Security level:

Petty crime - pickpocketing and theft from cars of documents, money, mobile phones, etc. should be taken into account when travelling in the country.

Bulgarians should be particularly careful when visiting large shops, markets, train stations, bus stations, as well as when stopping at petrol stations and on the roadside (for rest or car repairs).

It is not recommended to leave unattended in the vehicle bags and objects that attract the attention of thieves.

In case of theft, Bulgarian citizens should contact the nearest police station.

Healthcare:

It is recommended that Bulgarian citizens travelling and staying in Romania for a short period of time have a European Health Insurance Card. The same covers emergency and urgent care.

According to the current legislation, vaccinations in Romania are not compulsory but recommended. A list of recommended vaccinations can be found at HERE.

Specifics of the local legislation:

Rules for the carriage of goods by road

The right to re-measure/tow the vehicle if over-gauge/over-weight is detected

• Re-measuring and towing shall only take place at the entry into Romania, at the request of the carrier.
• No re-measuring or re-drawing shall take place within the country or when leaving it.
• The price for re-measuring and towing is EUR 50 for each individual operation (Order No 245/2008 of the Minister of Transport of Romania)

Special permits for the carriage of oversized loads

Issues in case of overloading or oversized cargo detected on entry into Romania: What does the carrier have to pay? What documents are issued?

According to Council of Ministers Decree No 43/1997, Annexes 2 and 3, ‘vehicles carrying divisible loads and exceeding the weight or gauge limits shall not be allowed to enter Romania’. The full text of the document is available on the website of the National Road Infrastructure Management Company (CNAIR) 

The transport of loads exceeding the permissible weight, axle weight and gauges may only be carried out on the basis of a special transport permit (AST) issued by the institution responsible for the road in question (in general, CNAIR).

Pursuant to Article 41, paragraph 4 of the aforementioned Decree 43/1997

‘(4) An AST shall only be issued for transport by the following vehicles:

1. (a) Vehicles carrying indivisible loads. ‘Indivisible load' means a load which, for the purposes of road transport, cannot be divided into two or more parts without incurring unreasonable expense or risk of damage and which, owing to its size and weight, cannot be transported by a car, trailer or road train conforming to the standard maximum permissible weights and dimensions.
2. (b) Unladen vehicles which are structurally of a greater weight or dimensions.

All other loads not meeting the above definitions are considered divisible.

In cases where it is established at entry into Romania that the weight/gauge of the vehicle or load exceeds the maximum permissible for the road in question and the load is indivisible, the Supplementary Tariffs for the use of the roads referred to in items 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Annex 1 to Order 245/2008 of the Minister of Transport, available on the internet at (CNAIR) 

Mandatory, on-site, by CNAIR staff are issued:

• Special Transport Permit (AST).
• Invoice and receipt for the cost of the AST.
• A CNAIR supplementary document containing details of the carrier (weight, gauges, vehicle number) and the goods being transported, the fees paid, what permits have been issued, the start and end point of the journey in Romania, the BCPs through which it passes.

The driver is obliged to keep the listed documents during the journey through Romania and to present them to the control authorities upon request.

The maximum permissible weights and dimensions of the vehicles allowed to drive on the different roads in the country are set by Order 1032/2011 of the Romanian Minister of Transport, available on the website of the (CNAIR) 

Fees. Payment and appeal procedures

Charges for overweight, over gauge and other non-fines (no report) are available online at the (CNAIR) 

They must be paid on the spot.

In the event that, upon leaving Romania or within the country, it is found that an indivisible load is being transported with dimensions or weight exceeding the maximum permissible or those recorded in the AST, the driver shall be penalised with a fine and additional charges for:

1. overweight or oversize traffic. In this case, an AST will be issued and the surcharges will be recalculated for the distance travelled and the remaining distance within Romania;
2. movement of a weight or dimensions exceeding those described in the special permit. In this case, a new AST will be issued and the surcharges for the distance travelled and the remaining distance within Romania will be recalculated.

