Romania is a southeastern European country and its capital is Bucharest. The country has a population of 19.41 million (2019) and the currency is the Romanian leu. According to statistica.com, about 6.4 million tourists visited Romania in 2020, whereas a record was noticed in 2019 when about 13.37 million tourists visited the country. A person can apply for the visit visa of Romania if:
- the foreigner is a person who doesn’t have Romanian citizenship,
- citizenship of another member state of the European Union, or Swiss Confederation citizenship.
How to visit on a short stay visa?
A short-stay visa is a visa in which the person is allowed to visit the state of Romania on different conditions other than immigration. The duration for a short stay visa is not more than 90 days.
But not all countries require a visa for entering Romania. Here is a list of these countries.
However, some countries require visas to enter the state of Romania. Click here to check these countries here.
You also do not need a visa to visit Romania if you already have a Schengen visa (with validity).
The travel document by which the visa is applied must not exceed a limit of 3 months (for short-stay visa) and 10 years (for long-stay visa). The short-stay visa cannot be extended and if someone wants to stay more than 3 months, he must get a long-stay visa, which is quite difficult to get. If for some reason, the person has to stay more than the short-stay visa, he must get a return decision from the General Inspectorate for Immigration.
What is the difference between countries requiring a visa and those requiring not?
The countries requiring visas have to get an invitation from a person living in the state which must be approved by the General Inspectorate for Immigration. The person sending the invitation must be residing in Romania as a legal person or a foreigner.
What are the types of visas?
The types of short visas are us under:
- Tourism
- Visit
- Transport
- Business
- Sport activities
- Cultural activities
- Medical treatment
What are the conditions to get entry into Romania?
- The person must have a valid document that allows the person to enter the state,
- The documents must show valid reasons for stay and also gives complete detail of stay, showing the person can afford to stay n the state, including the expenses for return as well,
- The certainty that the person will leave the state without creating any hindrance for the state, in case of foreign transit,
- The person must have a visa or a permit based on EU legislation,
- The person’s name is not placed under the NISA system or Schengen Information System for being obliged to enter the state,
- The person does not cause any kind of legal or illegal harm to the state, public and, security.
How does the invitation process work?
The person can enter the state with one or two more entries if he is invited. The invitation is presented to the diplomatic missions and consular offices in a written manner. The documents of invitation are compiled and sent to the territorial unit of the General Inspectorate for Immigration for approval and the invitations are approved within 60 days from submission. If a group of people, more than 20 or so are willing to go to Romania, their applications are sent to the Travel Agencies of Romania which are approved within 30 days of submission. The person inviting foreigners shall pay the expenses of their return from the state and if the foreigners fail to return after the given date, they are expelled forcibly.
What are the exceptions for a short-stay visa?
For the following categories of people, it is not necessary to obtain the invitation approved by the Inspectorate General for Immigration. Thus, if you find yourself in the list below, you will apply for a short visa stay at the consular offices or diplomatic representatives of Romania abroad with an authenticated invitation from the Romanian guest:
- The minor alien whose parent is a beneficiary of refugee status or has subsidiary protectionor is in possession of a residence permit in Romania provided that it is valid at least 90 days from the date of granting the entry visa,
- The spouse and parents of the alien who is a beneficiary of refugee status or who has subsidiary protectionor who is in possession of a residence permit in Romania provided that it is validat least 90 days from the date of issue of the visa and entry,
- The major foreign citizen (over 18 years old) whose parent is a Romanian citizen,
- The foreign citizen, parent of a Romanian citizen.
Documentation required for the visit visa
Here is the list of the documents required for the Romania visit visa application:
- A valid passport or a legitimate travel document;
- Letter of invitation from your host in Romania (if required);
- Enough financial support to bear your expenses in Romania. It depends on your conditions such as: how long you will stay and if you will stay in a hotel, or with relatives or friends;
- You should be able to convince the immigration service officer that you will leave Romania at the end of your trip, Convince the immigration officer that you have a relationship – such as a job, home, financial assets, or family that will take you back to your country;
- The most important thing is that you have a clean history record and have no immigration-related convictions;
- Details of hotel bookings if you are traveling for sightseeing;
- In support of an application for a short-term or travel visa, applicants must show that they are in possession of adequate and valid individual or group Travel Medical Insurance,the minimum coverage is €30,000 for the intended period of stay.
Category-wise Required Documents
Personal documents
- Personal passport with more than 6 months of expiry duration
- Visa application form
- Passports sized photographs with white background
- Family details if married and have children
Trip documents
- Cover letter mentioning your full details of the planned trip
- Accommodation proof for an intended stay in Romania
- Return ticket reservation proof
- Any reservations that you have made for your other visits during your stay in Romania
Financial documents
- Complete details of your personal or sponsored financial status,
- Job confirmation letter in case you work full or part-time,
- Salary slips of last six months (optional but extremely important),
- Bank bank statements,
- Any traveler’s cheques or bonds,
- Holidays approval letter from your employer,
- Income tax returns of previous years (options but important),
- Business details if you are self-employed,
- Business registration certificate,
- Details of tax your company or business entity pays,
- National tax number,
- Any agreement details if the business is divided into partners,
- Visiting card with details of business email and contact numbers,
- In case you get the visa, who will bear your responsibilities in your absence,
- Business and personal bank statements,
- Other income sources.
Ties documents
- You must present proper documents that show that you have ties with your country of origin,
- For married people, marriage registration certificate and children’s birth certificates,
- For single people, any property proofs, job or studies bonding .