Accusations brought against the state

Cojocariu Eugen, 24.08.2026, 16:49

The Romanian state has allegedly collected hundreds of thousands of Euros from employers for work permits that are no longer accepted under the new legislation for hiring foreign workers, claims the Employers’ Association of Labour Importers (PIFM). The association states that hundreds of applications from employers and recruitment agencies are at risk of losing the fees paid to the state for foreign workers’ permits. Due to a shift in legal interpretation triggered by the launch of the new electronic employment platform in Romania, these funds could become unusable. According to PIFM President Romulus Badea, following the launch of the national platform workinromania.gov.ro, authorities changed their interpretation of Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 32/2026, applying it retroactively to applications submitted before this change. Badea specified that all applications filed up until April 27 were supposed to be reviewed under the old legislation, meaning work permits would be obtained and the process would move forward to the visa stage based on the procedure in force when OUG 32/2026 was published.

Consulates are now stating that, following the platform’s launch, applications can no longer be submitted through the e-Viza portal; instead, a single application must be filed, which shifts the process directly onto the new legislation. Initially, a 100 Euro fee was collected for each work permit, money that employers can no longer use. Regarding these requests, we were initially informed that they would be processed under the old framework, Romulus Badea explained. The PIFM president denounced the lack of consistency in the instructions issued by consular authorities, which force employers, who already hold legally obtained work permits, to undergo an entirely new procedure involving additional registrations on the platform.

PIFM points out that applications for work permits resolved after August 7, 2026, had been uploaded onto the General Inspectorate for Immigration portal as early as March or April, remaining in a scheduling or processing stage for four to five months. After such a long delay, employers are now finding out they must re-upload their applications onto the new platform instead of continuing the procedure under the transitional provisions, the association says.

PIFM stresses that, under the initial reading of Ordinance 32, the processing of work permits and visa applications was meant to follow the old legislation through transitional provisions, an interpretation now abandoned by the authorities. In this context, the employers’ organization will officially demand clarifications from the relevant authorities. PIFM has sent an official letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consular Department, and the National Visa Centre, requesting urgent clarification on the application of the 180-day grace period provided by Article 49 of OUG No. 32/2026 for submitting visa applications based on work permits issued under previous legislation.

In the letter, PIFM requests confirmation that visa applications related to permits issued under the old legislation can be submitted within the 180-day deadline, regardless of when the new platform was launched. They also demand that these applications be resolved according to the prior framework without being conditional on completing the procedures on the workinromania.gov.ro platform. Furthermore, they seek clarification on the correct submission channel for this category of applications and the establishment of a remedy mechanism for cases where applicants were mistakenly directed toward the new procedure.

PIFM warns that this issue affects employers and recruitment agencies across the country who recruited labour from third countries in compliance with the legislation in force at the time of submission, and who now face stoppages, additional costs, and the loss of fees paid to the state. The employers’ organization makes an appeal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Visa Centre, and Romania’s diplomatic missions and consular offices to apply the transitional legal framework uniformly and predictably, ensuring that employers who acted in good faith based on the law and initial official communications are not penalized.