Drivers of vehicles transiting Romania who have not been measured/weighed at the entry into the country for objective reasons (lack of installations, damaged installations, etc.), if they are transporting divisible goods, are only subject to a fine. There are no additional fees as described above.

If overloading/overgauging is detected during the carriage of divisible loads:

1. At the entrance to Romania - vehicles are not allowed into the country. Re-measuring or re-towing is allowed. In the event that the overload/oversize is confirmed, the vehicle will not be allowed into Romania.

1. At the exit from Romania - an infringement report is drawn up. After signing (including by the driver) and handing over the report, the vehicle may continue its journey.
2. On the territory of Romania - the vehicle shall be stopped until the goods are reloaded on several vehicles or unloaded. An infringement report shall be drawn up for the distance from the entry BCP to the place where the transhipment was detected.

In all cases, the driver is responsible for the vehicle and load during the stay.

Payment of fees

Fees are payable as follows:

• in cash, lei, euro or other convertible currency;
• by bank transfer, via POS terminals, at Gürghevo, Nadlac, Varshand, Bors, Petya and Halmeu BCPs. The respective POS terminal needs to recognize and accept the bank card. The transaction is carried out in lei (i.e. the bank may charge an additional currency exchange fee).

In the event of a bribe being demanded, the driver should immediately report the matter to the single number for reporting to the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption — Ministry of Interior — 0040 800 806 806.

In the event of a finding of misconduct on the part of police officers or an abuse of authority, a report may be made to one of the following institutions for investigation and appropriate action:

• Chief Inspectorate ‘Border Police’ by e-mail to: [email protected] and/or  [email protected] on 0040 219 590;
• The Control Authority at the Ministry of the Interior on 0040 213 037 084;
• Directorate General for Information and Internal Security at the Ministry of the Interior on 0040 213 158 752;
• General Directorate ‘Anti-Corruption’ at the Ministry of the Interior on 0040 800 806 806;

Customs requirements:

Details on Romania's customs regime can be found at HERE.

Road traffic:

Traffic on the country's main roads is heavy. While main streets in larger cities and major intercity roads are generally in good condition, many secondary roads are in poor condition, unpaved, poorly lit, narrow and with no or obliterated markings. Mountain roads are especially dangerous when wet or covered with snow or ice. Snow clearing in winter is irregular. You can often find pedestrians, animals, cyclists and carts travelling on the road alongside vehicles, especially in rural areas.

In cities, parked vehicles often block sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to walk in the streets. It is advisable to cross streets only at marked pedestrian crossings, and even then vigilance is required, as on the one hand the markings are sometimes erased and on the other hand local drivers often ignore traffic lights and footpath signs.

The specific road and geographic situation, which makes road blockages due to snow and floods possible, requires caution when travelling.

The Embassy recommends that you inform yourself in advance of the current weather and road conditions in the area of your intended travel.

Up-to-date information on the weather situation in Romania can be found at HERE. 

Up-to-date information on road passability in Romania can be found at HERE. 

Up-to-date information on crossing times at Romanian BCPs can be found at HERE.

Information on traffic rules and speed limits can be found at HERE.

When entering the country with a vehicle, it is obligatory to purchase a vignette against the vehicle's registration document. Vignettes can be purchased from the respective sales points at the BCPs, petrol stations in the country or on-line, including in advance. It is advisable to carefully check that the registration number of the vehicle is correct when purchasing, as a mistake will invalidate the vignette. Corrections to incorrect vignettes can be made up to 60 minutes after issue at the same point from which they were purchased.

The vignette must be valid for the entire period of the vehicle's stay on the territory of the country and the driver must be able to present a vignette valid at the time of passing the last checkpoint when leaving Romania. In the event of a missing or expired vignette, a fee for using the road network without a vignette (payable locally) and a fine will be charged.

Documents certifying the purchase of a vignette shall be kept for up to one year after its expiry.

Vignette fees for different categories of vehicles can be checked HERE.

Drivers should also pay attention to the validity of the roadworthiness test and the compulsory third-party liability insurance of vehicles.

