Ask any long-term resident which thirteen-digit number matters most in Romania and you will get the same answer. The Romania CNP number, the cod numeric personal, turns up on your lease, your payslip, your bank forms and your health card. It is the personal identifier of the Romanian state, and for an EU citizen who settles, it also doubles as the tax number. This guide explains how you get it, what to do if you need a number before you have it, and how the provisional tax number, the NIF, fits in.
What is a CNP and why does Romania use it?
The CNP identifies you for the tax authority (ANAF), the pension and health systems, your employer and your bank. Where other countries have a separate social security number and a separate tax number, Romania uses the CNP for both when you live in the country.
A second number exists for people who have not been given a CNP: the număr de identificare fiscală, NIF. It is a tax-only number. ANAF allocates it when you have a tax obligation in Romania, such as a salary, rental income or a property purchase, but no CNP. Think of the NIF as a temporary bridge and the CNP as the destination.
How do EU citizens get a Romania CNP number?
If you settle, the route is built into the residence registration. According to the immigration office, a person registered by the IGI receives a CNP, which is printed on the certificate de înregistrare, and the certificate is issued the same day. You do not have to apply separately. The registration procedure is described in residence in Romania for EU citizens.
Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland follow this route. Cross-border workers can also receive a CNP without a residence document, according to our fact sheet.
When do you need a NIF instead?
Sometimes you need a number before you have the certificate: you sign a job contract, you buy a flat, you open a bank account or you receive rent. In those cases ANAF gives you a NIF, and who files the request depends on the situation.
- Employee: your Romanian employer registers you with its tax office.
- Bank: when you open an account without a Romanian tax number, the bank sends the NIF request to ANAF itself.
- Notary: for a notarised deed such as a property purchase.
- Trade register (ONRC): if you become a partner or manager of a company.
- You: in other cases, with form 030.
If you are not sure which route fits, the answer changes if you are settling, investing from abroad or starting work next week. Moovy can look at your situation and tell you which of these routes applies and which papers to bring. It does not obtain the number for you; you or the institution do that.
What does the CNP actually look like, and who sees it?
The CNP has thirteen digits. It encodes your sex and century of birth, your date of birth, a county code and a serial number, which is why Romanians read it as a sort of identity code. For a newcomer, what matters is the practical side: it appears on your registration certificate, it goes on your employment contract, it is asked for by your bank, by the family doctor and by utilities when they put a contract in your name. Treat it like a social security number. Give it to institutions and employers, not to a stranger who offers to sort out paperwork for a fee.
A word of caution about intermediaries. The official pages we checked present the Romania CNP number as part of the registration and the NIF as free of stamp duty. An agent may legitimately save you time, for instance with translations or a power of attorney, but you should know what you are paying for. If someone quotes a price for "your NIF", ask what the fee covers.
How do you file form 030 yourself?
Form 030 is the registration declaration for individuals who do not hold a CNP. ANAF's guidance for non-residents gives these steps.
- Fill in the form in two copies, in capital letters.
- Submit it at the competent tax office counter, by registered letter, or online through the Spațiul Privat Virtual (SPV, ANAF's personal online space) as a PDF attachment. A representative can also do it.
- Collect your certificate. ANAF issues the fiscal registration certificate with your NIF within 10 days of your filing, according to article 87 of the tax procedure code.
- Swap it for the CNP later. When you get a CNP, ANAF replaces the NIF and transfers your tax history.
Documents: the form, a valid ID (an EU national card or a passport is accepted), a document that justifies the request (a work contract, a lease or a sworn statement of the reason) and, if someone files for you, a power of attorney. Documents in another language need a translation by an authorised translator.
How long do you have, and what does it cost?
The registration with the form 030 must be filed within 30 days of your first income in Romania or of the event that creates the obligation. A change, such as a new address, must be declared within 15 days. ANAF issues the certificate within 10 days of filing.
The cost is zero. The fiscal registration certificate carries no stamp duty under article 87 of the procedure code, and the IGI publishes no fee for the CNP. You only pay for translations by an authorised translator.
What are the common mistakes?
- Asking for a NIF when you are about to get a CNP. If you settle, the IGI gives you the CNP directly. The NIF is for the waiting period or for people who do not live in Romania.
- Filing late. A late form 030 is an offence punished with a fine of 500 to 1,000 lei, and since 29 January 2023 it is also recorded on your cazier fiscal, your tax record.
- Using the wrong form. Form 030 is for people without a CNP who do not pursue an independent activity or a liberal profession. If you work for yourself, ask ANAF for the right form.
- Forgetting translations. ANAF keeps the Romanian translation in your file and returns the originals.
- Thinking amounts are in euros. Tax and fines are due in lei.
What happens to the number if you leave or change status?
Your CNP stays with you. If you move from employee to freelancer, or you leave Romania and come back years later, the same number applies. A NIF given to a non-resident for a one-off purchase can also be converted: when you are later registered by the IGI and given a CNP, ANAF substitutes it and keeps the history. If you already hold a NIF and you plan to settle, mention it at the IGI and to your employer, so that nobody opens a second record. The worst outcome is two parallel files in two offices, which later requires a correction request.
Foreign companies and people who invest without living in the country can hold a NIF. They declare changes, for example a new address, within 15 days, and they still owe the tax that their Romanian income creates. A NIF is not a residence right and it does not make you a tax resident; tax residence depends on your home, your centre of vital interests and your days of presence. Ask ANAF how those criteria apply to you.
What changes for British and Swiss citizens?
Swiss citizens are treated like EU citizens at the IGI, so they get the CNP in the same way. British citizens are third-country nationals since Brexit. Their CNP appears on the residence permit issued by the IGI. While waiting, or if you only invest or let property without settling, a NIF from ANAF with your passport is the route. The full picture is in moving to Romania from the UK.
Where does the number fit in your first weeks?
Early. You use the CNP for the bank account, for registering with a family doctor, for your tax account on the SPV and for your employer. The sequence is laid out in the guide to moving to Romania. Rules and deadlines evolve, so check with ANAF or your county IGI office before you file anything.