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

If you are a Cameroonian worker with practical trade skills, Romania offers a genuine legal path to live and work in Europe. Every year, the Romanian government sets a quota for non-EU workers to fill active shortages in construction, transport, hospitality, and manufacturing. Unlike some European nations with very tight quotas or closed borders for manual roles, Romania actively issues work permits to skilled and manual workers from abroad.

However, getting to Romania legally requires following a strict step-by-step process. You must secure a real employer first before applying for any visa. This guide explains the official permit route, the true costs in Cameroon Francs CFA (XAF) and Euros, how to handle your document legalisation in Yaoundé, and how to avoid costly fake job scams.

How the Romania work permit route works

To work legally in Romania as a Cameroonian national, you cannot simply apply for a visa on your own. The process always starts in Romania with your prospective employer. The entire journey moves through three clear legal stages:

• Step 1: The Work Authorization (Aviz de muncă) - Your employer in Romania must apply to the General Inspectorate for Immigration (Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări or IGI) in Romania. They must prove that the position could not be filled by a Romanian or EU citizen. Once approved, the IGI issues an official Work Authorization document in your name.
• Step 2: The Long-Stay Visa for Employment (Type D/AM) - Once you receive the original Work Authorization approval from your employer, you apply for a Long-stay Visa for employment (Visa Type D/AM). Cameroonian applicants submit their visa application through the official online Romanian E-VISA portal and schedule an appointment at the Embassy of Romania in Yaoundé.
• Step 3: The Residence Permit (Permis de ședere) - After your visa is granted, you fly to Romania. Within your first 30 days of arrival, your employer helps you register with the local IGI office to receive your Temporary Residence Permit card, which allows you to stay and work for the duration of your contract.

In-demand trades in Romania for Cameroonian workers

Romania currently experiences severe labor shortages in practical trades across several major industries:

• Construction workers: Masons, welders, steel fixers, carpenters, and general site workers are heavily recruited to support nationwide infrastructure and housing developments.
• Logistics and transport staff: Warehouse order pickers, forklift operators, and international heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers are needed by expanding logistics hubs.
• Hospitality and service staff: Hotels and restaurants across major cities and tourist zones hire line cooks, kitchen helpers, housekeepers, and table servers.

Required documents and legalisation in Cameroon

Preparing your paperwork correctly in Cameroon is the most critical part of the process. Romanian immigration authorities require clear proof of your identity, clear criminal record, and professional experience.

Because Cameroon is not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, your documents must go through the standard legalisation chain (often called consular legalization or double legalization) rather than a simple apostille stamp. You will need:

• Valid passport: Must be valid for at least 1 to 2 years beyond your planned departure date and have at least two blank pages.
• Signed employment contract: An official job contract or binding offer signed by the Romanian employer.
• Police Clearance Certificate (Bulletin n° 3): Issued by the Ministry of Justice in Cameroon, showing a clean criminal record.
• Medical certificate: Issued by a recognized medical clinic in Cameroon, certifying you are free from contagious diseases and fit for manual work.
• Proof of qualifications or experience: Trade certificates, vocational diplomas (such as CQP or CAP), or official work reference letters proving your skill level.
• Certified Romanian translations: All Cameroonian documents issued in French or English must be officially translated into Romanian (traducere autorizată).

Your official Cameroonian documents must first be legalised at the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) in Yaoundé. After MINREX approves and stamps them, they must be legalised by the Embassy of Romania in Yaoundé before your visa interview.

Official fees, local costs, and processing times

Moving from Cameroon to Romania involves both official immigration processing times and direct personal preparation expenses. Below are typical rough ranges to help you plan your budget.

Processing timelines:

• Work Authorization (IGI Romania): Takes approximately 30 to 90 days for the employer to obtain in Romania.
• Long-Stay Visa (Type D/AM): Takes approximately 30 to 60 days after submitting your complete file at the Embassy in Yaoundé.
• Total estimated timeline: Expect the entire process to take approximately 3 to 6 months from signing a contract to boarding your flight.

Official visa and permit fees:

• The Work Authorization fee in Romania is approximately 100 EUR (paid directly by the employer to the Romanian state).
• The Long-Stay Visa (Type D/AM) application fee set by Romania is approximately 120 EUR (or the equivalent local currency amount collected at application time). Always check the official Romanian E-VISA portal for the exact current fee structure.

Costs carried on the Cameroon side:

• Police clearance (Bulletin n° 3): Approximately 5,000 to 15,000 XAF (8 to 23 EUR).
• Medical check and lab tests: Approximately 25,000 to 50,000 XAF (38 to 76 EUR).
• MINREX legalisation stamps: Approximately 10,000 to 25,000 XAF per document (15 to 38 EUR).
• Official translations into Romanian: Approximately 15,000 to 30,000 XAF per page (23 to 46 EUR).
• Flight ticket (Douala/Yaoundé to Bucharest): Approximately 400,000 to 750,000 XAF (610 to 1,140 EUR), depending on the season and whether your contract includes prepaid transport.

Placement fees and avoiding recruitment scams

Under international labor standards and European regulations, recruitment costs belong to the employer. In most EU jurisdictions, no recruitment agency or intermediary is legally permitted to charge a job seeker a fee simply for offering a job contract.

Be extremely cautious of rogue agents or agencies in Douala, Yaoundé, or online demanding payment of 1,000,000 XAF to 3,000,000 XAF for a guaranteed work permit. These are almost always scams using forged IGI approval letters or fake visa deposit requests. Never pay money into personal mobile money accounts or wire transfers to secure a job offer. A genuine employer pays for their own legal filings in Romania.

Myths vs facts

Separating fiction from reality will save your savings and protect your career path.

• Myth: You can enter Romania on a tourist visa and easily switch to a work permit once you arrive.
  Fact: You cannot convert a short-stay tourist visa into a work permit inside Romania. You must enter the country with a valid Type D/AM long-stay visa obtained in advance.
• Myth: Paying an agency millions of Francs CFA is the normal way to secure a Romanian work visa.
  Fact: Charging workers thousands of Euros for a job contract is illegal or unethical across Europe. Legitimate recruitment costs are borne by the hiring employer.
• Myth: A Romanian work permit allows you to freely pack up and work in France, Germany, or Belgium right away.
  Fact: A Romanian work permit ties you legally to your specific employer in Romania. Working in another country without a local permit there is illegal and leads to deportation.
• Myth: You do not need any formal trade certificate or work experience documents to get a permit.
  Fact: Romanian immigration officers inspect your professional background to ensure you are qualified for the specific job profile listed on the permit.

Before you sign

Before agreeing to any offer or handing over your personal documents, run through this final checklist:

• Verify company registration: Ensure the hiring company in Romania is real and actively listed on the Romanian Trade Register (ONRC).
• Read the work authorization copy: Ask to see the official approved Work Authorization document (Aviz de muncă) issued by the IGI before paying for expensive translations.
• Check language and contract terms: Make sure your employment contract clearly states your job role, working hours, accommodation arrangements, and basic monthly wage.
• Check passport validity: Ensure your Cameroonian passport has at least 18 months of validity remaining to prevent renewal issues abroad.
• Never pay for job placements: Refuse to pay any agency that claims to sell job positions or guarantees embassy approvals for cash.

Put your trade profile on Workuro

If you are ready to work in Romania, make sure your professional details are organized so employers can review your profile. State your exact trade skills, confirm that your Cameroonian passport is valid, list your vocational qualifications, and highlight your language capabilities in English or French. Romanian companies search for ready-to-work individuals with verifiable trade experience.

Workuro is free for workers - employers pay to search the register, and nobody may charge you for a job.