Impoundment of the driving licence and procedures for obtaining it back

Under current Romanian law, a driving licence of the driver can be impounded for any offence committed. According to the statistics, the most common violations committed by drivers are: speeding, unauthorised overtaking, crossing a continuous centre line, failing to give pedestrians the right of way, crossing an intersection at a red traffic light. With the impoundment of the driving licence, penalties of ‘fine’ and/or ‘driving ban on the territory of Romania’ are imposed for a period of 30 to 90 days, effective 15 calendar days after the date of impoundment of the licence. When the driving licence is impounded, a Certificate of Impoundment — ‘dovada’ and/or a Constabulary Report - ‘Proces-verbal de constatare’ is issued to the driver, which describes when and for what the driving licence was impounded, and that the driver may appeal against the penalty imposed within 15 days. Failure to sign the Record of Findings shall not alter the enforcement of the penalties imposed.

In order to get the driving licence back, the driver has the following options:

• To submit to the Regional Directorate of Traffic Police, on the territory of which the driving licence was revoked (or to the Brigade of Traffic Police, when the driving licence was revoked in Bucharest), within 15 calendar days from the date of revocation, a notarized declaration (in Romanian) that he/she will not drive on the territory of Romania for the period specified in the Constabulary Report. The declaration must be accompanied by the documents handed over by the Romanian police officer when the driving licence was seized, as well as proof of payment of the fine, if any. IMPORTANT! In order to benefit from this procedure, the driver should fill in a personal application at the Regional Directorate of Traffic Police, on the territory of which the driving licence has been impounded. Otherwise, according to the Romanian legislation, the Regional Directorates will send the driving licence to the General Directorate of Traffic Police - Bucharest at the earliest opportunity.
• After the expiration of the 15-day period from the impoundment, the driving licence shall be sent by the Regional Directorates of the Traffic Police to the General Directorate of the Traffic Police — Bucharest, from where they shall be forwarded to the Consular Office with the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Romania. The Embassy sends them to the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria, which is responsible for returning the certificates.

Please note that driving while under a temporary driving ban is not a violation, but a criminal offence and is punishable, including imprisonment.

According to the Romanian legislation in force, in case of payment within 15 days from the date of delivery of the Detection Report, the amount due shall be half of the minimum amount of the fine according to the legal act, and the Detection Officer shall note this information in the report.

Fines for traffic offences imposed by the Romanian authorities on natural and legal persons without a permanent address in the country may be paid into any branch of the Treasury (Trezoria Statului), regardless of the place where the offence was detected, into the Treasury's account ‘Revenue from fines imposed on persons without a permanent address’ /Venituri din amenzi aplicate persoanelor non-residente/, code 35.01.01.03.

A copy of the payment receipt should be sent by post, or electronically (to the e-mail address), to the sanctioning authority.

Fines for traffic offences can also be paid by bank transfer to the account opened at the Commercial Bank of Romania (Banca Comercială Română) with the following details:

Names: Direcția Generală Regională a Finanțelor Publice București

Address: St. Prof. Dr. Dimitrie Gerota nr. 13, sector 2, București

Bank: Banca Comercială Română

IBAN: RO 73 RNCB 0090 0006 9551 0029

BIC: RNCBROBU

The Embassy recommends that the payment documents be kept for a min. of 1 year and to be carried on subsequent travel to Romania during that period.

In case of detention of the driving licence following a traffic accident with victims (even in cases where only the driver is injured) or for any other reason that Romanian law qualifies as a criminal offence (driving with alcohol or drugs in the blood, driving an unregistered vehicle, etc.), the return of the licence is not carried out as described above, but according to the following procedure:

After the detention of the driving licence, the competent prosecutor's office shall initiate criminal proceedings, during which the vehicle licence shall be stored at the Traffic Police Directorate of the Regional Police Inspectorate. At the conclusion of criminal proceedings or a case, the prosecutor, or the judge as the case may be, shall issue a decision. The decision shall be sent by post to the permanent address of the Bulgarian citizen, who, upon receipt thereof, shall make representations to the Regional Police Inspectorate for obtaining back the driving licence by presenting:

• A copy of the judgment;
• The documents handed over to him/her by the Romanian police officer when the driving licence was withheld;
• Valid ID;
• Application form (to be completed on the spot, in Romanian).

