Purpose of the procedure: The procedure is intended for the recognition of the professional qualification of legal adviser obtained in a member state of the European Union (EU) or belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) or in the Swiss Confederation - the state of origin - and registration with the Ministry of Justice, for the purpose of providing, on a settled basis in Romania - the host state - the professional activity.

Beneficiaries of the procedure: citizens of an EU member state or belonging to the EEA or of the Swiss Confederation who have obtained the professional qualification of legal adviser in the state of origin and wish to practice the profession in Romania on a settled basis.

Submitting the application

- electronic means

· by email, at the following address dsc@just.ro

· via the Single Electronic Contact Point platform

- by mail/courier (it is not necessary to indicate a contact person);

- in person/by delegated person (a power of attorney is not required) - at the registry of the Ministry of Justice.

Document submission schedule: ​https://www.just.ro/contact/

Procedure stages

I. Evaluation stage:

-verifying the fulfillment of the legal conditions for recognition of professional qualification – 20 working days from the date of submission of the application;

-appealing the results of the verification of the conditions for recognition – 3 working days from the communication of the results;

-resolution of appeals – 5 working days from the expiration of the deadline for submitting appeals;

II. Completing a 3-year traineeship in Romanian law by the applicant and submitting to the Ministry of Justice proof of its actual completion

OR

II. Sitting the professional knowledge verification exam, which consists of a written assessment, in the form of a multiple choice test in the following fields: civil law, criminal law, civil procedure law, criminal procedure law, administrative law, labor law and commercial law.

III. Issuance of the order by the Minister of Justice granting the right to practice the profession of legal adviser – communicated within 15 days from issuance, in the manner indicated in the application

Language skills - The assessment of language skills is not part of the recognition procedure. If there are serious and concrete doubts about the professional's level of knowledge of the language regarding the legal adviser's professional activity, verification of Romanian language skills necessary for practicing the profession in Romania may be carried out only after recognition of the professional qualification.

Translation of official documents issued abroad

Official documents issued abroad are to be submitted in photocopy and must be accompanied by a translation, without the need for its legalization. If, according to the requirements below, legalization of the translation is also necessary, the translation is to be done by an authorized interpreter and translator in Romania, whose signature is authenticated by a public notary or by the diplomatic mission or consular office of Romania abroad. Translations carried out by official translators from other EU member states, the EEA or the Swiss Confederation are also accepted. If the document issued in an EU member state refers to birth, marriage, domicile, residence or criminal record, the translation is replaced by the multilingual standard form to facilitate translation, issued in accordance with Regulation (EU) no. 2016/1191. Additional information ​here.

Fee - If the applicant opts for completing the three-year traineeship in Romanian law, a judicial stamp fee of 20 lei is payable for processing the application. The judicial stamp fee is paid to the local budget account of the administrative-territorial unit in Romania where the applicant has domicile/residence (city hall). If the applicant has neither domicile nor residence in Romania, the fee is paid to the account of Bucharest District 5 City Hall. To find out the account for payment, you can contact the competent Directorate of Taxes and Local Fees. Payment can be made in cash / by bank transfer / online (including on www.ghiseul.ro), at City Hall, banking units, CEC, State Treasury, or at the Romanian Post, but only into the local budget account of the city hall mentioned above. The receipt must bear the note “judicial stamp fee for recognition of legal adviser qualification”. The judicial stamp fee is non-refundable if, following the verification of the application and attached supporting documents, the conditions for recognition of the professional qualification are not met.

If the applicant opts for sitting the professional knowledge verification exam, the judicial stamp fee mentioned above is not paid, but the examination fee, which is subsequently set by order of the Minister of Justice organizing the examination session.