Profile

Pupil — long-stay study visa D/SD

Route status

Active as of 2026-08-25[2][5]
IGI's study page sets out both limbs in the present tense and the Ministry's catalogue names pupils among the recipients of the D/SD visa.

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Elev — viza de lungă şedere cu scopul studii (simbol D/SD) as of 2026-08-25[5][7]
Article 2 lit. n^1), read directly, names and defines 'elev' and covers two different people: a foreigner accepted by a state or private school within a PUPIL EXCHANGE PROGRAMME or an educational project, and a foreigner of Romanian origin who is a Romanian state scholarship holder or exempt from tuition, enrolled full time in state or private pre-university education at high-school or post-high-school level, including non-university tertiary education.
Official name (English)Pupil — long-stay study visa D/SD as of 2026-08-25[5][7]
Translation of the statutory term; no official English name was found.
Legal basisOrdonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr. 194/2002, republicată, cu modificările şi completările ulterioare, art. 2 lit. n^1), astfel cum a fost modificată în decembrie 2023, şi art. 2 lit. o^1) pentru proiectul educaţional as of 2026-08-25[5][7]
Both letters were read directly in the consolidated text; lit. n^1) carries an amendment note dated 15 December 2023. The conditions themselves are behind the retrieval ceiling.
Instrument typeresidence permit as of 2026-08-25[5]
A D/SD long-stay visa for 90 days, then a residence permit.

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeEU, EEA as of 2026-08-25[2][7]
Minimum age13 as of 2026-08-25[2][5]
Both publishers state that foreigners taking part in a pupil exchange programme or educational project must be BETWEEN 13 AND 19 YEARS OLD. 13 is the floor; the 19-year ceiling has no field of its own. The age range is stated for the exchange limb; the Romanian-origin scholarship limb carries no stated age.
Criminal-record conditionNot established from a qualifying source
Not established. IGI's document list for the pupil-exchange limb does not include a criminal record certificate, unlike the student limb's, but it is not framed as a closed list and no source states that none is required.

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial durationup to 1 year as of 2026-08-25[5]
IGI: foreigners entering Romania for studies may apply to extend the residence right for a period equal to the total duration of the studies in the case of students and pupils, AND FOR A PERIOD NOT EXCEEDING ONE YEAR in the case of foreigners taking part in a pupil exchange programme. The one-year ceiling recorded here is the exchange limb's; the Romanian-origin scholarship limb follows the total-duration rule.
How the initial term is setlength of the programme
RenewableYes as of 2026-08-25[5]
The permit is renewed at least 30 days before the previous one expires and IGI sets out the extension documents for the pupil-exchange limb expressly.
Work rightshours capped as of 2026-08-25[5]

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceRecorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-25[4][5]

Requirements

Requirements
Enrolment status requiredadmitted as of 2026-08-25[5]
The dovada acceptarii la studii issued by the Ministry of Education, showing a full-time form of study, plus proof of participation in the exchange programme or educational project run by an organisation constituted under the law and recognised for that purpose.
Means requirementNot established from a qualifying source
Post-study route existsYes as of 2026-08-25[5]
IGI states the 6-month academic-record extension and the 9-month job-search or business-opening extension for the residence right for studies without distinguishing pupils from students.
Post-study permit durationup to 9 months as of 2026-08-25[5]
The job-search and business-opening extension after graduation.

Process

Process
Where to apply fromfrom abroad only as of 2026-08-25[5]
The D/SD long-stay study visa is obtained from a Romanian diplomatic mission or consular post, for 90 days with one or more journeys, after the institution has accepted the applicant. Internally the National Visa Centre approves it only after IGI's aviz, issued within at most 30 days of the request, extendable by 15 days. The residence permit follows in country, filed at least 30 days before the residence right conferred by the visa expires.
Statutory processing timeup to 30 days as of 2026-08-25[5]
The D/SD long-stay study visa is obtained from a Romanian diplomatic mission or consular post, for 90 days with one or more journeys, after the institution has accepted the applicant. Internally the National Visa Centre approves it only after IGI's aviz, issued within at most 30 days of the request, extendable by 15 days. The residence permit follows in country, filed at least 30 days before the residence right conferred by the visa expires. The application to grant or extend the residence right is decided within 30 days of submission, extendable by at most 15 days where further checks are needed. Where the information or documents supplied are inadequate, IGI sets a reasonable deadline of no more than 30 days for the applicant to supply more and the 30-day clock is suspended until they arrive; if they do not, the application may be rejected.
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: EUR 300 one-off as of 2026-08-25[1][5]
      The Ministry of Foreign Affairs fee page states the long-stay visa fee (symbol D) is 300 euro, and states in terms that this figure applies to applications sent for validation to Romanian missions through the e-Viza portal from 27 April 2026, applications sent before that date being charged 120 euro. It is a single fee for every long-stay visa symbol, not a per-purpose one. Ukrainian citizens are exempt from the long-stay visa fee under a bilateral agreement in force since 21 October 2016, and so are family members of Romanian, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who accompany or join them.
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: Taxa de viza pentru viza de lunga sedere (simbol D)
    • Kind: card
    • Amount: RON 265 one-off as of 2026-08-25[3][6]
    • Charged per: application
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: Contravaloarea permisului de sedere
    • Kind: renewal
    • Amount: EUR 120 one-off as of 2026-08-25[3][6]
      The consular fee charged on the application to grant or extend the residence right, paid in the leu equivalent. It coincides numerically with the pre-27-April-2026 long-stay visa fee and is a different charge.
    • Charged per: application
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: Taxa consulara
Quota
  • Quota exists: Not established from a qualifying source
    Not established.

Physical presence

Physical presence
none statedto keep the permit as of 2026-08-25[5]
No presence or absence condition on the current permit is stated.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedNot established from a qualifying source
Not established.

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited7
of which official (tier 1)7
Oldest as-of date2026-08-25
Newest as-of date2026-08-25
Reviewed on2026-08-26
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] Perceperea taxei de viza
    Ministerul Afacerilor Externe — Centrul National de Vize · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25
  2. [2] Tipuri de vize şi scopurile deplasării
    Ministerul Afacerilor Externe – Centrul Naţional de Vize (eViza) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25
  3. [3] Permisul unic / Cartea albastra a UE — obtinerea si prelungirea dreptului de sedere in scop de munca si de detasare
    Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrari · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25
  4. [4] Informare privind dreptul de şedere pe termen lung, condiţiile de acordare şi când încetează acesta
    Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2023-03-29 · Accessed 2026-08-25
  5. [5] Studii — viza de lunga sedere si permisul de sedere in scop de studii
    Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrari · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25
  6. [6] Taxele pe care trebuie sa le achitati pentru obtinerea permisului de sedere
    Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrari · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-25
  7. [7] Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr. 194/2002 privind regimul străinilor în România, republicată – formă consolidată valabilă la 30 aprilie 2026 (publicată de IGI)
    Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări / Guvernul României · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2008-06-05 · Accessed 2026-08-25

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