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Romania
Tourist guide

Driving in Romania

Complete guide for tourists and expats. Learn the road rules, speed limits, and essential information before you drive in Romania.

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130km/hMax highway speed
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Briefing

Romania's road network is a study in contrast and you should plan around it. As of May 2026 the country has roughly 1,418 km of motorway and expressway open — only 146 km were inaugurated in 2025 against an initial promise of 280 km, and the long-running A1 Sibiu–Pitești is still incomplete, with full continuity now targeted for 2028.

The A2 Bucharest–Constanța (the "Soarelui" motorway), the A3 Transylvania segments, and the A4 Constanța bypass are the most reliable high-speed corridors; everywhere else expect drumuri naționale (DN) of variable quality, where slow trucks, farm vehicles and occasional horse-drawn carts in the east and south mean overtaking is the dominant cause of head-on crashes.

The non-negotiables are the rovinietă and the alcohol rule. The electronic vignette is mandatory on all national roads (DN) and motorways — Category A passenger cars under 3.5 t pay 17.85 RON for one day, 30.60 RON for 10 days, 48.45 RON for 30 days, 76.51 RON for 60 days, or 255.02 RON for 12 months (CNAIR tariffs in force May 2026).

There is no 7-day option. The A2 Fetești–Cernavodă bridge carries a separate 13 RON per-crossing toll for cars on top of the vignette, and crossings of the Danube into Bulgaria (Giurgiu–Ruse, Calafat–Vidin) charge an additional bridge fee.

Romania operates zero tolerance for alcohol: any breath value of 0.01–0.40 mg/l is a contravention (9–20 fine points plus licence suspension); above 0.40 mg/l breath or 0.80 g/l blood the offence becomes criminal under Art. 336 of the Penal Code, with 1–5 years' prison and a 1–10 year driving ban.

Two recent changes matter. Romania's full Schengen accession took effect on 1 January 2025, so land border checks with Hungary and Bulgaria are now lifted (the March 2024 step covered air and sea only).

And the punct de amendă — the unit that scales every fine to the minimum wage — sits at 202.5 RON until 30 June 2026, then climbs to 216.25 RON from 1 July when the minimum gross salary rises to 4,325 RON; every fine in this guide scales accordingly. Mountain passes are seasonal: the Transfăgărășan (DN7C) typically opens late June or early July and closes in mid-to-late October (in 2025: opened 6 June, closed 20 October), with daytime-only access; the Transalpina (DN67C) follows the same rhythm.

Can you drive in Romania?

Accepted licenses from

EUEEASwitzerlandUK1968 Vienna Convention signatories (with IDP)
Validity period

EU/EEA and Swiss licences are valid indefinitely while the holder is a tourist. Non-EU licences (including US, Canada, Australia) are valid for tourist stays of up to 90 days from the date of entry into Romania, provided they are accompanied by a 1968 Vienna Convention International Driving Permit. Romania does NOT recognise the 1949 Geneva IDP — only the 1968 Vienna IDP.

Important note

After 90 days, non-EU drivers who become residents must exchange their licence at DRPCIV (the Direcția Regim Permise de Conducere și Înmatriculare a Vehiculelor) within 180 days of obtaining a residence permit, submitting passport, residence permit, original licence with sworn translation, and a medical certificate. UK licences are accepted for tourist use post-Brexit.

What to carry in your car

Mandatory items

  • Two warning triangles (ECE R27-approved) — Romania is one of the few EU states requiring two, not one
  • Trusă medicală auto conforming to Ordinul Ministrului Sănătății 623/1999 (sealed, within expiry date — expired kit is treated as missing, 810–1,012.5 RON fine)
  • Fire extinguisher (minimum 1 kg, ABC powder, within inspection date)
  • Valid driving licence (original, not a photocopy)
  • Vehicle registration certificate (certificat de înmatriculare)
  • Valid RCA (third-party liability) insurance — paper or digital proof accepted
  • Valid rovinietă (linked electronically to the licence plate; no physical sticker)

Recommended items

  • Reflective high-visibility vest (not legally mandatory for passenger cars — only for vehicles over 3.5 t — but Poliția Rutieră recommends one per occupant and police will stop you if you stand on a hard shoulder without one)
  • Winter tyres marked M+S (mandatory only when the road is actually covered in snow, ice or sleet — see uniqueChallenges; strongly recommended November–March anyway)
  • Spare bulb set and basic tool kit
  • Tow rope or rigid tow bar
  • Dash camera (widely used in Romania given overtaking culture on DN roads)
  • European Accident Statement form (constatare amiabilă)

