Can foreigners buy property in Romania?

Yes. EU and EEA citizens can buy property and land in Romania under the same conditions as Romanian citizens. Non-EU citizens can buy buildings and the small surface plot under a building freely, but direct ownership of larger land parcels is restricted under Law 312/2005. There is a standard, legal route around this: a Romanian SRL (limited company) wholly owned by foreign nationals can purchase land of any size. This is the route most non-EU buyers use, and it is straightforward to set up.

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Can non-EU citizens buy land in Romania?

Not in their own name, but yes through a Romanian SRL. The SRL is a Romanian limited company that can be 100% owned by foreign nationals. Once it exists, the company can buy land freely. Setting up an SRL takes around two weeks and costs in the low thousands of euros including legal fees and the share capital deposit. For a mountain house with land, this is usually the cleanest path. Buildings alone, without significant land, can be bought directly by non-EU citizens in their own name.

How is NOBS different from a Romanian real estate agent?

Romanian real estate agents are intermediaries. They are paid commission by the seller, the buyer, or both, often 2 to 6 percent of the purchase price. They have no fiduciary duty to either side and are paid more when the price is higher. NOBS is an advisory, not an intermediary. We work only for the buyer. We charge a fixed fee in writing before we start. We are paid the same amount whether you spend 50,000 or 500,000 EUR, and we are paid the same whether you buy or walk away. The structure of how we are paid is the structure of how we work.

Why does NOBS not represent sellers?

Because a property advisor cannot serve both sides of a transaction without compromising at least one of them. A seller wants the highest price and the fastest close. A buyer wants the right place at a fair price with no hidden problems. When the same person is paid by both, the buyer's interests come second. We chose to work only for buyers so that this conflict never exists in our practice.

What does it cost to work with NOBS?

Our hourly rate is 125 EUR. Some services are packaged because travel and scope make hourly billing impractical. Property Research is 500 EUR for up to 5 properties. On-site inspections are 800 EUR (Western Carpathians), 1,000 EUR (Central and Eastern), or 1,200 EUR (Northern Carpathians), covering travel time. Discovery Trips are 750 EUR (2 days), 1,100 EUR (3 days), or 1,500 EUR (4 days), with a 500 EUR refundable booking fee. Full engagements typically run between 3,000 and 10,000 EUR depending on what you need. Everything is agreed in writing before we start.

How long does it take to buy property in Romania?

From decision to keys, usually 6 to 12 weeks once a property is identified. The search itself takes longer, often 3 to 12 months depending on how specific your requirements are and how much of the country you want to look at. The notary process itself, once a price is agreed and documentation is verified, is fast: typically 2 to 4 weeks between signed pre-contract and final deed. Most of the time in a Romanian transaction is spent finding the right property and verifying its papers, not closing.

What are the total costs beyond the purchase price?

Expect approximately 3 to 5 percent of the purchase price in transaction costs. The main items are: notary fees (0.5 to 2 percent depending on price), Land Book registration (around 0.5 percent), property transfer tax (depends on holding period and price), the agent's commission if any, and the cost of any due diligence work. New construction sold by a developer also attracts VAT (21 percent as of 2025), although various reduced rates apply to certain residential properties. We give a full cost estimate in writing before you commit to anything.

What is the Land Book (Cartea Funciară)?

The Land Book is Romania's official property register, maintained by ANCPI (the National Agency for Cadastre and Real Estate Publicity). Every legitimate property has a Land Book entry showing its boundaries, owner, mortgages, easements, and any restrictions. Verifying the Land Book entry against the property on the ground is the first technical step of any purchase. Discrepancies between what is registered and what physically exists, especially in rural Romania, are common and need resolution before signing. We check every Land Book entry as part of standard due diligence.

What does the notary do in a Romanian property transaction?

The notary verifies the legal documentation, confirms the parties' identities, witnesses the signing of the deed, calculates and collects the relevant taxes, and registers the transfer with the Land Book. Romanian notaries are independent professionals appointed by the Ministry of Justice. Their role is much wider than in the UK or US, and the system gives buyers genuine protection, provided the documentation going into the notary's office has been properly verified first. The notary checks what is presented; they do not investigate the property itself. That investigation is what we do beforehand.

Do I need a Romanian SRL to buy a mountain house?

Only if you are a non-EU citizen and the property includes a significant land parcel. EU citizens buy in their own name with no restrictions. Non-EU citizens can buy a building plus the immediate surface plot in their own name, but for any meaningful piece of land an SRL is required. We can recommend Romanian lawyers and accountants who set up SRLs routinely.

Can I buy a property in Romania without visiting?

Technically yes, through a Power of Attorney. Practically, we never recommend buying property anywhere in the world without seeing it. Photos and video walkthroughs show you a lot, but the feel of a place, the orientation, the neighbours, the road in winter, the sound in the evening, all of these matter and none of them transmit through a screen. We do all the research, inspection, and negotiation remotely if needed. The visit before signing is the part we recommend not skipping. For Discovery Trips, we accompany you on the ground across multiple properties in 2 to 4 days.

What is a Discovery Trip?

A Discovery Trip is two to four days on the ground with us, visiting properties we have pre-screened across a region or regions you are interested in. We drive, we explain, we translate, we point out what to look at, what to ignore, what is normal, what is not. You see what is on the market and you see the surroundings, the village rhythm, the road access, the views from the property at different times of day. Most people leave a Discovery Trip with a much clearer sense of what they actually want, even if they do not buy anything they have seen. The trips are 750, 1,100, or 1,500 EUR for 2, 3, or 4 days. Maximum 3 guests. You pay accommodation and meals directly to providers.

Is it safe to buy property in rural Romania?

The notary process gives buyers significant legal protection, but the protection is only as good as the documentation that enters it. Title irregularities, undisclosed co-owners, forged powers of attorney, undeclared encumbrances, and boundary disputes are not rare in rural Romania. A house listed at an unusually low price often has unresolved succession issues that the seller has not disclosed. Properties offered for cash sale, off the market, through informal channels carry the highest legal risk. Proper due diligence before signing eliminates these risks. We have seen properties where resolving the legal problems would have cost more than the purchase price itself.

What if I don't speak Romanian?

We work in English by default with foreign clients. Tom is a Romanian Ministry of Justice authorised translator and interpreter for English, certified since 1998, so all certified translations of property documents, residency paperwork, and official correspondence are produced in-house. We translate during meetings with sellers, agents, notaries, and contractors as part of the engagement. You never need to fly blind through a Romanian document.

Do you work outside the Carpathians?

No. We work only in Romanian Carpathian regions: Maramureș, Bucovina, the Volcanic chain and Székely Land in the east, Vrancea and Buzău in the curvature, Mărginimea Sibiului, Făgăraș, the Saxon Heartland, Hațeg-Retezat, Bucegi, the Oltenian Carpathians, the Apuseni, and Banat. We turn down work outside this geography. Buyers looking for Bucharest, the Black Sea coast, or the Danube Delta are better served by advisors who specialise in those regions. However, if you are looking for poperty in one of the Transylvanian cities located near the mountains, such as Sibiu, Brasov, Deva, Piatra Neamt, we may be able to help.