International Driving Permit in Romania

🗓 Facts checked against Romania's road-traffic law and official sources. Research last updated: 30 October 2026. You may copy this information only if you provide a link back to this page.

⚠ This page is general information about driving rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and each authority applies its own — confirm your case with the relevant authority before you drive.

ℹ We are a private company. We are not a government body, a licensing or issuing authority, or a treaty organisation, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any of them. The International Driver's Document we sell is a translation of your national driving licence: it is not a driving licence, and it is not a government-issued document.

• Driving in Romania: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Romania?
• What side of the road does Romania drive on?
• How long can you drive in Romania with a foreign licence?
• Is Romania a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Romania with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Romania? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Romania tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Romania
• Sources

Driving in Romania: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Romania?

There is no single answer for Romania - it depends on which convention your issuing state belongs to. OUG 195/2002 art. 83 alin. (1) gives the right to drive to holders of valid national licences issued by (a) states party to the Convention on Road Traffic provided for in art. 82 alin. (2) ("prevăzută la art. 82 alin. (2)"), (b) EU member states, and (c) states with which Romania has a bilateral licence-recognition treaty. Art. 82 alin. (2) defines that Convention as the Vienna Convention of 8 November 1968 only. So: EU licences and licences from 1968 Vienna parties are valid on their own, with no IDP. Holders from states that are not parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention - which includes every state that joined only the 1949 Geneva Convention - fall under art. 83 alin. (2) and must also hold an international driving permit ("trebuie să posede și permis de conducere internațional"). Since 2025 there is one exception (Government Ordinance No. 1/2025, approved by Law No. 242/2025): a holder from a state listed by Government decision may drive on the national licence alone, carrying a valid passport issued by that state, for the period the decision sets. Government Decision No. 795/2025 (Monitorul Oficial no. 893, 30 September 2025) gives that right to the citizens of five states holding a licence their own state issued, counted from entry into Romania: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America for 6 months, Chile for 3 months. Anyone else whose licence comes from outside the 1968 Convention, the EU and Romania's licence treaties needs the IDP alongside it. The Romanian Police FAQ states the same 1949-needs-an-IDP / 1968-does-not split. The Police FAQ goes further and indicates that a licence from a state party to neither convention (and with no bilateral treaty) is not recognised even when an IDP is presented - stricter than the plain wording of art. 83 alin. (2). Treat driving on such a licence as high-risk and seek written confirmation from the Romanian Police before travelling.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: carry your national licence together with the document named in the row for your country of issue, in the table below — for most origin licences that document is not an IDP, so read your own answer rather than assuming one.
• Car renters: Carry the original national licence, an IDP where your issuing state is outside the 1968 Vienna Convention and the EU (unless you are a citizen of Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand or the United States of America driving on that state's licence within the period Government Decision No. 795/2025 sets), passport or ID, the vehicle registration certificate, valid RCA third-party insurance (or a Green Card for non-EEA plates) and, for a hired car, the rental agreement and the owner's authorisation for cross-border use.
• EU / EEA licence holders: no IDP needed — EU licences are recognised directly; EEA licences are not named in the recognition article and rest on the EEA Agreement instead.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source.

What side of the road does Romania drive on?

Romania drives on the right-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the left. Cars in Romania are left-hand drive.

How long can you drive in Romania with a foreign licence?

No fixed tourist day-count. Art. 83 alin. (1) gives the right to drive to holders of a valid recognised national licence and sets no shorter visitor period; the right runs for the temporary stay while the licence remains valid and the driver has not established domicile or residence in Romania. A holder exempted from the IDP by Government Decision No. 795/2025 may drive without it only for the period that decision sets, counted from entry into Romania: 6 months for Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America, 3 months for Chile. Caution: the widely quoted Romanian "90 days" figure is not a licence clock - art. 82 alin. (4) limits foreign-registered vehicles held by persons domiciled or seated in Romania to 90 days from being brought into the country. That is a residents-and-vehicles rule, not a visitor driving-licence rule. (OUG 195/2002, art. 83 alin. (1); cf. art. 82 alin. (4))

Planning to move to Romania? Different rules apply once you become a resident — see the residents section below.

Is Romania a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Romania is a Contracting Party to both United Nations Conventions on Road Traffic — the Geneva Convention of 19 September 1949 and the Vienna Convention of 8 November 1968. International Driving Permits of both the 1949 and the 1968 type are therefore issued against its framework; which types Romania accepts from visitors is shown in the table above.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 26 Jan 1961.
• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: ratification on 9 Dec 1980.

Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place

Whether a foreign country accepts your driving licence hangs on a tangle of variables: three different road-traffic conventions signed decades apart (1926, 1949, 1968) — the oldest predates the United Nations itself, and only the latter two were concluded under it — countries at different stages of joining each (signed vs. accepted vs. ratified), licences printed in alphabets local police can't read, vehicle-category systems that don't line up between countries, document generations that may not meet a convention's format even when the country is a member, bilateral deals between individual states, and local laws that are looser in one place and stricter in the next. The same licence can be fine at one border and rejected at the next — even at the next rental desk. The International Driving Permit exists to cut through most of it: a standardized, multilingual presentation of your existing licence, with harmonized category symbols, that most officials can read at a glance. It doesn't replace your national licence or grant new rights — you carry both — and it doesn't guarantee acceptance: a handful of destinations still require a local permit alongside or instead of it, but for most it meaningfully improves your odds.

