Legal routes to employment in Romania
For a third-country national — which Ukrainians are under Romanian labor law — there are two paths to start working legally. The first hinges on a permit that the employer must obtain before the person becomes their employee. The second applies to those who already hold a status that opens access to the labor market without a separate permit.
In the first case, the Romanian employer approaches immigration authorities requesting permission to hire this specific foreigner for a specific position. This permit — aviz de angajare — is tied simultaneously to the worker, the employer, and the position, not a universal "work permit in Romania generally."
In the second case, the person is exempt from the aviz de angajare procedure and finds employment as freely as a Romanian citizen. Exempt categories include:
- Persons with temporary protection. Ukrainians holding temporary protection status have labor market access without a separate permit — the employer need only sign an employment contract and register it under standard rules.
- Long-term residents. Foreign nationals holding Romania's long-term resident status work on equal terms with citizens.
- Family members of Romanian citizens. Spouses, children, and certain relatives of Romanian citizens holding family reunification residence permits are equally exempt from the permit requirement.
Before looking for work, it's crucial to understand which category you fall into — this determines whether you need the aviz de angajare stage or can move straight to contract.
Legal advice. Temporary protection status exempts you from the work permit, but not from the other requirements — contract, REVISAL registration, minimum wage. If an employer says "you don't need a permit anyway, so we'll sort out the contract later" — that's a false equivalence, and it's worth checking the situation with a lawyer before starting work.
Aviz de angajare: quota and employer's obligations
When a worker doesn't fall into an exempt category, the employer — not the foreigner — is the applicant in the aviz de angajare procedure. The company approaches the Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări and proves that it operates legally in Romania, that the vacancy is genuine, that the salary meets at minimum the salariul minim brut for that category, and that candidate recruitment has followed the required domestic and EU labor market search procedures where applicable.
Annual quota
The number of work permits Romania issues for third-country nationals during a calendar year is capped by an annual quota set by government decision each year. The quota is variable, so basing decisions on last year's figure is unreliable; before applying, the employer should verify the current quota size and available slots. Permits are not automatic — they're granted within a limit. If the quota is exhausted, even a correctly filed application will wait for the next cycle.
Employer's obligations after receiving the permit
Obtaining aviz de angajare is an intermediate step, not the finish line. Next, the employer must arrange the worker's entry and legal residence (usually via a long-term work visa), conclude a written contract individual de muncă with terms matching those stated in the permit, and register it in REVISAL while complying with tax requirements before work actually begins. If real working conditions differ substantially from those claimed — different position, lower pay, different schedule — that's an employer breach, and you have the right to compare the actual contract against the permit and seek advice before signing.
Legal advice. Ask the employer to show you a copy of the aviz de angajare before signing the contract, rather than taking their word for it. Verifying the permit details against the contract terms takes minutes but protects you from situations where the paperwork promises one role and salary but reality delivers another.
Employment contract and REVISAL registration
The main document governing the worker-employer relationship in Romania is the contract individual de muncă. It must always be in writing; Romanian labor law does not recognize oral "gentleman's agreements." The contract fixes at minimum: the parties, the position and job duties, start date and workplace, working hours, salary and payment method, leave entitlements, and contract term — fixed or indefinite.
Indefinite-term contracts are standard; fixed-term contracts are permitted only in limited legal cases, not as a way to run "temporary" relationships indefinitely.
REVISAL registration
REVISAL is the national electronic registry of employment contracts, accessible to labor inspectors. The key rule: the contract must be registered in REVISAL before the person actually starts working — at the latest, the day before the first work day, not "sometime during the trial period."
The REVISAL entry, not merely signing the paper contract, confirms that an employment relationship exists and the worker is covered by social and medical insurance. Every day without registration is a day the worker labors without insurance protection.
Trial period
Law allows a trial period; its length depends on job type and contract term. But this is a condition within an already-registered contract, not reason to delay registration itself. An offer to "work a month unofficially, then we'll formalize" means working unprotected when the risk of non-payment is highest.
Legal advice. Before your first day, have the signed contract on hand and, if possible, proof of REVISAL registration. If the employer dodges showing such proof, it's a red flag, not a formality.
Social and medical insurance
A legally employed worker in Romania is covered by mandatory social and medical insurance. The employer deducts part of the accrued salary and remits it to the relevant funds before money reaches the worker's account — just as the employer also pays their own contributions tied to hiring.
Among contributions deducted from the worker's pay are the pension insurance contribution (CAS) and the health insurance contribution (CASS), plus personal income tax. Rates are reviewed regularly by lawmakers, so we don't cite exact percentages here — check the actual amount on your monthly payslip (fluturaș de salariu).
It's essential to grasp this: the salary discussed at interview is typically gross, before deductions and tax, and what actually lands in your account is net, always less than gross. If an employer quotes a figure without clarifying gross or net, ask directly.
What insurance means in practice
Registering contributions opens access to state healthcare, the right to paid sick leave, accumulation of pension credit, and eligibility for unemployment benefits if you have the required service record. Anyone agreeing to unregistered work or split "gray" pay automatically forfeits all of this.
