VisaApplicants for Romanian family visas must use immigration approval within 60 days
A current guide separates the sponsor’s approval, the D/VF visa and the residence permit, including the higher visa fee introduced in April.
Official source date: 2026-11-02
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Start with the sponsor’s immigration approval
Romania’s General Inspectorate for Immigration, IGI, says a foreign resident bringing eligible relatives must first obtain family-reunification approval. Its guidance gives three months for deciding that request and says the approval must then be presented with the long-stay visa application within 60 days of issue. Families should arrange the consular stage around that document’s expiry, not treat approval as an open-ended invitation.
The sponsor’s qualifying status matters. IGI lists a one-year temporary residence permit, EU Blue Card, ICT or Mobile ICT permit, long-term residence and international-protection categories. Researchers and certain listed permit holders can qualify even when their permit is shorter than one year. This guide checks the current process on 2 November; it does not announce a new concession. Use IGI’s family-reunification page and its linked application to establish the sponsor’s route before the overseas relative files for a visa.
Use the checklist for the correct family relationship
The Foreign Ministry’s eVisa supporting-documents page distinguishes reunification between two third-country nationals from joining a Romanian citizen. For a foreign sponsor, it lists the family relationship, authenticated cohabitation statement, residence evidence, housing, means of support, social health insurance and the relative’s travel-document copy. Where a minor is in joint custody, the other person sharing custody must consent to the child living with the sponsor in Romania. Beneficiaries of refugee or subsidiary-protection status have stated exemptions from the housing, support and insurance evidence.
The same page identifies a different Romanian-citizen route, including spouses and defined partners, children and ascending relatives. The conditions are not interchangeable: a foreign sponsor’s adult child generally needs the specified medical dependency, while the Romanian-citizen categories include particular age and continuing-study provisions. Select the category matching the real relationship rather than the one with the shortest checklist. The D/VF visa is issued by Romanian missions or consulates in the family member’s home country or country of residence. Use eVisa to identify the required supporting category and competent consular post.
Budget for the current long-stay visa charge and check exemptions
The official eVisa fee page now lists EUR 300 for a long-stay D visa. It expressly applies that amount to applications transmitted for validation to Romanian missions through eVisa from 27 April 2026. Applications transmitted before that date retain the stated EUR 120 charge. A person using an older checklist should therefore check the transmission date instead of assuming that the previous price still applies to a new application.
The page separately lists fee exemptions. These include Ukrainian nationals under the specified bilateral arrangement and qualifying family members of Romanian, EU, EEA or Swiss citizens. Being related to any foreign resident is not itself described as a general fee exemption. Ask the consulate to confirm the applicable exemption and supporting proof before payment. Fees may be collected in euros, US dollars or local currency under the published conversion arrangements. This is the visa-processing charge; it does not cover every later residence-card or document-preparation cost. Use the eVisa fees page for the rate and exemption rules, rather than relying on an agent’s bundled quotation.
Apply for residence before the visa-authorised stay runs out
Entering with the family visa does not complete the residence process. IGI’s residence-permit guidance requires the applicant to submit the residence documents personally at least 30 days before the visa-granted right of stay expires. It also identifies the IGI portal as an online document-submission option. Record that deadline separately from the earlier 60-day period for using the family approval: each relates to a different stage.
The residence page separates spouses and other family categories. It calls for identity and relationship records, cohabitation evidence and the relevant housing, support, insurance, medical and fee documentation, with particular exemptions and additional requirements depending on the case. Use its category-specific checklist rather than reuse only the visa file. IGI states a 30-day decision period for granting or renewing residence for family members of non-EU/EEA citizens, with a possible 15-day extension for further checks. A stated administrative period is not a guaranteed appointment or arrival date. Check the personal stay expiry and ask IGI about missing evidence early enough to avoid relying on an assumed automatic extension.
