Over 5,000 foreign nationals in illegal situations
Cojocariu Eugen, 28.07.2026, 10:43
The police officers with the General Inspectorate for Immigration have intensified control and verification actions on the territory of Romania. They detected over 5,000 foreign nationals in illegal situations in 2026. The immigration police officers detected over 4,200 foreign nationals in illegal situations between April 27 and July 7. In terms of citizenship, 1,352 people came from Nepal, 988 from Sri Lanka and 317 from India.
Of the total number of people in illegal situations, 3,666 benefited from the provisions of Article 52 of GEO 32/2026 regarding the access of foreign nationals on the labour market and the voluntary regularization of illegal residence situations. The majority of those identified are men (3,056 of the total). Most people came from Nepal (1,233), Sri Lanka (875) and India (295). The remainder of the total of 3,666 is represented by citizens from other states (Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, the Philippines, Pakistan, etc.). The distribution by county highlights the fact that the most requested territorial structures were those in major urban centres. Bucharest is in the lead with 1,559 people who presented themselves for regularization, followed by Ilfov county (south) with 937 identified people. 165 foreigners were detected in Constanţa county (southeast), 156 in Cluj county (northwest), and 135 in Timiş county (west).
Between January 1 and April 26, 2026, the number of foreign nationals detected in illegal situations stood at 828, of whom 240 were from Nepal, 134 from the Republic of Moldova and 72 from Sri Lanka.
Regarding the measures taken for removal from the territory of Romania, 221 return decisions with voluntary departure were issued between April 27 and July 7. Most of these documents were issued for citizens of the Republic of Moldova (49 cases), followed by Turkey (23 decisions) and Sri Lanka (15 decisions). By comparison, between January 1 and April 26, the number of return decisions with voluntary departure was higher, reaching a total of 662. The documents concerned 107 citizens of Nepal, 89 of Sri Lanka, and 86 of the Republic of Moldova.
