Accession on 1 January 2007 came with transition periods for land, limits on workers until 2014, and a justice monitoring mechanism closed in 2023.
Under Article 6, a citizen of a non-EU country acquires land only under a treaty and on reciprocity. An EU citizen buys like a Romanian, under Article 3.
Air and sea checks ended on 31 March 2024, and land checks on 1 January 2025. A drive from Balotești to Vienna no longer stops at a barrier.
Since March 2024 days in Romania count with the whole Schengen area. ETIAS, costing €20, is expected in the last quarter of 2026.
From 10 July 2027, under Regulation 2024/1624, cash payments of €10,000 or more for goods or services will be banned across the EU.
The EU and Schengen: the short answer
Romania signed its EU accession treaty on 25 April 2005 and became a member on 1 January 2007. But membership came in stages: transition periods for buying land, a monitoring mechanism for the justice system that was only closed in 2023, restrictions on Romanian workers lifted in 2014, and Schengen in two steps, by air and sea in 2024 and by land in 2025.
For anyone buying a home in Romania today, this history explains three things: why an EU citizen buys land like a Romanian and an Israeli does not, why every money transfer is checked under European rules, and why your days in Romania are now counted together with Greece and Italy.
Put simply: the EU changed Romania around the house: the money, the borders and the market. It did not change, for Israelis, the rule on whose name the land is registered in.
Timeline: 20 years of joining in stages
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 25 April 2005 | Bulgaria and Romania sign the accession treaty in Luxembourg | CVCE |
| November 2005 | Law 312/2005: the rules on foreigners buying land, including transition periods | Law 312/2005 (Romanian) |
| 1 January 2007 | Romania joins the EU. The mechanism monitoring justice and anti-corruption (CVM) begins | European Union |
| 2012 | After 5 years: EU citizens not resident in Romania can buy land for a secondary residence | Law 312/2005, Article 4 (Romanian) |
| 1 January 2014 | After 7 years: agricultural and forest land for EU citizens, and the last restrictions on Romanian workers lifted | Law 312/2005, Article 5 (Romanian), European Commission |
| 15 September 2023 | The Commission closes the CVM | European Commission |
| 31 March 2024 | Schengen by air and sea: no passport checks on internal flights | European Commission |
| 1 January 2025 | Full Schengen: land border checks lifted, following the Council decision of 12 December 2024 | European Commission |
| October 2025 | The EU Entry/Exit System, EES, starts operating | Travel to Europe |
| Q4 2026 (expected) | ETIAS: an online travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, costing €20 | Travel to Europe |
| 10 July 2027 | The EU anti-money laundering regulation: cash payments of €10,000 or more banned in trade | EUR-Lex |
2007: membership, with a probation period
On 25 April 2005, at Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg, Romanian President Traian Băsescu and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria signed the accession treaty. Less than two years later, on 1 January 2007, Romania was in.
But "in" was not the same as for the older members. The EU set up a special mechanism for Romania and Bulgaria, the CVM, which tracked judicial reform and the fight against corruption. It stayed in place for 16 years, until the Commission closed it on 15 September 2023, having concluded that Romania had met its benchmarks. Since then Romania has been reviewed like every other member state, in the annual Rule of Law Report.
Romanian workers had to wait too. According to the European Commission, the last restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians working in other EU countries were lifted only on 1 January 2014. By that day, according to the statement, more than three million people from Bulgaria and Romania were already living in other member states.
Why does this matter to a buyer? Because some of the rules you will meet in a purchase, above all the check on where the money comes from, now come from the European framework. And a justice system that was monitored from outside for 16 years is part of the picture you want to understand before you buy.
Land: what the EU changed, and what it did not
Ahead of accession, Romania passed Law 312/2005, which sets out who may buy land. Under Article 3, a citizen of an EU member state buys land on the same terms as a Romanian citizen. But there were transition periods: under Article 4, an EU citizen not resident in Romania had to wait 5 years from accession to buy land for a secondary residence, and under Article 5, 7 years for agricultural and forest land. Both periods are now behind us.
And Israelis? Article 6 has not changed: a citizen of a country outside the EU acquires land only under an international treaty and on a basis of reciprocity. So an Israeli still cannot register land in Romania directly in their own name. The house itself can be registered, and there are two usual routes: a right of superficies or a Romanian company. A right of superficies (drept de superficie) gives you ownership of the house built on someone else's land, and it is entered in the land register like any other right. With a Romanian company, the company owns the land and the house, and you own the company. We explain them in our article on land ownership and in our article on buying through a company.
And there is a point many Israelis miss. Anyone who also holds the passport of an EU member state, Romanian, Polish, German or any other, buys as an EU citizen under Article 3. What that means in practice, in our article on a Romanian passport and buying property.
Schengen: two steps
Romania waited for Schengen much longer than for the EU. The first step came on 31 March 2024: passport checks at internal air and sea borders were lifted. A flight from Bucharest to Rome became a domestic Schengen flight. The second step came after the EU's justice and home affairs ministers decided on 12 December 2024, and on 1 January 2025 land border checks were lifted too. A drive from Balotești to Budapest or Vienna no longer stops at a passport barrier.
The EU changed Romania around the house: the money, the borders and the market. It did not change, for Israelis, the rule on whose name the land is registered in.
For Israelis, Schengen membership mainly changed how days are counted. Since March 2024, days in Romania count together with the whole Schengen area, in a single allowance of 90 days in any 180. The EU Entry/Exit System, EES, started operating in October 2025 and digitally records the entries and exits of visitors from outside the EU, with a facial image and fingerprints, and ETIAS, an online travel authorisation that will cost €20, is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026. We go through all the calculations in our article on Romania in Schengen and in our article on the 90/180 rule for property owners.
