Romania (RO)
Romania is the largest country in Southeastern Europe — a full Schengen EU member state blessed with the dramatic Carpathian mountains, medieval Saxon towns like Sibiu and Brasov, the legendary Transylvania region, a booming technology sector, and one of the lowest costs of living in the European Union.
Daily Life
Practical day-to-day information for living in Romania.
🛒 Supermarkets
Large discount chains, ubiquitous across Romania. Excellent quality-to-price ratio; the default weekly shop for most households.
Smaller-format neighbourhood supermarkets. Profi has the densest urban network with many 24-hour stores.
Large French hypermarkets with the widest product range, fresh produce and household goods. Cora is no longer a separate brand — all 10 former Cora hypermarkets and 8 Cora Urban stores were fully rebranded as Carrefour by end of 2024.
Belgian-owned (Delhaize). Denser in Bucharest than anywhere else. Slightly higher prices but strong imported and deli selection.
Cash-and-carry style wholesale. Membership card needed. Best for bulk buying and imported goods.
Opening Hours
Supermarkets: typically Mon–Sat 7am–10pm, Sunday slightly shorter (often 8am–9pm). Hypermarkets in malls stay open until 10pm daily. Pharmacies: weekdays 8am–8pm, Saturdays 9am–4pm; larger cities have 24h pharmacies (farmacie non-stop). Banks: Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Saturdays 9am–1pm in shopping centres.
Sunday Rules
Romania has no Sunday closing law — most shops, supermarkets, and hypermarkets remain open on Sundays with slightly reduced hours. Malls operate their full schedule. Small neighbourhood stores sometimes close, but you can always find groceries on a Sunday.
Recycling
Separate collection is gradually expanding. Bucharest and larger cities use a 4-bin system: yellow (plastic/metal), blue (paper/cardboard), green (glass), and black/grey (residual). Compliance across buildings varies. Since November 2023, a nationwide deposit return scheme (SGR — Sistemul de Garanție-Returnare) charges 0.50 RON per plastic, glass, or metal beverage container (100 ml–3 L). Return empties at any supermarket collection point and recover the deposit by voucher, card refund, or donation.
Dining Out
Mains in mid-range restaurants cost 35–70 lei; three-course meals with wine 120–200 lei per person. Lunch menus (meniul zilei) are superb value, usually 25–40 lei for soup, main, and bread. Traditional restaurants (restaurant cu specific românesc) are a must-try; terrace culture is strong from May to October. Most venues accept cards, but tip in cash where possible.
Utilities & Internet
Electricity: E-Distribuție (PPC/Enel), CEZ, Electrica — roughly 0.8–1.3 RON/kWh in 2026. Gas: ENGIE (Distrigaz Sud), Delgaz Grid. Water: Apa Nova in Bucharest, local utilities elsewhere. A 2-person apartment typically pays 500–800 RON/month total for utilities in winter, 300–500 RON in summer. Heating in many Bucharest apartments is district heating (RADET/Termoenergetica) billed separately and can spike significantly in winter.
Cultural Tips for Expats
- → Romanians are famously hospitable — always accept food, drink, and a second helping when visiting a home.
- → Orthodox fasting periods (Lent, Advent, and four shorter posturi) are widely respected; many restaurants offer a 'meniu de post' plant-based menu.
- → Name days (onomastica) are often celebrated more warmly than birthdays — wish "La mulți ani!" to anyone whose saint's day falls on the feast.
- → Bucharest traffic is notoriously heavy — plan commutes outside 7:30–10:00 and 16:00–19:00.
- → Stray dogs are much less common since the 2013 management law, but rural areas and building sites may still have them. Give them space.
- → Fibre internet is faster and cheaper than in most of Western Europe — gigabit connections for 30–50 RON/month are standard.
