Romania is bound by the Union Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Framework Regulation (URF)

Law No 122 of 4 May 2006 concerning asylum in Romania (Lege nr. 122 din 4 mai 2006 privind azilul în România)

Government Decision No 1596 of 4 December 2008 | Hotărâre nr. 1596 din 4 decembrie 2008.

The resettlement programme is based on annual quotas within the framework of the European Resettlement Programme.

Identification and referral:

Even in the case of a selection mission, a pre-selection of possible candidates (refugees in need of resettlement) is undertaken, based on the files received from UNHCR, before interviewing the refugees in the asylum country. The pre-selection takes into consideration consultations between GII and institutions with roles and responsibilities in the field of public order and national security.

Upon the decision of the Resettlement Committee on the countries of origin and the countries of first asylum of refugees to be resettled to Romania, and following the authorization by the Minister of Internal Affairs and by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the GII proceeds to draft and forward to UNHCR [or to the country of asylum] a request proposing possible candidates for resettlement to Romania (accompanied by the request for resettlement). This communication should include references to: the selection criteria; the state(s) from which refugees in need of resettlement will be selected from; the country of origin of the refugees in need of resettlement and the number of persons who would be transferred to Romania.

To initiate the resettlement process, the GII asks UNHCR or the authorities of the country of asylum to prepare individual files for each potential candidate, comprising: identification data, the Resettlement application form, signed by every individual in need of resettlement, a case description and a medical report.

The Ministry of Health is also involved in sharing, upon request from the GII, the minimum medical requirements that should be met by candidates in need of resettlement.

Upon receipt of the refugee's case (the Resettlement Referral Form - RRF) from UNHCR, the GII carries out the following activities:

1. Receives and registers the resettlement files submitted by UNHCR. The files must contain the information note on the resettlement proposal together with the identification data of the refugees proposed for resettlement and their individual files; and
2. Verifies and analyses the data contained in the files submitted by UNHCR according to the competencies of services within the GII.

No information provision activities are carried out during the identification phase.

Selection:

According to the Romanian legal provisions, there are two ways of selecting refugees for resettlement:

1. dossier-based selections; and
2. in-country selection missions.

While selection missions to countries of asylum is considered the main method, dossier-based selections may be used if a selection mission to an asylum country cannot be organized, based on a reasoned decision of the Inspector General of the GII (Government Decision No 1596/2008, Article 8(1)).

Selection based on interview in the first country of asylum.

Upon receipt of the refugee's case (the Resettlement Referral Form - RRF) from UNHCR, the GII carries out the following activities:

1. Receives and registers the resettlement files submitted by UNHCR. The files must contain the information note on the resettlement proposal together with the identification data of the refugees proposed for resettlement and their individual files;
2. Verifies and analyses the data contained in the files submitted by UNHCR according to the competencies of services within the GII.

The purpose of this verification and analysis is to establish whether there are reasons to exclude any of the refugees submitted by UNHCR from being interviewed in their country of asylum, and to identify aspects that must be kept in mind during the future interview proceeding in the country of asylum.

The results of the verifications and data analysis are included in a report listing the refugees that are to be interviewed in the country of asylum. UNHCR is informed of the names of the refugees pre-selected for interview, or where appropriate, of those approved for resettlement upon examination of a dossier submission.

After forwarding the list with the pre-selected refugees to be interviewed in the country of asylum, the GII establishes contact with the UNHCR Representation in Romania or directly with the competent authorities from the country of asylum to agree on the practical details of the selection mission, namely the following:

• sharing of an information package to be used during initial sessions to provide information to the pre-selected refugees in the country of asylum;
• identifying and reserving a location where the interviews with refugees are to be carried out;
• ensuring the identification and use of interpreters;
• scheduling the pre-selected refugees for an interview;
• establishing the way the medical test will be carried out, if applicable;
• organising other aspects of interest for the practical success of missions depending on the situation in the current country of asylum of the refugees to be interviewed.

When necessary, the GII – through the contact person of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (nominated in the Resettlement Committee) - may establish contact with the Romanian Diplomatic Representation in the (first) country of asylum to obtain support in carrying out the future selection mission.

The purpose of the interviews with the refugees is to evaluate their situation in accordance with the resettlement selection criteria. Based on the results of the evaluation, the selection mission will propose the refugees to be accepted for resettlement in Romania.

The family members of the Principal Applicant are also interviewed by the selection mission, except the minors. At the beginning of the interview, the refugees are explained the purpose of the interview and the selection procedure.

The information session on the rights of refugees in Romania and important aspects that might be necessary to be disseminated with the target group is carried out by the GII.

