Legal, planning and physical, and economic. Land that fails one of them is ruled out from your desk.
Under Law 312/2005, a non-EU citizen acquires land only under a treaty, on the basis of reciprocity. Non-EU developers usually buy through a Romanian company.
Agricultural land in the extravilan is sold only after the town hall publishes the offer of sale to pre-emption right holders (Law 17/2014, Article 6(2)).
In the built-up area, a division needs a PUZ. Up to 12 plots for private houses is possible once on a PUD, if the rules exist (Law 169/2026, Art. 218).
You can request an up-to-date extract and a planning certificate for information even for a plot that is not yet yours. Without them, it is too early to pay.
Land due diligence in Romania: the short answer
Before you buy land in Romania for a project, you put it through three filters: legal, planning and physical, and economic. Most of the checks can start from home, in official documents: a land register extract (extras de carte funciară), the cadastral map and a planning certificate for information (certificat de urbanism pentru informare), which anyone may request.
Two rules decide a great deal even before the price. The first: someone who is not an EU citizen does not buy land in their own private name, so a developer from outside the EU, Israelis included, usually buys through a Romanian company. The second: agricultural land outside the built-up area (extravilan) is sold only after a pre-emption procedure, and not every buyer may buy it.
The rule: no down payment before the land has passed all three filters.
Why a developer checks differently from a home buyer
Someone buying a villa in a project checks the developer. A developer buying land checks everything their buyers will check later, plus one more question: can the plot be divided, connected to utilities and given a permit?
A mistake in the land does not show up on the day you buy. It shows up in the permit application, at the bank, or on the day your first buyer pulls an extract.
Filter 1: the legal check
The extract: owners, charges and proceedings
The extract has three parts. Part I describes the plot and the cadastral number. Part II shows who the owner is and on what basis. Part III lists mortgages, seizures, notes of legal proceedings (notare litigiu), bans on transfer and the rights of others. An extract for information is available to anyone who requests it, including through ANCPI's online service (Law 7/1996, Article 11(2)(q)). How to read each part, we explained in the guide to the extract.
What you look for: that the seller is the registered owner, that all the owners sign, and that Part III is empty, or that every entry in it will be removed in an orderly way before signing.
A plot not registered in the land register
As a rule, a notary signs a transfer of ownership of real estate only when the property is registered in the land register (Law 7/1996, Article 36(1)). A plot you hear described as "there is a title, the registration is on its way" is not a plot you buy today. Registration first, then the down payment.
Boundaries on the ground versus boundaries in the register
Find the cadastral number on ANCPI's geoportal and compare it with the fence, the road and the neighbours. A licensed surveyor (topograf autorizat) measures the plot on the ground and compares it with the cadastral plan. A registered area that does not match the actual area changes what can be built, and sometimes the price too.
Restitution claims
In Ilfov, some land reached its owners through property titles issued after 1991. Check the chain of ownership back to the source, search the courts for cases under the names of the owners in the chain, and ask the town hall for a written answer on whether there are open restitution requests on the parcel. We set out the five steps in the article on restitution claims in Ilfov.
Who may hold land
Under Law 312/2005, a citizen of an EU or European Economic Area country acquires land on the same terms as a Romanian (Article 3). A citizen of a country outside the EU acquires land only under an international treaty and on the basis of reciprocity (Article 6(1)). No such treaty with Israel was found.
So a developer from outside the EU without a European passport, an Israeli developer for example, usually buys land through a Romanian company (SRL), which is a Romanian legal person. What this means for tax and reporting at home, we wrote in the article on buying through an SRL. The full table by citizenship is on the page who can buy what, by passport.
Agricultural land outside the built-up area
Many plots in the suburbs are registered as agricultural land. If they are inside the built-up area (intravilan), Law 17/2014 does not apply to them (Article 2(1)). If they are in the extravilan, the law applies, and the sale goes through a fixed procedure:
- The seller files an offer of sale with the town hall, and the town hall publishes it for 45 working days (Article 6(2)).