Practical advice:

Useful phone numbers and links

Telephone code of Romania - 0040

Single emergency number (ambulance, police, fire) - 112

Border Police - 0040 212 013 309; www.politiadefrontiera.ro

Henri Coanda International Airport, Otopeni - 0040 212 041 000; www.otp-airport.ro

Aurel Vlaicu International Airport, Baneasa - 0040 212 320 020; www.baneasa-airport.ro

State Railways - 0040 219 521; www.cfrcalatori.ro

Ministry of Interior -https://www.mai.gov.ro/

Ministry of Justice - http://www.just.ro/

Ministry of Health - http://www.ms.gov.ro/

Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration - https://www.mdrap.ro/en/

Chief Inspectorate for Migration at the Ministry of Interior - http://igi.mai.gov.ro/en

Border Police - http://www.politiadefrontiera.ro/

General Directorate ‘Customs’ - http://www.customs.ro/

Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Rescue (SMURD): http://www.smurd.ro/

A list of lawyers registered in Romania with legal capacity, with the possibility of additionally introducing a search criterion by area, can be found at HERE

A list of translators registered with the Romanian Ministry of Justice, with additional search criteria by area/language, can be found at HERE

A guide to the Bulgarians in Romania, prepared by the Honorary Consul of Bulgaria in Romania. Ploiesti, Mr. Rosen Rusev HERE

Local currency:

Romanian Leu (RON). Lei can be purchased from bank branches in the country or exchange offices upon presentation of an ID (passport or identity card).

Samples of the coins and banknotes can be found HERE.

The current exchange rate of the Romanian National Bank to the major currencies can be viewed HERE.

Bulgarian citizens may enter and reside in the territory of Romania in accordance with the provisions of Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, subject to the Romanian legislation in force.
More information can be found on the websites of:

General Migration Inspectorate of the Ministry of Interior of Romania HERE

Border Police of the Ministry of Interior of Romania HERE 

Bulgarian identity documents:

At the moment, applications for identity cards, passports and Emergency Travel Documents can be submitted at the Consular Office with the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Bucharest.

To apply for a new Bulgarian identity document, it is advisable to schedule an appointment at the Consular Office in advance. Booking a time can be done in two ways:
- by email [email protected]  or - phone +40 213187978 every working day between 9:00 and 17:00.

The new identity documents are received at the Consular Office by diplomatic pouch or by paid delivery by DHL courier in the amount of EUR 41.69, which is paid by the applicant by bank transfer to the following bank account:
Beneficiary: DHL EXPRESS BULGARIA EOOD
Beneficiary’s IBAN No: BG40UNCR70001523563800
Beneficiary’s Bank: UniCredit Bulbank AD
BIC/SWIFT Code: UNCRBGSF
Beneficiary’s Bank Address: 7, Sveta Nedelya square, Sofia 1000, Bulgaria;
or in BGN 81,54 to the following bank account:
Beneficiary: DHL EXPRESS BULGARIA EOOD
Beneficiary’s IBAN No: BG94UNCR70001523563798
Beneficiary’s Bank: UniCredit Bulbank AD
BIC/SWIFT Code: UNCRBGSF
Beneficiary’s Bank Address: 7, Sveta Nedelya square, Sofia 1000, Bulgaria

In the payment order, the applicant must enter:
- the initials BDS;
- the name of the city in which the Consular Office where the new document will be obtained is located (in this case Bucharest);
- the full name of the person to whom the identity document will be issued;
Example: BDS Bucharest Ivan Ivanov Ivanov
The prepaid courier service does not imply the faster preparation of the requested identity documents (foreign passport and identity card), but includes the receipt of the documents at the Consular Office within 1 day after its dispatch.’

