The Romanian A2 requirement from 1 January 2027: what the law actually says

The short answer

Romania has replaced the old Romanian-language interview for long-term residence with a written certificate. The certificate must be issued by an accredited institution in Romania and must prove Romanian at a level not lower than A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The new rule applies to long-term residence applications filed from 1 January 2027. Applications filed up to and including 31 December 2026 are still decided under the old rules.

If you are a non-EU citizen who plans to apply for long-term residence, which is the status that normally follows five years of continuous legal stay, this is the rule that affects you. If you are an EU citizen, or if you are only renewing a temporary residence permit, it works differently, and the sections below explain how.

Where the rule is written

The requirement is not in a separate language law and it is not a decision of the immigration office. It was created by Government Emergency Ordinance (OUG) no. 32 of 23 April 2026 on foreigners' access to the Romanian labour market, published in the Official Gazette (Monitorul Oficial) no. 335 of 27 April 2026. That ordinance does two things at once: it creates a new framework for hiring foreign workers, and it amends other laws, including the main law on foreigners, OUG 194/2002.

The A2 rule sits in the amending part of the ordinance. Article 45, point 51 adds a new letter f) to Article 72, paragraph (1) of OUG 194/2002. Article 72(1) is the list of documents that must be attached to a long-term residence application. The new letter f) reads, in substance: a language competence certificate issued by accredited institutions in Romania, attesting knowledge of Romanian at a level not lower than A2 of the CEFR.

This is why many people searching the ordinance for the words "language requirement" cannot find it. It is not in the part about employers and work permits. It is a short amendment to the document list for long-term residence, deep inside the amending articles. If you want to check it yourself, search the text of OUG 32/2026 for "competență lingvistică" and you will land on it.

The date that matters: 31 December 2026

The ordinance contains a transition rule in Article 52, paragraph (6). It says that applications for the right of long-term residence filed up to 31 December 2026 are decided under the legislation that applied before the ordinance entered into force. In practice the date that counts is the date you file your application, not the date you meet the five-year condition and not the date a decision is made.

Two things follow from this. First, someone who files a complete application in 2026 is handled under the old procedure. Second, someone who files from 1 January 2027 must attach the A2 certificate, because it is now one of the mandatory documents in the file.

The same ordinance also repeals Article 72, paragraph (2) of OUG 194/2002, which was the provision on the Romanian-language interview. For applications under the new rules, the certificate replaces the interview. This is a real change in how the language is assessed: instead of a short conversation at the immigration office, you present independent evidence issued by a recognised institution.

What "long-term residence" means

Romanian law distinguishes between temporary residence and long-term residence. Temporary residence is granted for a defined period, for a purpose such as work, study, family reunification or business, and must be renewed. Long-term residence is granted for an indefinite period, is not tied to a single employer and gives you equal treatment with Romanian citizens in areas such as work, education and social protection. Foreigners generally become eligible after five years of continuous legal residence in Romania, and they must also meet conditions on accommodation, means of support, health insurance and a clean criminal record.

The A2 certificate is a new item on that list. It does not replace any of the other documents. If you are planning for 2027, treat the certificate as one more document you must obtain before you can file, in the same way you must obtain a criminal record certificate or proof of accommodation. A missing or non-accepted certificate means an incomplete file.

• Passport and the standard application form
• Proof of legal accommodation
• Proof of means of support, for example an employment contract and payslips
• Health insurance
• Romanian criminal record certificate
• From 1 January 2027: the Romanian A2 language certificate

Who is not covered

The rule is written into the law on foreigners, so it applies to third-country nationals. Citizens of other EU member states, and their family members, follow a different law (OUG 102/2005, which implements Directive 2004/38/EC). Under that directive, EU citizens who have resided legally for five continuous years acquire permanent residence without having to meet additional language conditions. The A2 requirement in OUG 32/2026 does not change that.

The ordinance also exempts unaccompanied minors from several of the documents in the long-term residence file, including the new certificate. Beyond that exemption, we have not found any general exemption written into the text. Where a friend or a recruiter tells you that your nationality, your job or your family situation exempts you, ask for the article number. If they cannot give you one, confirm with the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) before you rely on it.

Romanian citizenship is a separate matter. It is governed by the citizenship law, which requires a higher level, B1. We explain the difference in our guide to who needs A2, B1 or nothing at all.

What "accredited institutions in Romania" means

The text of the amendment says the certificate must be issued by "accredited institutions in Romania". In the text of OUG 32/2026 that we read, there is no list of those institutions. The citizenship law, by contrast, names its accepted issuers: universities accredited for the Romanian preparatory year, the Romanian Language Institute and the Romanian Cultural Institute. For long-term residence, the practical details are expected to follow from the authorities.

This matters because the market for certificates is not uniform. Some universities and language institutes run exams for foreigners every week and issue certificates at A1 to C2. Others focus on the preparatory-year programme, which ends with an exam at B1 minimum and takes at least 28 weeks. A certificate is only useful for your file if the immigration authority accepts it. Before you pay for any exam, ask the centre whether its certificates are accepted for long-term residence under Article 72(1)(f), and check with IGI if you have any doubt.

How to plan backwards from your filing date

The safest way to plan is to start from the date you intend to file and work backwards. Suppose you reach five years of continuous legal residence in the spring of 2027. You will need to have the A2 certificate before that date, which means booking an exam slot, preparing for it and allowing time for the certificate to be issued. If an exam centre has a waiting list, that adds to the timeline. A sensible plan is to start preparing three to six months before you want to file.

If you could already file before the end of 2026, do not rush into an incomplete file just to avoid the certificate. A rejected or incomplete application costs time and money and can interfere with your status. Make sure that every other document is in order, and if it is, filing under the old rules is a legitimate option. If it is not, use the time to prepare for the certificate instead.

Also remember that gaps matter. Long-term residence requires continuous legal stay, so letting a temporary permit lapse can reset your count. The language certificate is only one part of a plan that includes renewing permits on time and keeping your travel outside Romania within the legal limits.

What the law does not say yet

Several practical points are not fixed by the ordinance itself. The exam format, the fees, the list of exam centres and the validity period of the certificate are not set out in the amendment we read. Fees are set by each issuer, and formats follow the CEFR descriptors for A2, which means a short test of listening, reading, writing and speaking at a basic level. Always ask the centre for its current price, schedule and sample papers.

An emergency ordinance is also not the end of the story. It enters into force immediately, but Parliament must approve it and can amend it. Check the current consolidated text on the official legislation portal before you file, and treat any summary, including this one, as a starting point rather than legal advice.

How A2Ready fits in

A2Ready is a practice tool. It does not issue the certificate and it is not an official exam. What it does is let you rehearse the part that most foreigners find hardest, speaking, with an AI examiner at any time of day, and then build your reading, listening and writing on top. Take the free three-minute test to see your readiness score, then follow the plan in our preparation guide.