VisaMoldova residents can start Romanian courses before preparing a permanent residence application
The migration inspectorate offers a route to language preparation, but course attendance, filing deadlines and residence document charges require separate checks.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Start Romanian preparation before the residence deadline
Moldova residents considering permanent residence can request Romanian language courses through the General Inspectorate for Migration, rather than waiting until their residence document is about to expire. The inspectorate’s integration guide makes language knowledge part of permanent residence preparation. This guide concerns practical preparation for an application; attending a course does not itself establish eligibility for permanent status.
Temporary and permanent residence permit holders, recognised stateless people and beneficiaries of international protection or political asylum are among the groups covered by the integration programme. Apply to the regional Integration Centre, which assesses integration needs. Sociocultural adaptation sessions are expressly free and provide an attendance certificate. The guide does not identify that attendance certificate as the Romanian proficiency evidence needed for permanent residence. Ask separately about the language assessment, accepted certificate, course timetable and any examination charge.
Choose the evidence list that matches your circumstances
The permanent residence checklist linked from the current IGM service page distinguishes applicants married to Moldovan citizens from other categories. Both lists ask for a national passport and residence permit, originals and copies, housing evidence, national health insurance and a colour photograph measuring three by four centimetres. The marriage category additionally identifies marriage evidence, the Moldovan spouse’s identity document and a child’s birth certificate.
For language evidence, the checklist names a ministry-issued certificate or a diploma from an institution teaching in Romanian, with an exception for old-age pension recipients. Other-category applicants also face business-document, subsistence and contribution-evidence requirements. Criminal-record evidence can involve both nationality and a country of legal residence lasting at least two years, with translation and legalisation or apostille requirements. Take the actual category list to IGM before ordering overseas documents; a language course enrolment alone does not replace this file.
Allow for the earlier permanent residence filing instruction
The permanent residence checklist says to submit at least 90 days before authorised stay ends. This is more specific than the general residence service page’s 30-day instruction. An applicant should therefore plan around the earlier permanent-residence instruction and ask IGM how it applies to the current document and category. For illustration, someone with a card expiring in February should investigate the permanent file in November, rather than treating January as a safe starting point.
The archived permanent residence page also describes examination within 90 calendar days, potentially extended by up to 60 additional calendar days for justified reasons. These are examination periods, not permission to remain after an existing authorisation expires. The reviewed material does not establish an automatic extension merely because language study or permanent residence preparation has started. Obtain instructions about maintaining lawful temporary residence while a permanent application is being considered.
Separate the residence decision from the document charge
The current right-of-residence service page lists permanent residence decision charges by examination service: 400 lei plus a 1,000-lei state fee within one month, 200 plus 1,000 within two months, or 100 plus 1,000 within three months. These are published decision-stage amounts, not a single all-inclusive price for language study, overseas certificates and the resulting identity document.
The same service describes personal filing at the one-stop shop responsible for the applicant’s residence, with originals and copies. Staff check completeness and may return an irregular file for correction. Payment routes include MPay and bank branches. Ask the counter which processing option is available and obtain the payment reference before paying; selecting a faster listed service should not be read as a guarantee that an incomplete or disputed application will receive approval.
Keep the existing card valid while arranging the next stage
The separate foreigners-documentation page distinguishes the right of residence from the document recording that right. Its published standard IR/CR card tariff is 350 lei plus a 150-lei state fee for 20 working days. Faster ordinary options have higher charges, while specially marked concessionary rates depend on separate conditions. This document tariff should not be substituted for the permanent residence decision fees.
That page instructs applicants renewing documents because of expiry to apply at least 30 days beforehand. It also says a temporary document cannot outlast the passport or travel document supporting it. Check both expiry dates when arranging a language course or requesting overseas evidence. The service pages retain legacy permit terminology, and some instructions differ between general and permanent-specific guidance; ask IGM to confirm the applicable document and filing sequence rather than assuming that course completion settles those differences.
