RO ·
Romania: foreign-hire platform still paused as employers await a promised mid-November fix
Key WorkinRomania functions for employer registration and D/AM2 work-visa applications remain switched off after a Bucharest court suspended the shortage-occupation list. An employers’ association says the portal should work again by mid-November with almost 400 listed occupations, but no official date has been confirmed.
What has happened
A notice on the official WorkinRomania.gov.ro portal (checked on 7 November 2026) says that, after the Bucharest Court of Appeal suspended Ministry of Labour Order no. 1073/2026 approving the shortage-occupation list under Emergency Ordinance no. 32/2026, the platform’s flows for employer registration, employer authorisation and the single application for long-stay D/AM2 visas are deactivated. The case was brought by the employers’ association PIFM (Patronatul Importatorilor de Forță de Muncă). According to Mediafax, the Ministry of Labour announced the deactivation on 15 September 2026 and said it would appeal.
The announced fix (media report, not yet official)
On 30 October 2026 the national news agency AGERPRES published a statement from PIFM saying that, after talks with the Ministry of Labour, a technical and legislative solution had been agreed and the portal should be fully functional by mid-November at the latest. According to PIFM, two ministerial orders are planned: one changing the method for drawing up the shortage list and one introducing an extended list, growing from 289 to almost 400 occupations. PIFM also says new occupations could be added on request within ten days. We have not found an official ministry announcement confirming the date or the new list.
What it means for employers now
Until the flows are reactivated, employers cannot complete registration or authorisation, or file new D/AM2 applications, through the platform. Build this delay into recruitment plans, keep candidates honestly informed, and do not let anyone start work without the required approval and visa or permit. In September the ministry said it had asked for already-submitted applications to be identified so their handling could be decided by stage; check the status of each file with the authorities.
Quota context for 2027
For 2026 the Government set a quota of 90,000 newly admitted foreign workers (Ministry of Labour, 30 December 2025). The 2027 quota has not been set yet. On 6 November 2026 Ziare.com reported a recruitment company’s estimate that Romania needs at least 100,000 non-EU workers in 2027; this is an industry estimate, not a government figure.
What is still unclear
The exact reactivation date; whether the two orders will be adopted and published in the Official Gazette; the content of the extended list; the outcome of the ministry’s appeal; how pending files will be treated; and whether Parliament will amend Emergency Ordinance no. 32/2026, which PIFM wants changed, for example on employer liability for the acts of third parties.
How WorkMarket.eu works
Workers pay no recruitment fees through WorkMarket.eu. Every cross-border move and every legal start of work needs individual human review of the documents and the rules in force; nothing in this article means that a worker or an employer is automatically eligible. Check the official portal before acting.