For decades, a Briton could land in Bucharest, find a flat and register at the immigration office with an ID card. Since Brexit, moving to Romania from the UK follows another path: that of a third-country national. Romania remains an easy country to enjoy, but the paperwork is heavier, and the rule depends on one date, 31 December 2020. This guide explains where you fall, what to apply for, and where the fact sheets we rely on call for caution. Scottish readers are in the same position as the rest of the UK.
Which rules apply when moving to Romania from the UK?
There are two groups. The first lived in Romania before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. They keep rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. The second, which includes everyone arriving now, falls under the national immigration rules for foreigners.
If you belong to the second group, you cannot simply register as an EU citizen would. The residence registration certificate described in residence in Romania for EU citizens is for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals and their families. As a British citizen you apply for a visa and then a permit.
How long can you stay without a visa?
A British passport lets you visit the Schengen area, which includes Romania since 1 January 2025, for up to 90 days in any period of 180 days, without a visa. EU regulation 2019/592 sets this visa-free regime for UK nationals. The 90 days count across all Schengen countries together, so a winter in Spain counts against a summer in Romania.
That rule is for visits. To live in Romania, work or study, you need a long-stay visa, applied for before you travel, and then a permis de ședere (residence permit) issued by the IGI. The type of visa depends on your purpose: work, study, family reunion or other grounds listed in Romanian law. The Romanian embassy or consulate in the UK tells you which applies and what documents they want.
What does the residence permit cost for moving to Romania from the UK?
The IGI publishes a short fee sheet. For a residence permit it lists a consular fee of 120 euros, paid in the equivalent in lei, and 259 lei for the permit itself. These figures come from a page updated in June 2025, so check them before you pay. Documents in English normally need an authorised translation into Romanian. Your CNP, the personal number described in the Romania CNP number guide, is written on the permit. Until you have it, ANAF can give you a NIF for tax purposes if you have an obligation, for example when you buy property.
Visa categories, appointment slots and the order of documents are where British applicants most often lose weeks. Moovy can explain which route matches your reason for moving and prepare your checklist for the embassy and the IGI. It does not submit applications or sign anything for you.
What if you lived in Romania before 31 December 2020?
You are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, provided you meet the conditions of Romanian ordinance 204/2020. The IGI says beneficiaries can ask for recognition of a right of permanent residence. The key warning is the timing: the request must be submitted while your temporary residence permit is still valid, so that your status stays continuous. The page gives no fixed date, which is why you should not wait for the last week.
The IGI also notes that UK students who were enrolled and moved to Romania before the end of 2020 can register under the same ordinance, proving continuous residence with any evidence of physical presence. If you are in this position and unsure, go to the IGI office in your county and ask for help. Staff can assist people who need support with the application and documents.
How does healthcare work for British residents?
The CNAS accepts the UK-issued card for medically necessary care during a temporary stay. When you move, the logic changes. The GOV.UK guidance, last updated in October 2022, explains that you register with the county health insurance house (CAS) after registering as a resident. If you are employed, your employer registers you and contributions come out of your salary. If you are self-employed, you declare income to ANAF, pay contributions and then register. If you receive a UK State Pension, you can ask for an S1 from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services, register it in Romania and be treated as an insured person at the UK's expense.
That page is more than four years old, so confirm your case with the CNAS or your county health insurance house. Our guide to healthcare in Romania for expats covers the system itself.
What about work, property and everyday money?
- Work: you need a permit that allows work, unless you are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement. Check with the IGI before you accept a job. Self-employment also requires a residence title that allows the activity.
- Property: non-Europeans can face restrictions on land under the Constitution and the law. Apartments are a different matter from agricultural land, but ask a notary before you sign. See buying property in Romania.
- Bank: the European right to a basic account applies to legal residents of the EU. Without EU residence you have no such right, and each bank decides. See bank account in Romania.
- Tax: the tax rules are the same for you as for anyone else, based on residence. Only the right to stay differs.
- Driving: the rules for exchanging a UK licence were not confirmed in our sources; ask the DGPCI. See driving in Romania.
What mistakes do British newcomers make?
- Counting days badly. Visits to other Schengen countries count in your 90 days.
- Assuming a UK card means cover for life. It is for temporary stays.
- Waiting too long to ask for permanent residence if you lived here before 2021.
- Translating nothing. Documents in English need an authorised translation.
- Relying on old advice. Much of what circulates in forums dates from the transition period.
What is a realistic plan for moving to Romania from the UK?
Think in three stages. Before you leave, decide your legal basis, because the visa and the permit depend on it: a job offer, a place at a university, family ties or independent means. Contact the Romanian embassy or consulate about the visa category and the documents, and start your translations, since an authorised translator in Romania is needed for many foreign documents. If you plan to buy, the notary and the tax number are the first contacts; see buying property in Romania.
On arrival, you apply for the residence permit at the IGI within the period set by your visa, pay the consular fee and the permit fee, and receive a permit that carries your CNP. Then you follow the same sequence as other newcomers: a lease, a bank account, health cover and the tax office, as in the moving to Romania guide. In the following months, keep track of your permit's expiry date and of the renewal rules, which the IGI sets.
Throughout, remember that moving to Romania from the UK is not one procedure but a chain, and the weakest link is usually the first: the visa category. A wrongly chosen category can cost weeks, so ask before you pay.
What should you keep from your life in the UK?
Several UK documents travel with you. Keep your State Pension record if you will claim an S1, your national insurance number, your UK tax documents and evidence of your income. If you work or invest in both countries, find out how the tax treaty between the UK and Romania applies to you and ask ANAF or an accountant, since our sources do not detail it. Keep proof of the date you first lived in Romania if you arrived before 2021, because the Withdrawal Agreement rights depend on continuous residence, which the IGI says you can prove with any evidence of physical presence.
Where to start?
Decide your legal basis first: work, study, family, or independent means. Then contact the Romanian embassy or consulate, and keep the moving to Romania guide at hand for the steps that follow your arrival. Rules and fees change, so check them with the IGI before you apply.