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.
Qualification Recognition
Getting your foreign credentials recognised in Romania.
Romania distinguishes regulated professions (requiring formal recognition and sometimes profession-specific licensing — doctors, nurses, lawyers, architects, teachers) from non-regulated (most IT, business, office roles, where the employer decides). Academic equivalence for foreign degrees is handled by CNRED (Centrul Național de Recunoaștere și Echivalare a Diplomelor). End-to-end processes typically take 2-6 months; regulated medical professions longer.
Regulated Professions
Process: Submit the application with apostilled/legalised diploma, academic transcripts, CV and sworn Romanian translation to CNRED for academic equivalence; then apply to the profession-specific body (e.g. Colegiul Medicilor for doctors) for the right to practice, which may include a language test, Romanian-law knowledge exam or adaptation period (stagiu de adaptare).
Authority: CNRED handles academic equivalence. Profession-specific bodies: Ministerul Sănătății + Colegiul Medicilor for doctors, OAMGMAMR for nurses, UNBR for lawyers, OAR for architects. Ministerul Educației oversees teachers.
Timeline: CNRED academic equivalence: 30-60 days typical. Regulated-profession licensing: additional 2-6 months depending on body. Medical professions: often 6+ months end-to-end, longer if an adaptation period is required.
Cost: CNRED evaluation fee: 100 RON (payable at CNRED Cashier or by bank transfer; from abroad: in EUR at the NBR exchange rate). Sworn translations: ~40-100 RON per page. Apostille or legalisation fees vary by country of origin. Profession-specific registration fees: 200–1,500 RON typical.
Academic Degrees
Authority: CNRED — Centrul Național de Recunoaștere și Echivalare a Diplomelor (cnred.edu.ro), within Ministerul Educației. ARACIS handles the quality-assurance and accreditation of Romanian universities.
Process: Create an account on cnred.edu.ro, upload the apostilled/legalised diploma, transcripts, identity document and sworn Romanian translations, pay the fee (100 RON) and submit. CNRED reviews and issues an atestat de echivalență (equivalence certificate) within 30 working days (extendable for complex cases requiring CNATDCU review).
Equivalency service: CNRED atestat de echivalență — an official statement confirming the foreign degree's Romanian equivalent. Required for continuing education, public-sector jobs, regulated professions and some private employers. Non-regulated private employers often accept the diploma directly without an atestat.
Document Rules
Apostille: Apostille under the Hague Convention 1961 is accepted for documents from member states. Request it from the competent authority that issued the document in the country of origin (typically the ministry of education or ministry of foreign affairs).
Legalisation: For non-Hague countries, full legalisation via the Romanian embassy in the issuing country is required — a slower and more expensive process (2-6 weeks typical).
Sworn translation: Translations must be done by a traducător autorizat licensed by the Ministerul Justiției. A list of authorised translators is available via the Ministry's public register. Cost: 40-100 RON per page. Translations completed abroad are often rejected unless the translator is also Romanian-authorised; diplomarecunoscuta.ro and similar services bundle translations with the CNRED application.
Counselling & Help
- - CNRED helpdesk (cnred.edu.ro) — official Q&A and application support
- - Euroguidance România — guidance on education and career recognition
- - EURES advisers at ANOFM (Agenția Națională pentru Ocuparea Forței de Muncă)
- - Profession-specific bodies (Colegiul Medicilor, UNBR, OAR etc.) for regulated-profession guidance
- - diplomarecunoscuta.ro and similar private services for end-to-end support with translations and apostille
Typical Timelines
Non-regulated job: employer decides in days. CNRED academic equivalence: 30 working days (statutory). Regulated profession end-to-end: 2–6 months. Medical professions with adaptation stage (stagiu de adaptare): 6–12 months.
Start the process before arrival. Obtain the apostille and sworn translations in your home country where feasible — it is often cheaper and faster. Keep original documents (diplomas, transcripts) safe; CNRED usually requires certified copies, not originals. Employers in IT, consulting and shared-services centres in Bucharest, Cluj and Iași often hire without formal CNRED recognition, so verify whether you truly need the atestat before investing time in the process.
Qualification Recognition
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