- Holders of a pre-emption right come before you, in the order the law sets: co-owners and relatives, tenants, neighbours, young farmers and others, and finally the state (Article 4(1)).
- If none of them buys, a company may buy only if it has its seat in Romania and agricultural activity there for at least 5 years, at least 75% of its income in the last 5 years comes from agriculture, and the controlling shareholder has lived in Romania for 5 years (Article 4^1(2)). A new developers' company usually does not meet this.
- Only if no buyer meets the conditions is the sale open to anyone (Article 4^1(5)).
- A sale without the pre-emption procedure or without the required approvals is absolutely void (Article 16(1)).
And after the purchase: to build a neighbourhood on agricultural land in the extravilan, it has to be brought into the built-up area in a general plan (PUG) or a zonal plan (PUZ), after a prior opinion from the Ministry of Agriculture (Law 169/2026, Article 153(1)). That is a full planning process, not a stamp.
Land that fails one of the filters is ruled out from your desk. That is the cheapest money you will ever save.
Filter 2: the planning and physical check
The planning certificate for information
A planning certificate for information is issued to any applicant, even for a plot that is not yours, and its content is the same for every applicant (Law 169/2026, Article 254). Under Article 253(4) it sets out, among other things: whether the plot is in the intravilan or the extravilan, protected areas and building bans, the permitted uses, the land occupancy percentage (POT), the land use coefficient (CUT), the minimum and maximum plot size, and what the authority knows about the utility networks in the area.
It does not give a right to build. It says what is permitted. The difference between it and the building permit, and how to read the PUG and the PUZ, we explained in the guide to the permit and the PUZ.
Dividing into plots
A project of several houses usually starts with dividing the land (parcelare). Inside the built-up area, the authority makes a division conditional on a PUZ (Article 218(1)). There is an exception: a division into up to 12 plots for private houses is possible once on the basis of a detailed urban plan (PUD), if the PUG or the PUZ already sets the plot rules (Article 218(2)). And every plot created must get utility connections and direct or indirect access to a public road (Article 219(2)).
Access and utilities
Road: is the entrance to the plot from a public road, or from a private road that needs a right of way registered in the extract?
Water, sewerage, electricity and gas: each has its own operator. Ask each operator in writing whether there is a network in the street, and what the conditions are for connecting a whole project to it, not one house. A network that does not reach the plot is a cost and time you need to build into the plan.
Protected areas, flooding and soil
The planning certificate shows protected areas and building bans. Near a lake or a stream, also check the flood risk maps of the water authority (Apele Române). On agricultural land in the extravilan that contains an archaeological site, the sale itself requires approval from the Ministry of Culture (Law 17/2014, Article 3(4)). And before you settle on a price, it is worth ordering a geotechnical soil study (studiu geotehnic), because it affects the foundations and the construction budget.
Filter 3: the economic check
Closed deals, not listings
A price in a listing is what the seller is asking. Ask a licensed valuer or local professionals for data on deals that have closed in the area, and compare with plots that are truly similar: the same zoning, the same access, the same utilities. The notarial price grid is a floor for calculating tax, not a market price.
The full cost
A conservative plan includes every expense, including the ones people forget:
- The price of the land, the notary's fee and the registration fee.
- Your own lawyer, surveyor and valuer.
- Setting up and running a Romanian company, if you buy through an SRL.
- Planning certificates, PUZ or PUD, architectural design and the permit.
- Utility connections, and extending the network if there is none in the street.
- An access road, if it needs to be paved.
- Taxes in both countries, including whether the sale is subject to VAT. Check this with an accountant.
- Flights, stays and the time until the permit, which also costs money.
