Family Relocation to Romania: the Legal and Administrative Checklist in Chronological Order

Families planning a move to Romania tend to start with the school and the apartment. Legally, the starting point is different: what status you enter in, when the first legal window ends, and what needs to be ready in Israel before you leave. A mistake in the order costs time, and sometimes rights as well.

This guide sets out the legal and administrative steps along a timeline, from the months before the flight to the first quarter in Romania. Topics we covered in separate guides, such as the status routes and tax residency, appear here in brief with a reference. Education, cost of living and choosing a neighbourhood are not part of it.

1Which legal clocks start running when you move to Romania?

Four, and they are not synchronised. It is worth knowing them before setting a flight date.

Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) records every entry and exit at the border, so counting Schengen days is now also done automatically. We wrote about planning the calendar under the 90/180 rule in a separate guide.

2Which passport are you moving on, and why is this the first question?

Because the passport determines which authority you will deal with and which document you will receive. The same family may include members in three different situations.

• An Israeli passport only. You need a D visa from a Romanian consulate, for a purpose recognised by law, such as employment, business, family reunification or studies, followed by a residence permit from the immigration authority (IGI, Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări).
• A passport of another EU state. No visa and no permit. You register with IGI within 3 months of entry and receive a registration certificate with a CNP (Emergency Ordinance 102/2005).
• A Romanian passport. You are not a foreigner, and the procedure is conducted with the local population register, not with IGI.

3What should be arranged in Israel six months to a year before the move?

Whatever is hard or impossible to fix later. This is the list, in the order in which it is best handled:

1. Choosing a status route with an immigration lawyer in Romania. The route determines which documents will be required at the consulate and at IGI.
2. Planning tax residency with an accountant familiar with both countries. In Israel residency is determined by the centre of life, with rebuttable presumptions based on days of presence, and where dual residency arises the tax treaty between Israel and Romania decides. We set out the tests and forms in a separate guide on tax residency.
3. A decision with National Insurance, as detailed in the next section.
4. Personal status documents. Birth and marriage certificates and educational certificates usually need an apostille and a notarised translation into Romanian. The exact list is obtained from the consulate.
5. Starting the veterinary process for a dog or cat, at least four months before the flight.
6. Health insurance starting on the day of arrival, of a type IGI accepts for the file.

4What do you decide with National Insurance before leaving?

Israel and Romania have a social security agreement, in force since 1 January 2013. According to the National Insurance Institute, it covers old age, survivors, general disability and children, and does not cover maternity, work injury or unemployment. It prevents double payment and aggregates insurance periods, but does not apply to health insurance contributions.

National Insurance registers anyone who leaves as a resident for the first five years, but may examine the matter earlier. An early application to cease residency is examined for the whole family, and will not be approved if the spouse and children remained in Israel. Someone who returns and whose centre of life did not really move may be recognised as a resident retroactively and be liable for contributions.

5Household goods, car and pets: which documents do you prepare?

Israel is outside the EU, so every shipment passes through Romanian customs. Someone transferring their residence benefits from relief from customs duty (Council Regulation 1186/2009) and from VAT (Directive 2009/132/EC), provided they lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months, used the goods for at least 6 months, and declared them within 12 months of settling.

• Customs file: a detailed inventory in English or Romanian with an estimated value, proof of residence in Israel for the last 12 months, proof of residence in Romania (permit or registration, lease or purchase contract) and a passport.
• What is not exempt: alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and professional equipment, other than portable work tools. Goods released under the relief generally may not be sold, lent or given away for 12 months without paying the taxes.
• Car: enters with relief under the same conditions, if it was owned and used by you for at least six months, and must then be registered in your county of residence and meet the technical requirements. A car with foreign plates whose owners live in Romania is limited to 90 days from the date of entry (Emergency Ordinance 195/2002, Article 82(4)).
• Pets: an ISO-compliant microchip before or on the day of vaccination, rabies vaccination from 12 weeks of age, a blood sample at least 30 days after vaccination with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml at an approved laboratory, a 3-month waiting period, an EU health certificate issued no more than 10 days before entry, and a declaration that the movement is non-commercial.

6You have landed: what needs to happen by day 60?

The IGI file is the goal, and all the other steps are meant to feed it. Article 51(2) of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 lists what to attach: a passport, a medical certificate, lawful proof of the place of residence, health insurance, proof of means of subsistence, the fees and the documents for the purpose of stay.

Under Article 51(4), IGI decides within 30 days of submission, and may extend by 15 days for further checks. Someone who moves home after submission notifies IGI within 30 days (Article 13). The dates in the table, other than those in the law, are a planning tool and not an obligation.

7You have received a permit: what do you do about the licence, the CNP and the registrations?

The CNP, the Romanian personal identification number, is issued together with the residence permit (Article 144^1 of Ordinance 194/2002), and replaces the NIF in tax records. From here you update the bank and ANAF, and anyone covered by public insurance registers with a family doctor who has a contract with CNAS, the National Health Insurance House.

Driving licence. Israel is a party to the Vienna Convention, so it is possible to drive in Romania on a valid Israeli licence (Emergency Ordinance 195/2002, Article 83). Someone transferring their residence can exchange it without a test, because Israel appears in Annex 2 to Ministry of Internal Affairs Order 163/2011:

• Conditions: a declaration of residence in Romania for at least 185 days a year, and a valid residence permit.
• Documents: the original Israeli licence, a notarised translation into Romanian, a passport and residence permit, an application form and payment of 89 lei, as of October 2026.
• Timing: the Romanian licence is issued within 30 days at most. In the meantime you receive a substitute document with driving rights, which can be renewed.
• What you lose: under Article 10 of the order, the Romanian authority sends the Israeli licence to the authority that issued it. Anyone who will also drive on visits to Israel should check in advance with the Israeli licensing office.

The wording of the law we reviewed frames the exchange as an option and does not set an express deadline, but the cautious course is to open the exchange file as soon as the permit is in your hands, and to check the current procedure at the county licensing service.

8What should you do before signing a lease or purchase contract in Romania?

Before committing to a home, you should have an agreed status route, a list of documents confirmed by the consulate, a written decision with National Insurance and tax planning for both countries. We accompany Israeli families in arranging these steps and in reviewing the lease or purchase contract, together with licensed lawyers and notaries in Romania, who carry out the actions under local law.

Read next · 7 min readA Will for an Israeli With Property in Romania: Choice of Law, Form of the Will and Coordination With the Will in IsraelHow to write a will that works for property in Romania: Regulation 650/2012 and choice of law, notarial or handwritten wills, reserved shares, the Israeli will.Read the guide

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.