A report is drafted for each individual refugee case which contains the conclusions of the evaluation with respect to each of the selection criteria. This report is signed by the members of the selection mission. Following consultations, the members of the selection mission draft a decision concerning the refugees who are accepted for resettlement.

Upon return to Romania, the Head of the selection mission will propose the list of refugees to be accepted for resettlement. The list of accepted refugees must be approved by the Inspector General of the GII. Once this approval is obtained, the acceptance decisions are shared with UNHCR (or with the state authorities in the country of asylum).

Selection based on dossier

After receiving the cases referred by UNHCR, the GII registers the resettlement files which must contain the information note on the resettlement proposal together with the identification data of the refugees and their individual files.

The General Inspector of the GII approves the report which contains the motivation and the reasons for selecting based on dossier and the list of cases referred by UNHCR.

The data contained in the files submitted by UNHCR is verified and analysed according to the competencies of services within GII.

The results of the verifications and data analysis are included in a report, listing the refugees that are proposed to be accepted for resettlement.

The report which contains the analysis list of accepted refugees must be approved by the Inspector General of the GII. Once this approval is obtained, the acceptance decisions are shared with UNHCR (or with the state authorities in the country of asylum).

During the selection process, face-to-face information sessions are directly organised by the GII.

Assessment:

Upon entry to Romania, the GII will issue documents as provided by the relevant legal provisions.

Resettled refugees go through an asylum procedure, consisting of: registrations, fingerprinting, photographing, preliminary interview and a status determination interview – and normally within 30 days they are issued decisions recognizing them as having refugee status in Romania. They are automatically residents (with temporary residence permits); upon request, refugees may be issued Convention travel documents.

Timeframe: 

There are several timeframes for completing these activities, such as:

• 30 working days for informing UNHCR regarding the Decision of the Resettlement Committee;
• 45 working days for conducting preselection activities starting from the date UNHCR referred the cases; and
• 20 working days to communicate to UNHCR the list of persons accepted to be resettled in Romania after the selection mission was carried out and 45 calendar days starting the day when the case was referred in full compliance with the GUU requirements by UNHCR for dossier procedure.

There is no timeframe in place for the activities that must be carried out from the date of the decision was communicated and the time when the transfer occurs

According to the national legislation, applicants are granted only refugee status. With the implementation of the new resettlement regulation, both refugee status and subsidiary protection will be granted.

In preparation of the travel of the refugees approved or selected in accordance with the Romanian legislation, the organisation that is implementing a dedicated project in the field of resettlement funded by AMIF organises cultural orientation, sessions and medical screening in countries of asylum.

The purpose of the cultural orientation in the asylum country is to offer to the refugees selected for resettlement in Romania an overall image of the country, and practical information regarding their transfer from their country of asylum to Romania. The cultural orientation is also the initiation of a process that should help the refugees acquire certain abilities and attitudes necessary for them to adapt to the particularities of the host society.

The objectives of the cultural orientation in the country of asylum are to:

1. offer information relating to Romania;
2. assist the selected refugees in developing the necessary abilities to integrate into the host society (for instance, how to obtain a job, how to access social and health services etc.);
3. explore the attitudes necessary to a successful integration (for example, flexibility, openness, initiative, self-sufficiency);
4. manage refugees’ expectations relating to Romania; and
5. explain to refugees the expectations of the Romanian society with regards to their integration in Romania.

The cultural orientation of the refugees selected in the country of first asylum may be supervised by officers of the General Inspectorate for Immigration (GII), Directorate for Asylum and Integration (DAI).

The medical screening and the fit to travel activities are in the responsibility of the organization that was allocated the dedicated project in the resettlement field and the objective of the activity is to discover if the persons represent a threat for the public health or there are identified disease that need a special treatment.

During this phase, information provision activities are conducted through the IOM who develops the info material according to the methodology agreed by the GII.

In the pre-departure activities both internal and external stakeholders are involved, as: selection team, Romanian security services, UNHCR. The medical checks are made by the UNHCR team, which announces the selection team if there are any vulnerabilities. If so, adapted solutions will be taken. IOM provides flight tickets since the beginning of the programme.

Information sessions are organised through UNHCR.

Refugees approved for resettlement under the resettlement programs, who are mentioned in the decision of the General Inspectorate for Immigration (GII), are exempted from the compulsory visa regime.

The selected refugees may be allowed to enter Romanian territory based on the following travel documents:

1. Refugee certificate issued by UNHCR;
2. Travel document issued by the International Committee of the Red Cross; or
3. A laissez-passer issued by the GII exclusively for the purposes of travelling to Romania.

