Romania is poised to join the European realm of investment migration with its new Residency by Investment Program, commonly called the Romania Golden Visa 2025. In legislative draft form, the program has the goal of providing high-net-worth, non-European Union investor visas through the granting of long-term residence rights and eventually, access to Romanian citizenship. According to a recent report by IMI Daily, the legislative proposal aims to attract global investors through real estate, government bonds, and financial instruments.
As per the draft seen by Profit.ro, the scheme provides non-EU citizens a renewable five-year residence visa for an investment of at least €400,000. The Romania Golden Visa 2025 scheme seeks to marry Romania’s geopolitical position, expanding economy, and EU citizenship to establish it as a competitive option for other European Golden Visa schemes.
A New Era for Romania Golden Visa 2025 and Investment Immigration
Why Romania Is Introducing a Golden Visa
The Romania Golden Visa 2025 is not just an economic program it’s a foreign policy strategy to make the nation a Southeastern European foreign investment hub.
By introducing this regime, the government of Romania wants to encourage direct foreign investment, generate employment, and welcome foreign businessmen to take advantage of access to the European Union market.
This policy is consistent with other policies within Europe, with Portugal, Greece, and Spain employing investor migration programs to generate real estate, fund innovation, and boost financial flows. You can explore similar insights in our guide on What is a Golden Visa, which explains how investor visas operate across Europe.
The Romania Golden Visa 2025 would provide investors with security and the ease of EU residence, enabling participants and their families to reside, work, or study in Romania and travel visa-free throughout the whole Schengen Area, when Romania’s accession to Schengen becomes fully effective. To see how family benefits work in other EU countries, visit Golden Visa in Malta – Advantages for Families.
Romania Golden Visa 2025 Investment Options
As stated in the draft law, applicants can qualify on four main channels of investment, at least €400,000 each. Investors must maintain their investment throughout the entire five-year residence permit period, which is renewable.
1. Romanian Government Bonds
Investors can also invest in buying Romanian government bonds with a minimum of €400,000 and maturity of not less than five years. It is a risk-free opportunity for investors who are planning to preserve capital, apart from funding the public programs of the state under the Romania Golden Visa 2025 regime.
2. Acquisition of Real Estate
Investors can acquire property in Romania worth at least €400,000 and must retain it for a minimum of five years. It may be residential, commercial, or mixed development.
Romania’s real estate market is consistently on the rise, particularly in cities such as Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara, as demand for new residential and office space increases. For foreign investors, this path offers real-life asset growth with the residency advantage under Romania Golden Visa 2025.
3. ASF-Approved Investment Funds
Investors may also invest at least €400,000 in ASF-approved investment funds. The funds will be subject to Romanian law, which provides access to regulated investment that immediately benefits the Romanian financial markets in the Romania Golden Visa 2025 system.
4. Romanian-Listed Shares
The fourth channel is where investors can invest in the shares of Romanian-listed companies with a minimum aggregate value of €400,000. The framework exists to promote Romania’s financial markets and invite strategic investors into the Bucharest Stock Exchange.
These investment channels exist to synchronize foreign funds with Romania’s national development strategy, where every investor helps towards economic stability in the long run through the Romania Golden Visa 2025 scheme.
Flexible Residency Terms for Foreign Investors
No Mandatory Yearly Stay
Most appealing aspect of the Romania Golden Visa 2025 is its flexibility. Unlike the majority of European schemes, the Romanian scheme does not entail a minimum annual stay. Investors do not need to physically stay in the country in order to enjoy their residency.
This flexibility is particularly appealing to international entrepreneurs, internet entrepreneurs, and international travelers who may wish to diversify residence options while retaining foreign businesses.
Family Inclusion Benefits under the Romania Golden Visa 2025
The proposed bill clearly provides for family reunification to enable principal applicants to bring along their spouses and dependent children under the same residence permit. This family policy makes the program more appealing, providing long-term security for investors and their dependents under the Romania Golden Visa 2025 program.
Duration and Renewal
Investors will receive a residence permit valid for five years, and they can extend it as long as their investment continues. The five-year validity is more predictable than initiatives with shorter validity periods, allowing investors sufficient time to establish stronger business and personal ties with Romania.
