Romania... Skeptics will say that the spread of legends about Dracula is a commercial goal to attract tourists. And they will be right in their own way. You won't see historical Transylvania as ominous and gloomy, with wandering vampires and bats. And the magnificent landscapes of the Carpathian Mountains, preserved well-kept ancient castles - this is the beauty of the ancient region of Romania.
A tourist will definitely be able to immerse himself in medieval architecture by taking a tour of the castles, see with his own eyes the narrowest street in all of Europe (a little more than 100 cm), and taste real Romanian hominy.
Region Transylvania, Romania
Historical attractions are a good cultural addition to a good holiday in Romania. After all, the country is also famous for its excellent ski slopes, warm sandy beaches of the Black Sea, and the picturesque delta of the huge European river - the Danube. The cost of services here is not high compared to other European countries.
Do Russians need a visa to Romania in 2021?
Romania is a member of the EU, but is not on the list of participants in the Schengen Agreement. Therefore, Romanian visa holders are not allowed to travel to Schengen countries.
However, those citizens who have a valid multiple-entry, double-entry or long-term visa, residence permit issued by the Schengen countries, as well as Croatia, Bulgaria or Cyprus, can freely visit Romania.
Of course, the expiration date of the listed visas should not exceed the planned period of stay on Romanian territory. You are allowed to stay in the country on such a visa for no more than 3 months within any given 180 days.
To avoid errors when calculating the remaining permitted days, a traveler can use a convenient visa calculator.
If a Russian citizen who wants to visit Romania does not have the specified entry permits, then he or she must specifically obtain a visa to travel to this country.
Required documents for short term tourist visa
In order to apply for a short-term tourist visa, you must collect the following documents:
- Applicant's personal profile.
- Original and photocopy of Russian passport.
- Foreign passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. The passport must be valid for at least another 90 days after leaving the country.
- Photocopy of passport pages.
- Receipt of payment of the consular fee.
- Photo 35*45 mm.
- Original and photocopy of hotel reservation confirmation. The original must contain the applicant’s personal data and bear the hotel’s stamp.
- A copy of health insurance, the minimum amount of coverage of which should not be less than 30 thousand euros.
- Documents that confirm your financial situation at the rate of at least fifty euros per day.
- Certificate of employment, indicating the position held and salary.
All these documents are required to obtain any category of visa to Romania. If an official or guest permit is issued, then certain documents are added to the list listed.
Lake and rhododendron fields in Retezat National Park in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. This is the first national park in the country, created in 1079. The biosphere reserve is located on the Retezat mountain range of the same name. The main purpose of the reserve is to protect the alpine flora and large species of European predators - brown bear, wolf, lynx.
For official permission you must provide:
- request from Russian carriers, in case of cargo transportation to the territory of Romania;
- a request from the host party, indicating the applicant’s personal data, length of stay, purpose of trip, availability of accommodation;
- a request from the association, which will confirm membership in it.
For a visitor visa, provide a letter certified by a notary from the receiving party.
A visa to Romania is required for Russians. Romania is a member of the EU, but is not part of the Schengen area. You cannot travel within the European Union with a Romanian visa. In planning to join the Schengen countries, the Romanian government has abolished border controls with these countries. Therefore, Russians can enter Romania either with its national visa, or with valid double or multiple entry Schengen visas, as well as Bulgaria, Croatia or Cyprus.
Main types of visas
In addition to tourism purposes, Russian residents can plan other activities in Romania. Knowing their classification will help you determine exactly what kind of visa you need. The Romanian Embassy issues the following types of entry permits.
Transit visa (type A, B)
If a Russian citizen’s route lies through Romania, he needs to transfer to another plane and does not plan to leave the transit zone of the airport, then a type A visa is not required.
Having a transit visa B allows you to stay in the country for 5 days.
Short-term visa type C
Holders of such a visa are allowed to stay in the country for six months for a total of 90 days without the possibility of extending it.
A Russian citizen needs to obtain a type C visa stamp if he plans to:
- tourist travel;
- guest or business visit;
- participation in international events: sports, educational, humanitarian, cultural and others.
Long-term (type D)
Provided to citizens to achieve the following goals:
- getting an education;
- carrying out labor activities;
- entrepreneurship;
- family reunion;
- conducting scientific research.
Issued for 90 days. Before the expiration of the specified period, the visa holder must contact the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Romania to extend it.
