What is a residency permit?

A residency permit is a document obtained by foreign citizens that entered Romania based on a long-stay visa and wish to stay here for more than 90 days.

The residency permit is also sometimes called a certificate of residency or simply, the Romanian residence.

It can be extended for a period of 1-5 years.

How can a residency permit be extended?

The extension is realized by submitting a request accompanied by a series of documents to IGI (General Inspectorate of Immigration), depending on the purpose of the request.

They must be registered at least 30 days before the expiry of the current residency permit or before the expiry of the visa.

What are the conditions for granting the residency permit?

To obtain the permit, the applicant must have:

• a valid travel document
• proof of a living space
• health insurance
• the extension must be made for the same purpose that the long-stay visa was obtained and submit the specific documents to that purpose

For what reasons the application can be rejected?

For certain reasons, such as lack of health insurance or lack of proof of residency, the application may be refused.

In any case, if your application is rejected, you should either appeal the reason for rejection (especially if it is unfounded) or reapply at IGI with the correct documentation if you are within the statutory time limit – or both.

Next, we will present the most frequent cases when these requests can be rejected:

• The purpose for what you obtained the long-stay visa no longer exists. Among the purposes when applying for residency are: family reunification, studies, work, voluntary or religious activities. For example, if your employment contract ends before the residency permit is issued, the application will be refused.
• You do not have a valid place of living or you were not found at the place you declared when the immigration officer came to check on you. IGI makes regular checks on foreign nationals, especially non-EU nationals.  If you are not found at the declared place, the application for the issuance of the residency permit may be rejected.
• The medical insurance, which is mandatory for obtaining the permit, has not been submitted.
• The documents were not submitted within the legal term. IGI documents must be prepared well in advance, so the person applying for residency can be sure the file will be ready in time. Especially since many immigration offices currently require online scheduling for the application, which can take up to 60 days.
• You applied for residency by family reunification, and the Romanian citizen refuses to assist you in person at IGI. In this situation, the application will not be accepted, even though the relationship or marriage with the Romanian citizen is fully documented.

Therefore, if you want your application for residency permit to not to be rejected, you must be very strict regarding the conditions for issuance of the residency permit, by submitting all the required documents and respecting the legal submission deadline.

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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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