Romania: all programs

Romania at a glance

Romania is a European Union country in south-eastern Europe on the Black Sea with a population of about 19 million. Since 1 January 2025 it has been a full Schengen member. The capital is Bucharest, and other large cities are Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași, Brașov and Constanța. The economy is growing fast thanks to IT, the car industry, energy and agriculture, and Cluj and Bucharest have become major software development hubs in Eastern Europe.

Romania attracts with a flat 10% income tax, low living costs for the European Union, fast internet and a path to European Union citizenship for descendants of former Romanian citizens, including those from Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. The currency is the Romanian leu.

History and government

In ancient times the Dacians lived here and the territory was conquered by Rome, hence the country's Romance language. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia united in 1859, Romania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, and after the First World War Transylvania and Bessarabia joined it. From 1947 to 1989 the country was socialist, and the Ceaușescu regime fell in the 1989 revolution. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007. It is a semi-presidential republic with a bicameral parliament.

How to move in 2026

Russian citizens need a visa: a Schengen visa for trips and a national long-stay visa for moving. Since 15 March 2025, under the citizenship reform law, most descendants need a B1 Romanian language certificate, and in September 2026 a bill was submitted to the Senate that may narrow the circle of eligible descendants. You can keep your current citizenship, and living in Romania is not required for restoration. More on the pages Romanian citizenship by repatriation, Romanian citizenship and Romania digital nomad visa.

Taxes

Income tax is a flat 10%, and residents pay it on worldwide income. But employees also pay 25% to the pension fund and 10% for health insurance on salary, so about 41.5% goes in total. Since 1 January 2026 dividends, cryptocurrency and most capital gains are taxed at 16%. Corporate tax is 16%, small companies can pay 1% of turnover, and VAT is 21%. A digital nomad visa holder living in the country up to 183 days does not pay Romanian tax on remote income. More on the page Taxes in Romania.

Property

Citizens from outside the European Union can buy apartments and houses in Romania, but not the land beneath them directly: a house with a plot is usually registered to a Romanian company that the foreigner fully owns. A notary certifies the deal, and the title is registered in the cadastre. Prices in Bucharest and Cluj have risen the most in recent years, while housing in Timișoara, Iași and smaller towns is noticeably cheaper. Before buying, check the cadastre extract, tax and utility debts and the seismic rating of older buildings in Bucharest.

Business and companies

A limited liability company is registered online in the trade register, and a foreigner can own it fully. Small companies with modest turnover can use the micro-enterprise regime with a 1% turnover tax, others pay 16% on profit, and dividends have been taxed at 16% since 2026. Strong sectors are software development, outsourcing, car and parts manufacturing, energy and agriculture.

Cost of living

Prices come from two independent price databases for 2026, converted at the European Central Bank rate of 5 October 2026, about 4.76 lei per dollar. Bucharest and Cluj are the most expensive cities, and rent elsewhere is a third or more cheaper. Heating is a noticeable share of winter expenses.

Where to live

• Bucharest - the capital with jobs, international schools and northern districts by parks and lakes. More in the Bucharest guide.
• Cluj-Napoca - Transylvania's university and tech hub.
• Timișoara - a western city near Hungary and Serbia, calmer than the capital.
• Brașov - mountains, ski resorts and an old town.
• Constanța - the port and beaches of the Black Sea coast.

Practicalities

• Language. Romanian; English is common in offices and among young people, and many families understand French.
• Climate. Continental: hot summers up to 35 degrees and cold winters below zero.
• Transport. Metro in Bucharest, trains and buses between cities, but a car is more convenient for travel around the country.
• Internet. One of the fastest and cheapest in Europe.
• Healthcare. Public insurance through contributions, private clinics in large cities.

Leisure

The Carpathians with ski resorts and hiking trails, the medieval Transylvanian towns of Sighișoara, Sibiu and Brașov, Bran Castle, the painted monasteries of Bukovina, the Danube Delta with its bird reserves and Black Sea beaches. Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary are not far from Bucharest.

Who Romania suits

Romania suits descendants of former Romanian citizens with a path to a European Union passport, high-earning remote workers, IT specialists and entrepreneurs who value a 10% tax and life in the European Union and Schengen. The downsides are high salary contributions, bureaucracy and queues at the citizenship authority. Murblz specialists check archival documents, prepare for the exam and application, arrange the nomad visa and register companies. A consultant in the chat will calculate the cost of support.