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Will it be accepted?

Documents from Romania used in the UK

The rules that change because your document comes from Romania, and the ones that do not, each with the rule that governs it.

Every fact below links to its official source. Last checked 17 August 2026.

The short answer

An apostille has existed for Romanian documents since 2001, and yet none of the UK organisations we checked asks for one on incoming paperwork. What their rules set out is how the English translation must be done.

In force since 2001

The apostille position, answered

  • Romania joined the Apostille Convention, in force since 16 March 2001, so its public documents can carry an apostille obtained in the issuing country
  • The UK's own Legalisation Office states: "You cannot get documents issued outside the UK legalised using this service - get them legalised in the country they were issued"
  • None of the official guidance we checked for the organisations below asks for an apostille or legalisation of the incoming document

Sources: HCCH status table; GOV.UK, Get your document legalised

What the rules actually ask for

The translation, done to each organisation's spec

  • For degree documents, UK ENIC's Translation Waiver names Romanian in its paid group, so for a Statement of Comparability you may not need a full certified translation
  • ENIC's page prices that route at a £49.20 waiver fee inside a £118.80 total for the Statement of Comparability service
  • Everywhere else, and for languages ENIC does not cover, its page says it "accepts certified translations from professional translators"

Sources: the linked official pages on each case page

Your case, organisation by organisation

These pages quote the exact published requirement for each receiving organisation. All of them apply to Romanian documents.

Romanian certificates: new formats, free apostilles and multilingual extracts

Romania issues new-format civil status certificates from an integrated IT system, apostilles them free of charge at the prefectures, and offers multilingual extracts that work only in certain countries. What its own authorities say:

  • Birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates issued through SIIEASC, the integrated IT system for civil status documents, come in new formats, and the Directorate-General for Population Records (DGEP) publishes the official models, so you can compare yours.
  • Civil status certificates and multilingual extracts are issued by the local public community services for population records (SPCLEP), which also transcribe foreign certificates into the Romanian registers.
  • Apostilles on Romanian administrative documents are issued by the apostille office of the Prefect's Institution, free of charge since 1 February 2017. Civil status certificates, like criminal record certificates, can be apostilled at any prefecture.
  • Romania joined the 1976 Vienna Convention No. 16 on multilingual extracts by Law 62/2012, and CIEC's status table shows it in force for Romania since 5 June 2013.
  • The Bucharest prefecture states that multilingual extracts are not apostilled but used as they are in the countries bound by Convention No. 16, and CIEC's status table shows the UK is not one of them.

If a UK organisation asks for an apostille: it has to go on the certificate itself, since the prefectures do not apostille multilingual extracts, and a civil status certificate can be apostilled at any prefecture.

From abroad: obtaining civil status certificates and sending them abroad is among the activities DGEP lists at its head office in Bucharest.

Sources: DGEP, Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, civil status pages; Prefect's Institution of Bucharest, Apostille page and notice on multilingual extracts; CIEC, Convention No. 16 status table. Checked 11 October 2026.

Your Romanian driving licence

EU licences use their own route in DVLA's tools, separate from the designated-country list. The official outcome states:

"You can drive in Great Britain on a full, valid driving licence from an EU country."

"You can drive in Great Britain until you're 70. If you're 67 or over when you become resident, you can drive for 3 years." After this time you must exchange your licence, and the official wording adds: "You do not have to retake your test."

One caveat from the same tools: "If you got your EU licence by exchanging a non-EU licence, you can only drive in Great Britain for 12 months."

Wording from GOV.UK's licence tools, EU outcome pages, checked 22 July 2026. Exchange uses a D1 form and the £43 fee, and the licence usually arrives within 3 weeks.

The embassy will not translate it

A common assumption is that the British Embassy can translate or handle your paperwork. The official guidance says otherwise: "British embassies, high commissions and consulates cannot translate documents."

For certified copies, the same guidance says: "If you're abroad and need a certified copy of a document for a reason other than legalisation, you should find a local notary to do it." Going the other way, with a UK document for use abroad? That is a different process: see our Romania legalisation guide.

  • 2001

    The Apostille Convention has been in force for Romania since 16 March 2001

  • Age 70

    How long most EU licence holders can drive in Great Britain before exchanging

  • £49.20

    ENIC's Translation Waiver fee for Romanian, inside its £118.80 Statement total

Sources for this page

We only publish what an official source says, and we re-check these pages on a schedule. If a source changes, this page is reviewed before we rely on it again.

What it confirmsOfficial sourceChecked
Romania and the Apostille ConventionHCCH status table22 Jul 2026
The UK cannot legalise foreign-issued documentsGOV.UK, Get your document legalised22 Jul 2026
Designated-country exchange listGOV.UK, Exchange a foreign driving licence22 Jul 2026
EU licence rulesGOV.UK, exchange tool, EU outcome22 Jul 2026
ENIC's Translation Waiver languages and feesUK ENIC, Translation Waiver Service22 Jul 2026
What British embassies cannot doGOV.UK, Documents for British people abroad22 Jul 2026
New certificate formats and the offices that issue themDGEP, civil status page (in Romanian)11 Oct 2026
SIIEASC, the integrated IT system for civil status documentsDGEP, home page (in Romanian)11 Oct 2026
Free apostilles; civil status certificates at any prefecturePrefect's Institution of Bucharest, Apostille (in Romanian)11 Oct 2026
Multilingual extracts are not apostilledPrefect's Institution of Bucharest, notice on multilingual extracts (PDF, in Romanian)11 Oct 2026
Convention No. 16 in force for RomaniaCIEC, Convention No. 16 status table (in French)11 Oct 2026

This page is general information based on the official guidance linked above, as it stood on the date shown. It is not legal or immigration advice, and requirements can change. The decision on any application always rests with the receiving organisation, so confirm the current requirements with them before you apply. Lingo Service is not responsible for decisions made by third parties.

More guides like this

More pages in this series, each quoting the receiving organisation's own published wording.

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Common questions

Do I need an apostille on my Romanian document for use in the UK?

Romania is a contracting party to the Apostille Convention, in force since 16 March 2001, so its public documents can carry an apostille obtained there. None of the official guidance we checked for the organisations covered by these pages asks for one on incoming documents, so confirm with the receiving organisation before paying for anything. The UK cannot add an apostille to a foreign document, so where one is wanted it comes from the issuing country.

Can I exchange my Romanian driving licence for a UK one?

Romania is not on the designated-country list; EU licences use their own route. The official outcome states you can drive in Great Britain on a full, valid EU licence until you are 70, or for 3 years if you were 67 or over when you became resident, and when you do exchange, you do not have to retake your test. If your EU licence came from exchanging a non-EU licence, only 12 months. The decision is always DVLA's.

Does my Romanian degree need a certified English translation?

For UK ENIC's Statement of Comparability, Romanian is in the Translation Waiver's paid group, priced on ENIC's page at a £49.20 waiver fee inside a £118.80 total, so you may not need a separate certified translation for ENIC. For most other organisations, the published rules ask for a certified English translation. Our dedicated pages show the exact wording each organisation uses.

Will my document definitely be accepted?

No page can honestly promise that, and you should be cautious of any that does. What we can tell you is what the official guidance requires, with the source, so you can prepare your application exactly as the organisation asks. The decision always rests with the receiving organisation.