Romania Work Permit for Indian Workers 2026: Quota, Aviz de Munca, Salaries & Process

Romania hires tens of thousands of non-EU workers every year through a government quota, and Indian workers are among the largest groups admitted. The Romania work permit process has two stages: your Romanian employer first obtains an aviz de munca (work authorization) for you from the General Inspectorate for Immigration, then you apply for a D/AM long-stay visa at the Romanian embassy in India before travelling.

Typical take-home pay ranges from roughly RON 3,500 a month in hospitality to RON 6,000 or more for experienced drivers and skilled trades. The full process usually takes 3 to 5 months, and the biggest risk is paying agents for permits tied to fake employers.

Romania admits non-EU workers under an annual government quota, set around 100,000 places in recent years and routinely consumed. Employers apply early in the year, so legitimate offers tend to come from companies that already hold quota allocation.

Once the annual quota is exhausted, new aviz de munca applications wait for the following year's allocation, so an offer stalled in autumn may legitimately restart in January. This is normal and not, by itself, a sign of fraud.

The shortage is structural: an ageing population and emigration of Romanians to Western Europe have left gaps in construction, hospitality, manufacturing, logistics and agriculture, and Indian workers are now among the most visible nationalities on Romanian construction sites and in kitchens and warehouses.

The aviz de munca is the work authorization document, and it is the employer's responsibility, not yours. The Romanian employer submits the application to the territorial office of the General Inspectorate for Immigration (Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrari), proving the job vacancy, the employment contract or firm offer, and that quota places remain available.

For most categories the employer must first advertise the vacancy to EU workers; only when no suitable EU candidate is found does the authorization proceed. For shortage occupations such as construction labourers, kitchen staff and drivers, employers routinely document the lack of local applicants.

The aviz is issued for a specific employer and position and is valid for 60 days, within which you must apply for your D/AM visa. Changing employers later requires a fresh aviz de munca. Keep the aviz number and the employer's tax registration details; you will need them at the embassy.

With the aviz de munca, apply for the D/AM long-stay employment visa at the Romanian mission in India. The file includes your passport, the aviz, the employment contract, proof of accommodation, medical insurance, a clean criminal record certificate and the visa fee.

Documents issued in India generally need legalization. Both countries are Hague Convention members, so get your certificates and police clearance apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs rather than paying for embassy legalization chains that are not required.

After arrival on the D/AM visa, apply for a residence permit for employment at the immigration office within the visa's validity. It is typically issued for the contract duration up to one year and is renewable, and most employers handle the registration with you in the first days.

Construction is the largest absorber of Indian workers in Romania: general labourers, masons, shuttering carpenters, steel fixers, electricians and plumbers are in steady demand on projects in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara and Iasi, with employers typically providing shared accommodation and sometimes meals.

HORECA (hotels, restaurants, catering) hires kitchen helpers, cooks, waiters, housekeeping staff and cleaners. Tourism growth keeps this sector recruiting year-round, with seasonal peaks on the Black Sea coast in summer.

Drivers are a distinct high-demand category: truck drivers for domestic and EU routes, delivery drivers and forklift operators in logistics parks around Bucharest and Ploiesti. A valid licence with the right categories is essential, and an international driving permit helps during the transition.

Warehousing and manufacturing round out demand: packers, assemblers, machine operators and quality checkers. Prior factory experience and basic English help; Romanian is rarely required at entry level but aids promotion.

Romania's gross minimum wage is RON 4,325 a month since July 2026 (RON 4,050 before that), and real offers usually sit above it. Figures below are typical monthly ranges, not guaranteed offers; net pay depends on taxes and social contributions of roughly 40 to 45 percent on gross.

Construction general labourer, 0-2 years: RON 4,000-5,500/month (about EUR 800-1,100)

Skilled construction trades (mason, electrician, plumber), 3+ years: RON 5,500-8,000/month (about EUR 1,100-1,600)

Kitchen helper / housekeeping: RON 3,800-5,000/month (about EUR 760-1,000)

Cook with international cuisine experience: RON 5,000-7,000/month (about EUR 1,000-1,400)

Truck driver (C+E): RON 6,000-9,000/month (about EUR 1,200-1,800), often with per-diem on routes

Warehouse / factory operator: RON 4,200-5,800/month (about EUR 840-1,160)

Many employers add shared accommodation worth roughly RON 800-1,200 a month in Bucharest plus site transport and sometimes a meal per shift. Overtime in construction and logistics is common and paid, so actual earnings often exceed the base figures above.

Start assembling your file before you have an offer: passport valid at least six months beyond your planned stay, recent photographs to Schengen specification, birth certificate, police clearance certificate from your district, and educational or trade certificates with MEA apostille.

The attestation trap: some agents claim every document needs expensive embassy attestation chains costing tens of thousands of rupees. For Romania, Hague Convention apostille is generally sufficient. Pay for apostille through the official MEA process or its authorized centres, not an agent's inflated in-house service.

Trade workers should carry experience certificates and, where relevant, ITI or trade-test certificates; drivers need their licence history and a clean record. Keep colour scans of everything in cloud storage for quick re-sending at each stage.

A legitimate journey typically runs 3 to 5 months. Month one covers the signed offer and the employer filing for the aviz de munca, which itself can take 30 to 60 days depending on the immigration office's backlog.

Once the aviz is issued, the D/AM visa application usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, longer if the embassy requests corrections or an interview. Run document apostille in India in parallel with the aviz stage.

Treat any promise of a two-week total turnaround as a red flag. The aviz stage has processing time that no agent can legally compress, and offers that claim otherwise are usually selling either a different visa category misrepresented as a work permit or nothing at all.

The commonest scam is the fake employer: an agent collects an advance fee for an aviz de munca from a company that does not exist or holds no quota. Always verify the employer's Romanian tax registration (CUI number) and ask for the aviz number once issued; a genuine aviz can be cross-checked, vague promises cannot.

Never travel on a tourist or business visa with a promise it will convert to a work permit after arrival. That is not the normal route, and workers who try it often end up undocumented and unable to legalize their stay.

Read the employment contract before paying or signing anything: gross versus net salary, who pays for accommodation, working hours, overtime rates and notice period. Legitimate contracts are in Romanian with an English translation; a contract that exists only as a WhatsApp message is not a contract.

Fee discipline matters: Romanian law places the aviz de munca obligation on the employer, and reputable recruitment channels do not charge workers large upfront sums. Any demand for lakhs of rupees in advance, especially in cash without receipts, should end the conversation.

Applying on SteadStaff is always free. We run an employer-pays model, which means verified employers pay for recruitment and candidates never pay to apply, to be shortlisted, or to be placed.

Never pay fees to anyone using our name. If someone contacts you claiming to represent SteadStaff and asks for money for a Romania work permit, a visa, or a guaranteed job, stop and verify through the official SteadStaff application channel before proceeding.