Hiring in Romania

The contract sets out role, salary in RON, working time, leave, notice and any restrictive covenants. The EOR is the counterparty to the employee, which is what removes the need for your own entity.

Romanian is the mandatory contract language, so bilingual Romanian and English versions are standard. The contract must also be registered in REGES-Online, the national employee register, no later than the day before the start date.

Fixed-term contracts are allowed only in cases the Labour Code lists and are capped at 36 months, so most EORs default to indefinite terms.

Set probation from day one, because it cannot be added once the contract is signed. The statutory caps are hard limits and cannot be extended by agreement.

Some EORs shorten probation as policy because they, not you, carry the dismissal risk. Ask before you agree a start date.

Overtime is compensated with paid time off within 90 days, and only where that is not possible is it paid at a premium of at least 75% of base pay. Total hours including overtime are capped at 48 a week on average.

There is no salary threshold that takes professional hires out of the rules, so agree how overtime will be handled and keep time records either way.

Market practice for professional roles is 21 to 25 days, often with extra days for seniority, so quote the market figure when you budget.

Sick pay is tiered at 55% to 75% of average earnings depending on the length of absence, with the employer funding the opening days and the state the rest. Maternity leave runs 126 days and, like child-raising leave, is state funded, so confirm what, if anything, the EOR bills you for.

The employee may resign on notice, but the employer may only dismiss for reasons such as misconduct, professional inadequacy or genuine redundancy, each with its own mandatory procedure. In practice many exits are agreed by mutual consent, because a missed procedural step can void a dismissal.

The EOR runs the process as the legal employer and will want the paperwork in order, including final pay, unused leave and any contractual severance. Courts can order reinstatement with back pay, so keep a documented reason.

Meal vouchers and private medical subscriptions are standard for professional roles even though they are not mandatory.

EORs often bundle benefits through a group scheme. Ask what is included in the fee and what is billed on top.

Employer contributions add 2.25% on top of gross salary. That is before the EOR fee.

Net pay is the trap. Employee contributions take 35% of gross before tax, so take-home pay lands at roughly 58% to 60% of gross. Candidates often negotiate in net, so agree offers in gross.

Ask whether the EOR sponsors directly or refers to a partner. A partner-model EOR often cannot sponsor at all, the eligibility conditions apply to the sponsor, not to you, and the 2026 national quota of 90,000 permits can fill before year end.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no permit. For everyone else, set start dates after approval, not before.

Get the data processing terms in the service agreement, not just the privacy notice. Transfers outside the EEA need an adequacy decision or standard contractual clauses.

Ask where payroll data is hosted and who in the partner chain can see it.

Incorporation here is straightforward, but the running cost is the point: a registered office, a local accountant, monthly payroll and REGES-Online filings, audit thresholds and payroll software set an annual floor.

Permanent establishment risk is about what people do, not where payroll sits. Revenue-generating activity can create exposure regardless of the employment route.