Romania

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Road Transport Operator Licence Required

Yes

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles: the licence attaches to the company operating the vehicles. Under OG 27/2011, road transport “for hire” (contra cost), meaning carriage of goods for payment, is carried out under a Community licence, the EU-format licence for hire-or-reward road haulage. In Romania the same licence covers domestic and international carriage. The licence is issued by the ARR for 10 years and is kept at the company’s registered office. Each vehicle used must carry a certified copy of the licence (copie conformă) for the whole journey. Certified copies are tied to a specific vehicle registration number and cannot be transferred. A company that carries only its own goods needs a different document, a certificate for own-account transport. A mover carrying a client’s household goods for payment needs the Community licence.

Conditions for the Licence

The company must meet the four EU conditions for access to the occupation of road transport operator: an effective establishment (registered office and premises) in Romania, good repute of the company and its transport manager, financial standing, and professional competence. Professional competence means designating a transport manager, a person who holds a certificate of professional competence obtained after training and an examination. Financial standing is shown each year through capital and reserves in the company’s certified annual accounts, set per vehicle, or, where accounts are not available, through a bank guarantee or insurance, including professional liability insurance. A company that is bankrupt, in insolvency without an approved reorganization plan, dissolved, or in liquidation does not qualify.

Ownership or Nationality Conditions

None found. Romanian rules follow the EU model, which requires an effective and stable establishment in Romania rather than Romanian ownership.

Intermediation Licence

Required where applicable. OG 27/2011 defines intermediation in road goods transport as taking transport orders from customers and having them performed, in the intermediary’s own name, by one or more transport operators. The ARR issues a separate licence for intermediation activities, valid for five years. ARR’s published requirements include a transport manager and capital and reserves of at least 50,000 euros, or a bank guarantee or insurance.

Vehicle Requirements

Required where the mover operates its own vehicles. Each vehicle must be registered and have a valid periodic technical inspection (inspecția tehnică periodică, ITP); the ARR will not issue a certified copy without proof of both. Tachographs, the devices that record driving and rest times, are required on goods vehicles where EU and Romanian rules apply them.

Driver Requirements

Required where the mover operates its own vehicles. Drivers need the correct driving licence category for the vehicle. Drivers of goods vehicles in categories C1, C1E, C, and CE carrying out regulated transport must also hold a certificate of initial or continuing professional qualification (CPI or CPC). In 2026 Romania extended a professional training requirement to drivers of category B and BE vehicles doing paid road transport; the implementation timetable is still being set.

Compulsory Motor Insurance Required

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. Under Law No. 132/2017, every vehicle that must be registered in Romania must carry compulsory motor third-party liability insurance (asigurarea obligatorie RCA). It covers damage the vehicle causes to third parties. It does not cover the client’s goods being carried under a contract with the vehicle’s owner or user. No Romanian rule requiring movers to insure customers’ goods was found, so customers should ask what protection, if any, is offered.

Carrier Liability Rules

Set mainly by the Civil Code. The carrier is liable for total or partial loss of the goods, for their deterioration during transport, and for late delivery. It is not liable where the loss or damage results from causes the Code lists, such as loading or unloading done by the customer, defective packing that could not be seen on collection, an act of the customer, or force majeure. A contract clause that removes or restricts the carrier’s legal liability is treated as unwritten (void). Compensation cannot exceed any cap set by a special law. A carrier is not required to carry documents, cash, securities, jewelry, or other high-value items; if it accepts them, it is liable only up to their declared value. OG 27/2011 applies the international road carriage convention (the CMR) to domestic carriage of goods for hire, with a lower compensation cap. The CMR itself excludes removals, and available sources do not settle how the domestic rule applies to household moves. No removal-specific contract law was found.

Consumer Protection

Yes. OG No. 21/1992 on consumer protection, as amended, is Romania’s general consumer protection law. It is administered by the National Authority for Consumer Protection (Autoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Consumatorilor, ANPC) and its regional and county commissariats.