Bucharest, Romania
Applying for a type D visa
Type D visa (long-term or national) is issued for the purpose of training, seasonal employment or family reunification. A visa is issued if the trip is planned for a period of at least 3 months.
A reason is required to apply for a national D visa. The reason will have to be documented and it could be:
- Short-term courses, semester abroad - invitation from the educational institution, payment receipt (if the courses are paid).
- Seasonal work - an invitation from the employer.
- Treatment – an agreement with a medical institution, a receipt for payment for services.
Example of a visa to Romania
How much does a visa to Romania cost in 2021?
At the time of submitting the visa application, the applicant must pay a consular fee of 35 euros. Payment is accepted only in euros.
If the application is submitted less than 3 days before the departure date, then an urgent decision on issuing a visa is necessary. The visa fee in this case will be 70 euros.
When submitting documents for a long-term visa, you need to pay 120 euros.
For some categories of citizens, applications for entry permits are accepted without paying a visa fee. These include:
- residents of the Russian Federation whose relatives legally reside in Romania;
- members of official delegations taking part in negotiations, exchange programs, consultations, as well as representatives of courts, governments, parliaments;
- disabled people, children under 6 years old;
- citizens who travel to Romania for educational purposes (schoolchildren, students, graduate students);
- participants in international sports competitions, as well as persons related to scientific, cultural, and creative activities;
- citizens in need of urgent medical care, as well as those traveling to the funeral of a relative or to visit a seriously ill loved one.
How to get a visa to Romania yourself
Via Visa Application Center
There is no outsourcing company in Russia to which the Romanian Embassy has officially granted the exclusive right to accept documents for a visa to Romania.
The applicant can use the services of other intermediary companies (travel agencies, visa centers). In this case, obtaining a visa will be a less labor-intensive and faster process, but will cost much more than the individual method of obtaining it.
For an amount of 3,500 to 6,000 rubles (approximately), employees of the intermediary company will accept documents, check their list and correctness, help fill out the form, submit papers by proxy to the Embassy and receive your completed passport, delivering it by courier.
Meanwhile, having mastered the procedure yourself at least once, when you apply again, there will be much less questions and time wasted, and a preliminary registration at the Romanian Embassy has been implemented.
Via the consulate
Before submitting documents for a visa to the Romanian Embassy in Moscow, registration on the E-VISA visa portal is mandatory.
First, in the “Get informed” section you need to indicate: nationality, purpose of visit, type of travel document.
Then, on the “Apply for a Visa” tab, select Apply to create an application file. After writing your email address and confirming your consent to the processing of your personal data, step-by-step filling out of other items and the ability to upload scanned copies of documents will become available.
After a preliminary check of the information provided, the diplomatic mission employee has the right to request additional data, documents, invitations.
Registration of an application for E-VISA is not a final request for a visa - you must also come to the Embassy with a package of papers.
As a result of approval of the submitted application, the applicant will receive an invitation email indicating the date and time of making an appointment at the Romanian Embassy.
For subsequent requests for entry permission, re-entering the data is not required; it is enough to make changes.
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Romania visa application form
You can print the completed application form from the E-VISA portal before sending it, then you do not need to fill out the paper version. If this has not been done, fill out a paper form. The form of the form depends on the type of visa requested:
- transit visa;
- short-term C;
- long-term D.
Sample of filling out an application form for a visa to Romania
The official website of the Romanian Embassy in Russia contains sample forms for visas type C and . Familiarization with them will help you enter data accurately and avoid possible refusal due to an incorrectly completed application.
Visa categories
First you need to clearly define and indicate the purpose of the trip. The package of documents required for issuing an entry permit and the time period for consideration of the submitted application will directly depend on this circumstance.
There are several types of visas to Romania:
- Transit permit - visa category A. It is issued for tourists who will be passing through the country. In this case, travelers are required to indicate their final destination.
- Short-term visa. It belongs to category C, intended for foreigners who are granted the right to stay in the state for no more than ninety days over a six-month period. As a rule, it is issued for people who just want to relax in the country, undergo treatment, and meet friends.
- National visa to Romania. This variety belongs to category D. It is multiple and gives its owner the right to stay in the state for a long period of time. It is usually issued to foreigners who need to resolve business issues in Romania.
