Do you know the measures you should take in order to drive a bike, a motorcycle or a scooter in Romania, legally? Find out more from our lawyers, below!

1) Driving a bicycle in Romania

At present, in Romania, these are the following most important rules that you need to abide when driving a bike:

1. You cannot ride a bicycle on the sidewalk in a city, only on the road, on the right side of it, or on designated bicycle lanes. Some of the bicycle lanes that are on the sidewalks in Bucharest were deemed illegal years ago, so technically you should not use them;
2. You can ride on all types of roads, except highways;
3. The minimum age required to ride a bike on the public roads is 14 years old;
4. You always need to have your ID card with you (or, for foreigners, passport and residency permit, if applicable).

2) Driving a scooter in Romania

First of all, you should know that there are multiple types of scooters.

The first option is to have an electric scooter, for which you don’t need a driver’s license. However, keep in mind that the vehicle must not exceed the speed of 25km/hour. The speed limitation can be manual or by design.

The second type of scooter is the one with an engine under 50 cc. Please note that these scooters are usually registered with the local tax authorities, which issue a yellow license plate for them. For riding this type of scooter, you need to comply with the following:

1. The scooter can reach a speed of maximum 45 km/hour;
2. You must hold a driver’s license (AM type), which can be obtained from the age of 16;
3. You need to have a civil insurance for road collisions, called RCA.

The above-mentioned scooters can also be driven if you have a Romanian category B driver’s license.

3) Driving a motorcycle in Romania

The next types of scooters are actually classified as motorcycles in Romania and are represented by the following categories: A1, A2 and A.

The A1 class consists of motorcycles with a maximum displacement of 125 cc, up to 14 horsepower and 0.13 hp/kilogram. You will need this type of permit even if you are driving a tricycle with a maximum of 20 hp. You can apply for this driver’s license from 16 years old.

Also, there is a new Romanian law stating you can drive a motorcycle with maximum 125 cc displacement with the B driver’s license (which you must have obtained at least 3 years ago), but it will need an automatic gearbox, you must be at least 24 years old and you’ll need to complete a training course at an authorized driving school.

The A2 category allows you to drive motorcycles with up to 46 hp and a maximum of 0.26 horsepower per kilogram. This type of license can be obtained starting at the age of 18.

With A category you can drive any motorcycle that exceeds 0.26 horsepower per kilogram.  You can apply for this license at the age of 20, if you have held an A2 category driver’s license for at least 2 years, or at the age of 24 without prior experience.