Consumer Complaint Resources (For Movers Not Vetted as ITMs)

Yes. The ANPC accepts consumer complaints through its regional and county commissariats, which aim to resolve them within 30 days. The ANPC also hosts an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) entity, the SAL directorate (Soluționarea Alternativă a Litigiilor), set up under OG No. 38/2015, which handles disputes between consumers and traders separately from the ANPC’s enforcement work. For a dispute with a mover based in another EU country, the European Consumer Centre Romania, which operates within the ANPC, can help seek an amicable settlement. Consumers can also check whether a road transport operator holds a current ARR licence through the ARR’s online operator check.

Industry Association

None found for household moving specifically. The National Union of Road Transport Operators of Romania (Uniunea Națională a Transportatorilor Rutieri din România, UNTRR) represents road transport operators generally. No dedicated Romanian household-removals trade association was identified in this research.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Romania licenses road haulage at the company level under EU rules. The company that carries clients’ goods by road for payment must be authorized as a road transport operator and hold a Community licence from the Romanian Road Authority, with a certified copy for each vehicle. Romania uses the Community licence for domestic carriage for hire as well as international carriage, so a domestic mover holds the same document as an international one. The licence attaches to whichever company operates the vehicles. A mover that uses its own trucks needs it directly. Where a mover takes the order but has another company perform the transport, the carrier’s own licence, certified copies and vehicle documents cover the transport it performs, and the mover uses carriers that hold them. A mover that has transport performed by other operators in its own name may itself need an ARR intermediation licence. There is no Romanian ownership requirement. Liability for the goods follows the transport-contract chapter of the Civil Code, which treats clauses limiting the carrier’s legal liability as void. Consumer complaints go to the ANPC, which also hosts an alternative dispute resolution service.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Company licensing

1. Register the business with the National Trade Register Office (Oficiul Național al Registrului Comerțului, ONRC), with road transport among its registered activities.
2. Where the company operates its own vehicles, or holds an intermediation licence, designate a transport manager who holds a certificate of professional competence and meets the good repute requirement.
3. Meet the establishment, good repute, and financial standing conditions of OG 27/2011 and Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 where they apply to the company, and keep meeting them each year.
4. Obtain a Community licence from the ARR if the company operates its own vehicles to carry clients’ goods for payment.
5. If taking orders that other operators perform in the company’s name, hold an ARR intermediation licence.

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

6. Obtain a certified copy of the licence for every vehicle used, and keep it on board for the whole journey.
7. Keep every vehicle registered, with a valid periodic technical inspection and compulsory RCA motor insurance.
8. Ensure every driver holds the correct driving licence category and, for goods vehicles in categories C1, C1E, C and CE, the required professional qualification certificate.

Subcontracted transport

9. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Customer practices

10. Ensure consumer-facing practices comply with OG 21/1992.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Business registered with the National Trade Register Office (ONRC), with road transport among its registered activitiesVerified by DocumentRequired
• ARR Community licenceWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles to carry clients' goods for payment)Verified by DocumentRequired
• ARR intermediation licenceWhere applicable (mover takes transport orders and has them performed in its own name by other transport operators)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Transport manager designated, holding a certificate of professional competenceWhere applicable (mover holds a Community licence or an intermediation licence)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Establishment, good repute and financial standing conditions met (financial standing shown each year through certified annual accounts, a bank guarantee or insurance)Where applicable (mover holds a Community licence)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Certified copy of the Community licence held for, and carried on board, each vehicleWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Each vehicle registered, with a valid periodic technical inspection (ITP)Where applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Compulsory RCA motor third-party liability insurance in force for each vehicleWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Each driver holds the correct driving licence category and, for categories C1, C1E, C and CE, a CPI or CPC professional qualification certificateWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired

Customer practices

• Consumer-facing practices comply with OG 21/1992 on consumer protectionVerified by AffirmationRequired