Documents for a visa to Romania: list from 2021
During the visit to the Embassy the following documents must be provided:
- An application form printed from the E-VISA visa portal or a completed standard paper copy signed personally by the applicant;
- A valid international passport (if there are two of them, both are needed, the existing canceled travel documents are also provided), which has two blank pages and its expiration date is more than 3 months, starting from the date of planned departure from Romania;
- Photos (2 pcs.);
- Original and copies of all but blank pages of the Russian passport;
- Purchased or reserved tickets to Romania and back;
- A certificate from the employer indicating the salary amount, a bank account statement or traveler's checks confirming that the applicant has sufficient funds to live in the country at the rate of 50 euros per day. In this case, the total amount of funds should not be less than 500 euros;
- Medical insurance valid for the entire period of stay for a coverage amount of at least 30,000 euros;
- A certificate on the official letterhead of the enterprise (or educational institution) from the place of work (study) of the applicant, which indicates the position or status (for students) and salary;
- Documents confirming the hotel reservation;
- Proof of payment of the visa fee (receipt).
You must have the originals of all documents with you, as well as their copies.
Photo for a visa to Romania
On the website of the Romanian Embassy in the Russian Federation there are no strict requirements for photos, such as for obtaining a Schengen visa.
You must provide 2 photographs on a white background measuring 35x45 mm. One of them must be glued to the questionnaire in a specially designated place. Black and white photographs are not applicable.
Visa documents for children
Requesting entry permission for a minor child requires the provision of the following documents:
- birth certificate;
- a copy of the parents’ previously received visas, if applications are not submitted simultaneously;
- official parental consent for the child to travel to Romania.
The last point is relevant in the case of a child traveling accompanied by a third party (coach, teacher, teacher and others). If one of the parents goes on a trip, then consent is required from the other. If the role of the parent is officially performed by a guardian, then he/she signs the permission.
Additional documents for different types of visas
Depending on your intentions to visit Romania, relevant documents are required from the host country.
For a business visit - a written request from a partner company, for a private trip - a notarized invitation from a resident of Romania, for participation in sports, cultural, scientific and other events - an official letter on the letterhead of the organizing company.
The invitation letter must contain as much specific information as possible about the invited person: last name, first name, patronymic, passport details, citizenship, date and time of travel, content of planned events on Romanian territory.
Sighisoara, Romania
Entry to Romania with a Schengen visa
Romania is a member of the European Union, but it has not agreed to use the Schengen legislation in full. This is precisely the reason why state consulates continue to issue national permits.
They only grant the right to cross the borders of Romania.
At the same time, a passport control system was introduced. However, tourists with a Schengen visa have the right to visit and stay within the country.
Sample of Romanian national permit
A Schengen visa allows you to enter countries that are part of the European Union, as well as several other states that have adopted similar legislation.
In 2021, you can cross the Romanian border with a Schengen visa.
Traveling with children
If a foreigner plans to travel with children, then the above documents must be collected for them as well. However, you will additionally need:
- Submit a photocopy of the children's birth certificate. It is advisable to have the original with you when traveling;
- A power of attorney certified by a notary. It will confirm the possibility of taking children to the country without parents.
In order for your child to take part in the trip, you will also need to fill out a form in his name. It must be presented to parents or guardians for signature. If children have reached 6 years of age, then their photographs must be pasted into the passport. Children who are 14 years of age or older are required to have their own passport.
How long does it take to get a visa to Romania?
The standard processing time for an application for a short-term visa is 5 working days, urgent processing is 3 days.
You need to wait 30 days for a decision on a long-term visa, with the exception of a request for a work visa - such permission is usually issued within 3 days.
How to check your visa readiness
Information about the completion of the visa application review process is displayed in the personal account of the E-VISA portal.
If the documents were submitted through an intermediary company or travel agency, then you can find out about the readiness of the decision made directly from them.
Contacts of the Romanian embassy and consulates in Russia
There are 3 institutional representations in the Russian Federation that provide visa services.
Residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, as well as the Republic of Karelia, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod and Pskov regions can contact the Consulate General of Romania in St. Petersburg.
Residents of the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, as well as the Astrakhan, Volgograd, Rostov and Saratov regions can contact the Consulate General of Romania in Rostov-on-Don.
Embassy of Romania in Moscow
Address: st. Mosfilmovskaya, 64 Moscow, 119590
Tel.
Website: moscova.mae.ro Email
Consulate General of Romania in St. Petersburg
Address: st. Gorokhovaya, 4 St. Petersburg, 191186
Tel.
