Working in Romania from Sri Lanka: Visa & Permit Guide (2026)

The short version for Sri Lankan applicants

As a Sri Lankan citizen you are a third-country national, so working in Romania takes three things: a job offer from a Romanian employer, a Romania work permit obtained under its national rules, and a long-stay (type D) visa to enter. A tourist Schengen visa never allows work.

In short, how Romania's system works: most non-EU hiring runs through the work permit (aviz de angajare): the Romanian employer obtains it from the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI), the worker then gets a long-stay employment visa (viză de lungă ședere pentru angajare, type D/AM) at a Romanian consulate within 60 days, and after arrival applies to IGI for a residence permit (permis de ședere) within 30 days. The full Romania detail — routes, the EU Blue Card floor (Among the EU's lowest — roughly €20,800 gross/year (2025), reduced to about the national average gross salary; confirm the current figure with IGI), language and quotas — is on the Romania country guide linked below. This page focuses on the part that is specific to applying from Sri Lanka.

Applying from Sri Lanka: where and how

Applications are usually filed at the destination country's mission responsible for Sri Lanka — some based in Colombo, others covering Sri Lanka from a regional hub such as New Delhi — often via a VFS Global centre.

• Emigration clearance: sri Lanka requires migrant workers to register with the SLBFE before departure — registration is both a legal step and your route to insurance and consular support if a placement goes wrong.
• Documents: documents typically need attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo (and sometimes the destination's consulate) before a visa application; keep certified translations ready.
• Recognition: get your qualification assessed through CNRED — National Centre for Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas — start this early, as it often takes weeks or months.

The Sri Lankan–Romania route: which jobs, realistically

The Romanian sectors that recruit non-EU workers — construction, hospitality (horeca), transport & logistics (drivers), manufacturing & warehousing and agriculture — are where Sri Lankan applicants realistically find offers, hired against a Romania work permit.

In almost all cases you need the signed offer before the permit process can begin — Romania has no general job-seeker visa.

Avoiding recruitment fraud on the Sri Lanka–Romania route

Use only SLBFE-registered foreign-employment agencies. Be extremely wary of sub-agents demanding large cash fees for a 'confirmed' EU visa — a legitimate work-permit process is led and generally paid for by the employer.

• The employer — not you — normally drives and pays for the work-permit process.
• A visa is decided by a government, never by a broker: no legitimate route sells a guaranteed visa.
• Verify the employer, the vacancy and the permit with the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) before paying anyone.