The legal side of a car in Romania is more paperwork than it looks. If your car is registered in another EU country, driving in Romania is simple for a visit. For a stay, a registration process begins that involves several offices, including one for technical approval, one for tax at the town hall and one for plates. Your licence, in contrast, is the easy part. Here is how it works.
Is your licence valid for driving in Romania?
A licence issued by an EU or EEA state is recognised in Romania. According to our fact sheet, you do not have to exchange it, except in particular cases: loss, theft, damage, an offence committed in Romania, or a lifelong licence if the authorities require exchange after two years of residence. At renewal, Romanian rules apply. For the general framework, see the European rules on mutual recognition of licences.
British and other non-EU licences are another story. We have not confirmed the exchange rules for them, so ask the licensing directorate (DGPCI) before you drive on a long stay. The context is in moving to Romania from the UK.
What do you need for driving in Romania with a foreign-registered car?
If you settle, you register the car. The steps below come from our fact sheet, and the RAR site was unreachable when we checked, so confirm each with the offices.
- Make an appointment at the RAR (Registrul Auto Român) with the car and its original foreign registration certificate. The RAR verifies authenticity and issues the vehicle identity book (cartea de identitate a vehiculului). For a car approved under the WLTP emission standard, which in general means after 31 August 2018, bring the manufacturer's certificate of conformity.
- Do the technical inspection (ITP) if yours is not valid.
- Get a VAT certificate from ANAF for intra-community purchase of vehicles, if you are not a VAT taxable person.
- Declare the car at the town hall, the local tax body of your home. The ownership document must carry the registration number in the local vehicles register.
- Take out RCA insurance, the compulsory third-party liability cover, in your name.
- File at the licensing and registration office of your county, with the documents below, and hand back the foreign plates.
- Buy the rovinieta before using national roads.
The order matters, because each office wants a document from the previous one, and a car that fails one step can stall for weeks. Moovy can make a checklist for your car, your country and your situation, and flag what needs checking at the RAR. It does not register vehicles and it is not a customs or tax adviser.
Which documents does the registration file need?
You need the registration request and a valid ID; the ownership document registered at the town hall (original and copy); the RAR identity book, a valid authenticity certificate and a valid technical inspection; proof of payment of the registration certificate (76 lei) and the plates, unless paid on the Ghișeul.ro portal; a copy of the RCA insurance in your name; the ANAF VAT certificate if the car came from another EU country; and the original foreign registration certificate and plates. If someone files for you, they need a notarised power of attorney.
A car without papers, or marked as for scrap in its country of origin, can be refused by the RAR. A typical example is a German Verwertungsnachweis. Do not buy a car without registration documents.
How much does the rovinieta cost when driving in Romania?
The rovinieta is compulsory for passenger cars on national roads. The price depends on the vehicle, its Euro class and the duration. For a passenger car, the official simulator of the road authority (CNAIR) showed the following on 20 October 2026.
| Duration | Euro 6 | Euro 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | 22 lei | 29 lei |
| 10 days | 30 lei | 39 lei |
| 30 days | 48 lei | 62 lei |
| 60 days | 76 lei | 99 lei |
| 12 months | 254 lei | 330 lei |
For Euro 1 to 5, check the simulator, since we have not noted those prices. Buy it before you set off. Driving a car on a national road without it is not allowed.
What about taxes and the cost of a car?
The registration certificate costs 76 lei, with plates and any chosen number on top. The RAR fees and the technical inspection charges are not confirmed in our sources. Each year you also pay a local tax on your vehicle to the town hall, and its amount depends on your municipality and on the vehicle. Ask your town hall or look at your tax notice. For the wider budget, see cost of living in Romania.
What are the common mistakes?
- Forgetting the town hall. Without the local registration number, the licensing office refuses the file.
- Rolling without a rovinieta.
- Buying a car without papers.
- Arriving with foreign plates and staying. After you settle, register.
- Ignoring the WLTP certificate if your car falls under it.
What changes depending on where you come from?
EU and EEA licences are recognised. For a car brought from outside the EU, customs clearance is added and the ANAF VAT certificate is not requested in that case. British readers should read the section above about licences and check with the DGPCI.
How long can you keep foreign plates when driving in Romania?
This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is that our sources do not give the legal deadline for registering a car after you arrive. The fact sheet marks it "to be confirmed". What we do know is the logic: a visitor drives a foreign-registered car, and a resident registers it. If you settle, treat the registration as part of your first weeks and ask the licensing directorate of your county what the current deadline is before your stay lengthens. For the broader sequence of first steps, the moving to Romania guide gives the order in which offices ask for documents.
Which rovinieta should you buy for a short trip?
The rule is simple: pick the duration that matches your plans, and compare the options in the price table above or, for your vehicle's Euro class, in the official simulator of the road authority (CNAIR). You buy it from the official portal of the road authority (CNAIR) or from distributors, before you set off, and you should check that the registration plate number on the receipt is the one on your car.
What does it involve to keep a car in Romania each year?
Three recurring items. The first is the road vignette. The second is the compulsory RCA liability insurance, which must be in your name for the registration file; our sources give no price for it, so ask for quotes. The third is the local vehicle tax paid to the town hall, in two instalments on 31 March and 30 September like other local taxes, with a possible discount for paying early if your municipality offers one. The amount depends on the municipality and the vehicle. The periodic technical inspection (ITP) is the fourth, and its fee is also not in our sources.
What comes next?
Driving papers depend on your address and residence, so do them after the steps in moving to Romania: the first-weeks guide. Fees and procedures change, so confirm them with the RAR, the DGPCI and your town hall before you start.