Romanian State Accused of Swindling Employers: Collected Fees for Work Permits, Then Changed Procedure

Romanian employers and labor placement agencies face potential financial losses after the state allegedly changed procedures for foreign worker permits, months after collecting fees. The Employers' Association of Labor Importers (PIFM) reports that hundreds of applications are now at risk of being blocked.

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The platform has become functional. Employers and placement agencies can submit applications for analysis. In parallel, this platform launch changes the authorities' interpretation of the text of Government Ordinance 32.

According to PIFM, authorities charged 100 euros for each work permit application. After extended waiting periods, the procedure was altered, demanding applicants resubmit their cases on a new electronic platform. PIFM claims the sums already paid may become unusable, and no refund mechanism has been announced.

Romulus Badea, president of PIFM, stated that applications submitted before April 27 should have been processed under the previous legislation. This involved obtaining a work permit and then proceeding with visa applications at diplomatic missions. However, consulates now insist that all new applications must go through the new portal, effectively invalidating the old procedure and the fees paid.

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All applications submitted until April 27 were to be analyzed according to the old legislation, a work permit was to be obtained, and then the procedure would continue at the level of diplomatic missions and consular offices.

Badea explained that consulates are now stating that applications cannot be submitted via the old e-Visa system. Instead, a single, new application is required through the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform. This shift means that the initial 100-euro fees for work permits are now effectively wasted, as employers are compelled to restart the entire process under the new regulations.

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Consulates are now saying that, once the portal is functional, you can no longer apply via e-Visa. You have to log in and submit a single application. This means that the transition is directly to the new legislation. This means that, initially, 100 euros were collected for the work permit for nothing, money that employers can no longer use.