Israelis With Russian or Belarusian Citizenship Buying Property in Romania: Sanctions, Banks, Registration and Which Passport to Use

Quite a few Israelis also hold Russian or Belarusian citizenship, sometimes without thinking about it for years. When they start a transaction in Romania, the first question is whether they are allowed to buy. The second, more important question is how the money will reach the seller and where it will sit along the way.

This guide is based on the consolidated text of the sanctions regulations on EUR-Lex, as checked in the version of 24 July 2026, and on Romanian law. The sanctions change with every new package, so every detail here needs verification before payment.

1Do the sanctions prohibit a citizen of Russia or Belarus from buying property in Romania?

No. Council Regulation 833/2014 against Russia and Regulation 765/2006 against Belarus target areas such as finance, trade, crypto-assets and trusts. None of their prohibitions forbids a private individual from buying a residential property.

There is one material exception: anyone listed in Annex I to Regulation 269/2014 (Russia) or in Annex I to Regulation 765/2006 (Belarus). Under Article 2 of each, all their funds and economic resources are frozen, and it is prohibited to make funds or resources available to them. A property is an economic resource, so such a person cannot buy without a special authorisation. This guide does not deal with that case.

2In whose name is the property registered, and what about the land?

Romanian law does not distinguish between an Israeli and a Russian or Belarusian. All three are citizens of states outside the EU, and the same rule applies to them:

• The building, an apartment or house, is registered in your name in the land register (cartea funciară).
• The land. Under Article 44(2) of the Constitution of Romania and Article 6 of Law 312/2005, a citizen of a state outside the EU acquires land only under an international treaty and on the basis of reciprocity. With a villa, the land is usually held through a Superficie right, a long-term right to use the land that is registered in the land register, or through a Romanian company.
• Citizenship of an EU state changes the picture: under Article 3 of Law 312/2005, an EU citizen acquires land like a Romanian citizen.

Is there a treaty between Romania and Russia or Belarus that changes the land rule? We did not find such a treaty, but this is a question for a Romanian lawyer to check before deciding on the ownership structure.

3What exactly does the 100,000 euro cap say?

Article 5b of Regulation 833/2014 prohibits an EU bank from accepting deposits from Russian citizens, from persons residing in Russia, from companies established there and from non-EU companies more than 50% owned by such persons, when their total at that bank exceeds 100,000 euro. Article 1u of Regulation 765/2006 sets an identical rule for Belarus.

• The exemption (Article 5b(3), and for Belarus Article 1u(4)): citizens of EU member states, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, and holders of a temporary or permanent residence permit in one of them.
• A “deposit” is a credit balance the bank must repay. The cap concerns money sitting in the account, not the price of the property.
• Payment instruments. Since the amendment of October 2025 (Regulation 2025/2033), Article 5b(2) also prohibits issuing cards and payment instruments, acquiring transactions, providing payment initiation services and issuing electronic money to Russian citizens and residents. Article 1u(2) provides the same for Belarus (Regulation 2025/2041). The same exemption applies.
• Exceptional authorisation. Under Article 5c, a national authority may approve a deposit above the cap in certain cases, such as rent or a mortgage, taxes, insurance and bills. For Romania, Annex I to the regulation refers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

4I also have an Israeli passport. Which passport should I use?

According to the wording of the regulations, the choice of passport does not resolve the matter. The exemption lists citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland and holders of a residence permit. It does not list passports of other states, and a Russian citizen remains a Russian citizen even when presenting an Israeli passport. What changes the situation is status in the EU, not an additional passport from outside it.

5How do you transfer the payment without exceeding the cap?

Most houses cost more than 100,000 euro, so the practical question is the route of the money. There are two ways, and both should be confirmed in advance with the receiving bank:

1. A direct transfer from a bank outside the EU, for example from Israel, to the account stated in the contract. In an off-plan project this is the project's dedicated account. A Romanian account in your name is not a condition for buying, as we set out in the guide on bank accounts for non-residents.
2. A residence permit in an EU state, which takes you outside the scope of the cap.

One question remains open: will money passing through the seller's or developer's account be considered “your” deposit? The wording does not answer this. It is a question for interpretation by the bank's compliance department and by your lawyer, before the transfer and not after it.

6What will the bank and the notary ask for in the source-of-funds check?

Beyond the sanctions, the bank, the notary and the developer are required to carry out checks under Law 129/2019 on the prevention of money laundering. Delegated Regulation 2026/46, published on 9 January 2026, added Russia to the list of high-risk countries in Regulation 2016/1675. Belarus is not on this list. Under Article 17(1)(d) of Law 129/2019, anyone located in such a country undergoes enhanced due diligence.

Even someone living in Israel can expect more questions if the money was earned in Russia or passed through it. Prepare documents showing where the money originated, which accounts it passed through, and how each transfer is connected to you. We wrote about building the file in a separate guide on proving the source of funds.

7What should you do before signing?

Before signing, make sure that you, and any company you buy through, are not on the asset-freeze lists, define your status precisely according to the table, obtain written confirmation of the payment route from the receiving bank, and prepare the source-of-funds file even before choosing a property. We accompany Israelis with dual citizenship through these checks, together with licensed lawyers and notaries in Romania, who carry out the actions under local law.

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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.