Golden Visa for Romania in 2025: Conditions, Amounts and Prospects

A draft law proposing the introduction of a “Golden Visa” program has been submitted to the Romanian Parliament. The justification for amending the legislation cites the successful experience of attracting investments in exchange for residence permits in Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, and other EU countries.

What is being proposed?

The document proposes issuing a five-year Romanian residence permit, with the possibility of renewal, in exchange for investments in its economy.

Why Romania?

• Schengen Zone: Romania is set to fully join the Schengen Area soon, and a Romanian residence permit will grant visa-free travel and freedom of movement across 27 countries without border controls.
• Largest IT Hub in Eastern Europe: An excellent base for business operations and hiring qualified personnel.
• Low Taxes: Romania has one of the lowest personal income tax rates in the EU, for example (10%). While there are proposals to increase some taxes, such as VAT, at present Romania remains one of Europe’s low-tax jurisdictions.
• Culture and Tourism: Romania boasts numerous attractions, from castles and medieval churches to Transylvanian villages. It offers access to the Black Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains with their magnificent nature.
• Safety: Bucharest has lower crime rates than many European capitals according to the Numbeo index.

What investments and amounts qualify for this program?

The program covers investments of at least 400,000 EUR in the following:

• Investments in Romanian government securities with a maturity of at least 5 years;
• Investments in real estate to be held for at least 5 years;
• Investments in investment funds authorized by the ASF (Romanian-authorized funds);
• Investments in shares of Romanian companies listed on the stock exchange.

Maintaining the investment throughout the entire validity period of the residence permit is a mandatory condition for its retention. The draft stipulates the cancellation of the residence permit in case of early withdrawal of funds without their equivalent replacement.

The draft law does not specify the number of days per year one must spend in Romania to maintain the residence permit under the new program. This information may be added later.

What requirements apply to the applicant?

The main requirements are proof of the lawful origin of funds and the applicant’s absence from sanctions lists. The program stipulates mandatory background checks on the applicant by the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE), the National Office for Preventing and Combating Money Laundering (ONPCSB), and other relevant authorities before issuing the permit.

What about the applicant’s family members?

Your spouse and children can also obtain a residence permit. This opens doors to European education and healthcare for them.

Are there benefits for obtaining permanent residence or citizenship?

If you plan to use this new program to obtain citizenship, the process is as follows:

• As a general rule, to apply for citizenship one must reside in Romania for 8 years. “Residence” is understood as staying in Romania for more than 6 months per year. The rule of six months (183 days) per year is the standard residence requirement. Compared to many programs, this is a reasonable balance between physical presence and managing an international business.
• This draft law offers no benefits for obtaining citizenship for investments between 400,000 and 1,000,000 EUR. However, one can apply for permanent residence after 5 years of residing in Romania.
• For investments exceeding 1,000,000 EUR, the residency period required before being eligible to apply for citizenship is reduced from 8 to 5 years.

It seems the primary goal of this program is to attract long-term investments, not accelerated naturalization.

Interested in EU Residence by Investment?

Romania’s “Golden Visa” is a promising but not yet finalized instrument.

Would you like to know which residence-by-investment programs in other countries (Moldova, Cyprus, Serbia) are already operational and can be initiated today?

Obtain a legal risk and prospects analysis. Our immigration lawyer will develop a comprehensive EU residence permit strategy for you, considering both the Romanian project and existing programs.

This proposal has not yet been debated by parliament, so discussing specific implementation details is still premature.

 

Author: Molchanov Aleksei

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