Can you drive in Romania with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Romania as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Romania recognises EU licences and licences from parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention on their own - no IDP, no translation. The catch is the cross-reference: OUG 195/2002 art. 83 points to the Convention defined in art. 82 alin. (2), which is Vienna 1968 only. Drivers from states that joined just the 1949 Geneva Convention - the United States of America, Japan, Canada, Australia, India and others - are therefore in art. 83 alin. (2), which requires an international driving permit alongside the national licence. Government Decision No. 795/2025 exempts the citizens of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America for 6 months from entry, and of Chile for 3 months, if they drive on a licence their own state issued and carry its valid passport. Drivers from states in neither convention face a much harder test, and the Romanian Police position is that their licences are not recognised at all; driving without the right to drive in Romania is a criminal offence under Criminal Code art. 335. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: October 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

What the Status column means on this page:

• National licence OK — the destination lets a visitor drive on the national licence itself. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis, and any period or condition that qualifies it.
• National licence OK — IDP advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, but carrying one is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.
• IDP required — the destination requires an IDP in addition to your national licence. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says which IDP to carry and what else to carry with it.
• Not established — the record does not settle whether you may drive here on this licence; confirm with the destination's licensing authority before you rely on it. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be confirmed.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] OUG 195/2002, art. 83 alin. (1)-(2) and alin. (2^1) (added by OG 1/2025, approved by Legea 242/2025); HG 795/2025, art. 1 and annex

[2] Ordonanța de urgență a Guvernului nr. 195/2002 privind circulația pe drumurile publice (republicată), art. 83 alin. (1) lit. a), read with art. 82 alin. (2)

[a] Licence categories do not follow the convention A–E scheme — rental staff may ask for an IDP to map them.

Where to get an International Driving Permit

An International Driving Permit must be obtained before you travel, and only certain countries may issue one to you — you cannot buy an official IDP from an unrelated country. Under the 1968 Vienna Convention it may be issued only by the Contracting Party where you normally reside and which issued or recognizes your licence — by that Party's competent authority or by an association it has duly empowered. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention it is issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State, or by an association that authority has duly empowered. Which body that is varies by country: a government agency in some, an authorized motoring club in others.

• Travelling from Romania? Romania's official IDPs are issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, through its Directorate General for Driving Licences and Registrations (DGPCI), and Automobil Clubul Roman (ACR) - Romanian Automobile Club. Official site.
• Travelling from another country? Ask that country's driving-licence authority which body it authorizes to issue IDPs — a government agency in some countries, an authorized motoring club in others.

Separately, IDA offers a digital International Driver's Document — a translation of your national licence that you carry alongside it. It is not an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions by the body your country authorizes for that purpose, and it is not a certified, sworn or otherwise official translation: no authority certifies it, and where a country requires an official or certified translation by law, our document does not satisfy that requirement. It is a private translation meant to make your national licence readable at rental desks and roadside checks.

Moving to Romania? Rules for new residents

Two clocks, both different from the visitor rule. (1) Licences: art. 83 alin. (3) lets holders of licences issued by the authorities listed in art. 83 alin. (1) - and licences Romania recognises unilaterally - who have domicile or residence in Romania exchange them for a Romanian licence, under norms set by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs. Where such a licence does not meet the exchange conditions, the same article lets its holder take the examination for a Romanian licence on proof of medical fitness; the conditions themselves are set by the minister's order - check them with the Directorate General for Driving Licences and Registrations (DGPCI) before you apply. (2) Vehicles: art. 82 alin. (4) allows a person domiciled or seated in Romania to drive a foreign-registered vehicle for at most 90 days from bringing it into the country, after which it must be registered in Romania. Neither clock applies to a genuine visitor. Official source.