Security and Due Diligence – Being Transparent
Transparency and conformity are the pillars of the Romania Golden Visa 2025 Program. The draft law mandates stringent screening procedures to safeguard the national security and fight against financial crimes.
Source of Funds and Background Checks
Applicants should be in a position to prove the legal source of their funds and ensure that they acquired their capital through legitimate business methods. Authorities must ensure that applicants are not listed on international sanctions lists and that they undergo thorough security risk analyses.
Prior to granting residence permits, the Romanian government will undertake multi-agency background checks that include:
- The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI)
- The Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE)
- The National Office for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering (ONPCSB)
Multi-agency partnership guarantees that applicants fulfill Romania’s anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) regulations, ensuring the stability of the country’s migration system via the Romania Golden Visa 2025.
Protecting the Reputation of the Romania Golden Visa 2025 Program
By putting applicants through strict due diligence checks, Romania seeks to escape the negatives that have prompted suspensions or cancellation of similar programs in other parts of the EU. The government’s focus on transparency places Romania’s scheme as a safe and secure investment channel for serious applicants.
Pathway to Permanent Residency and Romanian Citizenship
The Romania Golden Visa 2025 is accompanied by temporary residence but also a route to permanent residency and eventually citizenship.
Permanent Residency after Five Years
After maintaining their investment and residence status for five consecutive years, investors become eligible to apply for permanent residency. This would provide them with long-term residence rights as well as a more secure place in Romania’s legal order.
Citizenship Under Law No. 21/1991 for Romania Golden Visa 2025 Holders
After the period of permanent residence, the applicants can be qualified to apply for Romanian citizenship under Law No. 21/1991 Romania’s key nationality law.
Unclear is the exact timing of eligibility for citizenship under the Romania Golden Visa 2025 program. The bill remains silent on whether or not investors can file the applications shortly after five years or have had prior permanent residence for some period before filing for naturalization.
Historically, Romanian citizenship legislation mandates eight years of continuous residence. Authorities may reduce the required period by three years for individuals who demonstrate exceptional contributions through economic activity, cultural involvement, or philanthropic work.
If authorities apply the same regulations to Golden Visa investors, these investors can qualify for citizenship within five or six years, depending on their integration and contribution to Romania’s economy.
Legislative Process and Implementation Timeline of the Romania Golden Visa 2025
Parliament is currently reviewing Romania’s Residency by Investment programme, which must pass through the nation’s bicameral legislative system before becoming law.
Legislative Steps
The proposal will be first voted on within the Senate, and then the Chamber of Deputies, which serves as the decree chamber for proposals regarding citizenship and immigration. A number of key committees such as Economic Affairs, Legal Affairs, and National Security will review the proposal, request expert opinions, and possibly table amendments.
After both houses of Parliament pass the bill, the Constitutional Court may review it to determine its legality under EU law, its provisions for freedom of movement, and its security clearance procedures.
Lastly, Parliament would send the bill to the President of Romania for promulgation. The President would have 20 days within which to sign or send the bill back to Parliament for re-discussion but cannot veto the bill on second reading.
After approval, the government will enact the law and publish it in the Official Gazette. The Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Economy, and Ministry of Finance will then issue methodology norms that stipulate:
- Application process
- Processing charges
- Due diligence criteria
- Monitoring mechanisms
If Parliament completes all steps smoothly, the government may launch the Romania Golden Visa 2025 as early as 2026.
Alternative Routes – Commercial Investor Long-Stay Visa
Romania has another type of investment-based residence in the long-stay commercial investor visa that preceded the Golden Visa scheme.
There is this visa category for foreign shareholders or partners with a managerial role in Romanian businesses. They are required to present a comprehensive business plan including company structure, investment purpose, employment generated, and financial forecasts for three years.
Investors have to invest at least €100,000 for a SRL or €150,000 for an SA and also have to create 10–15 jobs, depending on whether the SRL or SA is involved.
The commercial visa provides residency rights, but the new Romania Golden Visa 2025 Program shall offer an easier, direct path for investors who would like passive investment without directly participating in business management.
