From student to employee: can a residence permit for studies be changed into a work permit?

A foreign student comes to Romania on a study visa. After the first year, they find that the fees are high, the exams are hard and the money is not enough. A friend tells them they could "switch the permit to work" and work full time. Others came from the start thinking the study visa was just a door into Europe. They all end up with the same question: can I turn my residence permit for studies into a work permit?

The short answer: not on request, at any time. It is only possible after you finish your studies. The guide below explains why the law ties your stay to the purpose of your visa, what the only exception is, what work you are allowed to do as a student, and what happens if you drop out of university.

In short

• A residence permit for studies cannot be converted into a work permit. Your right of residence is tied to the purpose of the visa you used to enter Romania.
• The exception: after completing their studies, a former student can switch to residence for work directly from Romania, without a new visa, based on the single application (cererea unică) submitted by the employer.
• During your studies you can work legally, but only with a part-time contract of no more than 6 hours per day.
• Anyone who drops out of university loses the basis for their stay. The legal route to work is then a new work visa (D/AM), applied for from the home country.

Why the purpose of the visa matters

Romania does not issue a "general" long-stay visa. Each long-stay visa has a purpose, marked by a code (art. 20 and art. 24 of OUG nr. 194/2002):

• D/SD for studies;
• D/AM for employment;
• D/VF for family reunification, and others.

Each purpose has its own conditions. For a study visa, the authorities check the letter of acceptance to studies, the fees paid and the means of support. For a work visa, the checks are done before departure, through the employer: the employer is registered and, where applicable, authorised on the WorkinRomania platform, the occupation and the salary are checked, and for workers from most countries the application goes through an authorised placement agency.

The residence permit you receive in Romania extends the right granted by the visa, for the same purpose. The law requires foreigners to respect the purpose for which they were granted the right to enter and stay in Romania (art. 4 alin. 4 of OUG nr. 194/2002).

Why you cannot "switch to work" at any time

If a study permit could be changed into a work permit simply by asking, the study visa would become a shortcut: someone could enter as a student and bypass all the checks made for workers, namely the authorised employer, the agency, the occupation and the approved number of workers. That is exactly why the law keeps the two purposes separate. A study visa is granted for learning, not for entering the labour market through a side door.

The fact that studies are hard or fees are high is not a legal reason to change the purpose. These are personal situations, and the law does not provide an exception for them.

The exception: after you finish your studies

The law makes one clear exception. Art. 56 of OUG nr. 194/2002, as amended by OUG nr. 32/2026, lists the foreigners who can obtain the right of residence for work without having to apply for a long-stay visa for employment. Among them are holders of a right of residence for studies who apply for an extension for work after completing their studies.

The reason for this exception is that the student has fulfilled the purpose for which they came. They studied in Romania, know the country and the language, and hold a Romanian diploma. The state has an interest in keeping the graduate, not in sending them home for a new visa.

How the switch works:

1. You finish your studies and obtain the document proving it (the diploma or the certificate of graduation).
2. You find an employer willing to hire you with a full-time individual employment contract, with a salary at least equal to the national gross minimum wage.
3. The employer submits the single application on the WorkinRomania platform to extend your right of residence for work. The worker cannot submit this application themselves.
4. The application must be submitted while you still have a valid right of residence. Do not let your study permit expire.

If you need time after graduation, the right of residence for studies can be extended by up to 90 days after graduation, to finalise your university status and have your study documents certified (art. 58 alin. 3 of OUG nr. 194/2002). This is the period in which you can look for an employer.

There is also an advantage for the employer: OUG nr. 32/2026 exempts foreigners with a right of residence for studies from the cap based on the average number of employees that applies to other hirings of foreigners.

During your studies: part-time work

You do not have to wait until graduation to earn money legally. Foreigners with a right of residence for studies can be employed in Romania only with a part-time individual employment contract of no more than 6 hours per day (OUG nr. 32/2026). For this:

• no single application on WorkinRomania and no new visa are needed;
• the employer concludes a part-time contract and registers it in REGES-ONLINE;
• the employer notifies IGI (the General Inspectorate for Immigration) of any change to or termination of the contract within 5 working days.

Full-time work or work of more than 6 hours per day breaks the rules of the right of residence for studies. For the student, the risk is losing the permit. For the employer, it is the illegal employment of a foreigner.

What happens if you drop out

Being expelled or withdrawing from your studies means that the purpose of your stay has ended. The consequences follow one after another:

• You no longer fall under the exception in art. 56, because it requires completed studies, not interrupted ones.
• IGI can revoke the right of residence when it finds that the foreigner no longer meets the conditions or no longer respects the purpose for which the right was granted. The revocation is communicated through a return decision.
• Anyone who stays in Romania after revocation or after the permit expires is staying illegally, with the risk of an entry ban.

The consequence for the future

Many people do not think about this step. A foreigner who has previously, without justification, breached the purpose declared when obtaining the visa can be refused entry into Romania (art. 8 alin. 2 lit. b¹ of OUG nr. 194/2002). A long-stay visa is also refused when there are reasons to believe it is being requested for illegal migration (art. 27 of OUG nr. 194/2002). And an entry ban is entered into the Schengen Information System and closes access to all Schengen states, not just Romania.

In other words, a study visa used "just to get into Europe" can close the door to Europe exactly when you want to come back legally, as a worker.

A detail that is often misunderstood: a Romanian residence permit allows travel to other Schengen states for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, but it does not give the right to work in another state.

What legal options you have

On the last route, the work visa depends on your citizenship:

• D/AM1 for citizens of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia, and for highly qualified workers. The employer registered on WorkinRomania submits the single application on its own.
• D/AM2 for citizens of all other countries. The single application goes through an authorised employer or an authorised placement agency.

What the employer checks before hiring a foreign student

• Current student: valid residence permit for studies, proof of enrolment (student certificate), a part-time contract of no more than 6 hours per day, registration in REGES-ONLINE, notification to IGI within 5 working days of any change.
• Graduate: the diploma or certificate of graduation and a residence permit that is still valid. The employer submits the single application on WorkinRomania to extend the stay for work, without a new visa.
• Former student who dropped out: has no right to work on the study permit. Hiring them would be illegal. The only route is the D/AM visa, with the worker back in their home country.

Temei legal (Legal basis)

• OUG nr. 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners in Romania: art. 4 alin. (4), art. 8 alin. (2) lit. b¹), art. 20, art. 24, art. 27, art. 56, art. 58 alin. (3).
• OUG nr. 32/2026 on the employment of foreigners: part-time work for students, of no more than 6 hours per day; the exemption from the cap for foreigners with a right of residence for studies.