COVID-19 – Information to the attention of third-state nationals and stateless persons who are required to hold an entry visa for Romania
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Given the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the visa activity of the Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts of Romania is suspended. Your visa application cannot be finalised. In case you need a Romanian entry visa for an essential travel
, please contact directly the competent Diplomatic Mission/Consular Post
COVID-19 – Information to the attention of third-state nationals and stateless persons who are required to hold an entry visa for Romania
In the context of the global SARS COV2 (COVID-19/Coronavirus) pandemic, with its subsequent COVID-19 illness outbreak, the necessity of temporarily limiting non-essential travel to the EU was established at European level, through document COM(2020) 115 final/16.03.2020 - Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council and the council, titled “COVID-19: Temporary Restriction on Non-Essential Travel to the EU”. The measures comprised therein were endorsed by the European Council on March 17th 2020.
The state of emergency was declared in Romania and complementary to the above, Military Ordinance nº2 regarding measures for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 was adopted on March 21st 2020, establishing, among others, criteria for the temporary limitation of entry into Romania of third-state nationals and of stateless persons who carry out non-essential trips, as well as categories of third-state nationals and stateless persons who can still enter Romania for essential travels and who can, thus, apply for Romanian entry visas where such visas are necessary, depending on the nationality of each applicant.
Given the situation occurred, the activity related to the receipt and processing of visa applications was indefinitely suspended in the Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts of Romania abroad. Therefore, at this time, the Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts of Romania receive and process, in line with legal provisions, only visa applications lodged by third-state nationals and stateless persons who carry our essential trips, from the limited categories listed below:
1) Third-state nationals/stateless persons who are family members of Romanian nationals (the categories of family members can be consulted by accessing http://eviza.mae.ro/SupportingDocuments)
2) Third-state nationals/stateless persons who are family members of citizens of the European Union/of the European Economic Area/of the Swiss Confederation (of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland included) who are registered as residents in Romania;
3) Third-state nationals/stateless persons who travel to Romanian for professional reasons, namely: healthcare professionals, health researchers, elderly care professionals, transport personnel engaged in haulage of goods and other transport staff to the extent necessary;
4) Diplomats, staff of international organisations, military personnel and humanitarian aid workers in the exercise of their functions;
5) Passengers in transit through the international transit areas of an airport from Romania heading towards a third-state and passengers in land transit towards a third-state of destination (including those having been repatriated through consular assistance);
6) Third-state nationals/stateless persons who travel for imperative family or medical reasons;
7) Third-state nationals/stateless persons in need of international protection or who need to travel for other humanitarian reasons.
The following categories of third-state nationals and stateless persons are also able to travel to Romania:
1) Categories of third-state nationals/stateless persons as described above, but who are not subject to the Romanian entry-visa requirement for airport transit or for stays of no longer than 90 days in any 180-day period;
2) Third-state nationals/stateless persons who already hold a valid long-stay visa, residence permit, or another valid document equivalent to a residence permit – all issued by Romania (with the exception of holders of Local Border Traffic Permits issued by Romania);
3) Third-state nationals/stateless persons who hold a valid long-stay visa, residence permit, or another valid document equivalent to a residence permit – all issued by other member states in line with European Union law (third-state nationals/stateless persons who hold long-term residence permits issued by EU member states under the Long-term residence Directive; holders of long-stay visas or of residence permits issued by Schengen member states, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia - under Decision EU/2014/565; holders of long-stay visas or of residence permits - under Directive 2004/38/EC, Directive EU/801/2016).
Taking into account the preventive measures introduced at European level and by Romanian authorities, it is recommended that third-state nationals/stateless persons who have already obtained entry visas for Romania, as well as third-state nationals/stateless persons who are not required to hold Romanian entry visas carefully consider the necessity of their trip to Romania throughout the following period.
It is hereby highlighted that visa processing fees are not refundable, should the boarding of visa holders towards Romania, or the entry of visa holders into Romania not be permitted, or should they be placed under compulsory quarantine or in self-isolation.
We thank you for your understanding of this exceptional situation with a high degree of exposure for all nationals.
Romanian consular staff is at this time available only for the granting of consular assistance necessary to Romanian nationals in duly-justified exceptional situations of emergency (deaths, accidents, documents that must be issued in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic).
The regular activities with the public will be relaunched once all normal functioning conditions are met, both locally, as well as on the territory of Romania.
COVID-19 – Information to the attention of third-state nationals and stateless persons who are required to hold an entry visa for Romania