Driving rules in Romania tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts for all occupants and approved child restraints are compulsory. Vehicles must carry a first-aid kit, two reflective warning triangles and a fire extinguisher, and a high-visibility reflective vest must be worn when leaving the vehicle on the carriageway outside built-up areas. Winter tyres are mandatory when driving on roads covered with snow, ice or black ice (condition-based, not calendar-based). Dipped headlights are required outside built-up areas at all times. A rovinietă (road-use vignette) is required on national roads, and separate tolls apply to the Fetești-Cernavodă and Giurgeni-Vadu Oii bridges.
• Drink-driving: Zero tolerance is the practical baseline - Romanian law sets no permitted blood-alcohol level. Any detected alcohol up to 0.80 g/l in blood is a contravention under OUG 195/2002 art. 102 alin. (3) lit. a), carrying a class 4 fine and a fixed 90-day suspension of the right to drive; above 0.80 g/l pure alcohol in blood it is a criminal offence under Criminal Code art. 336 alin. (1), punishable by 1 to 5 years imprisonment together with a ban on exercising certain rights. The alternative of a criminal fine was removed by Legea 172/2024, in force 3 June 2024, and several official and semi-official Romanian pages still print the repealed wording. Driving under the influence of psychoactive substances is criminal with no numeric threshold, but since Decision 25/2025 of the High Court of Cassation and Justice it must be shown both that the substance was present in the biological samples and that it was capable of impairing the driver. Below the criminal threshold: a class 4 contravention fine plus a fixed 90-day suspension of the right to drive, under OUG 195/2002 art. 102 alin. (3) lit. a). Above 0.80 g/l: criminal prosecution, 1 to 5 years imprisonment together with a ban on exercising certain rights, and cancellation of the right to drive. Legea 172/2024 removed the alternative of a criminal fine with effect from 3 June 2024. Refusing testing is itself a criminal offence. Do not drive after drinking.
• Speed limits: Category B, unless signs say otherwise: 50 km/h inside localities (a road administrator may raise it to at most 80 km/h on marked sections, with traffic-police approval, or lower it to no less than 30 km/h); outside localities 130 km/h on motorways, 120 km/h on expressways (drumuri expres), 100 km/h on European (E) national roads and 90 km/h on all other roads (art. 49: the in-town figure and the administrator's powers are alin. (1)-(3), the four out-of-town classes alin. (4)). That four-way split dates from Legea 134/2022, in force 16 May 2022; before it, expressways and European (E) national roads shared a single 100 km/h limit, which is why older sources still print three figures out of town. Towing a trailer takes 10 km/h off each of those out-of-town limits, giving 120 km/h, 110 km/h, 90 km/h and 80 km/h (art. 50 alin. (2)). In your first year of holding a licence each out-of-town limit drops by 20 km/h, to 110 km/h, 100 km/h, 80 km/h and 70 km/h; the 50 km/h limit inside localities is unchanged (art. 50 alin. (4)).
• Carry the original national licence, an IDP where your issuing state is outside the 1968 Vienna Convention and the EU (unless you are a citizen of Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand or the United States of America driving on that state's licence within the period Government Decision No. 795/2025 sets), passport or ID, the vehicle registration certificate, valid RCA third-party insurance (or a Green Card for non-EEA plates) and, for a hired car, the rental agreement and the owner's authorisation for cross-border use.
• Traffic keeps right. Category B limits under art. 49: 50 km/h in localities under alin. (1), and outside them under alin. (4) 130 km/h on motorways, 120 km/h on expressways, 100 km/h on European (E) national roads and 90 km/h on all other roads, unless signs set otherwise. In your first year of holding a licence every out-of-town limit drops by 20 km/h, in the same order, to 110 km/h, 100 km/h, 80 km/h and 70 km/h (art. 50 alin. (4)).
• Zero-alcohol is the working rule. Any measurable alcohol brings administrative sanction; over 0.80 g/l in blood is criminal under Criminal Code art. 336.
• If your licence comes from a state that is party to neither road-traffic convention and has no bilateral treaty with Romania, the Romanian Police position is that the licence is not recognised even with an international permit. Plan on a Romanian licence or on not driving, and get written confirmation before relying on anything else.

Read more about driving in Romania

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• What is Romania famous for?

Watch what driving in Romania looks like

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Sources

1. OUG 195/2002, art. 83 alin. (1); cf. art. 82 alin. (4)
2. Resident licence conversion rule
3. OUG 195/2002 art. 82 - defines the Convention as Vienna 1968 and sets the 90-day foreign-vehicle rule
4. OUG 195/2002 art. 49 and art. 50 - speed limits, in the four-class form given to art. 49 alin. (4) by Legea 134/2022, in force 16 May 2022; lower out-of-town limits when towing a trailer (art. 50 alin. (2)) and in the first year of holding a licence (art. 50 alin. (4))
5. OUG 195/2002 art. 20 - minimum ages
6. Criminal Code art. 335 - driving without a licence
7. Criminal Code art. 336 - driving under the influence
8. Romanian Police FAQ on foreign-licence recognition (read via summariser only; corroborates the 1949-needs-IDP / 1968-does-not split)
9. Official legislative portal, OUG 195/2002 - unverified, domain unreachable on 29 July 2026
10. Official legislative portal, Criminal Code - unverified, domain unreachable on 29 July 2026
11. Government Ordinance No. 1/2025 (Monitorul Oficial no. 72, 29 January 2025) - adds to OUG 195/2002 art. 83 the exemption from the IDP for states listed by Government decision
12. Government Decision No. 795/2025 (Monitorul Oficial no. 893, 30 September 2025) - the states whose national licence holders may drive in Romania without an IDP, and the driving periods
13. the Ministry of Internal Affairs, through its Directorate General for Driving Licences and Registrations (DGPCI), and Automobil Clubul Roman (ACR) - Romanian Automobile Club — authorized IDP issuer in Romania
14. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
15. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic