Hiring Employees in Romania
Recruitment agency for international employers · sourcing · screening · CIM contract · REGES-ONLINE · onboarding
Hiring employees in Romania requires compliance with the Romanian Labour Code (Codul Muncii) from the very first hire. Every employee must have a written individual employment contract (CIM – contract individual de muncă) signed before their first day, and must be registered in the national employment register (REGES-ONLINE) before they begin work. These are not administrative formalities – they are legal obligations enforced by the Labour Inspectorate (ITM) with significant fines for non-compliance.
Romania for Business Advisory S.R.L. works as a recruitment agency in Romania for international companies and manages the complete hiring process – from role specification and multi-channel candidate sourcing through interview coordination, offer management, CIM contract drafting, REGES-ONLINE registration and employee onboarding. Our HR team ensures that every hire is fully compliant with Romanian employment law from Day 1. All services are delivered in English.
Hiring in Romania in brief (checked 6 October 2026): the employee signs a written CIM in Romanian, and the employer enters it in REGES-ONLINE no later than the day before work starts. The gross minimum wage is RON 4,325 a month from 1 July 2026 (Government Decision 146/2026). Probation is capped at 90 calendar days, or 120 for management roles, and annual leave is at least 20 working days. Each person found working without a CIM or without a prior REGES-ONLINE entry costs the employer RON 20,000, up to RON 200,000 in total. Non-EU workers are hired through the WorkinRomania.gov.ro procedure under Emergency Ordinance 32/2026.
Hiring employees in Romania
service fee
Hiring engagement includes:
- Requirements brief – role, seniority, must-haves, salary range, start date
- Job description preparation – Romanian and English versions
- Multi-channel sourcing – job boards, LinkedIn, direct approach, specialist platforms
- CV screening and shortlist – against agreed technical and cultural criteria
- Interview scheduling and candidate briefing
- First-round interview coordination (online or in-person)
- Second-round and final interview support
- Reference and employment history check
- Offer preparation and negotiation support
- CIM employment contract drafting – Romanian-law compliant, bilingual
- REGES-ONLINE registration – completed before the employee’s first day
- Onboarding document pack – employee file, GDPR consent, health and safety notice
- 90-day replacement guarantee – free replacement if hire leaves within 90 days
Fee schedule – hiring employees
- Junior / mid-level hire (annual salary up to €25k) – 1 role from €1,500
- Senior professional hire (annual salary €25k–50k) – 1 role 15% of annual gross salary
- Multiple hire package – 3–5 roles, same brief 10% per role (discounted)
- CIM contract drafting only (without full recruitment) from €150
- REGES-ONLINE registration only (without full recruitment) from €75
- Employee onboarding documentation package from €100
- 90-day replacement guarantee Included with all placements
Recruitment fees are payable on successful placement – when the candidate signs their CIM employment contract. No fee is payable if the search does not result in a hire. Fees may be subject to Romanian VAT.
The most common compliance error made by international employers in Romania is completing the REGES-ONLINE registration on the employee’s first working day, or even after. Romanian law requires the REGES-ONLINE entry to be submitted before the employee begins work. If an ITM inspector visits the premises and finds an employee working without a prior REGES-ONLINE entry, the fine is immediate and significant – regardless of whether a signed CIM exists. Romania for Business Advisory S.R.L. completes REGES-ONLINE registration as part of every hiring engagement, before the agreed start date.
Choosing a Recruitment Agency in Romania
Recruitment companies in Romania work under three different legal models, and the model decides who employs the person, who pays and which licence the agency must hold. International networks and local firms often run more than one model, so ask which one your contract is for.
| Agency model | Employer and fee | Check before signing |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment and search firm (permanent placement) | Your Romanian company signs the CIM and runs payroll. The agency is paid once the hire is made: with us from €1,500 per role, or 15% of annual gross salary for senior hires. | Active entry in the trade register (CUI), the fee base, when the fee falls due and how long the replacement guarantee lasts (ours: 90 days). |
| Temporary work agency (agent de muncă temporară) | The agency is the legal employer and invoices you for the time worked. One assignment lasts up to 24 months. | Ministry of Labour authorisation and a financial guarantee equal to 25 gross minimum wages (Government Decision 1256/2011). |
| Placement agency for non-EU workers | Your company signs the CIM; the agency recruits abroad and files the application on WorkinRomania.gov.ro. | Authorisation from the National Employment Agency (ANOFM) under Emergency Ordinance 32/2026, a guarantee of at least €75,000 and an entry in the register of authorised agencies on WorkinRomania.gov.ro. |
For recruitment agencies in Romania for foreigners, one rule separates legal from illegal: under Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 a placement agency may not charge the worker any fee, because the employer pays for the placement. A worker asked for a “processing” or visa fee can report it through WorkinRomania.gov.ro, and an employer should not sign with that agency.
