Key Facts
Government type: Unitary semi-presidential Republic
Capital: Bucharest
Total Area: 238,391 km²
Population: 19.95 million
GDP Per Capita (PPP) $10,859
Official languages: Romanian 89.9%, Hungarian 6.5%, Romany Gypsy 3.3%, German 0.2%
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 86.5%, Protestant 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other 0.9%, none 0.2%
Country code: +4
Currency: LEU (RON)
Voltage: 230 V
Brief Overview
Romania is located in the southeast of central Europe and has land borders with Moldavian Republic, Hungary, Serbia and water borders with Bulgaria and Ukraine. For an area of 224 km, Romania has an opening to the Black Sea.
Because many of Romania’s borders are defined by natural, sometimes shifting rivers, and because the Danube Delta is constantly expanding towards the sea, about 2-5 linear metres (6–16 ft) yearly, Romania’s surface area has changed over the past few decades, generally increasing.
Since you are not a Romanian, you probably didn’t hear too much about it, unless you are a football or a gymnastics fan, or unless you saw too many movies with vampires and you began to question their credibility. This presentation is an attempt to prove that Romania is not only a civilized country, but also one of the most amazing, though heavily underestimated European destinations.
It is impossible to describe Romania in a single phrase. Each attempt would be accompanied by a “but” intended to sketch a multi-faceted personality, aspects which continue to surprise even the locals: the Carpathians, Black Sea, Danube Delta, monasteries of Northern Moldavia, millenary traditions from Maramures, Transylvania, the famous wines, traditional cuisine and, most of all, the locals’ hospitality – all these mean Romania.
For the traveller Romania offers many things: the opportunity to see genuinely wonderful places, to meet wonderful people, to experience the last frontier-land in Europe. It is the type of experience that will accompany you for a lifetime.
Politics
Politics of Romania takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Romania is the head of the government and of a pluriform, multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Romania’s 1991 constitution, amended in 2003 proclaims Romania a democratic and social republic, deriving its sovereignty from the people. It also states “human dignity, civic rights and freedoms, the unhindered development of human personality, justice and political pluralism are supreme and guarantee values”.
The constitution provides for a President, a Parliament, a Constitutional Court and a separate system of lower courts that includes a Supreme Court. The right to vote is guaranteed to all citizens over 18 years of age.
Culture
The political and economic changes that took place in Romania in the 1980s and 1990s made daily life difficult for ordinary citizens. Economic reforms and subsequent economic expansion, especially after 2000, have improved living standards for some, although many rural areas have seen few improvements. Food prices remain high relative to the country’s low minimum wage, and relatively few Romanians can afford luxuries. One-family homes are common in Romania’s villages, while most city dwellers live in one-family apartments. Most apartment buildings were built during the communist era and are cramped with minimal facilities.
As in many nations of Europe, soccer is the most popular national sport. Romania, which has participated in the Olympic Games since 1924, is proud of its athletes and maintains special schools to train them. Romanian athletes have won many gold medals in events as varied as boxing, kayaking, and gymnastics. The famed gymnast Nadia Comaneci and the international tennis star Ilie Nastase are Romanian. Also, one of the most famous football player in the world, Gheorghe Hagi, is born and raised in Romania.
Romanian culture is largely derived from Roman influences, with strains of Slavic, Magyar (Hungarian), Greek, and Turkish influences. Poems, folktales, and folk music have always held a central place in Romanian life. Romanian literature, art, and music attained maturity in the 19th century. Although Romania has been influenced by divergent Western trends, it also has a well-developed indigenous folk culture.
Healthcare
The healthcare sector has always been a continuous challenge.
During the past two decades, Romania has gone through a period of rapid and major changes in every sector, including health. The local healthcare industry encountered the same difficulties as in all the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) healthcare systems: a low level of government financing, inadequate and obsolete equipment and facilities, management deficiencies, informal payments all the aforementioned resulting in an overall increasing dissatisfaction of population.
At present, Romania’s healthcare is still dominated by the public healthcare system, being funded by a combination of employer and employee contributions to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and of direct allocations from the state budget. Romania has a mandatory insurance-based financing model for healthcare, involving contributions from employers (5.2% of the gross wage) and employees (5.5% of the gross wage). The health insurance system is administrated and regulated by NHIF, a central quasi-autonomous body.
Since 1998, when the country adopted the mandatory social health insurance system, the roles of the main participants in the health system have changed, the relationships between different organizations have become more complex and the number of stakeholders has increased.
Most of the assignees relocated in Romania, benefit from international insurances and due to this reason they chose to use the private health system.
Some of the best private clinics in Bucharest:
Regina Maria
Medsana
Medicover
Rental Market
Basic Forms of Title – Land may be owned, used and transferred. A lease of land is insufficient to allow granting of construction permits, a surface right is granted for these cases. Restituted land may be subject to restrictions transferability for a period of time. Established limits on the amount of agriculture and forest land that may be owned by a person.
Foreigners have all local rights except for owning land directly. Foreigners can own land indirectly through creating a legal entity incorporated in Romania, even if a foreign entity or individual wholly owns such entities.
Rentals:
Standard tenancy – minimum 12 months
Security Deposit – yes, the equivalent of one up to three months’ rent
First payment – minimum two months’ payment in advance
Real Estate Commission –paid both by the landlord and by the tenant – between 50% and 100% of one month’s rent each
Utilities – tenants responsibility, not included in the rent
Schools
Private International Schools:
American International School of Bucharest (English)
Mark Twain School (English, Romanian)
British School of Bucharest (English)
International School of Bucharest (English, French, Turkish, Romanian)
International British School of Bucharest (English)
The Greek School of Bucharest “Athena” (Greek)
Cambridge School of Bucharest (English)
German School of Bucharest (German)
Lycee Francais de Bucarest (French)
This relocation guide to Romania supports expats and HR teams with essential insights into healthcare, housing, and local life in a country rich in tradition, innovation, and natural beauty.
