Startup Expenses for foreign students in Romania

When you arrive you will have to go through a few registration and visa extension procedures that require extra cash.

Completing your university file and applying for the temporary residence permit – approx. € 310

You will have to translate your documents into Romanian for your university file. This will cost around € 5-10 per page. Make sure you negotiate prices with the translator. First year students will only have to translate 2 pages and transfer students will have to translate their entire transcript from the previous university. Below the costs are indicated in € (Euros)

International Student Registration Expenses

Document translations(registration) 10
Temporary residence permit 244 *
Stamp for Residence Permit 1
Medical Certificate 2
Student Tax 10
Student Medical Insurance 30
Transport for completing the registration procedures 10
Total € 310

* Less €244 for European Union member state applicants as they have a different procedure for the temporary residence permit.

Finding permanent accommodation – € 1145

If you don’t know anyone and are not using the services of a third party. You may be lucky and find an apartment after the 1st night in Romania. We usually have apartments for our clients after 2 nights of arrival. Our real estate agents are notified in advance to have apartments ready for viewing. Most landlords ask for 1-2 months rent in advance. Estate agents charge 50% of the first months rent amount as their commission. Apartments come standard with fridge, stove, bed and some furniture. Quite often they come with TV and washing machine. Sometimes you will get cutlery and other nice items included!

Foreign Student Accommodation setup expenses

Hotel upon arrival (4 nights) 200
3 months advance rent (@ 200 per month) 600
Estate agent fees 100
Transport 10
Linen (Bedding, towels, pillowcases and sheets) 75
Kitchen (Pots, pans and cutlery) 60
Appliances and miscellaneous items 100
Telephone & Internet application and installation 15
Total € 1145

Your rent will be paid for, for the next 2 months in the above example. With the landlord holding 1 month as a deposit.

It not that bad!

We have tried to over estimate the above expenses because it is better to have extra funds available rather than fall short of what is required. Let’s look at the hotel costs. This can be avoided. You can stay in a youth hostel at € 10 a night. Usually apartments take 1-2 days to find when you arrive early. Apartments come with most of the important furniture. You can save money by buying just the basic bed linen and cutlery when starting off. Some landlords will be happy to accept 2 months rent in advance. Plan with us in advance and we will introduce you to another one of our clients who you can share with. This will reduce the initial startup expenses for accommodation as you will be able to share costs like the deposit, estate agent fees and things for the apartment. Sharing is caring! Our estimate of € 1145 can be easily reduced by € 500.

Miscellaneous Items

Text Books 1st year – € 150
Computer – € 250-400
Car – € 3000 – 4000
Puppy – € 85 🙂