Schengen Visa of Romania, requirements and process

Schengen visa of Romania is possible now to apply finally. Starting from March 31, 2024, Romania will issue visas for a stay on the territory of the member states that does not exceed 90 days during any 180 days or for the transit of international transit zones from the airports of the Schengen member states.

Types of Schengen Visas Romania is issuing

1- Airport transit visas

An airport transit visa is valid for transiting the international transit areas of one or more airports of the Schengen member states. This visa is a permit for people who need to enter the Schengen territory only to change their means of transport. It entitles foreigners who are required to hold such a visa to pass through the international transit area of airports, without entering the national territory of the respective state, during a stopover or a transfer between two sections of the international flight.

However, this visa does not allow its holder to leave the international transit area of an airport, even if he has to wait overnight. If you need to transit through several airports in the Schengen area, then you are no longer eligible for an airport transit visa. Instead, you should apply for a regular Schengen visa (type C), as flights between two or more Schengen states are considered “internal” flights, even if they are for transit purposes.

You will also need to apply for a regular Schengen visa (type C) if you need to leave the airport to access another airport in the same country. Multiple entry airport transit visas may be issued for a maximum period of validity of six months.

Who needs a Schengen airport transit visa issued by Romania?

Citizens of the following countries need an airport transit visa when passing through the international transit zone of any airport of a Schengen member state, therefore also of any airport in Romania:

Afghanistan, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Republic of Ghana, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Iraq, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Federal Republic of Somalia, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

To this common list, Romania has additionally added the following countries, whose citizens need an airport transit visa when transiting Romanian airports:

The Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of India, the Republic of Lebanon, Palestine, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Republic of Tunisia, the Republic of Yemen, Syrian Arab Republic.

And the other Schengen states can unilaterally add additional citizens to the list of those who need an airport transit visa when traveling through their airports.

Exceptions to the obligation to hold a Schengen airport transit visa

The following categories of persons are exempt from the obligation to hold an airport transit visa:

holders of a valid uniform visa, a national long-stay visa, or a residence permit issued by a member state;

• third-country nationals holding a valid residence permit issued by a member state of the European Union or the European Economic Area or third-country nationals holding one of the valid residence permits listed in Annex V to the CCV, issued by Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the United States of America, which guarantees the holder an unconditional right of readmission or who hold a valid residence permit for one or more of the overseas countries and territories belonging to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint- Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba);
• third-country nationals who hold a valid visa for a member state of the European Union or the European Economic Area or Canada, Japan, or the United States of America or holders of a valid visa for one or more of the overseas countries and territories belonging to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint-Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), when traveling to the issuing country or any other third country, or when returning from the issuing country, after having used the visa;
• flight crew members who are nationals of a contracting party to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Documents requested

When applying for an airport transit visa, the applicant must submit:

• proof of documents regarding the continuation of the journey to the final destination after the expected airport transit;
• information that allows the assessment of the applicant’s intention not to enter the territory of the member states.

2- Visas with limited territorial validity (VLTV)

This visa is valid on the territory of one or more Schengen member states, but not all. Visas with limited territorial validity are issued exceptionally, in the following cases:

• when the concerned member state considers it necessary, for humanitarian reasons, of national interest, or due to certain international obligations;
• when, for reasons considered justified by the Schengen Member State, a new visa is issued for a stay during the same six-month period to an applicant who, during that six-month period, has already used a uniform visa or a valid visa limited territorial allowing a three-month stay.

The visa with limited territorial validity is valid on the territory of the Member State that issues it. It may exceptionally be valid in the territory of more than one Member State, subject to the agreement of each Member State.

If the applicant holds a travel document that is not recognized by one or more, but not all, Member States, a visa valid for the territory of the Member States in which the travel document is recognized shall be issued. If the issuing Member State does not recognize the applicant’s travel document, the visa issued is valid exclusively for the Member State concerned. Depending on the purpose of the trip, the general conditions for obtaining a VLTV visa are the same as for obtaining a uniform visa. This visa is no more than 90 days in any 180-day period and is issued with one or two entries.

3- Uniform Schengen Visa

This is the main Schengen visa of Romania. It is valid for the entire territory of the Schengen member states. The uniform visa is valid for the territory of the Schengen area and is issued for short-term stays (type C), i.e. 90 days in any 180-day period, calculated from the date of first entry.