Speed limits

Urban areas

km/h

Rural roads

km/h

Highways/motorways

km/h
Test your knowledge of Romania traffic rulesFree practice questions based on official test material.Start practicing

Toll roads

Payment methods

  • RO e-Rovinietă app (official CNAIR mobile app)
  • Online via roviniete.ro, erovinieta.net, evignette.ro and other CNAIR-authorised resellers
  • OMV, Petrom, MOL, Rompetrol and Lukoil filling stations
  • Post offices and border kiosks
  • For the Fetești–Cernavodă bridge toll: TaxaDePod app, Pago, contactless card at the toll point, or pre-paid online
Average cost

Rovinietă (CNAIR May 2026 tariffs, Category A car under 3.5 t): 1 day 17.85 RON (~€3.50), 10 days 30.60 RON (~€6), 30 days 48.45 RON (~€9.50), 60 days 76.51 RON (~€15), 12 months 255.02 RON (~€50). No 7-day option exists. A2 Fetești–Cernavodă bridge: 13 RON per crossing (26 RON return) for cars. Giurgiu–Ruse Danube bridge to Bulgaria: ~€3 from the Romanian side, €2 from the Bulgarian side. Calafat–Vidin bridge: ~€6 (one-way, cars).

Rovinietă is mandatory on ALL national roads (DN prefix), motorways (A) and expressways (DX). It is linked to the licence-plate number and verified by ANPR — there is no physical sticker. Driving without a valid rovinietă is fined 250–500 RON (cars) plus a contravention; you can also pay a discounted retroactive vignette within 48 hours of being flagged. The Fetești–Cernavodă bridge is a SEPARATE toll on top of the rovinietă even though the bridge sits on the A2. Bulgarian and Hungarian vignettes are NOT valid in Romania — buy a Romanian one before crossing.

Parking

Line colors

Blue painted bays / "zona albastră" sign

Paid parking zone — pay by app, SMS or parking meter; unified Bucharest tariff is 5 RON/hour 08:00–20:00 daily including weekends

Yellow painted kerb or solid line

No stopping (oprirea interzisă) — staționarea voluntară is prohibited

White bays without paid-zone sign

Free parking — common outside city centres

Green zone (Bucharest Sector 4 only)

Discounted 1 RON/hour residential overflow zone

Disabled bay with wheelchair pictogram

Reserved for karta parcare card holders only — fine 2,000–10,000 RON plus mandatory vehicle removal

Parking tips

  • Use the official Parking București or RO e-Rovinietă companion apps in the capital — third-party SMS short codes work but add a premium
  • Blue-zone enforcement runs 08:00–20:00 seven days a week in Bucharest — there is no weekend exemption since the 2023 unification
  • Parking on pavements (trotuar) is prohibited and triggers automatic removal in Bucharest Sectors 1, 2, 3 and 6; Poliția Locală fine is 870–1,305 RON
  • Disabled-bay parking without a valid karta parcare carries one of the highest specific fines in Europe: 2,000–10,000 RON plus immediate vehicle removal
  • Mall and supermarket underground parking is typically free or token-validated and is the safest option for overnight stays in central Bucharest
Average cost

Bucharest CMPB unified blue-zone tariff (since 2023): 5 RON/hour (~€1) 08:00–20:00 daily; daily pass 30 RON; resident pass 50 RON/month or 500 RON/year (max 2 per apartment). Sector 4 operates a tiered 1–4 RON/hour zone scheme. SMS and third-party app payment typically adds ~20% over kiosk price. Cluj-Napoca and Timișoara central zones run 2.5–5 RON/hour. Underground garages in shopping malls (Promenada, AFI, Băneasa, ParkLake) are usually free with a same-day receipt above a small spend threshold.

Common mistakes tourists make

  1. Driving on a DN national road or motorway without a valid rovinietă — automatic ANPR catches it, 250–500 RON fine for cars plus mandatory retroactive vignette purchase
  2. Assuming the A2 toll-free motorway is fully toll-free — the Fetești–Cernavodă bridge section charges 13 RON per car crossing on top of the vignette
  3. Treating Romania like Germany or Italy on alcohol — there is ZERO tolerance below 0.40 mg/l (contravention) and prison risk above 0.40 mg/l breath / 0.80 g/l blood
  4. Carrying only one warning triangle — Romania requires TWO, ECE R27-approved
  5. Driving with an expired trusă medicală — even a sealed but date-expired first-aid kit triggers an 810–1,012.5 RON fine, same as having none at all
  6. Overtaking on two-lane DN roads with marginal sight distance — the leading single cause of fatal crashes on Romanian non-motorway roads
  7. Driving the Transfăgărășan (DN7C) or Transalpina (DN67C) outside the open season — both are physically barriered from late October until mid June, with daylight-only access (typically 09:00–20:00) even in summer
  8. Not slowing for horse-drawn carts on rural roads in Moldova, Oltenia and Maramureș — they are legal road users and often unlit at dusk
  9. Forgetting that land borders into Hungary and Bulgaria are now fully Schengen (since 1 January 2025) — no passport check, but customs/random spot checks still happen