And what Schengen did not change: buying a home does not give you the right to stay beyond the allowance. If you want to live in Romania, you need a residence permit, as we explain here.
The single market: what it gives the house
Schengen is the borders. The single market is everything else, and Romania has been inside it since 2007. It is part of the EU customs union, within which no customs duties are charged on goods moving between member states. For anyone furnishing a home, that means a sofa from Italy or a kitchen from Germany reaches Balotești without customs duty. What comes from Israel is another story, because Israel is outside the union. Details in our article on moving belongings to Romania.
People move freely too. Since 2014 Romanians have worked in every EU country without a permit, and EU citizens work in Romania the same way. And if you also hold an EU passport, the same principle works in your favour: you enter Romania as an EU citizen, not as a tourist.
Money: European rules, Romanian currency
Romania is in the EU, but not in the euro area. The currency is still the leu, and joining the euro is a separate story, which we cover here.
What is European is the check on the money. Romania's anti-money laundering Law 129/2019, written within the EU's rules, requires the notary and the bank to check the transaction and the source of the funds. And from 10 July 2027, under EU Regulation 2024/1624, cash payments of €10,000 or more for goods or services will be banned across the EU.
For a buyer from Israel, the meaning is simple: the money leaves an account in your name, with documents that explain where it came from, and arrives in the account named in the contract. Israel is not in the EU, so a transfer from Israel is an international transfer, with checks on both sides. How to do it properly, in our money transfer guide and in our article on source of funds.
What this means for you as a buyer
- Whose name the land is in. An Israeli without an EU passport: a right of superficies or a Romanian company. With the passport of an EU member state: like a Romanian citizen.
- Agricultural land is a different story. Even for an EU citizen, the sale of agricultural land outside the built-up area goes through a pre-emption procedure under Law 17/2014.
- One day count for all of Schengen. Plan your stays at the house around a single allowance of 90 days in any 180.
- ETIAS is coming. Before flying once the system is running, check the requirements on the EU's official website.
- Money from an account in your name. With its source explained, no cash, and the full price in the notarial deed.
- Currency. Prices are often advertised in euros, but taxes to the Romanian authorities are paid in lei. Ask the notary which exchange rate will be used.
- Financing. If you need a mortgage: financing of up to 70%, and equity of at least 30%. Our guide to a Romanian mortgage.
Frequently asked questions
When did Romania join the EU and Schengen?
The EU on 1 January 2007, after signing the accession treaty on 25 April 2005. Schengen in two stages: air and sea borders on 31 March 2024, and land borders on 1 January 2025.
Does EU membership let Israelis buy land in Romania?
No. Under Article 6 of Law 312/2005, a citizen of a country outside the EU acquires land only under an international treaty and on a basis of reciprocity. An Israeli buys a house through a right of superficies or a Romanian company. Anyone who also holds the passport of an EU member state buys as an EU citizen.
What changed for Israelis when Romania joined Schengen?
Since 31 March 2024, days in Romania count together with the whole Schengen area, in a single allowance of 90 days in any 180. Since January 2025 there are also no passport checks at land borders with neighbouring Schengen countries.
Does Romania use the euro?
No. Romania is an EU member but its currency is the leu. Property prices are often advertised in euros, but taxes to the authorities are paid in lei.
I also hold an EU passport. What difference does it make when I buy in Romania?
Under Article 3 of Law 312/2005, a citizen of an EU member state acquires land on the same terms as a Romanian citizen, and the transition periods are over. In other words, you can register the land in your name too, not just the house. Agricultural land outside the built-up area has additional rules.
What is the CVM, and why does it matter?
A monitoring mechanism the EU applied to Romania and Bulgaria from 2007, covering the justice system and the fight against corruption. The Commission closed it on 15 September 2023, and since then Romania has been reviewed in the annual Rule of Law Report like every member state.
The bottom line
The Romania of 2026 is a fully European country: in the single market, in Schengen, and under European rules on money. What has not changed is the rule that matters most to Israelis: land is registered according to citizenship, so the route to a home runs through a right of superficies, a Romanian company or an EU passport. Understanding that difference in advance saves months.
If you are considering a purchase and want to know which registration route fits you, book a half-hour call with me and we will go through it together.
Moti Azulay, Compass Group Romania
Sources: CVCE: the accession treaty of Bulgaria and Romania, 25.4.2005 · European Union: Romania · Law 312/2005 (lege5.ro) (Romanian) · European Commission: end of restrictions on workers, 1.1.2014 · European Commission: the CVM · European Commission: Romania and Bulgaria fully in Schengen · Travel to Europe: the EES and ETIAS timeline · Travel to Europe: ETIAS news · EUR-Lex: Regulation 2024/1624 · Law 129/2019 (legislatie.just.ro) (Romanian) · European Commission: the customs union · Law 17/2014 (Romanian Ministry of Agriculture) (Romanian)
This article is general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. The rules are correct as of 17 October 2026, and the start date of ETIAS has not yet been finally set. Before you decide, consult an independent lawyer.
The series: a history lesson
- From Rome and Dacia: why Romanian is a Latin language
- Three principalities and two unions: 1859 and 1918
- Nationalisation and restitution: why land claims still exist
- The rise and fall of Ceaușescu
- 1989 and the move to a market economy
- The EU and Schengen (you are here)
- Faith, holidays and business
- The Jews of Romania and the bond with Israel
- Bucharest, "Little Paris"
Now you know more.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult local professionals before any transaction.
