All obligations of an employer of non-EU workers
The Romanian language course (obligation #7) is only one of the obligations you have as an employer of workers from outside the EU. Below you will find the complete list, in plain language, with the indicative penalties where they are provided. For the exact wording, see the official text of GEO 32/2026.
01
Salary paid into a bank account
The salary must be paid exclusively into the worker’s bank account — no cash, no offsetting, and no automatic deduction of rent. Full transparency over income. (Effective from August 2026.)
Risk: 5,000 – 10,000 lei / worker
02
Bilingual individual employment contract
The contract must be drawn up both in Romanian and in the worker’s language or an international language they understand. The worker must know exactly what they are signing.
Risk: 6,000 lei / contract
03
Mandatory contract elements
The contract must include all elements required by law: job title, salary, duration, working conditions, bonuses, leave and all other rights.
04
OSH training and protective equipment
Occupational safety and health training, as well as personal protective equipment, must be provided in a language the worker understands.
05
Notifying the authorities
You must notify the competent authorities within the legal deadlines for situations such as unexcused absence over 3 days, contract termination, or danger situations.
Risk: 15,000 – 30,000 lei / situation
06
Access for inspection authorities
Inspection authorities must have access, without prior notice, to the workplace in order to verify compliance with the legal conditions.
07
Romanian language courses
You must provide Romanian language courses for a minimum of 6 months, at least 6 hours per week, including cultural and social integration elements. You can provide them directly or through a specialised provider.
→ WE HANDLE THIS OBLIGATION FOR YOU
08
Confidential complaint procedure
Workers must have access to a procedure through which they can report abuse or problems, in conditions of confidentiality.
09
Document archiving
Relevant documents must be kept for 5 years from the termination of the individual employment contract, for any subsequent checks.
10
Accommodation cap
If you provide accommodation, the amount withheld may not exceed 25% of the worker’s net salary. The accommodation must be fair and reasonably priced.
Risk: 2,000 – 5,000 lei
11
Activity matching the COR code
The worker must carry out exclusively the activity stated in the contract, according to the COR code. Any mismatch attracts serious penalties.
Risk: 10,000 – 20,000 lei / worker
12
Respecting the worker ceiling
The number of non-EU workers must respect the ceiling set by law, calculated against the average number of employees in the previous year, with the exceptions provided.
13
Respecting all legal prohibitions
In addition to the obligations above, the employer must respect all express prohibitions provided by the legislation in force regarding the work of foreign nationals.
Key points
The administrative procedures related to hiring foreign workers have largely moved to the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform. Beyond the course obligation, the ordinance also touches on the employment contract: a contract drawn up only in Romanian, without a translation into a language the worker understands, is penalised with 6,000 lei per contract.
The exact procedural details (which authority issues which documents and within what deadlines) must be checked against the official text before any decision, as they may be specified through later implementing rules. What we present here is an indicative framework.
27 Apr 2026
Published in Official Gazette no. 335
6 months
Course duration
6 hours
Hours / week
6,000 lei
Contract without translation
up to 40,000 lei
Non-compliance
Obligation #7, handled by a single provider
The good news for employers is that letter g can be fully covered through outsourcing. Our Romanian language course is built exactly around the requirements of GEO 32/2026: 6 months, 6 hours per week, cultural and social integration, plus assessment and progress monitoring. At the end you receive the complete attendance and results file, ready to present at an inspection.
Instead of interpreting the legal text yourself and organising everything internally, you give us the list of workers and we take this obligation off your hands.
The information on this page is indicative and does not constitute legal advice. For specific situations, check the official text of GEO 32/2026 and, where appropriate, consult a specialist.