Purposes of Uniform Schengen Visa

• Tourism
• Business
• Visiting relatives or friends
• Cultural
• Sport
• Official visit
• Medical reasons
• studied
• Airport transit
• Other

Entries-Wise Schengen Visa

A uniform visa can have one, two, or multiple entries. On the other hand, the Uniform multiple-entry visas may be issued with a period of validity as follows:

Required documents for the visa

The required documents with the visa application are as follows:

• Valid Passport,
• photocopy of the latest Romanian and Schengen visas or UK and US visas, if any,
• color photo 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm on a light background (the same applies to a child entered in the passport) – the face in the photo should be clear, large, and only in full face and occupy 70-80% of the photo; eyes should not be red; not accepted: photos with glasses with tinted lenses; photos taken non-professionally or photos cropped from amateur photos,
• Enough financial support to bear your expenses. 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;
• medical insurance is valid for EU member states for the entire duration of the trip, covering all repatriation costs and for emergency medical care and emergency hospital treatment for the period of stay specified in the visa. The insured amount must be no less than 30,000 euros,
• tickets (original and copy) or confirmation of booking tickets or funds,
• You should be able to convince the immigration service officer that you will leave Romania at the end of your trip.

Visa Category requirements

1. Business Trips

• an invitation from a company or authority to participate in meetings, conferences, or events related to trade, industry or work;
• other documents certifying the existence of commercial or professional relationships;
• entrance tickets for fairs and congresses, if applicable;
• documents certifying the company’s activities;
• documents certifying the role [status] of the applicant within the company.

2. Trips made within the framework of studies or other types of training

• a certificate of registration at an educational institution, to participate in theoretical or professional training courses, as part of basic or advanced training;
• student cards or certificates for the courses to be attended;

3. Tourist purposes or personal reasons

a) documents regarding accommodation:

• an invitation from the person who is going to host the visa applicant, if applicable;
• a document attesting to the accommodation or any other appropriate document that mentions the intended accommodation.

b) documents regarding the itinerary:

• confirmation of the booking of an organized trip or any other appropriate document that mentions the expected travel plans;
• in case of transit: visa or another entry permit for the third country of destination; tickets for the continuation of the journey.

4. Trips made for political, scientific, cultural, sporting, or religious events, or for other reasons

• invitations, entrance tickets, registrations, or programs attesting (as far as possible) the name of the host organization and the duration of the stay or any other appropriate document stating the purpose of the trip.

5. Official Trips

• a letter from an authority in the third country concerned confirming that the applicant is a member of the official delegation traveling to a Member State to participate in the aforementioned events, accompanied by a copy of the official invitation.

6. Medical Reasons

• an official document from the medical institution confirming the need for medical care in this institution and proof of sufficient financial means to pay for the medical treatment.

Showing ties with the country of origin

It is extremely important to show the visa officer the ties with your country of origin. This makes sure that you get back to your country of origin after the completion of the intended visit. One can show this through the following documents:

• reservation or existence of a return ticket or a return ticket;
• proof of the existence of financial means in the country of residence;
• proof of employment: account statements;
• proof of possession of real estate;
• proof of integration in the country of residence: family ties; professional status.

Documents regarding family

• the consent of the persons exercising parental authority or guardianship (if a minor is not traveling accompanied by them);
• proof of family ties with the host/person issuing the invitation.
  

For some states, implementing decisions of the Commission for establishing harmonized lists of supporting documents, which must be submitted by visa applicants from the respective states for uniform visas, are applicable.

Visa Fee

Type of Visa	Consular fee
Airport transit (symbol A)	80  EUR
Uniform visa (symbol C)	80  EUR
Type A, C visas issued to children aged between 6 and 12 years	40 euros

Approved Invitations requirements for some countries

Prior invitation approval

Among the states whose citizens need a visa to enter Romania, there are some for whose citizens it is necessary to obtain an invitation approved by the General Inspectorate for Immigration – Ministry of Internal Affairs. These countries are:

• The Russian Federation
• Palestine
• The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
• Kingdom of Morocco
• Democratic and People’s Republic of Algeria
• Republic of Angola
• Arab Republic of Egypt
• Syrian Arab Republic
• Republic of Chad
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
• Federal Republic of Nigeria
• Federal Republic of Somalia
• Republic of India
• Republic of Indonesia
• Republic of Iraq
• Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
• Islamic Republic of Iran
• Islamic Republic of Mauritania
• Islamic Republic of Pakistan
• Lebanese Republic
• Republic of Mali
• People’s Republic of Bangladesh
• Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
• Republic of South Sudan
• Republic of Sudan
• Republic of Tunisia
• Republic of Uzbekistan
• Republic of Yemen
• The state of Libya

The invitation required a Schengen visa

The invitation approval is required for the following Schengen visas:

a) for business trips: an invitation from a business or authority to participate in meetings, conferences, or events on trade, industry, or labor issues;

b) for trips for touristic or private purposes: an invitation from the host, in the case of lodging with a private person;

Applying for pre-approval

The invitation, accompanied by a series of documents, depending on the purpose of travel to Romania, is completed in two copies and submitted to the headquarters of the territorial formations of the General Inspectorate for Immigration, for approval. Invitations are approved within 45 days from the date of submission.

Invitation approval

In case of approval, a copy of the invitation will be handed to the inviting person, for transmission to the invited foreigner, to present the original at the diplomatic mission or the consular office where the Romanian visa is requested. The foreigner can apply for the visa within 30 days of the approval of the invitation. A new invitation submitted by an applicant is not approved, regardless of its purpose, if one of the persons previously invited by him has not left the territory of the country within the validity period of the visa.

