UPDATE: Romania is now part of the Schengen Area. This means that Filipino passport holders who want to visit Romania for tourism generally need to apply for a Schengen short-stay visa. You should apply through Romania if Romania is your main destination, or if it is your first point of entry and no other Schengen country is your clear main destination. The requirements below have been updated to reflect this, but always check the Romanian Embassy’s latest instructions before applying.

Romania is best known for the historical region of Transylvania — this is not only because of its charming castles that are perched on top of picturesque hills but also because of its association with the legend of ‘Count Dracula’.

But I must say, there’s more to Romania than this because the district of Dobrogea is worth anyone’s while too! After all, I have spent my time there for a week and I had an amazing time. Though of course… in order to enjoy this all, as a Filipino citizen, you will need to avail a Romania visa first.

Fret not because it’s easy to apply for one and I hope that my guide and tips below will help you to on a successful application!

…But first, a disclaimer:

NO ONE can give you a guarantee on your Romanian visa’s approval — not even a lawyer, a consultant, a travel agent, or an embassy employee. Anyone who says otherwise is most likely going to be a scammer.

That being said, what I can offer you here is a comprehensive guide with helpful tips to increase your chances of getting that Romania Visa.

Application Process for Romania Visa

Step 1: Determine the type of Romania visa that you need to apply for

There are, of course, various types of Romanian visas out there that you can apply for: a visa for studying, a visa for working, etc.

For this particular guide, I will only be discussing the requirements for a visit or tourist visa since it’s an experience that I’ve gone through myself.

If, however, you have a complicated situation or a different purpose of visit, it’s best that you head over to this page of the Embassy of Romania in the Philippines for more information.

NOTE: A Schengen short-stay visa generally allows stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the Schengen Area. However, the exact number of days, validity period, and number of entries will depend on the visa issued.

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Step 2: Register online to initiate and process your Romania visa application

Go to Romania’ E-Visa Portal and click the button that says “Apply for a visa“.

The process for setting up your own account in the portal is easy and self-explanatory. Just follow the instructions, proceed to type in your info, as well as upload soft copies of relevant documents.

Do remember though that if you are traveling together with other people, each of you must individually register and apply on the site.

To start off, below is a list of the basic documents that I uploaded.

NOTE: You can submit files that are in .JPG or .PDF formats and they must be under 2MB size.
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If you’re not familiar with .PDF files, I have a section below with tips and explanations on how to do such — it’s very easy! Otherwise, these can be done quickly by any computer or internet cafe shop.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

• Duly Accomplished Visa Application Form – You can download this form through this link.
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• Passport Photo – Submit 2 pieces of passport-sized photos (3cm x 4cm) on a white background.
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• Passport – Your passport should generally be valid for at least 3 months after your planned departure from the Schengen Area, and it should have been issued within the last 10 years.
  • Along with this, you must also submit a photocopy of the passport’s first page (which contains your passport data and personal information).
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• Hotel Voucher(s) – These are hotel reservation(s) for the entire duration of your stay in Romania and they must contain the name and contact details of the hotel(s) you’ve chosen.
  • I usually reserve my hotel stays via Booking.com and/or Agoda.com. With them, you can reserve a hotel with NO pre-payment and you can even cancel the booking a day before your arrival with NO cancellation charges at all. So yes, you can make reservations without any payment, you can change the reservation anytime, AND you can cancel them at no cost as well if in case your visa is not approved.
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• Airline Tickets – Do not buy non-refundable flights unless the embassy specifically requires confirmed tickets. A flight reservation or itinerary may be accepted in many cases, but always follow the latest checklist from the embassy or visa center.
  • You can easily get a flight reservation online with OneWayFly for a small fee of only Php 1,000~. I highly recommend them because they are fast, easy, and legitimate; plus, I have been using them for years for all of my visa applications! (Read here for more info).
  • Later on, when you want to book your final flight details, my go-to platform is Skyscanner since they offer the best flight deals worldwide:

• Proof of Financial Resources – For this, I submitted my bank certificate and statements.
  • The embassy states that you must have at least EUR 50 per day of your stay in Romania, but it must not be less than EUR 500 or its equivalent in convertible currency for the entire period (or if your host/sponsor will NOT cover your living expenses).
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• Travel Itinerary – To see the travel itinerary that I submitted, you can view and download it here.
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• Travel Insurance – Travel medical insurance must be valid for the entire Schengen Area, cover the full duration of your stay, and provide at least €30,000 in emergency medical and repatriation coverage.
  • I used Pacific Cross on separate instances and it was accepted by the Embassy.
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• Proof of Strong Ties – Depending on your situation…
  • If you are employed: submit your Certification of Employment (COE) and Approved Leave of Absence
  • If you are self-employed: submit Photocopies of SEC registration, business registration, and income tax statement
  • If you are a student: Enrollment Certificate from your school, approved leave of absence (if applicable), and Affidavit of Support from your parents or guardian (preferably notarized and Apostilled when required.)
  • If you are a minor: provide a Birth Certificate and certified copies of ID/passport of both parents. The application form must be signed by both parents (if only one parent has full custody over the minor, the family court order has to be attached).

Start filing your local taxes in the Philippines as early as NOW — after all, a lot of embassies (not only Romania) require an ITR. So if you’re looking for a hassle-free experience on Philippines tax compliance, I suggest registering with Taxumo because they can take care of literally everything for you: tax forms, payments, and submissions.
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Step 3: Wait and then attend your scheduled appointment

After you finish the online application at the E-Visa Portal, your files will be sent to the Embassy for verification which will take more or less a week (working days only).

When your files are approved by the Embassy, they will instruct you via email to book your preferred date for submitting hard copies of the documents you uploaded.

• Take note that you must submit the same documents you uploaded online together with the Visa Application Form. It’s advisable to print all documents on A4 paper.
• Do arrive on time for your chosen appointment; however, it is recommended that you do NOT arrive at the Embassy too early because it is possible that you will only be attended to around the time of your scheduled appointment.
• It is possible to have a representative or any third party to submit your documents, and that person must have an authorization letter and a valid ID.

The Romanian Embassy’s address in Manila is as follows…

Embassy of Romania in the Philippines
150 Legazpi Street, G.C. Corporate Plaza
6th Floor, Legazpi Village
Makati City, Philippines
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +63 02 843 9014

The Consular section is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00PM to 5:00PM. That being said, it’s important that you have all your documents printed out and ready in order to not waste time.

Once the consular officer accepts your application documents, you will need to pay the visa fee. As of the latest Schengen visa fee rules, the standard fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to 12. Additional service fees may apply depending on where and how you submit your application.

Please note that the visa fee is not refunded if your Romania visa application is refused.

Finally, the officer will notify you as to what date you can return in order to claim your Romania visa application results.

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Step 3: Get the results of your Romania visa application.

Customarily, the processing time for a Schengen visa commonly takes around 15 calendar days, but it can take longer during busy periods or if additional documents are requested. Mine took 14 days.

Make sure that you take the payment receipt or slip (if provided) when claiming your passport.

To give you an idea of my application timeline…

• April 24: I submitted my documents via the E-Visa Portal
• May 4: I was notified by the Embassy that my documents were verified
• May 10: I attended my Romania visa application appointment
• May 24: I received my Romanian tourist visa!

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Booking Essentials

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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

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» Top Romania Tours «

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Applying for a Schengen visa via Romania is relatively easy, and I hope that with this visa guide, I can help you prepare your documents and requirements better.

Let me know how it goes! Good luck!