A Glossary for a Real Estate Transaction in Romania: What the Words You Will Meet in the Extract, the Contract and at the Notary Mean

At the first meeting with a notary in Romania, most Israeli buyers discover that the problem is not the price or the contract, but the words. Extract, notation, Superficie, Intabulare: each of them conceals a right or a risk, and someone who does not understand them signs something they do not know how to check.

We have gathered here the terms that recur in almost every transaction, in the order in which you will meet them. Each term appears in Latin script, as in the documents, with the legal reference. We wrote separate guides on reading the extract and on the main documents in the transaction.

1Registration and ownership: which terms appear in the land register extract?

This group defines exactly what you are buying and who else holds a right in the same property. If you learn only one group, learn this one.

• Cartea funciară (land register): the public register of real estate in Romania. Each property has a sheet in three parts: A describes the property, B shows the owners, and C sets out the rights of others and encumbrances. The register is the evidence of ownership, not the contract and not the developer's brochure. Articles 876-878 of the Civil Code; Law 7/1996, Articles 1 and 23.
• ANCPI, OCPI and BCPI: the National Agency for Cadastre and Land Registration, its office in each county and in Bucharest, and the local bureau that carries out registration and issues extracts. Information on ownership and encumbrances is obtained from them, not from a photocopy supplied by the seller. Law 7/1996, Article 3.
• Extras de carte funciară (extract): a printout of the registered position at the moment of issue. There is an extract for information (pentru informare), which anyone may order, and an extract for authentication (pentru autentificare), which the notary orders before signing and which blocks other registrations for 10 working days. Rule of thumb: no transfer of money before a current information extract. Law 7/1996, Article 35(1)-(4); ANCPI Order 16/2019 as amended by Order 441/2025.
• Număr cadastral (cadastral number): the unique identifier of a plot within the administrative unit, linking the survey map to the register. Buildings on the plot are marked C1, C2 and so on. Make sure the number in the contract belongs exactly to the plot and house you saw. Law 7/1996, Articles 1-2; ANCPI 2023 registration regulation, Articles 42-43.
• Intabulare (final registration of a right): registration of ownership or another real right on the basis of a notarial document, a final court judgment, an inheritance certificate or an administrative decision. In a locality where cadastral surveying has been completed, ownership passes only on registration. Until you are registered, the register still shows the seller, so money paid before then needs separate protection. Articles 881, 885 and 888 of the Civil Code; Law 71/2011, Article 56; Law 7/1996, Articles 24(3) and 35(1).
• Notare (notation): a registration informing everyone of a fact or personal right connected to the property, such as a preliminary contract, a contractual pre-emption right, a lease, a seizure or a lawsuit. The notation does not transfer ownership, but anyone who buys or lends after it is subject to it. Articles 881 and 902-905 of the Civil Code.
• Sarcini (encumbrances and restrictions): everything that burdens the property. Most are in Part C: rights of use and habitation, easements, mortgages, leases, seizures, enforcement proceedings and lawsuits. Prohibitions on sale or construction are registered in Part B. An encumbrance that has not been removed passes with the property to the buyer. Law 7/1996, Article 23; Article 2345(1) of the Civil Code.
• Ipotecă (mortgage): created by a notarial document and comes into existence only on registration. It remains on the property even when it changes hands, and its creditor is paid before other creditors. Require that the developer's mortgage be removed at the latest on handover; a bank financing you will register a mortgage of its own. Articles 2343-2345, 2377-2379 and 2386 of the Civil Code.
• Drept de superficie (Superficie right): ownership of a building standing on someone else's land, together with a right to use the land. Granted for up to 99 years and renewable, registered in the register, and it can be sold or mortgaged only together with the building. This is the common legal structure for a buyer from outside the European Union who cannot hold land. Read carefully what the contract provides on the duration of the right, its renewal and its end. Articles 693-702 and 2379(1)(d) of the Civil Code; Law 312/2005, Article 6.
• Uzufruct (usufruct): a right to use another's property and receive its fruits without damaging it, with the owner retaining only “bare ownership”. For a private individual it lasts at most until the end of their life, and for a company up to 30 years. Such a right, if registered, also binds a future buyer, so look for it in Part C. Articles 703-708 of the Civil Code.
• Servitute de trecere (right of way): an easement allowing passage, on foot or by vehicle, through a neighbouring plot. Created by contract or by acquisitive prescription (uzucapiune) and registered in the register, and a plot with no access to a public road also has a statutory right of way. When access to the house runs over a private road, ask for a registered right of way or a share in the road. Articles 755-770 and 617-619 of the Civil Code.
• Drept de preempțiune (pre-emption right): priority to buy at the same price and on the same terms agreed with another buyer. It arises from law or from contract, and for real estate its holder is given up to 30 days from notice. A statutory pre-emption right applies mainly to agricultural land outside the built-up area, so check that the plot is inside the built-up area (intravilan) and that there is no notation of a contractual pre-emption right. Articles 1730-1740 and 902(2) point 13 of the Civil Code; Law 17/2014, Article 4.

2From reservation to signing: what do the terms of the buying process mean?

Here are the documents you sign, the parties who authenticate them, and the numbers that identify you to the Romanian state.

