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

Romania has one of the largest non-EU worker quotas in the European Union, and welders, drivers, construction workers and hospitality staff from Tunisia are genuinely part of that intake. This is not a theoretical route - thousands of work authorisations go to North African nationals every year. But the process has a specific order and specific paperwork, and getting the order wrong costs you months.

How the permit actually works

You cannot apply for a Romanian work permit yourself from Tunisia. A Romanian employer applies first for an autorizație de muncă (work authorisation) with the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI). Only once that is approved can you apply for the long-stay visa for employment purposes, known as a viză de lungă ședere pentru muncă or visa type D/AM, at a Romanian diplomatic mission.

This means your first job is not filling out forms - it is getting a real, signed job offer from a Romanian company that is willing to go through the IGI process. Recruitment agencies that promise to "get you a Romanian work permit" without naming an employer are selling you a fantasy. The employer carries this step, not you.

Where you apply, and who goes first

Romania has an embassy in Tunis, which is the normal place for Tunisian applicants to submit the visa application once the work authorisation is approved. The employer's IGI application happens entirely inside Romania before you are involved. Your part starts when you receive the approval notice and book your visa appointment at the embassy in Tunis.

Biometrics and the visa interview both happen there. Keep a copy of every document the employer sends you - the IGI approval letter is the single most important paper in your file, and consular staff will ask for it.

Documents, fees and what you personally pay

• Signed employment contract or binding offer from the Romanian employer, matching the trade stated on the IGI approval.
• Valid passport, normally with several months of validity left beyond your planned stay.
• Criminal record certificate from Tunisian authorities, usually required within the last few months.
• Proof of qualification or experience - diplomas, trade certificates, or a reference letter from a past employer.
• Medical certificate confirming fitness to work.

Tunisia is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so Tunisian public documents going to Romania generally need an apostille stamp rather than full consular legalisation - but confirm this applies to your specific document type before you pay for anything. Get the apostille from the correct Tunisian ministry before you book your translation, since a translator working from an unapostilled copy will often need to redo the job once the stamp is added, costing you time and money twice.

Processing time is the other thing people underestimate. The employer's IGI application can take several weeks once filed, and the visa appointment and decision at the embassy adds more time on top. Build in a buffer of a few months between accepting an offer and actually flying out, and be wary of any recruiter promising a start date inside a few weeks - that is rarely realistic for a first-time applicant.

Official fees are set by the Romanian state and the embassy, and they change - check the current amount directly with IGI or the embassy before budgeting, rather than trusting an old number online. Expect the employer-side authorisation and your own visa fee to both apply; the visa fee itself is commonly in the range of approximately 100 to 120 euros, but verify this at the embassy.

On your own side, budget roughly for: criminal record certificate (a modest fee in dinars), medical exam (approximately 50-150 TND), apostille per document (approximately 30-80 TND), certified translation of documents into Romanian or English (approximately 20-50 EUR per document), and your flight to Bucharest (approximately 150-350 EUR depending on season and route). These are rough ranges, not quotes - prices move.

No one may charge you for the job itself

In Romania, as in most EU countries, the employer and any licensed recruitment agency carry the recruitment and permit costs - not you. If anyone in Tunisia asks you to pay a large "processing fee," a "visa guarantee fee," or a deposit before you have even seen a real employer's name and a signed contract, stop. This is the exact shape of the scam that targets Tunisian workers heading north: a smooth-talking "agent," a fake Romanian company letterhead, and a demand for a few hundred dinars up front. A real Romanian employer does not need your money to hire you.

Jobs Romania is actually hiring for

Romania has a well documented shortage of truck and bus drivers, and holders of category C/D licences from outside the EU are regularly sponsored for work authorisations. Construction is the other steady demand area, especially for welders, formwork carpenters and general site labour, as Romania keeps building infrastructure and housing. Hotels and restaurants in Bucharest and the Black Sea coast also hire seasonal and year-round foreign staff, though pay there tends to be lower than construction or driving.

Myths vs facts

Myth: A Tunisian agency can get you a Romanian work permit without an employer. Fact: only a Romanian employer can start the IGI authorisation - no agency can skip this step.

Myth: Romania is in the Schengen area so the process is the same as for France or Italy. Fact: Romania has its own national work permit and visa system, separate from older Schengen routes you may have heard about from relatives.

Myth: You need to already speak Romanian to get hired. Fact: most entry-level trade jobs train you on the job; basic English or French is often enough to start, though learning some Romanian will help you keep the job.

Myth: Once you have the visa, the job is guaranteed to last for years. Fact: your permit is tied to that employer and that job; changing employers usually means restarting part of the process.

Before you sign

• Is the employer's name, address and registration number written clearly in the contract, and does it match the IGI approval?
• Does the contract state your wage, working hours, accommodation arrangement (if any) and job title in writing?
• Has anyone asked you to pay money before you have a signed contract? If yes, stop.
• Do you have your criminal record certificate, apostilled diplomas and passport all valid for the months ahead?
• Have you confirmed the current visa fee and processing time directly with the Romanian embassy in Tunis?

Put this on your Workuro profile

Once you know your route - the IGI work authorisation followed by the long-stay work visa - add it to your Workuro profile along with your trade, your licences, and the documents you already have ready, like your apostilled diplomas or your criminal record certificate. Romanian employers searching for drivers, welders or construction workers from Tunisia want to see exactly this: that you understand the process and are not starting from zero. Workuro is free for workers - employers pay to search the register, and nobody may charge you for a job.