This chapter gives details of the benefits to which you are entitled in Romania if you involuntarily lose your job or if you do not find a job within 60 days after graduating from an educational institution.

The benefit described is unemployment benefit (indemnizație de șomaj).

In what situation can I claim?

The following categories of persons can be insured for unemployment benefit:

• Romanian citizens who are employed or who earn incomes in Romania;
• Romanian citizens working abroad;
• Foreign citizens or stateless persons who for the period they have their domicile or residence in Romania are employed or earn incomes.

Pensioners who have a job are not covered.

The regime is compulsory for all employees, except in-work pensioners. This includes employees whose salaries come from Romanian employers and employers from EU/EEA or Switzerland, provided that Romanian legislation is applied to income from outside Romania; and employees who reside in Romania and whose employers are in countries not covered by European social security legislation. Other categories (civil servants, persons in elective positions, ONG members, cooperative members and administrators) are also compulsorily insured.

The following categories of persons who live or are resident in Romania can voluntarily insure themselves for unemployment benefit:

• Sole associates, associates, administrators, registered sole traders, entrepreneurs as natural persons owning individual enterprises, members of family association;
• Romanian citizens working abroad, not covered by the compulsory regime;
• Persons who generate income from activities carried out according to the law and who are not in one of the above mentioned situations.

The unemployment insurance contract for the above categories of persons must be concluded with the employment agency in the jurisdiction of which they have their domicile or residence.

What conditions do I need to meet?

To be able to receive unemployment benefit (indemnizație de șomaj), you must meet the following compulsory conditions:

• you live or are legally resident in Romania;
• you are involuntarily jobless;
• you have no income or your income from authorised activities according to the law is below the value of the reference social indicator (RSI);
• you are fit to work;
• you are aged between 16 and the statutory retirement age;
• you are available to be recruited and actively seeking a job;
• you are registered at one of the territorial Agencies for Employment in whose jurisdiction you have the domicile or as the case may be the residence if you had your last job or you earned incomes in that residence locality;
• you apply for unemployment benefit within 12 months after your employment, service, agency, etc. relationship ended.

In addition, jobseekers who are registered at the territorial employment agency must have contributed to the unemployment insurance system for at least 12 of the 24 months preceding the time when they apply for unemployment benefit.

This condition does not apply to graduates of an educational institution (or of a special school for persons with disabilities) who are aged at least 16 and have been unable to find work that corresponds to their vocational training within 60 days after the date they graduated (temporary criterion valid only for the first category of graduates).

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

Unemployment benefit is calculated on the basis of the value of the reference social indicator (RSI), the income of the person who holds unemployment insurance, and the period for which they contributed to the unemployment insurance system.

The value of the RSI is RON 525.5 on 1^st January 2023.

The amount of unemployment benefit is paid on a monthly basis as follows:

The cash benefit increases if the unemployed person has contributed to the unemployment insurance system for at least 3 years. A certain percentage calculated on the basis of the average gross monthly income earned over the previous 12 months of contributions is added to unemployment benefit as follows:

Unemployment benefit is paid every month, for a period of between 6 and 12 months, according to the length of the completed period of contributions to the unemployment insurance system as follows:

• 6 months for the persons that contributed at least 1 year;
• 9 months for the persons that contributed at least 5 years;
• 12 months for the persons that contributed at least 10 years.

Graduates aged over 16 who do not find a job within 60 days after graduating from an educational institution receive unemployment benefit for 6 months.

Payment of unemployment benefit ends, among other situations, on the date the unemployed unjustifiably rejects a job that corresponds to their level of education, or on the date the recipient leaves the country for a period longer than 3 months.

Payment of unemployment benefit is suspended, among other situations, where the recipients fail to attend, on a monthly basis or whenever requested, the employment agency at which they are registered in order to receive assistance in finding work.

To receive unemployment benefit, you must apply to your local employment agency within 12 months after your employment, service, agency, etc. relationship ended.

Unemployment benefit is paid through banks or post offices.

It is not subject to the income tax system.

Jargon busters

• Reference social indicator: unit expressed in lei on the basis of which allowances and other benefits for unemployment are calculated. Its value may be changed by decision of the government, according to the consumer price growth index forecast for the year related to the consumer price growth index of the previous year.
• Unemployment benefit: a partial compensation for the insured person's income as a result of loss of their job or for the income of the graduates of educational institutions who have not been able to find a job.
• Contribution period: the period during which a person is compulsorily or voluntarily insured under the unemployment insurance scheme.
• Insured persons: a person who earns income, according to the law, and is compulsorily or voluntarily insured under the unemployment insurance scheme.

Forms you may need to fill in

• Application for unemployment benefit
• Unemployment insurance contract

Know your rights

The links below give more information about your rights and obligations. These sites do not belong to the European Commission and do not represent the position of the European Commission on the subject concerned:

• Frequently asked questions about unemployment, unemployed persons and unemployment allowance
• Documents necessary to apply for unemployment allowance

Publications and websites of the European Commission:

• Unemployment and social security benefits: your rights abroad as a European citizen

Who do you need to contact?

County employment agencies