• Legea 207/2025 (the “Nordis Law”): the set of rules for selling apartments and houses off-plan. From 25 August 2026 it appears in Article 422(6)-(11) of Law 169/2026, the new planning code. The next three terms rest on it. Law 169/2026, Articles 422 and 575; Law 207/2025.
• Contract de rezervare (reservation agreement): a preliminary agreement in which a developer holds a future unit for you. The law limits it to 60 days and the reservation fee to 5% of the price, which is credited against it; an agreement that charges more than this is void. At its end, the parties must move to a notarial promise of sale or to the sale itself. Law 169/2026, Article 422(9).
• Antecontract / promisiune bilaterală de vânzare-cumpărare (preliminary contract): a mutual undertaking to sign the sale contract later, which must include all the essential terms. If a party refuses to sign without justification, the court may issue a judgment that takes the place of the contract. In an off-plan purchase it is signed before a notary, and the large deposit is usually paid at this stage. Articles 1279, 1669 and 1670 of the Civil Code; Law 169/2026, Article 422(7)-(8).
• Cont dedicat (dedicated project account): a separate bank account of the developer, for one project only, into which a deposit under an off-plan promise of sale is paid. Money leaves it only for project expenses and on a payment approval (bun de plată) from the site supervisor: up to 25% of the price at the structure stage, and then up to 20% at the systems stage. This is real protection, but not full insurance. Law 169/2026, Article 422(10)-(11).
• Act autentic (notarial document): a document drawn up or authenticated by a Romanian notary after checking the identity and consent of the parties. A contract that transfers or creates a real right to be registered in the register must be in this form, otherwise it is absolutely void. A purchase by private signature alone cannot be registered. Article 1244 of the Civil Code; Law 36/1995, Articles 82, 90 and 100.
• Notar public (public notary): a lawyer appointed under Law 36/1995 who operates an independent office. In the transaction the notary authenticates the contract, checks identity and capacity, collects the taxes and records them in the document. Legally, your transaction happens at the notary's office. Law 36/1995, Articles 3, 12, 78 and 84.
• Procură (power of attorney): for someone to sign a real estate transaction on your behalf, they need a special power of attorney in notarial form, expressly permitting a purchase or sale. This makes it possible to close a transaction without flying. Articles 2013, 2015 and 2016 of the Civil Code; Law 36/1995, Articles 18, 91 and 164.
• Apostilă (apostille): a uniform certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention, authenticating the signature, the capacity of the signatory and the seal on a public document, but not its content. Israel and Romania are both parties to the Convention, so a power of attorney signed in Israel needs an apostille before a notary or bank in Romania will accept it.
• Traducere autorizată / legalizată (authorised / legalised translation): a translation by a translator authorised by the Romanian Ministry of Justice; when a notary legalises the translator's signature, it becomes legalised. Law 178/1997; Law 36/1995, Articles 12, 82 and 153.
• CNP (cod numeric personal): the personal number identifying a person in all public systems in Romania. A Romanian citizen receives it at birth, and a foreigner can receive it through a document issued by the immigration authority. Emergency Ordinance 97/2005, Article 6.
• NIF (număr de identificare fiscală): a tax identification number that ANAF gives to someone who has tax obligations in Romania and has no CNP. Submit form 030 with a copy of your passport, yourself or through a representative, and the number is replaced if you later receive a CNP. Without one of the two you cannot buy. Law 207/2015, Article 82(1)(e); ANAF Order 1699/2021.

3Planning, construction and handover: what do you need to know when buying a new house?

These terms answer two questions: was it permitted to build what you are buying, and what may be built next to it. Some of them changed with the new planning code, Law 169/2026, in force since 25 August 2026.

• Certificat de urbanism (urban planning certificate): an information document from the local authority describing what applies to a plot under the plans: uses, height, density, infrastructure and restrictions. It does not permit building. One of the five types in the new code, the certificate for information, is open to any applicant. Law 169/2026, Articles 253, 254 and 257.
• Autorizație de construire (building permit): the administrative authorisation to build. Under the new code it is granted only for a design that has been checked by certified verifiers and conforms to the plans, and it is valid for 3 years from the date of issue. Ask for its number and date and compare the plans in it with what you are being sold. Law 169/2026, Articles 259, 273, 309 and 310.
• PUG, PUZ and PUD: three levels of planning. The PUG is the general plan of the locality, the PUZ details or changes the rules for a specific zone, and the PUD (proiect urbanistic de detaliu) sets the location, access and volumes of specific buildings. Law 169/2026, Articles 45, 62, 76, 81, 85 and 576.
• Proces-verbal de recepție la terminarea lucrărilor (acceptance report on completion of the works): the document confirming that the construction conforms to the permit, the quality requirements and the technical file. The building may be used only after acceptance has been approved, and final acceptance takes place at the end of the warranty period. The report also lists defects the contractor still has to fix. Law 169/2026, Articles 527, 528 and 577(6).
• Certificat de performanță energetică (energy performance certificate): a document by an authorised energy auditor with the energy rating, consumption, CO2 emissions and the share of renewable energy. Required on construction, sale and letting, valid for 10 years, and it must be shown to the buyer before signing. Law 372/2005, Articles 21-24; Law 238/2024; Law 169/2026, Article 402(2).
• La roșu, la gri, la cheie (finish levels): market expressions with no legal definition. Usually la roșu is the shell, walls and roof; la gri adds windows, plaster and utilities; la cheie is a house ready to live in. Do not settle for the label: require a specification annex listing every component included in the price.

4Money, taxes and financing: which terms determine how much you will pay?

The last terms concern the cost of the transaction, the cost of holding and financing. The rates here are correct as of October 2026 and change from time to time.

5What should you do before signing?

Before signing a reservation agreement or a preliminary contract, you should hold a current information extract, the permit number and date, and the details of the account into which the deposit will go, and make sure you understand every term appearing in them. We accompany Israeli buyers in reading the documents and in framing the questions for the developer or seller. Actions under Romanian law, such as authenticating the contract, ordering the extract for authentication and registration in the register, are carried out by licensed notaries and lawyers in Romania.

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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.