Quiet Hours
Noise in Romania is regulated at three levels: the national Ordonanța 61/1991 (public order contraventions), municipal ordinances passed by each Consiliul Local, and the internal rules (regulament de ordine interioară) of your condominium association (asociația de proprietari). Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, and other major cities enforce specific quiet-hour ordinances with fines. Most buildings post the rules in the entrance hall — read them when you move in.
Bucharest and most major-city ordinances. Loud music, power tools, drilling, hammering, and shouting are prohibited. Fines 500–1,500 RON for individuals, higher for businesses.
Most municipal ordinances push morning quiet one hour later on weekends. Some associations prohibit all DIY and drilling on Sundays regardless of the hour.
Individual apartment blocks commonly add an afternoon rest period and Sunday restrictions. Compliance is enforced by the administrator and, ultimately, by the Poliția Locală.
- •Drilling or hammering for DIY after 10pm on weekdays or before 9am at the weekend.
- •Running washing machines or dryers at full spin cycle late at night in apartment blocks with thin walls.
- •Playing music audibly through shared walls after the evening quiet starts.
- •Hosting parties on balconies past the quiet-hour threshold — neighbours call Poliția Locală (021 9539).
- •Using leaf blowers or trimmers in shared courtyards early Sunday morning.
- •Letting dogs bark continuously on balconies — also a contravention under local animal ordinances.
First complaint is usually a verbal warning from the administrator or neighbours. Repeat offences: Poliția Locală issues a proces-verbal de contravenție (formal fine) under the local ordinance or Ordonanța 61/1991, typically 500–1,500 RON. Persistent disturbances can be grounds for eviction by the landlord under the civil code, and condominium rules can suspend access to shared amenities.
Postal Services
Poșta Română is the national postal operator, but private couriers dominate parcel delivery. FAN Courier, Sameday, Cargus, GLS, and DPD handle most e-commerce and business shipments. Postal delivery to letterboxes is still used for official documents — notices from ANAF, courts, and IGI (the immigration office) arrive as scrisoare recomandată (registered letter) and trigger deadlines. Always collect registered mail promptly.
The easybox network, run by Sameday, is the dominant parcel locker system in Romania with over 6,000 lockers in supermarkets, petrol stations, and residential compounds. Free to use; accessed via the Sameday app with a one-time code sent by SMS. Most major online shops (eMAG, Fashion Days, Altex) let you select easybox delivery at checkout. FAN Courier operates competing FANbox lockers; Cargus has ShipAndGo points.
Romania does not have a dedicated postal identity-verification service. Identity verification for bank accounts, SIM cards, and regulated services is handled through in-branch visits, the Evrotrust/certSIGN qualified digital signature, or video-identification by the provider (Revolut, Salt Bank, ING Home'Bank). A valid passport or Romanian CI (carte de identitate) is always required; the residence permit serves the same purpose for non-EU citizens.
Scrisoarea recomandată (registered letter) is a tracked, legally significant form of mail that carries evidential weight. If you are not home, the postman leaves an aviz de primire (notification slip) — you have 10 days to collect the letter from the local post office with your ID. If the letter is returned unclaimed, the sender (ANAF, court, IGI) can still rely on the deemed-delivery date for deadlines. Check your letterbox and collect promptly.
Poșta Română offers a paid mail-forwarding service (serviciul de redirecționare) for up to 12 months. Submit at any post office with proof of the new address; cost is approximately 40 lei for 6 months. This is a safety net — always notify ANAF, your bank, CNAS (health insurance), and employer directly of any address change, and update your residence registration with IGI within 15 days.
- →Private couriers (FAN Courier, Sameday, Cargus) are much faster and more reliable than Poșta Română for parcels — most deliver next-day within the country.
- →When ordering online from eMAG or similar, always choose easybox delivery if possible: 24/7 pickup, no missed deliveries, and no need to tip.
- →Registered letters from IGI and ANAF are time-sensitive — collect within 10 days or fines/enforcement can follow.
- →If you will be abroad, authorise a trusted contact with a notarised procură (power of attorney) to collect registered mail on your behalf.