Approval exception

Exceptions to the invitation procedure approved by the General Inspectorate for Immigration – Ministry of Internal Affairs (IGI-MAI):

It will be taken into account that the situations mentioned below must be proven with appropriate documents to certify them. At the same time, keep in mind that the fulfillment of at least one of the conditions below does not exempt the visa applicant from the obligation to present the supporting documents that constitute the application file, depending on the purpose of the trip and the type of visa requested.

​For the categories of foreigners listed below, the visa can be requested without first obtaining an IGI-MAI invitation with the amendments and subsequent additions:

• the minor foreigner whose parent is a beneficiary of refugee status or has subsidiary protection or has a residence permit in Romania provided that it is valid for at least 90 days from the date of granting the entry visa;
• the husband/wife and the parents of the foreign beneficiary of refugee status or who has subsidiary protection or who has a residence permit in Romania provided that it is valid for at least 90 days from the date of granting the entry visa;
• the adult foreigner whose parent is a Romanian citizen;
• the foreigner, parent of a Romanian citizen.

Who does not need pre-approval for a Schengen Visa in Romania?

Also, short-stay visas can be granted without completing the IGI-MAI invitation procedure, for the following categories of foreigners:

• foreigners married to Romanian citizens;
• foreign minor children of Romanian citizens;
• foreigners holding a residence permit valid in one of the member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area or in the states party to the Schengen Agreement, without the validity of the visa exceeding the validity of the residence permit;
• foreigners possessing a valid residence permit in countries whose citizens do not require an entry visa in the member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area or in the states that are parties to the Schengen Agreement. The visas granted by the Romanian authorities to foreigners cannot exceed the validity of their residence permits.
• foreigners who have applied in the document for crossing the state border visas of the member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area, of the states party to the Schengen Agreement or of the states for whose citizens there is no visa obligation to enter these states. The visas granted by the Romanian authorities to foreigners cannot exceed the validity of the visas applied in their documents;
• foreigners who are going to come to Romania for business purposes, at the request of the administrative authorities, as well as of the companies regulated by Law no. 31/1990, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions, which are entered on the lists of taxpayers to the state budget, established by order of the president of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration, published in the Official Gazette of Romania, and which assumes, through a letter of guarantee* addressed in the original to the National Visa Center, the obligation to bear the costs of material and medical assistance and of the execution of removal measures;
• foreigners who are going to come to Romania for visiting, at the request of diplomatic missions or foreign consular offices accredited in Romania;
• foreigners for whom a visa was requested, in writing, at diplomatic missions or consular offices, from central public authorities or foreign chambers of commerce;
• the persons for whom a visa was requested at the National Visa Center from the following institutions in Romania: the Presidential Administration, the Parliament, the Government and other central and local public authorities, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, and the Municipality of Bucharest, as well as the territorial and of the prefects, who assumed the obligation to bear the expenses regarding the material and medical assistance and those of the execution of the removal measures, through a letter of guarantee sent in the original;
• TIR drivers;
• personalities from the Romanian diaspora and their descendants;
• the parents of foreign pupils or students, accepted to study in Romania, who arrive for their first installation, subject to the presentation of a document apostilled, or as the case may be, superlegalized, issued by the authorities of the country of origin certifying the kinship.
• foreigners who are going to come to Romania at the request of a legal entity of public interest, which operates legally and which assumes the obligation to bear the expenses related to material and medical assistance and those of the execution of removal measures, through a letter of guarantee addressed in the original to the National Visa Center.

Extension of Schengen Visa

The validity of the uniform Schengen visa issued by the Romanian authorities or by another Schengen state can be extended under the conditions of art. 33 of Regulation (EC) no. 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 on establishing a Community Visa Code, through a visa sticker. The competent national authority to extend the validity of the visa, applied to simple passports, is the General Inspectorate for Immigration and its territorial formations. For those applying for service or diplomatic passports, it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Appeal against the visa refusal

The decision of the Romanian authorities refusing to grant a visa can be appealed under the terms of the Administrative Litigation Law no. 554/2004, with subsequent amendments and additions. The cancellation/revocation of a visa can be challenged under the same conditions.

The process of appeal is mandatory and must be formulated within 30 days of the communication of the refusal form. The appeal must be filed within 6 months from the date of communication of the response to the prior complaint or from the date of expiry of the deadline for resolving the prior complaint, but no more than 1 year from the date of communication of the refusal form. The request regarding the exercise of the right to contest the decision to refuse/cancel/revoke the visa can be submitted using a written, dated, and signed request. This can be sent/submitted to the email address: relatii_cu_publicul@mae.ro, respectively to the MAE headquarters, in Aleea Alexandru no. 31, Sector 1, Bucharest, code 011822.