Position of Romania in the Global Investment Migration Context
Romania’s program is part of a worldwide trend of new residency-by-investment programs launched in 2025. The trend indicates how governments around the world are competing for talent and global capital. For example, Qatar has recently introduced a groundbreaking program allowing property investors to gain residency in days learn more in Qatar Residency by Investment.
Comparison with Other Programs in 2025
- Maldives announced its first investor visa in July 2025, requiring a property investment of approximately $250,000.
- Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan introduced investor residency programs with lowest costs between $250,000 and $300,000.
- United Arab Emirates widened its Golden Visa in October 2025 to cover philanthropists who donate to national endowments.
- United States introduced the Gold Card Suite in February 2025, with permanent residence available for investments of at least $1 million.
On the other hand, Romania Golden Visa 2025 is a pan-European alternative with EU residency eligibility, convenience, and a relatively low threshold of €400,000.
Why Investors Are Interested
Romania’s economic growth, 16% low corporate tax rate, and proximity between Western Europe and the Balkans are all elements that render it an attractive investment destination. Romania, as an EU and NATO member state, provides political security in addition to proximity to a rapidly growing regional market.
The Romania Golden Visa 2025 program in particular, the lack of physical stay requirement contributes to its appeal for investors seeking European residence without the expectation of relocation.
Challenges and Issues Facing the Romania Golden Visa 2025
Although interest in the Romania Golden Visa 2025 is on the rise, experts warn that its success will be based on clearly laid regulations, effective administration, and open monitoring to prevent the mistakes made in other EU programs.
Brussels has become more outspoken in urging the harmonization of investment migration practice and has invited member states to strengthen due diligence and make investor screening more harmonized. Romania will therefore be required to balance national economic priorities with EU-level commitments to comply.
Public sentiment also matters. Investment schemes may promise growth but raise issues of equity, transparency, and national identity. Romania’s insistence on robust vetting mechanisms and institutional coordination is a signal that the government has its eyes open to those sensitivities.
Outlook – Romania’s Strategic Opportunity
The Romania Golden Visa 2025 is a timely moment for the nation to re-evaluate its position as a committed, transparent doorway to the European Union for foreign investors.
With a competitive investment requirement, strong due diligence, and family-friendly residency, the scheme could introduce new money into the economy while restoring the nation’s reputation internationally.
If implemented, Romania will be among the European countries utilizing investment migration to fuel economic development and innovation. For the investor, Romania Golden Visa 2025 presents the opportunity to secure EU residency, business prospects, and eventual citizenship all from one emerging destination.
FAQ: Romania Golden Visa 2025 and Residency by Investment Program
Q1: What is the Romania Golden Visa 2025?
The Romania Golden Visa 2025 is an under-construction Residency by Investment Program which grants non-EU citizens a renewable five-year residence visa in exchange for a minimum investment of €400,000.
Q2: What are the investment options?
Acceptable investments include Romanian state bonds, real estate with a value of at least €400,000, ASF-approved investment funds, or stocks in companies quoted on the Romanian bourses.
Q3: Is there a minimum stay requirement?
No. The scheme does not involve having to stay in Romania for a set number of days each year, so it’s excellent for mobile businesspeople and investors.
Q4: Are family members included?
Yes. The spouse and dependent children of the main applicant can be included on the same residence permit.
Q5: How long must the investment be retained for?
Investors are required to hold their investment for the entire five-year period of the residence permit.
Q6: When may investors be eligible for permanent residence or citizenship?
Investors may apply for permanent residence and, potentially, citizenship after five years according to Romanian Law No. 21/1991, although the actual period of naturalization is to be determined.
Q7: When will the program go live?
Pending the smooth development of the legislative process, the Romania Golden Visa 2025 Program may go live in 2026.
Final Thoughts
The Romania Golden Visa 2025 can redefine the country’s role in global investment migration. Offering EU residency, economic opportunity, and long-term citizenship potential with robust due diligence, it can attract investors who want security coupled with flexibility.
As the law continues to evolve, Romania is set to become Europe’s new large-scale Residency by Investment destination, linking opportunity, openness, and growth with an increasingly dynamic world economy.
