Romania Tourist Visa Requirements for UK Citizens
Last checked: 21 March 2026
Planning a holiday to Romania with a full British citizen passport?
This guide explains the current tourist entry rules for UK travellers, including whether you need a visa, how long you can stay, passport validity rules, what Romanian border officers may ask to see, electronic systems now in use or coming soon, costs, and the official government links to check before travel.
This article is restricted to tourist entry for UK citizens. It does not cover work, study, residence permits, or long-stay immigration routes except where needed to explain what does not apply to a normal holiday.
Romania is part of the Schengen area and uses the Romanian leu (RON).
Index
- 1. Quick answer
- 2. Passport and stay rules
- 3. What Romanian border control may ask for
- 4. Electronic systems in use, or coming soon
- 5. Costs for UK tourist entry
- 6. Official UK and Romanian government links
- 7. Frequently asked questions
1. Quick answer
No tourist visa is required for a UK citizen visiting Romania for a short holiday.
For most British tourists, the key points are:
- You can visit Romania without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
- Romania is in the Schengen area, so time spent in other Schengen countries counts towards the same 90-day limit.
- Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years.
- Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
- Until EES is fully rolled out, you should make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit.
- There is no Romania-only tourist ETA identified in the official sources reviewed for a normal visa-free UK tourist trip.
- Romania does have an official eViza portal for travellers who need a visa, but a normal visa-free UK tourist would not usually need to use it.
In simple terms, most UK holidaymakers can travel to Romania without applying for a tourist visa, provided the trip stays within the Schengen short-stay limit and the passport rules are met.
2. Passport and stay rules
If you are travelling to Romania as a tourist on a full British citizen passport, your passport should meet these conditions:
- It must have a date of issue less than 10 years before the date you arrive.
- It must have an expiry date at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
- You can be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or if you try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
UK citizens can stay in Romania for tourism for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.
This is a Schengen-wide allowance, not a Romania-only allowance. If you also travel to Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Croatia, or any other Schengen country, those days count towards the same limit.
If you overstay the 90-day visa-free limit, you may be banned from entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years.
If you want to stay longer than 90 days, that moves outside normal tourist entry. At that point you need to check the relevant Romanian long-stay visa or residence route before travel.
If you travel from Romania to other Schengen countries, carry your passport with you. GOV.UK says border guards can still check it if you cross land or river borders into Bulgaria or Hungary, even though both countries are in Schengen.
3. What Romanian border control may ask for
Even though UK tourists do not need a visa for a short holiday, Romanian border officers may still ask for supporting documents.
- A return or onward ticket
- Proof that you have enough money for your stay
- Documents showing the purpose and conditions of your stay, if requested
Romania’s official entry-conditions page says third-country nationals entering Romania and the Schengen area must be able to justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay and show sufficient means of subsistence for the stay and for the return or onward journey.
In practice, it is sensible to keep your accommodation details, return or onward travel details, and basic itinerary easy to show, even though a normal UK tourist does not need to apply for a visa in advance.
Until EES is fully rolled out, you should also make sure your passport is stamped on both entry and exit. If a stamp is missing, keep evidence such as boarding passes or tickets and ask border officials to add the date and location to your passport.
4. Electronic systems in use, or coming soon
Romania does not currently require a separate Romania-only tourist ETA for a visa-free UK holiday visit.
However, there are three systems worth knowing about:
Romania’s eViza portal
Romania has an official eViza portal for travellers who need a visa. British nationals using the normal short tourist route do not need a visa, but the portal is the official online route for visa applications and official visa information.
Entry/Exit System (EES)
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Romania has participated in the Entry/Exit System (EES) since 12 October 2025.
GOV.UK says EES checks are being introduced in a phased way across the Schengen external borders, with full operation expected from 10 April 2026.
For short-stay UK travellers, EES means you may need to register biometric details such as fingerprints and a photo when entering the Schengen area. You do not need to take any action before arriving at the border, and there is no fee for EES registration.
Until EES is fully rolled out, your passport should still be stamped on entry and exit. Once EES is fully in place, it will replace the current manual passport-stamping system for most affected travellers.
European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
ETIAS is not live yet. The official EU position is that ETIAS will start in the last quarter of 2026.