Traffic fines

Speeding
Punct de amendă = 202.5 RON until 30 June 2026, then 216.25 RON from 1 July 2026 (5% of minimum gross salary). 10–20 km/h over: 2–3 puncte (405–607.5 RON now / 432.5–648.75 RON from July). 21–30 km/h: 4–5 puncte (810–1,012.5 RON). 31–40 km/h: 6–8 puncte (1,215–1,620 RON). 41–50 km/h: 9–20 puncte (1,822.5–4,050 RON). Over 50 km/h: 9–20 puncte plus 90-day licence suspension. Over 70 km/h: 9–20 puncte plus 120-day suspension.
No seatbelt
Class I sanction: 2–3 puncte = 405–607.5 RON (rising to 432.5–648.75 RON from 1 July 2026). Applied individually to each unbelted occupant. For unbelted minors the driver is liable for Class II (4–5 puncte / 810–1,012.5 RON) plus 3 penalty points.
Phone use
Handheld phone use while driving (including stopped at lights): Class II sanction, 4–5 puncte = 810–1,012.5 RON. If combined with another violation: Class III, 6–8 puncte (1,215–1,620 RON) plus 30-day licence suspension.
Red light
Class II sanction: 4–5 puncte = 810–1,012.5 RON, plus 6 penalty points and 30-day licence suspension. ANPR red-light cameras now enforce automatically in Bucharest and major cities.
Illegal parking
Standard wrongful parking: Class I or II, typically 405–1,012.5 RON. Disabled bay without a karta parcare: 2,000–10,000 RON plus mandatory vehicle removal (a Local Police Bucharest enforcement priority since 2024). Pavement parking in Bucharest sectors with active enforcement: 870–1,305 RON plus removal.

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Romania practice questions

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On which side of the road do vehicles drive in Romania?

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Emergency contacts

Police112
Ambulance112
Fire112
Roadside assistance112routes to police/SMURD/ambulance. ACR (Automobile Clubul Român) 24/7 roadside assistance: 9268 (from Romania) or +40 21 222 22 22. RAR (Registrul Auto Român) for technical roadside inspections. Most comprehensive insurance policies (Allianz-Țiriac, Groupama, Omniasig, Generali) include 24/7 assistance hotlines printed on the polița RCA / Casco.

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Sources

Every numeric and regulatory claim on this page is checked against the official Romania source listed below. Fines and fees in particular drift year to year — if a figure has changed since our last verification date, the linked source will reflect the current value.

Speed limitsOUG 195/2002 (Codul Rutier) — Art. 49 — viteza maximă admisă pe categorii de drumuriAlcohol limitCodul Penal — Art. 336 Conducerea unui vehicul sub influența alcoolului (pragul de 0,80 g/l sânge devine infracțiune)FinesOUG 195/2002 — Art. 98 răspunderea contravențională (punct de amendă = 5% din salariul minim brut; 202,5 RON până la 30 iunie 2026, 216,25 RON de la 1 iulie 2026)TollsCNAIR — Rovinietă electronică (tarife 2026, Category A)Bridge Toll Fetesti CernavodaCNAIR / TaxaDePod — Taxa de pod Fetești–Cernavodă (A2) — 13 RON/trecere autoturism, 2026In-car equipmentOrdinul Ministrului Sănătății nr. 623/1999 (conținut trusă sanitară auto) + OUG 195/2002 Art. 8Foreign licenceDRPCIV — Direcția Regim Permise de Conducere și Înmatriculare a Vehiculelor (regim permise străine)Emergency contactsSistemul Național Unic pentru Apeluri de Urgență 112 (STS)FuelPretCarburant.ro / GlobalPetrolPrices — surveyed retail benzină 95 and motorină prices, May 2026Winter TyresHG 1391/2006 (Regulamentul de aplicare a OUG 195/2002) Art. 109 — anvelope de iarnă M+S obligatorii pe drumuri acoperite cu zăpadă, gheață sau poleiSchengenConsiliul UE — ridicarea controalelor la frontierele terestre cu Bulgaria și România de la 1 ianuarie 2025Mountain PassesCNAIR — Comunicate de presă, închidere/deschidere DN7C Transfăgărășan și DN67C Transalpina (2025: 6 iunie–20 octombrie)

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