Certifications and legalizations:

Between the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania there is in force a Treaty on Legal Assistance in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters /in force since 04 July 1959, ratified by Decree of the State Council No 33/24 January 1959, in Izvestia, No 9/1959, promulg. - in Izvestia, No 18/1960, UN Registration No 6007/15 December 1961/, according to Article 13 of which ‘...1. Documents issued or authenticated in the territory of one of the Contracting Parties by a public authority or by an official within the limits of its jurisdiction, in the form prescribed by law and bearing a seal shall be recognised in the territory of the other Contracting Party without further authentication. This also applies to signatures which are authenticated in accordance with the legal provisions of one of the Contracting Parties. 2. Documents which are considered official in the territory of one Contracting Party shall have the evidentiary value of official documents in the territory of the other Contracting Party...’.
This means that the documents cited in the Treaty are recognised directly in the opposite country without the need for an Apostille.
In order for a public document issued by Romania to be recognised in Bulgaria, and vice versa, for a Bulgarian public document to be recognised in Romania, it must be translated by a sworn translator and their signature must be authenticated.
The Consular Office with the Embassy may carry out certification of signatures and legalizations of translations of documents in Bulgarian intended to be effective in the Republic of Bulgaria. For this purpose, the citizen who wishes to have his signature authenticated must appear in person at the Consular Office with a valid identity document and sign in front of the consul. The document to be authenticated must show the same identity document.
If you have such a need, contact the Consular Office in advance on +40 21 3187978 to make an appointment with the consul.
The Consular Office legalizes translations from Romanian into Bulgarian made by translators authorised by the Embassy and intended to take effect in the Republic of Bulgaria. A personal meeting with the consul is not necessary. A list of authorized translators can be found HERE.

Civil status:
The competent Romanian civil status offices shall send to the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria the civil status certificates of the Bulgarian citizens drawn up in Romania. The acts received by the Consular Office are sent to the competent Bulgarian offices for entry in the Bulgarian registers.
It is possible to present the relevant local civil status document, translated and certified in accordance with the established procedure, to the Consular Office in person or through an authorized person, for forwarding to the municipality of permanent residence in Bulgaria for registration of birth, civil marriage or death.
The interested person can perform the registration in person or through an authorized person, by presenting the relevant local certification document, translated and certified according to the established procedure, in the relevant municipality in Bulgaria:
- for the birth of a child - at the permanent address of the mother, and if she is a foreign national - of the father;
- for a civil marriage - before the local authorities at the permanent address of the husband, and if he is a foreign national - of the wife;
- for death - at the permanent address of the deceased.

The Republic of Bulgaria and Romania are parties to the Convention on the Issuance of Multilingual Extracts from Civil Status Records, signed in Vienna on 8 September 1976:
The Convention provides for a parallel possibility - in addition to the issuance of the previous documents based on acts of civil status, to issue extracts of forms according to established models: For A (birth certificate extract), Form B (civil marriage certificate extract), Form C (death certificate extract).
Civil status events (births, marriages, deaths) occurring on the territory of Romania can be registered in Bulgaria on the basis of these extracts. The extracts are recognised without legalization.
Insofar as the Convention does not deal with the question of the translation of extracts, they should be accompanied by a certified translation into Bulgarian.

The embassies of the following countries, based in Bucharest, are accredited to the Republic of Bulgaria: Canada, Kingdom of Norway, Lithuania, Estonia, Malaysia, Kingdom of Thailand, People's Republic of Bangladesh, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Nigeria, Republic of Sudan, Chile and Uruguay. Some of these countries are parties to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the Kingdom of Norway, Lithuania and Estonia) and documents coming from these countries do not need further legalization than an Apostille.
The Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Bucharest and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia may certify the seal and the signature (affixed on documents provided with the necessary attestations by the competent institutions of the country concerned and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that country) of the relevant official of the other embassies in Bucharest which are accredited to the Republic of Bulgaria and are not party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. This can also be done by the Bulgarian embassies in these countries (Kingdom of Jordan, Nigeria, Canada) or the embassies of the Republic of Bulgaria accredited for these countries in third countries.