When ETIAS starts, UK passport holders travelling visa-free to Romania and other Schengen countries will generally need to apply online before travel unless exempt. The official ETIAS fee is €20, shown below as an approximate Romanian leu and pound equivalent.
So the current position for UK tourists is:
- No Romania-only tourist ETA requirement identified
- No Romania-only tourist eVisa requirement for British tourists using the normal short-stay route
- Romania does have the official eViza portal for travellers who need a visa
- EES is being phased in now
- ETIAS is expected later, in the last quarter of 2026
5. Costs for UK tourist entry
Romania uses the Romanian leu (RON). For a normal UK tourist visit, the official entry costs are simple because no tourist visa is required.
Approximate Romanian leu and pound conversions below use the European Central Bank reference rates for 20 March 2026 of €1 = RON 5.0960 and €1 = £0.86438.
| Item | Does it apply to a normal UK tourist? | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Romania tourist visa | No | RON 0 (£0) |
| Romania-only tourist ETA / pre-travel authorisation | No official system identified | RON 0 (£0) |
| EES registration | Yes, this may apply at the Schengen border during rollout | RON 0 (£0) |
| ETIAS, once launched | Not in force yet, but expected later in 2026 | About RON 101.92 (£17.29) |
| Uniform short-stay visa (C), only if someone outside the visa-free route needs one | Not applicable to a normal British tourist | RON 458.64 (£77.79) |
| Long-stay visa (D) | Not applicable to a normal tourist trip | RON 611.52 (£103.73) |
Important: the short-stay and long-stay visa fees above are part of Romania’s general visa system and do not apply to an ordinary British citizen tourist travelling under the normal visa-free route.
6. Official UK and Romanian government links
Use these official pages before booking, before travel, and again shortly before departure:
- UK Government travel advice for Romania
- UK Government Romania entry requirements
- UK Government foreign travel checklist
- UK Government Entry/Exit System guidance
- Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs eViza, information for British nationals
- Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, entry conditions
- Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa fees
- Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EES information campaign
- Romanian Embassy in the United Kingdom
- Official EU ETIAS information
- European Central Bank exchange rates
If your circumstances are unusual, for example dual nationality, a passport close to expiry, or an intended stay beyond 90 days, rely on the official pages above rather than third-party websites.
7. Frequently asked questions
Do UK citizens need a visa for Romania?
No. UK citizens travelling on a full British citizen passport do not need a tourist visa for short visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
How long can a British tourist stay in Romania without a visa?
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
How long must my passport be valid for Romania?
Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before arrival and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
Can Romanian border officers ask for proof of money or onward travel?
Yes. GOV.UK says border officers may ask for a return or onward ticket and proof that you have enough money for your stay.
Do I need to carry my passport if I travel from Romania to Bulgaria or Hungary?
Yes, it is sensible to carry it. GOV.UK says border guards can still check passports when crossing land or river borders into Bulgaria or Hungary.
Does Romania have a tourist eVisa for UK citizens?
Romania has an official eViza portal, but ordinary British tourists do not need a visa for short tourist stays, so they would not usually need to use it.
Does Romania have a tourist ETA right now?
I did not identify a Romania-only tourist ETA or other pre-travel online authorisation for ordinary UK tourists in the official sources reviewed.
What is EES and does it affect Romania travel?
EES is the EU’s Entry/Exit System for short-stay travellers entering the Schengen area. It affects Romania travel because Romania is part of Schengen. During rollout, you may need to register fingerprints and a photo at the border.
When is ETIAS expected to start?
The official EU position is that ETIAS will start in the last quarter of 2026.
How much will ETIAS cost?
The official ETIAS fee is €20, which is about RON 101.92 and about £17.29 using the exchange rates used in this article.
How much is the Romania tourist visa for a UK citizen?
For an ordinary British citizen tourist, the cost is RON 0 (£0) because no tourist visa is required.
Final check before travel
For most UK holidaymakers, Romania is straightforward: no tourist visa is required for a short stay. The main things to get right are your Schengen day count, your passport issue date and expiry date, your supporting documents at the border, and keeping an eye on the continuing Entry/Exit System rollout and the future ETIAS launch.
