Working in Romania from Uganda: Visa, Permit, Costs (2026)

Romania hires foreign drivers, welders and construction workers in real numbers, and Ugandans are eligible for the same route as any other non-EU national. There is no existing large Ugandan community in Romania and no special bilateral scheme between the two countries, so you are applying as an individual against the general quota - slower and less certain than for countries with established pipelines, but not closed. Go in with realistic timeline expectations.

The order of operations

A Romanian employer must apply first for a work authorisation (autorizație de muncă) with the General Inspectorate for Immigration, IGI, inside Romania. Nothing moves from Kampala until that happens. Once IGI approves it, you apply for the long-stay employment visa (D/AM) at the relevant Romanian diplomatic mission.

If anyone contacts you claiming they can "start the Romanian work permit process" before a real, named employer and an IGI filing exist, they are describing something that cannot happen in that order - there is no application to start yet.

Where Ugandan applicants actually submit

Romania does not maintain an embassy in Kampala. Check the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' current list of missions to confirm which embassy is designated to serve Ugandan applicants - commonly this kind of coverage runs through a regional mission such as Nairobi, but confirm the current arrangement rather than assuming, since these designations change. Write to the embassy's visa section directly once you have your IGI approval to confirm the submission process and whether travel to that city is required for biometrics.

Documents, and the legalisation step Uganda needs

• Signed employment contract with job title, wage and employer details.
• Valid passport with enough remaining validity.
• Police clearance certificate from Uganda's police, recent.
• Proof of trade skill - certificates, licences, reference letters.
• Medical fitness certificate.

Uganda is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, which means your Ugandan documents cannot simply be apostilled - they need full consular legalisation: authentication in Uganda, then legalisation at the Romanian mission that covers Uganda, before a Romanian certified translation is done. This step takes longer and costs more than an apostille, so start it early and do not translate before legalisation is finished, as you may need to redo the translation otherwise.

What this is likely to cost

Romania's visa fee is set by the state and the embassy and does change - check the current amount directly rather than relying on an old figure; it is commonly in the range of approximately 100 to 120 euros. The work authorisation fee itself is the employer's responsibility inside Romania.

On your side in Uganda, budget roughly for: police clearance (a modest fee in shillings), medical exam (approximately 50,000-150,000 UGX), document authentication and legalisation fees (these can add up across multiple documents and multiple stops - treat this as the most expensive and time-consuming line item), certified translation (approximately 20-50 EUR per document once legalised), and international flights that will likely route through a Gulf or European hub, commonly approximately 600-1,100 EUR. These are rough planning ranges, not firm prices.

No employer or agency operating legally in Romania may charge you for the job itself - the employer carries recruitment costs, and you should verify this directly with IGI or the embassy rather than trusting a recruiter's claim. Be alert to "visa processing agents" in Kampala who ask for large upfront payments for a Romanian job that has no verifiable employer attached - this is one of the most common scams aimed at Ugandan workers chasing a European job, and the legalisation requirement makes it easy for a scammer to invent extra "mandatory" fees that do not exist.

Jobs Romania is actually hiring for

Truck and delivery driving is one of Romania's most persistent shortage areas, and foreign licence holders are regularly sponsored when their licence category matches. Construction - welding, concrete work, general building labour - stays in steady demand as infrastructure projects continue. Warehouse and logistics roles around Bucharest are a growing third option as distribution networks expand, and some employers in the food processing sector also take on foreign staff for packing and basic production line work.

Because there is no established Ugandan worker pipeline into Romania yet, expect each hiring employer to be doing this for one of the first times, which can mean slower replies and more questions on their side too - patience with the employer is part of the process, not just patience with the embassy.

Myths vs facts

Myth: Since Uganda has English as an official language, the Romanian job market will be easy to navigate. Fact: English helps with paperwork and some supervisors, but day-to-day work on most sites runs in Romanian.

Myth: A document copy stamped by a notary in Kampala is enough for Romania. Fact: Uganda is outside the Apostille Convention, so you need full consular legalisation, not just a local notary stamp.

Myth: A Ugandan agent can submit your Romanian visa application on your behalf. Fact: you must personally attend biometrics and the interview at the designated embassy - an agent cannot do this for you.

Myth: If one Romanian company says yes quickly, the rest of the process will be just as fast. Fact: legalisation of Ugandan documents and the IGI and visa stages both take real time - budget months, not weeks.

Myth: You can enter Romania as a tourist and sort out the work paperwork once you are there. Fact: the work authorisation and visa have to be arranged before you travel - there is no legal way to convert a tourist stay into work status from inside the country.

Before you sign

• Have you confirmed the employer is real and registered in Romania?
• Does the contract state wage, hours, job title and accommodation clearly?
• Has IGI actually approved the work authorisation, with a document you have seen?
• Have you started consular legalisation - not just notarisation - on your Ugandan documents?
• Have you confirmed which embassy currently serves Ugandan applicants, directly with that embassy?
• Have you budgeted realistically for several months between a signed offer and your actual travel date?
• Have you kept copies of every stamped and legalised document, in case the original set is lost in transit?

Put this on your Workuro profile

Put the specifics on your Workuro profile: the IGI work authorisation and D/AM visa route, your trade and licences, and that you understand Uganda's documents need consular legalisation rather than an apostille. That detail alone tells a Romanian employer you are further along than most applicants from your region. Workuro is free for workers - employers pay to search the register, and nobody may charge you for a job.