Getting a Romanian visa in your American passport
American citizens are not required to obtain Romanian visas for stays up to 90 days within 6 months. Upon arrival in Romania, foreigners who plan to stay more than 10 days must register their presence with the nearest Police Precinct.
For any stay longer than 90 days, a temporary residency permit (permis de sedere) must be requested from the Romanian Immigration Department (Inspectoratul Roman pentru Imigrari). Contact information, application requirements and fees for residency permits can be found on the website of the Romanian Immigration Department at http://ori.mai.gov.ro.
You should submit your application for an extension of stay in Romania/residency permit at least 30 days prior to the expiration of your status (within 60 days from your arrival in Romania). Failure to apply in a timely manner may result in penalties.
Foreigners who overstay will be subject to heavy fines and will require an exit permit from the Immigration Department in order to leave the country. You must visit the local office of the Immigration Department to apply for the exit permit 24 – 48 hours in advance of your trip. In exceptional circumstances, the overstay fines may be paid upon departure and the exit permit may be obtained at the airport or border crossing point. However, the decision of issuing the exit permit at the airport is at the discretion of the border police officers and the process may delay your boarding/departure.
In addition to the fines, which could amount to U.S. $600 per person, you might also be banned from returning to Romania for a period of time that depends on the length of the overstay, usually from six months to one year. If you wish to request a waiver of the ban, you must do so before departure by making an appointment with a senior official of the Immigration Department to provide evidence of an acceptable reason why you could not file for an extension of stay (medical emergency or hospitalization; the school or employer were unable to provide you with the necessary documents). Not having informed yourself about the stay permit requirements is not grounds for a waiver. If you do not request a waiver or a waiver is not granted to you prior to departure, an interdiction will be placed in the Romanian Border Police system, which will result in a hold at Romanian Passport Control and you will be turned around if you attempt to enter the country before the interdiction expires. The Embassy cannot assist you in removing your name from the Border Police records.
In Bucharest, you may submit your application for an extension of stay/residency permit to the Immigration office located at 3-5, Eforie St., Building A (next to the Bucharest Police Department), Tel: 021-313-0483. If you are married to a Romanian citizen and live in Bucharest, you may file an application for a residency permit with the Immigration office located at 29, Nicolae Iorga Street, Building F (near Piata Romania, across from the Canadian Embassy), Tel: 021-212.80.06, or 021-212.90.07.
The office hours of the Bucharest Immigration office are:
- Monday, Tuesday and Friday 8:30A.M. - 4:30 P.M.
- Wednesday CLOSED (open only to applicants for permanent residency)
- Thursday 8:30 A.M. - 6:30 P.M.
Additional information is available on the website of the Romanian Immigration Office at http://ori.mai.gov.ro . You may also contact the Romanian Embassy in Washington at 1607 - 23rd St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone number (202) 232-4747, (202) 332 48 46, (202) 332 4848 , fax number (202) 232 47 48 , e-mail address: office@roembus.org, or one of the Romanian consulates in Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York City. The Romanian Embassy maintains a web site at http://washington.mae.ro.