Work Document Translation for Romania

Two Layers of Approval: The Authorised Translator, Then the Notary

An official translation in Romania acquires its validity through a two-layer chain of approval. First the translation is made and signed by a translator holding the title of traducător autorizat, authorised by the Ministry of Justice; then a notary attests that signature. Many institutions look for the two layers together and may treat a translation bearing only the translator’s signature as incomplete. For a candidate assembling an employment file, what follows is that the translation calendar has to be planned to cover two separate procedures. Notarisation is also a physical step, so where the file is put together from a distance, who will have it done and where should be settled in advance.

Procedures Before IGI and the Employer’s Role

Residence and work procedures for foreigners in Romania are conducted by IGI. The process generally begins with the employer requesting approval of the employment; once that approval has been obtained the candidate moves on to the visa stage through the consulate, and the residence permit formalities are completed after entry into the country. A three-stage structure means the same documents are submitted at different times, and it calls for the number of copies to be planned. Our document types page summarises what these documents cover.

CNRED Recognition Is a Precondition in Regulated Professions

What a foreign diploma corresponds to within the Romanian system is assessed by CNRED. In regulated professions that recognition works as a precondition of the application for professional authorisation; the file calls for the diploma, a detailed academic transcript, the curriculum and any placement certificates. Once the recognition decision has been taken, registration with the relevant professional body follows. The mistake candidates make most often is to start the recognition process after the employment contract has been signed, and so to miss the date on which the work was to begin.

Stage, Counterpart and Document

Stage	Counterpart	Principal document
Diploma recognition	CNRED	Diploma, academic transcript, curriculum
Professional registration	The relevant professional body	Recognition decision, certificate of qualification
Employment approval	The competent unit (opened by the employer)	Contract, company documents
Visa and residence	Consulate, IGI	Criminal record certificate, proof of accommodation

The Most Frequent Ground for Refusal

The negative outcome seen most often in Romanian files is a translation submitted without notarisation; a document signed by the translator but not attested is counted as incomplete by many institutions. Second comes a curriculum that is not detailed enough in the CNRED file, since documents that list course titles without showing what those courses contain leave no room for a comparison. Third, leaving the apostille certificate outside the scope of the translation weakens the verifiability of the document.

The Further Documents Asked For on Registration With a Professional Body

In the regulated professions in Romania, once the recognition decision has been taken the turn comes to registration with the professional body, and that stage brings a document list of its own. The bodies generally ask for a copy of the recognition decision, identity documents, paperwork evidencing professional experience, and a certificate of registration and disciplinary standing from the professional organisation in Türkiye. In the health professions a medical report on fitness to practise and papers relating to professional indemnity insurance may also come up. All of this paperwork has to pass through the same chain of translation by an authorised translator and notarisation.

The planning mistake candidates commonly make is to begin collecting these documents once the recognition decision has come through. Obtaining a document from the professional organisation in Türkiye, and then the apostille, translation and attestation steps, take weeks, and that time pushes the starting date back. The more efficient route is to find out the professional body’s list while the recognition file is being prepared and to bring the documents common to both into the same translation package. The two-layer chain of approval is then run once instead of twice, and the notary appointment is used in a single visit.

The two-layer chain of approval also bears directly on how copies are planned. Since every copy calls for a notarisation of its own, a need that emerges later is costly in fees and in appointments alike. Taking the recognition file, the professional body file, the employer and the immigration unit together, three or four attested copies of the same diploma may be needed. Fixing that number at the outset makes it possible to work with the authorised translator and the notary in one go. Keeping scanned copies of the attested translations is worth doing too: it does not stand in for a document left with an institution, but it makes it easier to keep track of which document is where. And once you consider that the same documents may be asked for again in registration procedures after settling in Romania, holding a spare copy becomes not merely a precaution but, in most files, a necessary preparation.

There is a single habit that saves time in Romanian files: drawing up the document lists for the recognition, professional body and immigration tracks at the same time, and gathering the items common to them into one round of translation and attestation. Files that run the tracks one after another end up repeating the same procedure three times. This page is for general information; because the conditions for recognition and for permits can change, confirm the current requirements from the official announcements of CNRED and IGI. You can request a quotation for your file, see the fees on the pricing page, and compare other countries in the country directory.