Minimum wage and working hours
salariul minim brut — the state-mandated minimum gross salary floor for full-time work, below which no employer may pay. The amount is reviewed annually and may vary by sector — so verify the current figure at the time of hire from official sources, not stale data.
For a foreigner hired via aviz de angajare, there's an added tie: the salary claimed in the permit cannot fall below the statutory minimum, and that amount (or higher) is what the employer must actually deliver — not claim one figure for the permit and pay less in reality.
Working hours
Standard working hours in Romania are 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week on a typical five-day schedule. Work beyond this is overtime and is compensated per law — extra pay or time off, not "included in the base salary by default." Law also regulates minimum rest time, night-work pay, holiday premiums, and the right to minimum annual paid leave. These terms must appear in the contract itself, not merely in a manager's verbal assurances.
Legal advice. Keep payslips (fluturaș de salariu) from every month you work. These documents later prove your actual income when renewing your residence permit, applying for credit, and serve as your first evidence in disputes with the employer over unpaid wages.
Unregistered contract and "envelope" salary
Two of the most common violations are working without registering the contract in REVISAL at all, and paying part of salary officially while disbursing the remainder in cash "under the table," with no paperwork. Both schemes benefit only the employer: they reduce their tax load by leaving you uninsured and without proof of real income.
For the worker, the practical fallout: incomplete pension service for retirement, incomplete health coverage, no way to prove income when renewing your residence permit or applying to a bank, and defenselessness if dismissed — without a registered contract, proving you even had an employment relationship is difficult.
What to do if the employer breaks these rules
The authority that receives worker complaints is inspecția muncii, the territorial labor inspectorate. You can file regarding an unregistered contract or a gap between promised and actual pay; an inspection may lead to employer fines and retroactive contract registration.
Whether or not you report to the inspectorate immediately, it pays to retain evidence of actual work: correspondence with the employer, shift rosters, bank statements, coworker statements, dated photos of the workplace. These will serve both the complaint and any later lawsuit.
Legal advice. When seeking consultation services, such as at Dorosh & Partners, a client explains their situation in plain language to a lawyer: how many months they worked without a contract, what cash amount they received. The lawyer translates this into legal language for the advocate — frames the complaint to the labor inspectorate or the lawsuit — and directs the advocate to where the client truly needs protection, steering the case to a result.
Separately, mention should be made of detached work (detașare) — when a worker isn't hired directly by the Romanian company but remains an employee of a foreign employer temporarily posted to work in Romania. Such postings are governed by special rules, so it's vital to understand who your actual employer is before accepting a "posting" arrangement instead of direct hire.
How residency permit ties to employment
For a foreigner entering Romania on employment grounds, the residency permit and job are tightly linked. A residence permit issued on employment grounds usually binds to a specific employer and position — just like the aviz de angajare that started the process. So changing employers or substantially altering terms within the same company is not private business between you and payroll — it's a fact usually requiring formal notification to the Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări. Continuing to reside on a permit issued for a different employer without settling this is risky.
Job loss and residence status
Job loss — dismissal, company closure, end of a fixed-term contract — directly affects your legal basis for residence if employment was that basis. The law typically allows a window during which a former employee can seek new work and explore options for legalizing residence status without immediately losing residency — and that window should be used actively from day one after separation.
For those holding temporary protection status, the logic differs: status doesn't hinge on a specific employer as rigidly as an employment-based permit, — but this isn't license to skip contract registration each time you change jobs.
Legal advice. When planning to change employers, clarify in advance whether your residence permit requires separate notification or re-issuance. Better to check before leaving your old job than to discover it retroactively when your new employer is already waiting.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate work permit if I already have temporary protection status in Romania?
No. Persons holding temporary protection status are exempt from the aviz de angajare process and find employment exactly as Romanian citizens do — but this does not waive the other requirements: a written contract, REVISAL registration, wages at least at the statutory minimum.
Who files for aviz de angajare — me or the employer?
The employer files, not the worker. The company wishing to hire a specific foreigner approaches the Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări and proves that hiring terms comply with the law and the available annual quota.
The employer wants me to start working "informally" this month while they sort out the paperwork. Is that okay?
No. The contract must be registered in REVISAL before work actually begins, not during or after some "trial" run. Working unregistered means working without insurance and without official proof of an employment relationship if a dispute arises.
What if I'm paid part of my salary officially and part in cash?
Retain proof of your actual income — emails, rosters, bank statements — and seek advice before deciding whether to report to the inspectorate immediately or gather more evidence first. Partial cash payment is an employer violation that reduces your official income and pension credit.
Can I change employers while remaining in Romania on the same residence permit?
Mostly no — a permit issued on employment grounds usually binds to the specific employer and position. Any change should be coordinated with the Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări in advance, not undertaken without resolving your residence status.
Legal work in Romania rests not on a single document but on a sequence of steps: the correct legal basis for residence, a properly obtained permit where required, a written contract, timely REVISAL registration, and real pay, not merely promised pay. Skipping or shortcutting any of these steps seldom goes without cost — and it's cheapest to fix things at the stage when documents are still being filed.
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