Government type: Unitary semi-presidential Republic
Capital: Bucharest
Total Area: 238,391 km²
Population: 19.95 million
GDP Per Capita (PPP) $10,859
Official languages: Romanian
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 86.5%, Protestant 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other 0.9%, none 0.2%
Country code: +4
Currency: LEU (RON)
Voltage: 230 V
Romania is located in the southeast of central Europe and has land borders with Moldavian Republic, Hungary, Serbia and water borders with Bulgaria and Ukraine.
For an area of 224 km, Romania has an opening to the Black Sea.
Because many of Romania’s borders are defined by natural, sometimes shifting rivers, and because the Danube Delta is constantly expanding towards the sea, about 2-5 linear metres (6–16 ft) yearly, Romania’s surface area has changed over the past few decades, generally increasing.
Since you are not a Romanian, you probably didn’t hear too much about it, unless you are a football or a gymnastics fan, or unless you saw too many movies with vampires and you began to question their credibility.
This presentation is an attempt to prove that Romania is not only a civilized country, but also one of the most amazing, though heavily underestimated European destinations.
It is impossible to describe Romania in a single phrase.
Each attempt would be accompanied by a “but” intended to sketch a multi-faceted personality, aspects which continue to surprise even the locals: the Carpathians, Black Sea, Danube Delta, monasteries of Northern Moldavia, millenary traditions from Maramures, Transylvania, the famous wines, traditional cuisine and, most of all, the locals’ hospitality – all these mean Romania.
For the traveller Romania offers many things: the opportunity to see genuinely wonderful places, to meet wonderful people, to experience the last frontier-land in Europe. It is the type of experience that will accompany you for a lifetime.
Politics
Politics of Romania takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Romania is the head of the government and of a pluriform, multi-party system.
Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Romania’s 1991 constitution, amended in 2003 proclaims Romania a democratic and social republic, deriving its sovereignty from the people.
It also states “human dignity, civic rights and freedoms, the unhindered development of human personality, justice and political pluralism are supreme and guarantee values”.
The constitution provides for a President, a Parliament, a Constitutional Court and a separate system of lower courts that includes a Supreme Court. The right to vote is guaranteed to all citizens over 18 years of age.
The political and economic changes that took place in Romania in the 1980s and 1990s made daily life difficult for ordinary citizens.
Economic reforms and subsequent economic expansion, especially after 2000, have improved living standards for some, although many rural areas have seen few improvements.
Food prices remain high relative to the country’s low minimum wage, and relatively few Romanians can afford luxuries.
One-family homes are common in Romania’s villages, while most city dwellers live in one-family apartments.
Most apartment buildings were built during the communist era and are cramped with minimal facilities.
As in many nations of Europe, soccer is the most popular national sport.
Romania, which has participated in the Olympic Games since 1924, is proud of its athletes and maintains special schools to train them.
Romanian athletes have won many gold medals in events as varied as boxing, kayaking, and gymnastics.
The famed gymnast Nadia Comaneci and the international tennis star Ilie Nastase are Romanian.
Also, one of the most famous football players in the world, Gheorghe Hagi, was born and raised in Romania.
Romanian culture is largely derived from Roman influences, with strains of Slavic, Magyar (Hungarian), Greek, and Turkish influences. Poems, folktales, and folk music have always held a central place in Romanian life.
Romanian literature, art, and music attained maturity in the 19th century. Although Romania has been influenced by divergent Western trends, it also has a well-developed indigenous folk culture.
From Bucharest’s urban apartments to Transylvania’s quieter towns, this relocation guide to Romania outlines rental trends and what newcomers should expect in 2025.
Basic Forms of Title—Land may be owned, used, and transferred.
A lease of land is insufficient to allow the granting of construction permits; a surface right is granted for these cases. Restituted land may be subject to restrictions on transferability for a period of time.
Foreigners have all local rights except for owning land directly.
Foreigners can own land indirectly through creating a legal entity incorporated in Romania, even if a foreign entity or individual wholly owns such entities.
Rentals:
To explore regional support options, visit our key relocation services page, or browse through our expat services to learn how we help individuals and families relocate smoothly.
Private International Schools:
The healthcare sector has always been a continuous challenge.
During the past two decades, Romania has gone through a period of rapid and major changes in every sector, including health.
The local healthcare industry encountered the same difficulties as in all the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) healthcare systems: a low level of government financing, inadequate and obsolete equipment and facilities, management deficiencies, informal payments all the aforementioned resulting in an overall increasing dissatisfaction of population.
At present, Romania’s healthcare is still dominated by the public healthcare system, being funded by a combination of employer and employee contributions to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and of direct allocations from the state budget.
Romania has a mandatory insurance-based financing model for healthcare, involving contributions from employers (5.2% of the gross wage) and employees (5.5% of the gross wage). The health insurance system is administered and regulated by NHIF, a central quasi-autonomous body.
Since 1998, when the country adopted the mandatory social health insurance system, the roles of the main participants in the health system have changed, the relationships between different organizations have become more complex and the number of stakeholders has increased.
Most of the assignees relocated to Romania benefit from international insurance and due to this reason they chose to use the private health care system.
Some of the best private clinics in Bucharest:
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