Romania Work Visa and EU Blue Card Salary Rules

Romania’s salary analysis starts with two different figures. The EU Blue Card/highly qualified route uses the average gross salary signal. Ordinary work residence files use job, category, and Romanian wage-floor logic, with the national minimum gross salary as the minimum baseline.

For route choice, start with Romania Work Visa vs EU Blue Card.

Salary Snapshot

Rule	Formula Or Signal	Working 2026 Signal
EU Blue Card / highly qualified work	Salary at least the Romanian average gross salary used for the current legal reference point	RON 9,192/month, using Law 44/2026 as checked on July 22, 2026
Ordinary D/AM work residence	Salary must fit the employment category, contract, and Romanian labour rules	At least RON 4,325/month from July 1, 2026 for the national minimum gross salary, before role-specific requirements
D/AM2 shortage-list work	Occupation and employer-file conditions matter in addition to salary	Do not rely on salary alone; check the shortage-list and placement/employer filing route
Visa maintenance evidence	Some visa files require maintenance evidence linked to the minimum gross salary	Highly qualified workers are treated separately under the 2026 framework

Qualification Evidence

The EU Blue Card is not a salary-only route. Romania’s 2026 framework points to higher education or superior professional competences. For general highly qualified cases, superior professional competences can be shown through at least 5 years of relevant professional experience comparable to higher education.

For IT managers and ICT specialists covered by the named occupational groups in the 2026 ordinance, the experience route is narrower but more specific: at least 3 years of relevant professional experience within the 7 years before the Blue Card application can be relevant.

Regulated professions remain their own gate. A salary that reaches the threshold does not solve professional recognition, licensing, or authorization where Romanian sector rules require them.

Employer And Role Fit

The employer-filed request should connect the job title, job description, contract duration, working hours, salary, qualifications, and worker profile. WorkinRomania describes the single request as employer-driven; the worker should not treat it as a self-filed immigration application.

For non-Blue-Card roles, D/AM2 can be the relevant work-visa path, but it is narrower than a generic job-offer route. WorkinRomania describes D/AM2 for permanent, seasonal, and cross-border workers who do not meet D/AM1 criteria, with an occupation-list requirement for D/AM2.

Stale-Source Warning

Some English pages and private summaries still show older Romanian Blue Card thresholds or validity periods. This cluster uses Romania’s 2026 emergency ordinance, WorkinRomania, and 2026 salary legislation as the working source set. Recheck before filing, especially when a salary sits near the threshold.

Editorial Status

This article was checked against Romanian official law, WorkinRomania, and salary legislation on July 22, 2026. Salary figures should be rechecked whenever Romania updates the average gross salary or national minimum wage.