Romania for Business Advisory S.R.L. works in the first model: the CIM is signed by your own Romanian company. If you need staff on an agency payroll for a few months, a temporary work agency is the better fit. For board and C-level roles we run a separate executive search for senior and board positions.
Employment Contract Types in Romania
Romanian employment law recognises several types of working arrangement – each with different legal status, protections and obligations. Choosing the correct type is essential before the CIM is drafted.
| Contract type | Key features | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Indefinite-term (perioadă nedeterminată) | • Standard contract – most common • No end date • Statutory notice rules differ for dismissal and resignation • Full Labour Code protections apply |
All standard permanent hires. Preferred by candidates. Required for microenterprise employee condition. |
| Fixed-term (perioadă determinată) | • Maximum 36 months for one contract • At most 3 successive fixed-term contracts with the same employee; one signed within 3 months of the previous contract may last no more than 12 months • Converts automatically to indefinite if continued beyond limit • Same rights as indefinite during term |
Project-based hires, seasonal work, covering an employee on leave. Not suitable as a tool to avoid permanent obligations. |
| Part-time (muncă cu timp parțial) | • Fewer hours than standard 8h/day or 40h/week • Must specify hours in CIM • Pro-rata salary and benefits • Does NOT count for microenterprise condition (must be full-time) |
Flexible staffing, student workers, supplementary roles. Note: only a full-time employee satisfies the microenterprise employee condition. |
| Temporary work (muncă temporară) | • Employee provided by a licensed temporary work agency • Agency is the legal employer • Client company directs the work • Maximum 24 months per assignment |
Short-term demand spikes, testing a candidate before direct hire, specialist skills for a defined project. |
| Individual service agreement (PFA / contractor) | • Not an employment contract – a service agreement with a self-employed individual (PFA, SRL, IF) • No social contributions for the client company • ANAF risk: reclassification as employment if conditions indicate subordination |
Genuine freelance / consulting engagements only. ANAF actively scrutinises arrangements that resemble employment dressed as service contracts. |
Romanian tax law (and ANAF enforcement practice) treats self-employed individuals (PFA, SRL contractors) who work exclusively or primarily for one company, under that company’s direction, on the company’s premises with the company’s tools, as employees – regardless of the contractual label. If ANAF reclassifies a service agreement as employment, the company owes all unpaid social contributions (CAS, CASS), income tax and penalties – typically for the last 5 years. Use genuine service agreements only for genuinely independent, multi-client professionals.
The Individual Employment Contract (CIM) – What Must It Include?
The individual employment contract (contract individual de muncă – CIM) is the legal foundation of every Romanian employment relationship. It must be in writing, in Romanian, and signed by both parties before the employee’s first working day. Romania for Business Advisory S.R.L. prepares bilingual (Romanian / English) CIMs for international employers.