Currently, resettled refugees are not accommodated in the National Accommodation Centres. GII has put in place a project financed by AMIF funds and attributed to an organization with experience in the field specially designated for the target group comprising on a 45 days assistance, accommodation in a private housing and cultural orientation sessions. Exceptionally, the selected refugees may be accommodated in the regional centres under some circumstances.

Information sessions are delivered by the partner organisations (IOM) through the methodologies agreed with the General Inspectorate for Immigration.

Emergency Transit Centre (ETC):

The ETC of Timisoara is Europe’s first evacuation facility. It is in place since May 2008 as part of a Tripartite Agreement between Romania, UNHCR and the IOM.

The centre was set up for the specific purpose of providing temporary accommodation to refugees in need of evacuation from their first country of refuge, pending their onward resettlement to a country of permanent settlement. Evacuation may be needed to ensure the physical safety of refugees, to protect those threatened by refoulement and to meet the needs of especially vulnerable individuals.

UNHCR is responsible for identifying the persons in need of evacuation, providing certification of their refugee status, and securing their onward resettlement. In addition, UNHCR is to provide the resources needed to cover the costs of food and domestic items, psycho-social support, educational and recreational activities, as well as language training and necessary medical care.

IOM handles the transportation of refugees to Romania and from Romania to their resettlement countries, as well as health screenings on arrival in situations where the health status was not assessed prior to the evacuation journey, medical examinations for resettlement purposes and brief pre-embarkation medical checks before the final departure. During the stay at the ETC, IOM provides cultural orientation programmes to help refugees prepare for resettlement.

The government provides the premises for accommodation in Timisoara, issues identity documents for refugees who are transferred to the ETC and is responsible for maintaining order at the centre. While UNHCR identifies the refugees in need of evacuation, the General Inspectorate for Immigration decides on whether to allow their entry to Romania, giving its answer within 7 working days which brings speed and predictability to the process. According to the Romanian law ratifying the Agreement, the refugees transferred to the ETC may enter Romania without visas.

The agreement sets an upper limit of 200 refugees who may be accommodated at the ETC at any given time. The maximum period for refugees’ stay in Romania is 6 months, although individual exceptions may be made for up to 20 refugees when necessary.

Candidates for transfer to Romania are persons who are considered by UNHCR to be in urgent need of evacuation to ensure their international protection.

This includes the following categories:

• Refugees at immediate risk of refoulement or facing other acute, life threatening situations;
• Refugees who are held in detention in another country solely because they entered or are staying without authorization, and who will be released only if they are able to depart from the country;
• Refugees whose cases are particularly sensitive or high profile;
• Refugees for whom resettlement processing cannot be completed in the first country of asylum, for instance due to security threats;
• Refugees for whom the resettlement country or UNHCR has decided not to disclose the resettlement destination to the first country of asylum.

As of 26 August 2025, 4311 refugees had departed from the ETC in Timisoara to resettlement countries. Since 2008, the main resettlement countries using the centre are the USA - 1198, the UK - 1054, Norway - 1102, Canada - 201 and the Netherlands - 286.

Refugees resettled to Romania have the same rights and obligations as refugees recognized as such by the Romanian authorities through the asylum procedure, and they benefit from the same assistance in terms of integration.

The integration program aims at supporting aliens who were granted a form of protection in Romania in the process of acquiring the abilities and the knowledge necessary to adapt to the Romanian society.

The integration program consists of a free course of Romanian (beginner level), sessions on cultural orientation and counselling, during the program and provision of some financial assistance for 2 months up to obtaining the non-reimbursable subsidy.

The integration program lasts for one year and is carried out following an individual integration plan for each individual.

Persons with special needs (people with disabilities, aged, unaccompanied minors, mono-parental families, victims of torture) may benefit from a prolonged integration program.

The integration programs are organised by the Regional Centres for Accommodation and Asylum Procedures, managed at central level by GII-DAI. Romanian language courses are organized in cooperation with the local school inspectorates, following a defined curriculum and using special handbooks.

With a view to supplementing social assistance, including housing assistance granted to refugees, GII cooperates, on the basis of protocols, with non-governmental organizations.

For instance, other integration related activities are provided by NGO -run Integration Centres functioning in several cities across the country (with a larger concentration of refugees and third country nationals). These integration centres are funded under AMIF and provide social counselling, information, networking with local authorities, accompaniment services, complementary language classes and other types of integration support, as needed.

The resettlement programme is based on annual quotas within the framework of the European Resettlement Programme.

Romania does not have humanitarian admission programmes currently in place.

Romania does not have community sponsorship programmes currently in place.

Romania does not have community sponsorship programmes currently in place.

Romania does not have community sponsorship programmes currently in place.