How to obtain your Romanian CNP in 4 steps

If you are a UE citizen coming to Romania, you might want to prolong your stay in this country. To this end, you will require a residency permit, which contains a Romanian CNP.

Read below all you need to know about getting a Romanian CNP!

1. Find the legal grounds for your residency

The first step is to establish the purpose of your stay in Romania. According to the law, EU citizens can obtain Romanian residency for certain purposes, such as:

  • work: by signing an employment contract with a Romanian firm or by being deployed for a certain period in Romania
  • business: by setting up a Romanian company
  • NGO activities: religious activities, humanitarian activities or volunteering
  • studies: you will have to enrol an officially accredited faculty
  • residency based on means of living: the means must be proven at the level of the minimum guaranteed revenue in Romania and the proof may be made by pension slip, bank account statement or other equivalent documents.

2. Prepare the residency file

If you want to stay in Romania for more than 3 months, you must register your residency, more precisely obtain a registration certificate from the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) in the county in which you live.

The first Romanian registration certificate will contain a 13-digit numeric personal identification number (CNP), which is provided to you just once, irrespective of the number of entries in the country or of the period of time you spend in Romania.

In order to obtain the registration certificate, you must submit a series of documents to IGI, which differ according to the purpose of your stay in Romania.

Regardless of the purpose of your stay in Romania, the file will contain a request form and your ID/passport in the copy. In addition, you may need to submit your employment contract, deployment contract, certificate of the Romanian company you have set up, a certificate for carrying out a professional activity etc.

You can find an interesting infographic about our topic here, on www.inapoiacasa.com.

3. Submit your file to the public authorities

The file for obtaining your registration certificate can be submitted at your local IGI office or via an online application provided by IGI.

If you choose to submit the file through the online application, you will be scheduled for a date on which to be personally present at IGI. At this time, IGI representatives will take a picture of you and will check your file by confronting the copies with the original documents, which you will need to bring with you.

If you submit your file personally, you can go directly to the office counter without a prior appointment. After submitting the file, you will receive a registration receipt based on which you will be able to pick up your registration certificate later.

4. Collect your CNP

The registration certificate is issued on the same day and is valid for a period of 1 to 5 years, depending on your purpose of staying.

Your registration certificate can be picked up personally, but also by another person with a notarised proof-of-attorney.

This certificate entitles you to remain on Romanian territory. However, competent authorities may restrict this right in accordance with the law, in certain cases, such as the prohibition of entry on Romanian territory, removal from the country on grounds of public health, expulsion or being declared an undesirable person.

From the moment you get your registration certificate, you have the responsibility to have it in your possession at all time during your stay in Romania.

Moreover, under the sanction of a fine, you have the obligation to inform IGI of any changes made concerning your name, surname, nationality, address of residence, destruction, loss, damage or theft of the certificate, in which case you will have to request the issuance of a new registration certificate.

 

If you would like to address more questions or if you need a legal consultation, you can contact us at office@rrpb.ro or by accessing our site www.rrpb.ro for more information.

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14 Comments

  • Syed Mohammed Abdul Ghani
    Posted May 10, 2019 10:54 pm

    I want to establish company and apply for CNP and RESIDENCE card how long it will take to process and how much Will cost there in Bucharest.

    • Jonas
      Posted February 22, 2022 3:15 pm

      Probably 2 years.

  • Jeremy Woods
    Posted June 30, 2022 6:05 pm

    Dacă devin cetățean dublu, o să fie schimbat CNP pentru străini (începând cu 7) în CNP pentru cetățenii Români (începând cu 5) sau nu?

    • R&R Partners Bucharest
      Posted July 7, 2022 10:44 am

      Hello, the CNP will indeed change. But what is your age? Because if you are born before 2000 your CNP will begin with 1 or 2, not 5.

  • Ivan
    Posted August 4, 2022 4:25 pm

    Hi, I am an EU citizen, previously registered with ANAF as non-resident, for commercial purposes; now I decided to move to Romania and establish residence here. If I apply for (and obtain) the CNP from IGI, do I need to also go to ANAF for the fiscal residence change and the change of NIF or is not mandatory (and I will just submit the yearly declaration)? Thank you

    • R&R Partners Bucharest
      Posted August 8, 2022 12:37 pm

      Hello, yes you need to make an update at ANAF with the new CNP. If you need assistance with the procedure you can email us at office@rrpb.ro or book a consult with us here: https://rrpb.ro/book-a-consult/

  • Rodica
    Posted October 24, 2022 5:55 pm

    Hi!

    I am a EU citizen born in Romania but without a Romanian citizenship. I have inherited a Romanian property and apparently I need a CNP to be able to sell it (or do anything with it). Is this correct? I have no intention to move to Romania or have any business in Romania in the future.
    Also, I do not really know what holding a CNP really means from a tax perspective in the country where I am a resident. Will it change anything? Will I have to do my tax declaration differently? Will I need to declare anything in particular to my local tax authorities? Thank you for your time, would very much appreciate your answer.

    • R&R Partners Bucharest
      Posted November 14, 2022 12:30 pm

      Hello Rodica, I see you have quite a few questions. As you might imagine, it is not quite possible to answer them here in the comment section, we replied to you by email. In the meantime, you can also book a call with us here and chat more directly: https://rrpb.ro/book-a-consult/

  • Teodora Szene
    Posted March 13, 2023 1:17 pm

    Hello! My boyfriend has applied for the Romanian Residency Permit on grounds that he has the means to live self sufficiently for which he has received an appointment at IGI on the 4th of April. He has decided to find a job, and one of his employers ask him to provide them with a CNP. Is there a possibility of obtaining the CNP before getting his permit?

    Thank you!!

    • R&R Partners Bucharest
      Posted April 25, 2023 12:01 pm

      Hello, no. The CNP is on the permit.

  • Amr
    Posted May 16, 2023 3:30 pm

    Hello,
    I am movie to romania and i am now filling the registration file for EU citizens to get my CNP.
    In the registration form its asked to have SERIA XX and NUMB XXXX. In my french ID and passport there is no such number.
    There only the passport number..

    • R&R Partners Bucharest
      Posted June 8, 2023 11:38 am

      Hello, you should normally have some sort of series or number, of any type

  • D
    Posted April 1, 2024 12:09 pm

    Hello, I’m an EU citizen moving to Romania for work. Can I apply for the CNP number while I’m stile here or is it only possible in person in Romania after renting a place to live?

    • R&R Partners Bucharest
      Posted April 4, 2024 11:52 am

      No, you can only get a CNP if you are in Romania

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