Romania DNV → Family

How Romania family inclusion works

Romania's DNV supports limited family inclusion: spouses qualify for inclusion in the principal application bundle, but dependent children must use separate residence permit categories (family reunification under standard rules).

Romania does not recognise unregistered cohabitation or civil partnerships for visa-based family reunification. Marriage is the required documentary standard. Romania has not legalised same-sex marriage and does not have a civil-union institution, which means same-sex partners cannot use the family-inclusion route on the DNV. Same-sex partners would need to apply for separate DNVs in their own right or use alternative residence routes.

For children, the standard family reunification permit category applies: dependent children under 18 qualify with proof of relationship and dependency. This is a structurally weaker family framework than Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, or Cyprus.

Income requirements scale modestly: +€600/month for a spouse and +€300/month per additional dependent on the principal applicant's required base. A couple with two children typically needs verifiable income of €7,000/month, which is one of the higher family-of-four thresholds in the EU given Romania's underlying 3× average-salary base.

Family members receive residence permits with access to Romanian public schools (instruction in Romanian, with English-medium options in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca). Healthcare is via private insurance for non-employees: the minimum €30,000 private coverage required for the principal must be matched for each family member. Spouse work rights under the DNV-derived family permit are limited and generally require separate work-permit application for Romanian employment.

Common Romania DNV family pitfalls

The income threshold moves with Romanian salaries. The visa requires 3× the Romanian gross average salary, which the National Statistics Institute (INS) updates monthly. At the time of writing (early 2026), this is approximately €5,800/month. Older guides citing €3,700 reflect 2023 averages and are no longer accurate. Check the current INS figure before applying.

Renewal income drops significantly. At first-time application the bar is 3× average gross salary; at renewal it drops to 1× average gross salary (approximately €1,900/month at current levels). This is one of the more generous renewal frameworks in the EU and an under-appreciated feature for nomads planning multi-year stays.

The 183-day rule and tax exemption window. Law 69/2023 explicitly exempts DNV holders from Romanian income tax and social contributions on foreign-source salary for stays of up to 183 days in any 12-month period. Crossing this threshold makes the holder a Romanian tax resident on worldwide income at the 10% flat rate. Most DNV holders staying the full 12 months will cross 183 days, ending the exemption.

Banking is fiddly for DNV holders. Some Romanian banks decline new DNV holders on AML/CFT grounds, particularly in the first months after arrival. The pragmatic workaround is opening with Banca Transilvania, ING Bank, or Revolut Romania, which have more established processes for foreign residents. Bring substantial documentation: passport, residence permit, lease, proof of income, tax registration.

Document apostille and translation. All foreign documents must be apostilled (or super-legalised for non-Hague countries) and translated by a sworn Romanian translator. Allow 4–6 weeks for the full document package, particularly if criminal records require home-country issuance.

Cannot work for Romanian companies. The DNV strictly prohibits employment with Romanian-registered employers or generating Romanian-source income (the first 6 months are particularly strict per visa terms). Foreign-employer remote work and foreign-client freelancing only.

Two-stage application. Romania uses a two-stage process: 90-day D/AS long-stay visa from a Romanian consulate, then a residence permit application at the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) at least 30 days before the 90-day visa expires. Missing the IGI application window means restarting from outside the country.