Arriving in Romania

Upon entry to Romania, the General Inspectorate for Immigration (GII) will issue documents, as provided by the relevant legal provisions. Resettled refugees go through an asylum procedure, consisting of: registrations, fingerprinting, photographing, preliminary interview and a status determination interview – and normally within 30 days they are issued decisions recognizing them as having refugee status in Romania. They are automatically issued residence cards (temporary residence permits); upon request, refugees may be issued Convention travel documents. Within at least 4 years, they may apply for long term (permanent) residence and subsequently for Romanian citizenship, which is subject to certain administrative conditions, income/means test and an examination of the refugees’ knowledge of Romanian language, basic knowledge of history, geography and the Romanian Constitution.

All Romanian citizens and EU citizens, as well as foreign citizens or stateless persons residing /living in Romania, have the right to social assistance under the conditions of Romanian law and European law. The right to social assistance is granted on request or ex officio, as appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of Law 292/2011 (Law on Social Assistance)

Resettled refugees may lodge an asylum application at the Romanian Integration Office or its territorial branches in respect of their family members located outside the territory of Romania. 

In Romania, the access to a home is not connected with the existence of a property right over a building. You can own an apartment or a house on the basis of a rental agreement or by entering into a sale-purchase agreement. The quality of living depends on access to utilities, between urban and rural areas, where in some cases, there are significant differences. During your stay in Romania, you will most likely live in a block apartment, which is why it is important to have a good relationship with your neighbors, to keep clean and quiet in the surrounding area.

Since there is a higher demand on the market than the available offer, we advise you to search for a living space in advance.

One of the most used solutions to resolving the housing problem is renting. The prices vary depending on the city and location (e.g., the lowest rents are usually on the outskirts of the city). It is more advantageous to share with someone a multi-room apartment than to live alone in a studio.

The rental price does not include utilities such as maintenance, gas, water, light, telephone etc, but there is an obligation to pay them. 

UNHCR Resettlement Handbook – Country Chapters

Emergency Ordinance 194/2002,  

State Child Benefits 

You can look for a home by checking: ads in specialized newspapers or special columns of local newspapers, real estate agencies (for example this one) and street ads or Facebook groups.

Hostels – can be a temporary solution to finding a stable home in a city. They usually offer rooms with more beds, but prices are much lower than those used by hotels.