| CIM mandatory element | What it must state – and why |
|---|---|
| Employer identity | Full legal name, registered address, trade register number (CUI/J) and legal representative of the employing entity. The employer on the CIM must be the Romanian SRL – not the foreign parent company. |
| Employee identity | Full name, personal identification number (CNP – for Romanian nationals) or foreigner’s personal number, address, and identity document details. |
| Job title and job description | The specific job title (must match the Classification of Occupations – COR code) and a description of the main duties. The job title in the CIM must correspond to the applicable COR classification; payroll taxes and social contributions are determined under Romanian tax and social security rules. |
| Workplace | The specific address where the employee will work. If the employee works from home (telemuncă), this must be specified and the contract must include the telework provisions required by Law 81/2018. |
| Contract duration | Indefinite-term (perioadă nedeterminată) – standard – or fixed-term (perioadă determinată) with explicit end date and legal basis for the fixed term. |
| Working time | Standard working hours: 8 hours/day, 40 hours/week – or the specific part-time schedule. Overtime rules and shift patterns if applicable. |
| Gross salary | The agreed gross monthly salary in RON. Any variable components (bonus, commission) must be referenced or covered in a separate annex or bonus plan. |
| Annual leave entitlement | Minimum 20 working days – or the higher amount agreed (collective bargaining agreements may specify more). |
| Notice period | For resignation, the notice period may not exceed 20 working days for execution positions or 45 working days for management positions. For dismissals where statutory notice applies, the employee is entitled to at least 20 working days. |
| Probation period (if any) | Optional – maximum 90 calendar days for standard roles, 120 days for management roles, 30 days for roles with disability. Termination during probation does not require severance. |
| Collective bargaining agreement | Reference to the applicable collective agreement (contract colectiv de muncă), if any applies at sector or company level. |
Romanian law requires the CIM to be drafted in the Romanian language. The Romanian version is the legally binding document – in any employment dispute before Romanian courts, only the Romanian text is authoritative. Romania for Business Advisory S.R.L. prepares the Romanian version as the primary contract and provides an English translation alongside it – making the terms clear to both the international employer and any employee who does not speak Romanian.
Hiring Employees in Romania – Step by Step
Romania for Business Advisory S.R.L. manages the complete hiring process – from initial role brief through to the employee’s first day and onboarding completion. The process below applies to a standard permanent hire.
Role brief defined
Job description prepared
Sourcing & search
CV screening & shortlist
Interviews & assessment
Offer & negotiation
CIM signed & REGES-ONLINE
Onboarding complete
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Role brief | We discuss the role in detail – job title, key responsibilities, required qualifications and experience, seniority level, team structure, reporting line, start date and salary range. We advise on market salary expectations based on our benchmarking data. |
| 2. Job description | We prepare a bilingual job description (Romanian and English) – ensuring the job title matches the Romanian COR classification (required for REGES-ONLINE). Job descriptions are posted on selected platforms and shared with our direct network. |
| 3. Sourcing | We run a multi-channel search – job boards (BestJobs, eJobs, Hipo), LinkedIn (active and passive candidates), specialist platform sourcing, and direct approach where appropriate. The sourcing strategy is agreed with the client before activation. |
| 4. CV screening | We screen all applications against the agreed criteria and provide a shortlist of the top candidates – typically 5–10 CVs – with a written summary for each candidate including our assessment and any questions or concerns. |
| 5. Interviews | We schedule and coordinate all interview rounds – managing candidate communication throughout. We brief the client before each round and debrief after. Assessment tools or structured interview frameworks can be incorporated on request. |
| 6. Offer and negotiation | We prepare the offer letter in English and Romanian and manage the negotiation – advising on market norms for salary, meal vouchers, private health insurance, notice periods and any other candidate requests. We confirm acceptance in writing. |
| 7. CIM and REGES-ONLINE | We draft the bilingual CIM incorporating the agreed terms. The client signs the Romanian version. We submit the REGES-ONLINE entry before the agreed start date and provide the client with confirmation of registration. |
| 8. Onboarding | We prepare the full onboarding documentation pack – employee file, GDPR processing consent, health and safety general instruction (SSRM – instructaj de protecție a muncii), occupational medicine appointment coordination, and any role-specific compliance documents. |
Ongoing Employer Obligations After the First Hire
Hiring is the beginning of a set of ongoing obligations – not a one-time event. International employers who hire in Romania must be aware of the following recurring requirements.
