WorkinRomania.gov.ro launched: what employers can do now

The Government launched on August 6, 2026 the electronic platform WorkinRomania.gov.ro, developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs through the ministry's services hub. This is the platform provided for in art. 3 para. (1) of OUG 32/2026 (Emergency Government Ordinance 32/2026 — the ordinance discussed since April, but which did not actually exist until now). From this date, employers and placement agencies can conduct online, in a single location, procedures for accessing workers from third countries in Romania's labor market.

The timing matters more than it appears at first glance, and the reason is in art. 48 of the ordinance. We explain below why August 8, 2026 is the date any employer working with non-EU personnel should have on their calendar.

What you can do on the platform in the first phase

According to the Government announcement, the functionalities available at launch are:

• registration and authorization of employers hiring foreigners;
• authorization of placement agencies for foreign workers and extension of authorization validity;
• submission of supporting documents in electronic format, without visits to counters;
• transmission of notices and official communications directly to the platform account;
• real-time monitoring of request status;
• communication of administrative acts to the user's account — with legal effect, the act being considered communicated on the date it is uploaded to the platform;
• designation of persons acting on behalf of the employer or agency, with qualified electronic signature.

The platform also provides assistance chat in Romanian and in international circulation languages, in text and voice format.

What you cannot do yet

The first phase covers registration, authorization, and file monitoring. The Government announces that in subsequent phases the same platform will also support electronic flows for:

• single applications for issuing long-stay visas for employment purposes;
• extension of residence rights for employment purposes;
• other digital services provided for by sectoral legislation.

In other words, the "entry into relationship" with the state is digitalized from today; the visa and permit part follows.

Why the August 7 date changes the rules

Article 48 of OUG 32/2026 provides that the provisions of Title I and those relating to obtaining and extending the right of residence for employment purposes based on a single application:

"apply until August 7, 2026, exclusively for the conduct of employer registration procedures for foreigners and procedures for authorization of foreign placement agencies, as well as for testing the functionality of the electronic platform by simulating certain procedures for submission and resolution of single applications."

Read literally, the text says that the period until August 7 was one of preparation and simulation: you could register, agencies could be authorized, and single applications could be submitted "on a trial basis", for platform testing. After this date, the regime applies in full — single applications are no longer an exercise.

The overlap of the two dates is not accidental: the platform becomes operational one day before the testing window closes. For an employer who has not registered yet, this means they have no room for maneuver.

Who must register and in which register

Art. 4 para. (1) of OUG 32/2026 is unequivocal: to be able to employ foreigners in Romania, employers must register or be authorized on the platform. The platform manages three separate registers:

The distinction between R.A.S. and R.A.A. is most often misunderstood: registration is not the same as authorization. If you recruit through an agency, you register. If you want to bring people directly, you need separate authorization.

Conditions you must meet to be approved

Art. 5 para. (1) of the ordinance requires cumulative compliance with several conditions for approval of registration. The ones that most often block files:

• no outstanding obligations to the consolidated general budget;
• minimum one year of actual activity, in fields compatible with occupations in deficit for which the hiring is done (condition not applying to certain categories of foreigners provided for in art. 27^1 of OUG 194/2002);
• no sanctions for undeclared work or REGES-ONLINE (wage reporting system) violations in the last 6 months before the request is resolved;
• no final convictions in the last 12 months for offenses provided for in art. 264 para. (3) or art. 265 of the Labor Code, including acts committed abroad.

The first condition warrants a check with ANAF before submitting, not after: a small forgotten outstanding obligation delays the entire file.

What institutions are connected

The platform is not a simple online form, but a single point that queries the systems of several institutions. According to OUG 32/2026 and the Government announcement:

For the employer, the practical effect announced is the elimination of repeated submission of the same documents to different institutions and reduction of resolution time.

Also, art. 3 of the ordinance establishes that ANOFM, MMFTSS (Ministry of Labor, Family and Social Protection), MAI, MAE, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Justice are associated operators in the sense of art. 26 of GDPR, with shared responsibility: MAI for technical administration and storage, the other institutions for data collection and quality.

What you concretely need to do if you hire non-EU workers

The order that seems reasonable to us, based on the ordinance text:

1. Check your tax situation and any sanctions from the last 6-12 months — these are the conditions that reject the file, regardless of how well the rest is completed.
2. Determine what you need: registration only (R.A.S.), if you work with an agency, or also authorization (R.A.A.), if you recruit directly.
3. Prepare a qualified electronic signature for the person designated to act on behalf of the company — without it you cannot designate representatives on the platform.
4. Check if your occupations are in the "List of Deficit Occupations" and if your business field is compatible with them.
5. Get your contracts in order according to the framework models approved by MMFTSS Order no. 655/26.05.2026 (Ministry Order 655 dated May 26, 2026) — contracts concluded after the order enters into force must mandatorily comply with these models.
6. Don't forget post-hiring obligations: payment of salary exclusively to the foreigner's bank account, contract drafted also in the language the worker understands, and the integration course provided for in art. 7.

What it means for the foreign worker

For now, nothing direct: the platform's first phase is aimed at employers and agencies, not candidates. The worker does not submit their own file on WorkinRomania.gov.ro themselves.

Indirectly, however, the change is in their favor. An unregistered employer can no longer legally initiate any hiring, and the communication of administrative acts through the platform leaves a verifiable trace of each step. For someone coming from Bangladesh, Nepal, or Sri Lanka and having no way to verify on their own whether the company calling them is legitimate, the existence of R.A.S., R.A.P.S., and R.A.A. registers is the first real protection tool: if the employer or agency does not appear there, something is wrong.

Things to watch in the coming period

• Government Decision on categories of data and security measures for platform data processing, provided for in art. 3 para. (7).
• Phase two, with electronic flow for single applications for long-stay employment visas and for extension of residence rights.
• Contingent of newly-admitted workers for 2026: until adoption of the Government Decision provided for in art. 1 para. (5), the contingent established by GD no. 1.169/2025 applies.

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This resource is for informational purposes and reflects the situation at the date of publication. The official text of OUG 32/2026 (Official Gazette no. 335 of April 27, 2026) and communications from competent institutions prevail. For specific situations, we recommend consulting a specialist.