Romanian for offices and documents: permits, CNP, doctor, bank

This guide teaches the language you need at the office. It is not legal advice. For the rules on residence permits, temporary protection and registration, check the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) (opens in a new tab) or, if you come from Ukraine, UNHCR's help pages for Romania (opens in a new tab).

Offices in Romania run on appointments, forms and a folder of copies. You will meet the same dozen words at the immigration office, the town hall, the bank and the doctor's surgery. Learn them once and every visit gets easier; add vă rog (please) and mulțumesc (thank you) and you will be understood.

At the counter

Most offices give you an appointment (programare), often booked online, and you hand in an application (cerere) at a counter (ghișeu). Bring the originals and copies of your documents.

• programare

  appointment

• Am o programare.

  I have an appointment.

• cerere

  application, request

• ghișeu

  counter, service window

• Unde depun cererea?

  Where do I hand in the application?

• copie

  copy

• original

  original (document)

• adeverință

  certificate, written confirmation

• Am nevoie de un interpret.

  I need an interpreter.

Your documents

These are the words on the papers you will be asked for. The CNP (cod numeric personal) is a 13-digit personal number; once you have one, the doctor, the bank and most offices will ask for it.

• pașaport

  passport

• permis de ședere

  residence permit

• protecție temporară

  temporary protection

• CNP

  personal numeric code

• contract de închiriere

  rental contract

At the doctor and the pharmacy

In Romania you register with a family doctor (medicul de familie), who is your first stop for most care and for prescriptions. In an emergency, call 112.

• medicul de familie

  the family doctor

• Mă doare aici.

  It hurts here.

• rețetă

  prescription

• farmacie

  pharmacy

• urgență

  emergency

School and the bank

To enrol a child, you ask at the school (școală) or the kindergarten (grădiniță) about înscriere (enrolment). At the bank, a deschide un cont is to open an account.

• școală

  school

• grădiniță

  kindergarten

• înscriere

  enrolment, registration

• Aș dori să deschid un cont.

  I would like to open an account.

• extras de cont

  bank statement

Polite phrases that help everywhere

Further reading

• General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) (opens in a new tab), the official source for residence permits.
• UNHCR help for Romania (opens in a new tab), official information for people from Ukraine, in Ukrainian, Romanian and English.
• dexonline (opens in a new tab), the free online dictionary of Romanian.