Obtaining a Visa
Preface: This guide is for applying for a 1-year volunteer visa for Americans. If you're applying for a longer visa, married to a Romanian, applying for a non-volunteer visa or are not from the USA, parts or all of this guide will not be accurate. Also note that this process is complicated and changes very often, so it's possible and even likely that the prices and steps in this guide will constantly be changing. If you find changes please email admin@ywamcluj.ro.

In this guide, there are 3 phases. Phase 1 should be started on very soon after you enter in the country, the sooner the better! Phase 2 can be worked on at anytime, not as important as getting phase 1 done. Phase 3 can only be started once you have Phase 1 and Phase 2 completed. Also note that, as a general rule you should ALWAYS bring ALL of your visa papers with you as well as your passport. Even though some steps don't require your older papers, it's always safer to have them with you.

    Phase 1: Sending visa request to Bucaresti
    Note that steps 1-5 can be done in any order. Also, please note that whenever a monetary amount is suggested, be ready to pay more, because the prices of these things fluctuate quite a bit.

  1. Go to a XEROX store and make 4 copies of your passport. Ask for the receipt to be stamped and keep the receipt. Each copy should have:
    • your signature page
    • picture page
    • your Romania stamped entry of your last time in the country
    .80 lei
  2. Print out your updated resume.
  3. Go to a notarized authority and get your declarati signed. The declaratie paper looks something like this. Note that the page linked isn't the specific paper you will use, it's only somethig similar. You should ask for a declaratie for a visa, which will be sent to the minister of Culture, for either a 'Volunteer' or 'Humaitaria' visa. If you don't speak Romanian you will have to ask for a translator. Note that there are many notarized authorities, but only some have translators close by. Here is a business card of one notarized authority that does have translaters close by.
    50 lei
  4. Obtain a statement of activity report from the administration computer, D:\administration ow visa. This needs to be signed by the base leader. Also, please inform someone from administration, (Goldy in particular), to assign you a unique number for the statement report.
  5. Obtain a cultural report from the adminstration computer. This also needs to be signed by the base leader and assigned a unique number by someone in administration.
  6. Once you have completed steps 1-5, make a copies of the items received from steps 2-5 for your personal records.
  7. Take 1 copy of your passport (from step 1), and the originals from steps 2-5 and put them a large envelope. Mail it to the following addresss:
    Ministerul Cultelor
    Pt D-L Radu-Ciumana
    Str: N. Filipescu NR 40
    Sec II Bucurest i

    The return address should be:
    Tineri Pentru Misiune
    Str: Colonia Borhanci NR 2A
    Cluj-Napoca, 400481
    3 lei
  8. Wait ~3 days for the mail. Call the Bucuresti office to confirm that your papers made it there.
  9. Wait approximately 2 weeks to receive something in the mail. If you don't receive anything after 4 weeks, call them and ask them if there was a problem and why you haven't received anything back from them. Once you have the papers back you are ready for Phase 3. Note that Phase 2 can be done at anytime, but you need phases 1 and 2 to be done before starting phase 3.
  10. Make a copy of the paper you received from Bucharest.

    11. Total lei spent for this phase: ~54 lei + taxi fares


    Phase 2: Preparation for Turning in your papers
    Note that all of the steps in Phase 2 can be done in any order.

  11. Go to the passport office, open from 10am to 12pm, located at 12 Zriny Street, Cluj-Napoca, tel.0040-0264-432727. Ask for a "cerere pentru vize" (request for visa). It looks like this.
  12. Go to a photography store and get 3 passport pictures. Save the receipt.
    15 lei
  13. Obtain a 'contact de voluntariat' from the administration computer. This needs to be signed by the base leader. Also, please inform someone from administration, (Goldy in particular), to assign you a unique number for the statement report.
  14. Obtain a 'contact de comodat' from the administration computer. This needs to be signed by the base leader. Also, please inform someone from administration, (Goldy in particular), to assign you a unique number for the statement report.

    15. Total lei spent for this phase: ~15 lei + taxi fares


    Phase 3: The Rough Stuff
    It's reccommended but not necessarily mandatory to do all of these steps in order.

  15. Go to a medical office to get a physical. Say you need it for your visa. It's advised to have someone who speaks Romanian decently with you.
    60 lei
  16. This is the big nasty step. You have to get your medical insurance. Bring a copy of your passport and a copy of your letter from Bucharest. The process is pretty straightforward, but involves a lot of waiting. The office is located very close to McDonalds. As of July 2009, the office is open from 7:30am to 2pm, Monday through Thursday, from the 1st to the 25th of each month. Yes, it's that straightforward. You need to get your 'asiguranta medicala' (medical insurance). You will probably have to show them your passport (or a copy), as well as the papers received from your physical, including the receipt. The hard part of this is the wait. Expect to wait somewhere between 3 and 6 hours, bring a book! You can get there as early as 6 (or possibly earlier). You pick up a number from someone outside, this is your place in line. Make sure you get the number for 'Camera 1b' or else you may end up in the wrong line and wait for hours for nothing! The will ask you if you lived in Romania last year. If it's your first year, it's in general easier. Once you've gotten your paper processed and stamped, you go outside and to a different room in the same building complex. This is where you pay for the medical insurance.
    128 lei
  17. Once you have your medical insurance done, you need to head to a CEC bank. This is the expensive part. There are 2 steps that need to be done here:
    1. You need to get 120 euros, (which is approximately 510 lei). You will need these euros to transfer back into lei, I know it sounds silly.
    2. You need to pay 3 fees here, I forget exactly which fee is associated for what charge, but they're for your application, and for your ID card:
      • 120 euros (~510 lei) ***NOTE: The last time I went you didn't need the euros, just the lei, so try giving them lei and you might not have to transfer money into euros.***
      • 250 lei
      • 3 lei
    Make sure your get receipts from all 3 of these papers. There should also be a seperate receipt that showed that you transferred 120 euros to lei. You are very close to being done now!
    763 lei
  18. Make copies of the papers you received from steps 13 and 14.
  19. Fill out the paper obtained from step 11. Be careful when filling it out, sometimes they are very strict about any illegible marks.
  20. Take EVERYTHING you have to the passport office to turn it in. Keep your copies seperate. You probably won't need every piece of paper and receipt, but it's good to have. Pray that the person working there will be in a good mood. Seriously, they can make your life a nightmare if they feel so inclined.
  21. Wait 2 to 4 weeks for your ID card. Congratulations!! Only about 9 more months until you have to start the whole process all over again!
    Total lei spent for this phase: ~951 lei + taxi fares


    Total lei spent for the ENTIRE Visa: 1020 lei (or ~340 American dollars) + taxi fares