This article tackles the differences between Romanian permanent residency (PR) and temporary residency (TR) and why you should make permanent residency one of your utmost priorities during your stay in Romania.

Obtaining a temporary residency permit is the first step after obtaining a D-type visa. The visa allows you to enter Romania for a long-term purpose, and afterwards is converted to a temporary residency permit.

The permit in this case is closely linked to your purpose of stay in Romania. So, for example, if your permit is based upon studies, it will be linked with the studies themselves. If it is for family reunification with your Romanian spouse, it will be linked with the marriage. If it is for work purposes, it will be linked with the work agreement and your employer.

Therefore, if, in any situation, you lose that purpose – you stop your studies, something happens with your spouse or you are dismissed respectively – your temporary residency permit will cease to exist, since your purpose in Romania will cease to exist. In such a case, you will need to return to your country of origin and you can no longer stay in Romania.

The permanent residency permit, on the other hand, is given out to foreign citizens who have been living in Romania for more than five years legally and continuously, and they are also integrated in the Romanian society, respectively they know the Romanian language.

1. Validity period

The first difference between these two residency permits is the validity period.

The temporary residency permit can be valid from six months, in the case of digital nomads. The permit can be valid for up to one year, which is the general term. Among the exceptions from the general term are those who hold blue cards from the EU, respectively highly qualified workers, and thus obtaining a term of two years. Another exception is for family reunification purposes, which can obtain a term of up to five years.

The permanent residency, comparatively, has two terms of validity – five years for any purpose and ten years for family members of Romanian citizens.

2. Legal purpose

The second difference, stemming from the very initial description of these two options, is that the permanent residency is not linked to any purpose in Romania.

Therefore, if you came to Romania with a purpose for work, when you get the permanent residency, your purpose is no longer linked to your work, and you are one step closer to becoming a fully-fledged Romanian citizen. With permanent residency, you would be staying in Romania regardless if you have a purpose or not for your stay.

3. Opportunities

The third difference is that with permanent residency you can obtain Romanian citizenship, one could even say that permanent residency is one step away from Romanian citizenship. However, with the temporary residency, you do not have this opportunity.

Therefore, to obtain Romanian citizenship, you must have the permanent residency when making the vow and obtaining the Romanian citizenship certificate.

4. Legal status

The fourth difference is with regards to the rights you would hold in Romania. Once you obtain permanent residency status, you will be treated more or less as a Romanian citizen and have, once again, more or less, the rights and obligations incurred by one. The only rights which you would still not have would be the right to vote and the obligation to join the Romanian armed forces in case of war or mobilization.

One of the best perks about Romanian permanent residency is that you can change your employer whenever you want, you can take time off work even for up to one year, and travel and see Romania. Lastly, you can always start a business and try to have a startup in Romania.

5. Losing residency

The fifth difference is the way that you would lose permanent residency compared to temporary residency. It is very hard to lose permanent residency since you need to be out of the EU area for more than one year straight.

Also, there are some criminal offences for which you must receive a final verdict from the court with regards to losing the Romanian permanent residency status. Thus, the right depends on your behavior, not on an employer, studies or marriage.

 

 

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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