Romanian residence permit through investment: two routes from €50,000

Romania is one of the few EU and Schengen countries where residence through investment still starts at €50,000. This guide explains the two routes, the thresholds and the timeline; the method itself is what ABTürk manages.

First, the accurate picture: property alone does not give residence

Romanian law (GEO 194/2002) has no article that grants residence for buying a house or a plot, and there is no programme called a golden visa. Residence through investment is nevertheless possible, because the law grants a residence right to a foreigner who brings capital into a company established in Romania and runs that company. The property is the asset that capital turns into. The difference lies not in the property but in the structure it is placed in.

Route 1: the administrator route, from €50,000

At least €50,000 of capital or technology is brought into a company established in Romania; the investor obtains a long-stay visa and then a residence permit as that company's administrator.

• There is no job-creation requirement.
• The capital becomes a property used for the business: a plot with premises, a rental home, a small commercial unit. At extensions this is documented.
• The investor must not be a shareholder in that company or in another Romanian company; the structure is built accordingly.
• For an investor with €50,000–100,000 this is the main route. Most opportunities in the ABTürk portfolio are selected against this threshold.

Route 2: the investor route, from €100,000

Residence as a partner or shareholder of the company, based on a business plan with investment and employment commitments.

• Threshold: €100,000 for an SRL, €150,000 for an SA; a business plan and job creation are required.
• Above €500,000 of investment, or more than 50 full-time jobs, permits are issued for three years at a time instead of one.
• This is the route for development projects, commercial property and operating businesses.

Timeline

• The first permit is for one year and is extended yearly for as long as the investment continues (three years above €500,000 on the investor route).
• After five uninterrupted years of legal residence you apply for open-ended long-term residence; during that period absences must not exceed six consecutive months or ten months in total.
• The first permit usually follows within a few months, depending on company formation and the visa calendar; in the consultation we give a realistic timeline for your case.

What Romanian residence gives you

The right to live in Romania legally, run your company in your own name and handle banking and administration in person. Romania has been an EU member since 2007 and a full part of the Schengen area since 2024–2025. Family members apply through a separate process once the main applicant holds residence.

ABTürk's role

In the first consultation we tell you plainly which route fits you, which property fits which structure and how the conditions are met. We design the company and investment structure, select the property that fits the investment and manage the process with licensed legal, accounting and immigration professionals in Romania as your single point of contact, extensions included. The details are shared with you as the structure is built; the method as a whole is our job.

Requirements vary with the person, the company structure and the regulations in force. Residence decisions belong to the Romanian authorities and cannot be guaranteed; we never propose a structure that would not be accepted.

Frequently asked