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

How Egyptian workers move to Romania legally

If you live in Egypt and work in a trade like construction, driving, welding, hospitality, or warehouse logistics, Romania offers a realistic path to legal work in Europe. Romania regularly sets large annual national quotas for non-EU workers. This means Romanian businesses actively search for foreign workers to fill open roles across the country.

To work legally in Romania as an Egyptian citizen, you must follow a clear two-step process. The employer in Romania always takes the first step. They must apply for a work permit on your behalf at the General Inspectorate for Immigration (Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări or IGI) inside Romania. This document is officially called a Work Authorization (Aviz de muncă).

Once IGI approves the work authorization, your employer sends the official document to you in Egypt. Only after you receive this paper can you take the second step: applying for your visa. You will apply for a Long-stay visa for employment, known officially as the Type D/AM visa (Viza de lungă ședere pentru angajare în scop de muncă).

You must submit your visa request through the official Romanian E-Visa portal online before booking an appointment at the Embassy of Romania in Cairo. During your embassy visit, consular officers will verify your original documents, review your employment contract, and collect your biometric data, including your fingerprints and digital photograph.

Required documents and legalisation in Cairo

Preparing your paperwork correctly in Cairo is the most important part of getting your visa approved. Missing stamps or incorrect translations can cause long delays or visa refusals. You need to collect specific documents from Egyptian authorities and have them officially processed before your embassy appointment.

• Signed employment contract: A binding job offer or labor contract issued by your Romanian employer, detailing your job title, working hours, and salary.
• Valid Egyptian passport: Your passport must be valid for at least ten months beyond your planned travel date and have at least two empty pages.
• Work Authorization approval: The original Aviz de muncă document issued by the IGI in Romania and forwarded to you by your employer.
• Egyptian criminal record certificate: A clean police clearance document (Fiș de cazier judiciar) issued by the Ministry of Interior in Egypt.
• Medical certificate: A official medical check report showing you are fit for physical labor and free from contagious diseases.
• Proof of accommodation: A confirmation letter from your Romanian employer showing where you will live, or a signed rental agreement in Romania.
• Travel health insurance: A travel medical policy covering emergency health expenses in Romania for at least 90 days.

Because Egypt is not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, you cannot simply get an Apostille stamp. Instead, your Egyptian police clearance certificate and vocational trade certificates must go through full consular legalisation, also called superlegalisation. First, you must get the document stamped by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Next, the document must be translated into Romanian by an authorized translator. Finally, you must submit the translated, MFA-stamped document to the Embassy of Romania in Cairo for final consular attestation.

Official fees, real costs, and processing timeline

Moving from Egypt to Romania involves official government fees and practical expenses on the Egyptian side. Your Romanian employer is responsible for paying the government work permit fee in Romania, which costs approximately 100 EUR. You should never be asked to pay for the work authorization paper itself.

The long-stay employment visa fee charged by the Romanian Embassy in Cairo is set by Romania and is approximately 120 EUR, payable in local Egyptian Pounds (EGP) or Euros depending on embassy instructions. Always check the official Romanian embassy portal for the exact currency rates on your appointment day.

On the Egyptian side, you will need to pay for local documentation and travel preparation. These costs fluctuate, but rough estimates include:

• Police record certificate: Approximately 70 to 150 EGP.
• Medical checkup in Cairo: Approximately 1,500 to 3,500 EGP depending on the authorized clinic.
• Document translations into Romanian: Approximately 500 to 1,200 EGP per page.
• MFA attestation and Embassy legalisation: Approximately 1,000 to 2,500 EGP total for document authentication stamps.
• Flight from Cairo to Bucharest: Approximately 12,000 to 22,000 EGP (around 250 to 450 EUR) for a one-way ticket, depending on the season and airline.

Timelines require patience. It typically takes approximately 30 to 60 days for IGI in Romania to approve your work authorization. After receiving the document in Egypt, processing your Type D/AM visa at the Romanian Embassy in Cairo usually takes approximately 15 to 30 days. Plan for a total timeline of three to four months from signing your offer to landing in Bucharest.

Trades hiring foreign workers in Romania

Romania hires international workers to fill labor shortages across several core trade industries. Here are three major fields where Egyptian trade workers regularly find opportunities:

• Construction and building trades: Romanian infrastructure projects and housing developments regularly hire welders, masons, carpenters, and general site labor.
• Logistics and warehouse operations: Growing distribution centers around Bucharest, Timișoara, and Cluj recruit forklift operators, warehouse packers, and heavy truck drivers.
• Hospitality and commercial food service: Hotels, commercial kitchens, and resort facilities hire kitchen helpers, line cooks, and cleaning personnel to support daily operations.

Myths vs facts

Many job seekers in Egypt hear incorrect information regarding work visas for Eastern Europe. Here are the facts you should know before starting your application:

• Myth: You can travel to Romania on a tourist visa and convert it into a work visa after finding a job.
• Fact: Working on a tourist visa is strictly illegal in Romania. You must secure your work permit and Type D/AM visa from Egypt before travelling.
• Myth: Egypt uses Apostille stamps for Romanian visa documents.
• Fact: Egypt is not a member of the Apostille treaty. You must complete full legalisation through the Egyptian MFA and the Romanian Embassy in Cairo.
• Myth: Paying an agency in Cairo a large sum guarantees a visa approval.
• Fact: No private agency can guarantee a visa approval or alter government decisions. Charging workers fees for job placement violates standard labor practices.
• Myth: You must speak fluent Romanian to get an entry-level trade job.
• Fact: Many industrial employers accept basic English or provide workplace safety instruction through team supervisors, though learning basic Romanian helps you adapt faster.

Before you sign

Protect yourself from fraud and misunderstandings by completing this safety checklist before signing an offer or paying for local documents in Egypt:

• Check the employer name: Ensure the hiring company in Romania is a registered business and matches the name listed on your work contract.
• Verify who pays work permit fees: Make sure your employer pays the official IGI work permit approval fees in Romania.
• Review accommodation details: Confirm in writing whether your employer provides free company housing, subsidized lodging, or expects you to rent independently.
• Confirm flight ticket terms: Check your employment contract to see whether the employer pays for your arrival flight ticket to Bucharest.
• Keep control of your original papers: Never surrender your passport or original birth and qualification certificates to an unverified recruitment agent.
• Verify your work authorization code: Ensure you receive a legitimate approval code from IGI before booking your embassy visa appointment online.

Build your Workuro profile today

Starting your journey to Romania begins with accurate information and clean documentation. Ensure your Workuro profile lists your exact trade skills, your current passport status, any clean criminal record documents you have ready, and your language capabilities in Arabic, English, or Romanian. Having clear trade experience and valid papers helps genuine employers in Europe identify you quickly when searching for reliable talent.

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