Applying for asylum in Romania

EU rules determine a single member state responsible for each claim. IGI’s Directorate for Asylum and Integration runs this procedure; it applies, for example, when you already applied in another member state, entered another member state irregularly, or hold a visa or residence permit issued by another member state. IGI’s page describes the determination taking between two weeks and two months and a transfer deadline of 6 to 18 months; the time limit for your decision is suspended meanwhile.

The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum has applied since 12 June 2026, and the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation replaces the Dublin III Regulation for claims made from that date.

You become an asylum seeker from the moment you express, orally or in writing, before a competent authority, that you seek Romania’s protection. Claims are made in person by the foreigner on Romanian territory or at a border checkpoint; claims lodged outside Romania are not admitted. A legal representative files for children, and minors aged 14 or over may apply in their own name.

The authorities that must receive a claim are IGI structures, the Romanian Border Police, police units running detention centres and the National Administration of Penitentiaries. Registration and processing take place at the regional centres for procedures and accommodation of asylum seekers in Bucharest, Timișoara, Galați, Rădăuți, Maramureș and Giurgiu. A claim cannot be refused because it was made late.

After the claim you complete a preliminary interview, with an IGI officer and an interpreter, about your identity, family, the route to Romania and any earlier claims. Fingerprints of applicants aged 14 or over are taken and sent to EURODAC. You hand over your passport and receive a temporary identity document for asylum seekers.

In the main interview a designated IGI officer hears your reasons; you may be assisted by a lawyer and the interpreter is paid by the authorities. The decision officer issues a decision within 30 days of taking over the case; with further documentation the period can be extended to a cumulative 6 months, in cases provided by law to 9 months, and exceptionally by up to 3 more months. The decision grants refugee status, grants subsidiary protection or rejects the claim. Claims can also be handled in an accelerated procedure.

You may stay in Romania during the procedure and are protected from expulsion and forced return. You have the right to a lawyer at any stage, to a free interpreter, to contact UNHCR and NGOs, to access your file, and to a temporary identity document with a personal numeric code. If you lack means you can receive material reception conditions and accommodation in IGI centres; when centres are full, IGI may, within available funds, pay a rent allowance.

You receive free primary and emergency medical care and treatment for acute or chronic life-threatening illnesses, social assistance, and school access for children on the same terms as Romanian minors. Access to work opens 3 months after the claim if no first-instance decision has been taken and the delay is not your fault, and during the court phase. Obligations include telling IGI of a change of address within 5 days and not leaving the town of residence without IGI authorisation.

In the ordinary procedure a rejection can be challenged by a complaint lodged within 10 days of notification, at the IGI asylum structure or directly at the court; the competent court is the local court (judecătorie) where the IGI structure that decided is located. Its judgment can be appealed (recurs) within 5 days to the administrative section of the tribunal. If you use these remedies on time you may remain in Romania while the courts decide.

A rejected applicant must leave Romania within 15 days of the end of the procedure, or immediately if the claim was rejected as manifestly unfounded in the accelerated procedure. A file closed because you withdrew or did not attend an interview cannot be appealed.

Applicants may contact UNHCR and recognised NGOs at any stage, and NGO counsellors may assist in some interviews. Legal and procedural information, including on the reasons for a rejection, can be provided on request under the civil legal aid rules. Unaccompanied minors receive a legal representative and are protected like Romanian children in difficulty.