well as appointments scheduled before that date, will be processed in accordance with the legislation and procedures applicable prior to the entry into force of GEO No. 32/2026.

Applications for the granting of long-term residence rights submitted until 31 December 2026 will be processed in accordance with the legislation applicable prior to the entry into force of GEO No. 32/2026.

Within 30 days following the entry into force of GEO No. 32/2026, an order of the Minister of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity will be issued approving the standard templates for:

• the service agreement between the foreign worker placement agency and the registered employer, setting out the rights and obligations of the parties and including the firm job offer;

• the placement agreement, which is a tripartite civil contract concluded between the placement agency, the registered employer and the foreign national, both in Romanian and in the language of the foreign national’s country of origin;

• the individual employment contract of the foreign national concluded between the employer and the employee.

As of 27 April 2026, the date of entry into force of GEO No. 32/2026, Title I of Government Ordinance No. 25/2014 on the employment and secondment of foreign nationals in Romania has been repealed.

Amendments to the Labour Code

In addition to establishing a new administrative framework governing foreign nationals’ access to the Romanian labour market, Article 46 of GEO No. 32/2026 also introduces amendments to the Labour Code, aimed at aligning the general rules on the conclusion and performance of employment contracts with the special regime applicable to foreign employees.

The main amendments include:

• The introduction of the obligation that the individual employment contract of a foreign employee must be concluded both in Romanian and in the language of the employee’s country of origin or in an internationally used language understood by the employee.

• The possibility of hiring a foreign employee without presenting a medical certificate at the signing of the employment contract if it is obtained no later than the date of commencement of employment.

• The reformulation of Article 36 of the Labour Code, clarifying that foreigners and stateless persons may be employed in Romania under the conditions provided by special legislation.

• The introduction of two new cases of termination by operation of law of the employment contract, namely in the event of the single application being rejected and if the General Inspectorate for Immigration identifies an illegal stay.

• The introduction of an administrative fine of RON 6,000 for each employment contract concluded solely in Romanian (breach of the new obligation provided under Article 16).

In practice, these changes require employers to review their contractual documentation and internal procedures applicable to foreign employees.

[Source: Government Emergency Ordinance No. 32/2026 on foreign nationals’ access to the Romanian labour market, as well as for the amendment and supplementation of certain normative acts, published in the Official Gazette No. 335 dated 27 April 2026]