RO Visa and permit for Studies purposes

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Do you want to study in Romania and discover the road to Romanian residency? For starters, you must register at the educational institution where you wish to study and be accepted by it.

The next step is obtaining a long stay visa for studies, from the diplomatic missions and consular offices of Romania.

Long stay visa

You can obtain a long-term visa for studies as a student, master student, doctoral candidate or participant in a student exchange program. The institution at which you will study can be public or private, but it must be accredited according to law. The visa is also granted to foreigners accepted for studies based on international documents to which Romania is a party.

In order to obtain a long stay visa a number of documents are required, depending on whether you will be a regular student or will take part in an exchange program. As a bare minimum the following are required (please get in touch with our team for a comprehensive list of required documents):

proof of acceptance for studies issued by the Ministry of National Education, showing that you will attend a full-time university program;
proof of payment of tuition fee / participation in student exchange program
proof of means of support in amount of at least a minimum net wage at country level per month, for the entire period inscribed on the visa / proof from the student exchange organization testifying it will provide the means for maintenance and potential costs related to removal
medical insurance during the validity period of the visa;
parental or guardian consent regarding the stay for study purposes in Romania, if the foreigner is underage.

The visa fee is 120 EUR and is paid in the state/ country where you make the request.

The long-term visa is approved by the National Visa Center only after obtaining the favorable opinion of the General Inspectorate for Immigration. The favorable opinion is issued within 30 days of receiving the request, with the possibility to extend the deadline by 15 days.

The long stay visa is granted for a period of 90 days, with one or more entries.

The residence permit

After entering Romania, you must obtain a residence permit. The permit certifies your right to stay in Romania and you can obtain it from the territorial units of the General Inspectorate for Immigration from the county where you live. In order to obtain a residence permit, you will personally submit several documents at least 30 days before the expiry of the right to stay granted by the visa. You also have the possibility to submit the documents through the online service, available at https://portaligi.mai.gov.ro/portaligi/

In addition to an application and a travel document, applicants should also submit their letter of acceptance for students, certificates of enrollment, proof of means of support, proof of legal ownership of living space as well as a medical certificate and proof of paid fees. For detailed information about the required document, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. A different list of documents applies for students participating in an exchange program.

The right of temporary residence for studies may be extended to a maximum of 6 months after graduation. Foreigners who have not graduated during the initial granted period may be granted a further extension of the right of residence in order to complete their studies for a period no longer than a year.

Situations of exemption for foreigners studying in Romania:

Beneficiaries of a Romanian State scholarship are exempted from payment of consular fees, the residence permit and do not have to prove the means of support;
Foreigners who are ethnic Romanians (who have an ancestor who has or had Romanian citizenship) do not have to prove the means of support;

Deadlines for the residence permit

The residence permit is renewed at least 30 days before the expiration of the previous one.

The request for an extension of the right of residence shall be resolved within 30 days from the date of its submission. In case that further checks are required, the deadline for resolving the application may be extended by no more than 15 days.

The right to temporary residence for studies may be extended for 9 months after graduation, for purposes of job search and employment or business opening formalities, with the submission of the documents attesting completion of the studies.