When you have a family, you probably have a car to get them (and all the shopping, change bags, bikes etc. they need) around. Driving on Romanian roads is one challenge, but dealing with the associated paperwork is another!!! Thank you to Rachelle for sharing her recent experience.

I was recently caught out by car taxes I did not know I had to pay!  Here is some useful information I have learnt over the years I have been here and the contact details of two lawyers with experience of these issues in Romania.

  • Every year car owners are required to pay a “mijloace de transport” (car tax).

If you pay these taxes before the 31st of March you get a 10% discount.  However I was sent my bill after the 31st of March. I was also charged for not paying these taxes in previous years – even though I had not been sent a bill. Apparently this is normal is Romania.  The same goes for house taxes too.

  • You need a “rovineta” to travel outside Bucharest in your car.

These can be bought online from numerous websites (one of our readers has successfully used https://www.roviniete.ro/en in the past) or at OMV fuel stations. They can be bought for different time periods ranging from a week to a year. My last one was “autoturisme” 12 months and cost 122 ron. You need to remember that rovineta and vineta are different things!

They have cameras that take photos of your car in ploiesti and other places. You will receive a fine if you don’t have a rovineta. Fines needs to be paid at the Voluntari city hall.

  • Your car will need a current “ITP” certificate same as “MOT” for those from the UK.

The colourful A5 piece of paper you got with your car has a stamp for ITP and will have the date you need to have it done – I think it is every 2 years.  Keep this piece of paper with you whenever you drive. I have had ITP done at euro master on pipera tunari and the dacia dealership on pipera tunari but there are other places.

Also when you have the ITP completed you receive a “certificat de inspectie tehnica periodica” this must be kept with you when you are driving the car.

  • “RCA” third party insurance – this is the 1/2 green 1/2 white piece of paper – take this whenever you drive too.

 

  • Casco – insurance

Something else, a friend of mine recently had acid thrown on the bonnet of her car at Carrefour in Baneasa, while she was shopping. Her car was parked in the small car park around the back.  It looked like yogurt had been thrown on her car but it was acid.  The remedy for this is to pour milk on the acid, do not try and clean it any other way – just pour milk on it.

 

Lawyer contacts who have expereince of these issues are more in Romania are:

Diana Harrocks, dianaharrocks@yahoo.com

Cornelia Dayes https://www.linkedin.com/in/corneliadayes/