The first thing you notice on the arrivals board in Bucharest is not the language. It is the currency: prices are in lei, not euros, and the sums look bigger than they are. That small shock sets the tone for moving to Romania: a European Union country with free movement for you, but with its own paperwork, its own office names and a fair amount of counter work. This guide gives you the order of operations for your first weeks, and sends you to the detailed guides when a step deserves more space.
What do you need to know before moving to Romania?
As a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you do not need a visa or a work permit. You arrive with a valid identity card or passport and you can stay three months without any formality. After that, you have to register your residence. Romanian law treats Swiss citizens like EU citizens for this, according to the immigration office.
Two practical points before you pack. The leu is the currency, and a good part of the administration still works with originals, photocopies and, for foreign documents, translations into Romanian by an authorised translator. Allow time for that. Romania is also a full member of the Schengen area since 1 January 2025, so you no longer expect a passport check when you arrive from another Schengen country by road.
Which steps come first when moving to Romania?
The sequence below is the one that causes the fewest loops. It follows the order of dependencies: each office asks for something the previous one gave you.
- Find a place to live and get a written lease. You need an address for almost everything. See renting in Romania for the rules.
- Register your residence at the IGI before the end of your third month. The same day, you receive a certificate de înregistrare with your cod numeric personal (CNP). The details are in residence in Romania for EU citizens.
- Use your CNP as your tax number. If you owe tax in Romania before you have it, the tax authority (ANAF) can give you a provisional NIF. The distinction is explained in the guide to the Romania CNP number.
- Sort out health cover. Employees are insured through payroll. Pensioners register an S1. Others pay the health contribution themselves.
- Open a bank account, ideally once you hold your certificate.
- Register with a family doctor (medic de familie), who is your entry point to specialists.
If your case does not fit the standard path, for example you work remotely for a foreign employer, you are moving with children, or you are retired, the order of steps can change. Moovy can walk you through your own sequence and list the documents for each office. It prepares the files; you present them yourself.
Which offices will you deal with?
Romania splits the work across several bodies, and learning their initials saves a lot of confusion.
- IGI (Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări), the immigration office, in the county where you live. It issues your registration certificate.
- ANAF, the tax administration, for your tax number, your annual return and your online account, the Spațiul Privat Virtual.
- CNAS and the county health insurance houses (CAS), for your insured status and your health card.
- The town hall (primăria), for local taxes on property and cars.
- ONRC, the trade register, if you start a business.
Many of these still work in person, sometimes with an appointment, and the trade register stopped taking cash at its counters on 15 October 2026, so payments now go through the portal, a payment kiosk, a postal order or a bank transfer. Bring originals and copies of everything. Forms and websites are mostly in Romanian, although the IGI publishes some information in English.
How do you cover your health from day one?
Your European card covers medically necessary care during a temporary stay. It is not meant for people who live in Romania. Once you settle, your cover comes from your situation: an employer who declares you, an S1 form from the country that pays your pension, or a health contribution you pay yourself. The CNAS pages and our guide to healthcare in Romania explain who falls into which category. Do not rely on a travel insurance policy for your residence file either, since the IGI expects public cover or a private policy covering at least what the Romanian public system covers.
What about money, tax and the cost of the move?
Plan your finances in lei. The EURES portal gave a minimum gross wage of 4,325 lei a month from 1 July 2026, about €850 at the time, and an average gross wage of 9,272 lei in February 2026. For rent and daily prices, read the cost of living in Romania.
On tax, the rate of income tax for individuals is 10% in 2026, and an employee also pays pension and health contributions through payroll. If you become tax resident, which can happen as soon as your home is in Romania, you declare your income worldwide. Ask ANAF how the rules apply to your case.
Which mistakes slow people down?
- Missing the three-month limit. Not registering in time is an administrative offence with a fine. The exact current amount should be checked at the IGI, as the text we could read is old.
- Coming without photocopies. Counters expect copies. Carry a small folder.
- Treating the euro as the local currency. Prices, rent and fines are in lei.
- Skipping the doctor registration. Without a family doctor you do not use your insured status properly.
- Planning an appointment around Orthodox Easter. Offices close on dates that differ from Western Europe. See living in Romania.
What does a realistic timeline look like?
People often ask how long the whole thing takes. The honest answer is that the legal deadline is generous and the practical one is not. You have three months before the registration becomes compulsory, but your lease, your bank and your health cover all work better once you hold the certificate, so most newcomers go to the IGI within the first weeks. The certificate itself is issued the same day, according to the immigration office, provided your file is complete. If a document is missing, the office gives you up to 30 days to supply it, so a missing translation costs you a second trip, not a refusal.
A workable rhythm looks like this. In week one, you sign the lease and gather your documents, with translations ordered early because an authorised translator can take a few days. In weeks two to four, you register at the IGI, then open the bank account and tell your employer or the tax office your CNP. In the second month, you register with a family doctor and check that your insured status shows up on the CNAS verification page. In the third month, you take stock: do you owe tax, do you need a tax residence questionnaire, and does your phone contract, your electricity and your internet carry the right name? None of this is difficult. It is simply sequential, and each step unlocks the next.
What if you are moving to Romania with a job already lined up?
An employer makes the first weeks much easier. A Romanian employer registers you in the general register of employees, withholds your tax and contributions, and gives you the employment certificate the IGI asks for. If you work for a foreign company while living in Romania, nobody does this for you and you must declare and pay your own tax, month by month. That difference is why the same move feels simple for one person and demanding for another. Read working in Romania if you have a contract, and ask ANAF which regime applies if you plan to work for yourself.
Where do you go from here?
Pick the city first, because it drives rent and the county office you will use: best places to live in Romania compares Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Brașov and Timișoara. Then follow the order above. Rules and fees change, so confirm each step with the office concerned before you travel.