Visas – Travel – Customs

Entry visa for Romania
How to get to Constanta
Customs

Who needs an entry visa?  Students from the EU (plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) are exempt from student visa requirements.  Also, by exception, citizen of several non-EU states (see the updated list here) are not required a visa to travel to Romania.  For the rest of the countries a visa is required to entry Romania and attend studies at Ovidius University of Constanța.
What kind of visa do you need?  Once you have been accepted for studies at Ovidius University of Constanța, you will receive documents that will allow you to apply at your local Romanian embassy or consulate for a long-stay entry visa type D/SD, for students (see info here).  You should consult your local Romanian embassy or consulate for the latest information regarding visa requirements.  To find the nearest consulate you can look here.

By plane:  You can fly to Constanța airport, located 25 km north-west of the city, near Mihail Kogalniceanu (see more info here).  From the airport shuttle busses can take you to the city for less than 1.5 EUR (see for instance here).
More flights land in the Otopeni airport near Bucharest (see info here).  You can than take shuttles from the airport to Constanța, many companies offering relatively low fares, of about 15-20 EUR (see for instance: ALT, GAT, DT etc.) and a convenient door-to-door service.
By train:  Constanța is connected by railway with all Romanian cities.  There are daily departures from Bucharest to Constanța (and return) all day, at different hours.  You can buy the train tickets online from the Romanian public railway company, CFR Calatori, or from European service providers (such as TrainLine Europe ).  A one-way ticket (Bucharest-Constanța-Bucharest) costs a bit less than 30 EUR.
By bus/car:  Reaching Constanța by car is convenient due to the motorway A2 (E81) connecting Bucharest and Constanța (the distance is about 220 km).  From south Constanța can be reached on E87, which crosses Bulgaria, through Varna and Burgas, to Turkey or Greece.  Typically, an international driver’s license is valid in Romania 90 days from the date of entry.
Information about international bus routes can be found here.

Romanian Customs regulations are in line with those of most European Union countries.  A traveler can enter and leave Romania with up to 10,000 EUR (or equivalent) in cash or traveler’s checks.  Amounts over 10,000 EUR have to be declared when entering the country.  Items that must be declared at customs also include: art objects, historic artifacts, weapons, ammunition, explosive materials, toxic and hazardous substances.
Import allowances:  tobacco: 40 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g tobacco; liquor: 4 liters of still wine and 16 liters of beer or 2 liters of alcoholic drinks less than 45 proof or one liter of liquor stronger than 45 proof; a reasonable quantity of gifts with a total value of up to $450; goods and medical products/ medicines for personal use.
Customs officers do not usually check the luggage of individual travelers or tour groups.  However, you must know that, as in any other country, custom officers have the authority to check passports and to conduct enforcement examinations without a warrant, ranging from a single luggage examination to a personal search.

News