Table of Contents
1 Regulations and Policies
1.1 Trade Regulations and Policies
1.1.1 Principal Authority Governing Trade
1.1.2 Trade Regulation
1.1.3 Relevant Provisions on Trade Administration
1.1.4 Inspection and Quarantine of Imported and Exported Commodities
1.1.5 Customs Administration Rules and Regulations
1.1 Trade Regulations and Policies
1.1.1 Principal Authority Governing Trade
The Romanian Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade is the competent authority in the field of foreign trade and investment in Romania. It is a specialized central public administration agency with a legal personality, subordinate to the government and coordinated by the Prime Minister. The Agency is responsible for implementing the Government's policies, attracting foreign direct and portfolio investments, promoting foreign trade—including Romania's services exclusively in the tourism sector—as well as monitoring Romania's overseas investments. In accordance with relevant legislation, it is tasked with initiating, developing, promoting, implementing, and enforcing government policies and strategies in these areas, as well as establishing the necessary regulatory frameworks. The Agency serves as the primary liaison between potential investors and Romania's central and local governments. It functions as a service provider for foreign investors, offering assistance and consultation for the implementation of investment projects. Supervision of foreign trade and Romania's overseas investments is managed by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism.
1.1.2 Trade Regulations
As of January 1, 2007, upon its accession to the European Union (EU), Romania has adopted the EU's common trade policies, including unified tariffs, trade protection measures, and most-favored-nation treatment. Consequently, it no longer retains individual trade legislation nor the authority to determine customs tariff rates and formulate trade policies. Trade protection measures implemented by the EU, including anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, and quota policies, along with environmental and technical standards requirements, are equally applicable to Romania. The Romanian Government is required to transpose relevant EU regulations into national legislation. Currently, Romania's import and export policies are governed by Regulations No. 478/2015 and 479/2015, adopted by the European Parliament on March 11, 2015, and effective as of April 16, 2015, respectively, as well as Regulation (EC) No. 3285/94 on the Implementation of Common Import Rules.
1.1.3 Relevant Provisions on Trade Administration
Upon Romania's accession to the EU, the EU's unified trade policy becomes applicable. Except for certain products regulated by agreed-upon quotas or those that pose risks to human health and the environment, a licensing system generally does not apply to import and export goods. In the case of sensitive products such as military materials, chemicals, and biological products, Romania regulates them through relevant international conventions or domestic regulations, and imports and exports must be approved in advance by the Export Control Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For dual-use goods, Romania implements EU Regulation 821/2021 on establishing norms for the control of exports, brokering, technical assistance, transit, and transfer of dual-use items, including software and technology; items which could be used in the design, development, production, or use of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons or their means of delivery; and all items which could be used for non-explosive purposes and in any way assist in the manufacture of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. Romania implements a differentiated export licensing system for the export of related products according to different categories. When handling customs procedures for the export of dual-use goods, exporters must provide any necessary export license certificates obtained.
1.1.4 Inspection and Quarantine of Imported and Exported Commodities
After Romania's accession to the EU, the unified EU inspection and quarantine policies for import and export commodities are applicable, and strict inspection and quarantine management regulations and standards for food, animals, plants, and their products as well as various industrial products are enforced, different inspection and quarantine management methods are implemented in accordance with the nature of the products.
1.1.5 Customs Administration Rules and Regulations
Upon Romania's accession to the EU, the relevant EU customs regulations and procedures are automatically applied, and the tariff rates for major import and export commodities are identical to those of the EU. In order to comply with the accession requirements, Romania promulgated and implemented the current Customs Code (Law No. 86/2006) in 2006, which officially came into effect in June of the same year. Except for the chapters on legal penalties and institutional structure, the new Customs Code is nearly identical to the EU model.
The EU amended and adopted the Union Customs Code (Regulation No. 952 of 2013, hereinafter referred to as "the Code") on October 9, 2013. The provisions regarding the organizational structure came into effect on October 30 of the same year, and other provisions were officially implemented as of May 1, 2016. The Romanian Government has also revised and enhanced the existing regulations in accordance with relevant provisions.
The official website of the European Commission's Customs Commission is as follows: ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp?Lang=en
The website of the General Customs Directorate under the Romanian National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) is as follows: https://www.customs.ro/en
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China. The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China version shall prevail.