In brief
Law 207/2025, the “Nordis Law”, gives buyers of apartments under construction in Romania new tools: early registration of each unit, a preliminary contract signed only before a notary, a cap on the reservation fee, staged release of advance payments and a dedicated bank account under engineering supervision. The tools work only when you ask the developer for the documents in writing, before signing.
Key takeaways
- 1Ask for an extract for your specific apartment. Under the law, each future unit receives its own property sheet in the land register even before it has been built.
- 2The building permit must be registered in the land register, not “in process”.
- 3The preliminary contract is signed only before a notary; a private “heads of terms” agreement is not a valid preliminary contract under the law.
- 4Reservation fee: up to 5% of the price, for up to 60 days, and a full refund within 30 days if the transaction fell through solely due to the developer's fault.
- 5From the dedicated account the developer releases up to 25% of the price for the structure and up to 20% for the systems, with the approval of the site supervisor.
Israeli buyers today arrive at meetings with developers in Romania better prepared than in the past. Many have already read about the Nordis Law and the dedicated account. But knowing the law is only half the work. The other half is knowing what to ask for at the meeting, what a proper answer looks like and when to stop. This guide is a practical checklist for buying an apartment “off-plan”.
What does the Nordis Law provide, in brief?
Law 207/2025 entered into force on 11 December 2025, after the Nordis affair, in which apartments sold off-plan were sold more than once. Since 25 August 2026 its rules appear in Article 422(6)-(11) of the new Planning and Building Code (Law 169/2026).
The law is built on five mechanisms:
- Early registration of each future unit in the land register.
- A preliminary contract signed only before a notary.
- A cap on the reservation fee.
- Staged release of advance payments according to the construction stages.
- A dedicated bank account for the project, under engineering supervision.
The building permit must be registered in the land register, not “in process”.
What does the Nordis Law not protect against?
Before the checks, it is worth knowing where they end. The list is built for buying an apartment under construction from a developer, and there are three things it does not cover:
- A finished, second-hand apartment. There the law is hardly relevant, and the protection is a clean land register extract, a check for encumbrances and an independent lawyer.
- Registration of the land for buyers from outside the European Union. This is a separate legal route that this law does not touch.
- The price itself. The law protects the money; it does not determine whether the price is fair.
And there is another side: the law indirectly makes new apartments more expensive. Developers are required to have more equity and to bear compliance costs, and the new supply is shrinking. This is a structural price of security.
Checks 1-2: are the apartment and the permit really registered?
Check 1: an extract for your unit, not for the project. Ask for a registration extract (Extras de Carte Funciară, an extract from the land register) for the specific future apartment you are buying. If it does not have its own property sheet, you must not be asked to sign. This is a sign that the stage called pre-apartmentation (the early division of the building into units in the land register) has not yet been completed.
Check 2: a building permit registered in the land register. Not “in process”, not “soon” and not “a technical matter”. A permit that has not been registered in the land register is sufficient reason to wait.
Checks 3-4: how do you sign, and how much may you pay at the reservation stage?
Check 3: signing before a notary only. The preliminary contract is signed before a Romanian notary, and the notary files the registration application on the same day or on the next business day. A proposal to first sign a private “heads of terms” agreement is a red flag, because such an agreement is not valid as a preliminary contract under the law. Notarial signing in Romania is not done remotely; anyone who cannot attend gives a power of attorney to a representative acting on his or her behalf.
Check 4: a reservation fee within the cap. Up to 5% of the price, for a period of up to 60 days, with a refund clause: if the transaction fell through solely due to the developer's fault, the money is returned in full within 30 days. A “good faith deposit” of 10% breaches the law, and exceeding the cap results in the absolute nullity of the reservation agreement.
Checks 5-6: where does the money go, and when is it released?
Check 5: a payment schedule linked to construction. From the dedicated account the developer may release up to 25% of the price for the structure, and after its completion up to 20% for the systems, each release stamped by the site supervisor. The law limits the release, not your payment schedule. It is therefore advisable that the schedule in the contract be linked to verified milestones, and not to calendar dates.
Check 6: the dedicated account. Ask at which bank the project account is held and who the engineering supervisor approving withdrawals is. Ask in writing for three things: the name of the bank, the name of the supervisor and a bank confirmation that the account exists. Before every payment, make sure the transfer goes to the registered project account and not to another account of the company.
Since the law restricts the use of buyers' money, a developer needs equity or bank financing in order to build. A developer whose only asset is the land and who has no financing may get stuck before construction progresses. Ask where the financing comes from, and ask to see confirmation.
What does the list look like at a glance?
| Check | What to ask for in writing | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Unit extract | CF extract for the specific apartment | “There is an extract for the project, that is enough” |
| 2. Building permit | Permit registered in the land register | “The permit is in process” |
| 3. Notary | Draft notarial preliminary contract | “Let us start with heads of terms” |
| 4. Reservation fee | Up to 5%, up to 60 days, refund clause | A “good faith deposit” of 10% |
| 5. Payment schedule | Schedule linked to construction stages | A large payment before the structure |
| 6. Dedicated account | Bank name, supervisor name, bank confirmation | “Transfer to the company account” |
How do you use the list with a developer?
The simple way: send the six questions by email before the meeting, and ask for written answers, preferably as an annex to the agreement. An oral answer is a promise; a written answer is a commitment. A developer who complies with the law loses nothing by putting the answers in writing, and a refusal to do so is the strongest red flag on the list.
And what about those who signed before December 2025? As a rule, the law applies to new transactions, and agreements signed before its entry into force are subject to the previous law. Anyone in the middle of an older transaction needs an individual review, because there is a difference between the stages of the transaction.
What should be done before signing?
Go through the six checks against the documents themselves, not against a presentation. When we accompany a buyer of an apartment under construction, we review each item on the list with the buyer against the land register extract, the permit, the draft contract and the bank confirmations, and mark what is missing. The land register check and the signing are performed by a lawyer licensed to practise in Romania and a Romanian notary.
The content of this article is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. The description of Law 207/2025 is a general summary, and the binding text is the one published in the Monitorul Oficial. Before any transaction, it is recommended to obtain individual advice from an independent local lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
The developer is asking for 10% to “reserve” the apartment. Is that acceptable?
No. Under Law 207/2025 the reservation fee is capped at 5% of the price and at a period of up to 60 days, and exceeding the cap results in the absolute nullity of the reservation agreement.
What is a CF extract for a future unit?
A registration extract from the Romanian land register showing owners, rights and encumbrances. Under the Nordis Law, even an apartment that has not yet been built has its own property sheet, and without it a buyer must not be asked to sign.
I signed before December 2025. Does the law apply to me?
As a rule, the law applies to new transactions, and agreements signed before its entry into force are subject to the previous law. A transaction that is midway requires an individual review by a lawyer.
Can the preliminary contract be signed from Israel?
Notarial signing in Romania is not done remotely. You can give a power of attorney to a representative acting on your behalf, who will sign in your name before the notary.
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The information in this guide is general in nature and does not constitute legal or tax advice on any specific transaction. Every transaction is assessed on its own facts.