The checklist at a glance
| Check | Where you check | What you look for |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Extract, Part II | That the seller is the registered owner, and all the owners sign |
| Charges and proceedings | Extract, Part III | Mortgages, seizures, notare litigiu, bans on transfer |
| Registration | The land register | That the plot is registered, and not "registration on its way" |
| Boundaries and area | ANCPI geoportal and a licensed surveyor | A match between the area in the register and the actual area |
| Restitution claims | Chain of ownership, the courts portal, town hall | Property titles, open cases, restitution requests |
| Who buys | Law 312/2005 and your own lawyer | Structure: a Romanian company or EU citizenship |
| Agricultural land | Extract and planning certificate | Intravilan or extravilan, and whether Law 17/2014 applies |
| Zoning and building rights | Planning certificate for information, PUG and PUZ | Permitted use, POT, CUT, plot size, bans |
| Division | The PUZ or PUD in force | Whether the division you need is possible, and under which plan |
| Access | Extract and map | A public road, or a registered right of way |
| Utilities | The operators, in writing | A network in the street and connection terms for a project |
| Flooding and soil | Apele Române and a geotechnical study | Flood risk, soil stability, effect on the foundations |
| Price | A valuer and closed deals | Comparison with similar plots, not with listings |
| Full cost | A conservative business plan | Every expense, including taxes, planning and time |
Before you pay anything on a plot, run it through the same three filters in our free deal check.
The guide for developers abroad, in five parts
This article is part of a series on moving from investing to real estate development abroad:
- Real estate investor or developer abroad: the 7 differences
- A Romanian company (SRL) for a foreign developer: the structure
- A building permit in Romania for developers, step by step
- Off-plan sales and the developer's cash flow in Romania
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner (an Israeli, for example) buy land in Romania to build on?
Not in their own private name, as long as they do not hold citizenship of an EU country. Under Law 312/2005, Article 6(1), a citizen of a country outside the EU acquires land only under a treaty and on the basis of reciprocity, and no such treaty with Israel was found. Developers usually buy through a Romanian company.
What is the difference between intravilan and extravilan?
Intravilan is the built-up area of the locality, according to the general plan. Extravilan is the area outside it. Agricultural land in the extravilan is subject to the pre-emption procedure of Law 17/2014, and to build a neighbourhood on it you first have to bring it into the built-up area in a plan.
Can I request a planning certificate for a plot I have not bought yet?
Yes. Under Article 254 of Law 169/2026, a planning certificate for information is issued to any person or company, and its content is the same for every applicant. It is the first planning check, before any down payment.
What is a pre-emption right on agricultural land?
It is the right of a list of parties set by law, such as co-owners, tenants and neighbours, to buy agricultural land in the extravilan at the price and on the terms in the offer, before any other buyer. A sale that bypasses the procedure is absolutely void.
What matters most to check before a down payment?
An up-to-date extract, a planning certificate for information, and a clear answer to the question of whose name the land will be registered in. If one of the three is missing, it is still too early to pay.
The bottom line
Checking land in Romania before buying for development is not guesswork. Most of the answers are written in official documents: in the extract, in the planning certificate and in the law. What decides is the order: first the law, then the planning, and only then the price.
Land that fails one of the filters is ruled out from your desk. That is the cheapest money you will ever save.
If you are checking a plot in Romania, with us or anywhere else, book a 30-minute call with me. We will go through the extract and the planning certificate together, and build a list of questions for your lawyer.
Moti Azulay, Compass Group Romania
Sources: Law 312/2005 on the acquisition of land by foreigners (legislatie.just.ro), Articles 3 and 6 · Law 17/2014 on the sale of agricultural land in the extravilan (legislatie.just.ro), Articles 2, 3, 4, 4^1, 6 and 16 · Law 7/1996 on cadastre and land registration (legislatie.just.ro), Articles 11 and 36 · Law 169/2026, Planning and Construction Code (Monitorul Oficial no. 661, 10.8.2026), Articles 153, 218, 219, 253 and 254 · National Agency for Cadastre and Land Registration of Romania (ANCPI)
This article is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. The rules are correct as of 18 October 2026. Every plot is different, and before signing or paying a down payment we recommend that a local lawyer who represents only you checks the specific plot.
Now you know more.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult local professionals before any transaction.