| Ongoing obligation | What the employer must do – and when |
|---|---|
| Monthly payroll and D112 declaration | Every month: calculate gross-to-net salaries, pay net salaries to employees, calculate and pay employer and employee social contributions to ANAF, and submit the D112 payroll declaration. D112 is due by the 25th of the following month. Failure triggers automatic ANAF fines. |
| REGES-ONLINE updates | Every change in the employment relationship must be updated in REGES-ONLINE within the applicable time limit: salary changes (within 20 working days), position/function changes (before the change), address changes (within 3 working days), and employment termination (on the last working day). |
| Annual leave tracking | The employer must track annual leave – accrual, requests, approvals and carry-over. Unused annual leave from the current year must be allowed to be taken within 18 months of the end of the year in which it was earned. Annual leave that cannot be used due to employer reasons must be compensated. |
| Occupational medicine (medicina muncii) | All employees must undergo a pre-employment medical assessment (examen medical la angajare) before starting work, and periodic medical assessments during employment – typically annually for office roles, more frequently for physical or hazardous roles. The employer pays the cost. |
| Health and safety training (SSM) | All employees must receive general and specific health and safety training (instructaj SSM) before starting work and at regular intervals thereafter. The training must be documented and signed by the employee. Employers with more than 50 employees must designate a dedicated SSM responsible person. |
| Meal voucher administration | If meal vouchers (tichete de masă) are offered: the employer orders vouchers from an approved provider (Edenred, Pluxee – formerly Sodexo, Up Romania and others), issues them to employees monthly, and records the issuance. The cost is deductible for the employer; the employee pays no pension contribution on the vouchers, but 10% income tax and 10% CASS apply. Cap: RON 45 per working day. |
| ITM notifications | Certain employment events require notification to the Labour Inspectorate (ITM): changes to the employee count, collective redundancies (over the applicable thresholds), and working time modifications for certain categories. REGES-ONLINE updates often satisfy the ITM notification requirement. |
What an Employee Costs in Romania
Most payroll contributions in Romania are withheld from the employee’s gross salary, so the employer’s cost stays close to the gross figure written in the CIM. Rates checked on 6 October 2026 against the PwC Romania tax summary (reviewed 25 September 2026).
| Item | Rate | On RON 10,000 gross |
|---|---|---|
| Pension contribution (CAS), withheld | 25% | RON 2,500 |
| Health contribution (CASS), withheld | 10% | RON 1,000 |
| Income tax, withheld after CAS and CASS | 10% | RON 650 |
| Net salary paid to the employee | 58.5% of gross | RON 5,850 |
| Work insurance contribution (CAM), paid by the employer | 2.25% | RON 225 |
| Total monthly cost to the employer | 102.25% of gross | RON 10,225 |
For salaries close to the minimum wage a personal deduction lowers the income tax, so the net share is higher than in the example. Meal vouchers, if offered, add up to RON 45 per working day. Market pay by role is covered on our salary benchmarking page, and the monthly calculation and D112 filing by our payroll and HR administration service.
Hiring Foreign Nationals – EU and Non-EU Employees
International companies frequently need to hire both Romanian nationals and foreign nationals – including EU citizens and non-EU nationals. The requirements differ significantly between the two groups.
| EU / EEA / Swiss nationals | Non-EU nationals |
|---|---|
|
Rights: ✓ Full right to work in Romania – no work permit required ✓ A stay longer than 3 months requires a registration certificate from the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) ✓ CIM and REGES-ONLINE registration required – same as Romanian nationals ✓ Social contributions apply on the same basis Residence / tax registration: EU citizens staying in Romania for more than 3 months generally register their residence with the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI), and the appropriate Romanian personal identification or tax number is used for payroll and tax purposes. |
Requirements (Emergency Ordinance 32/2026): ✓ The old work permit (aviz de muncă) procedure has been replaced; applications go through WorkinRomania.gov.ro, live since 6 August 2026 ✓ The employer registers or is authorised on the platform and files a single application (cerere unică) for the long-stay work visa (type D/AM) ✓ The job is declared vacant with ANOFM and must be on the shortage occupations list ✓ Quota for 2026: 90,000 newly admitted non-EU workers ✓ Salary paid into the worker’s bank account; CIM in Romanian and in a language the worker understands ✓ Residence permit from IGI after arrival, before the visa expires Status on 6 October 2026: The Bucharest Court of Appeal suspended Order 1073/2026, which approved the shortage occupations list, and the platform has disabled employer registration, employer authorisation and the single application for D/AM2 visas. Check the platform before fixing a start date. CIM and REGES-ONLINE registration follow only once the worker holds the right to work. |
Pricing – Hiring Employees in Romania
Recruitment fees are payable on successful placement – when the candidate signs their CIM employment contract. There is no fee if the search does not result in a hire. The CIM drafting and REGES-ONLINE registration package is also available as a standalone service for companies that have already identified their candidate.