Missing one document delays everything. Here's the exact list, what each document needs to look like, and common mistakes to avoid.
Documents are the single most common source of delay in the Romanian university application process. A missing apostille. A translation done by someone without sworn translator credentials. A medical certificate issued more than three months before submission. Any one of these sends your application back to square one. The review process at the Ministry of Education restarts. Weeks pass. Sometimes the whole year is lost.
This checklist tells you exactly what you need, what specifications each document must meet, and where the mistakes happen. Read it before you gather anything.
The same core documents flow through three separate review processes. First, the university reviews them to grant you admission. Second, the Romanian Ministry of Education reviews them to approve your enrollment as a foreign student. Third, the Romanian embassy in your country reviews them for your student visa application.
Each of these processes has slightly different requirements. The Ministry is the most stringent. If your documents pass Ministry review, they pass everywhere. So prepare everything to Ministry standards from the start, even for your initial university submission.
For the full process context — how these documents fit into the sequence of steps — read the step-by-step application guide.
| Document | Specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Valid passport | Minimum 18 months validity at time of visa application | Photo pages must be clearly legible. Expired passports are rejected. |
| High school diploma | Original + certified sworn translation into Romanian + apostille | Must show final grades or overall mark. If not in English or Romanian, translation is required. |
| High school transcripts | Original + certified sworn translation + apostille | All years of secondary education, showing subjects and grades. |
| Birth certificate | Official copy + sworn translation + apostille | Must match passport name exactly. Discrepancies cause rejection. |
| Medical certificate | Issued by licensed physician, confirming no contagious diseases | Must be issued within 3 months of submission. HIV, TB, and hepatitis tests often required. |
| English language proof | IELTS Academic 6.0+, TOEFL iBT 80+, Cambridge B2/C1/C2, or English-medium school letter | Check your specific program's threshold. |
| Passport-sized photos | 4 photos, 3.5 x 4.5 cm, white background, recent | Some universities and the visa application ask for up to 6 photos total. |
An apostille is a standardised certification that verifies the authenticity of a public document for use in another country. It's issued by a designated authority in the country where the document was issued — usually a government ministry, court, or notary authority.
Romania is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention. If your country is also a signatory — which most countries are — you get an apostille from your country's designated authority and it's valid in Romania without any further legalisation. The Hague Conference website lists every signatory country and their competent authority for apostille issuance.
The apostille goes on the original document or on a certified copy of it, not on the translation. The translation itself is certified separately by the sworn translator.
Apostille processing times vary. In some countries — the UK, Israel, France — you can get an apostille in a few days. In others, it takes two to six weeks. Some countries require notarisation before the apostille. Check your specific country's procedure early. This step alone can delay your timeline by several weeks if you leave it late.
A small number of countries are not signatories to the Hague Convention. If your country isn't on the apostille list, your documents go through a different legalisation process: the document is first authenticated by your country's foreign ministry, then by the Romanian embassy in your country. This process takes longer — plan for four to eight weeks — but it produces a document with equivalent legal force. The Romanian Ministry of Education accepts both apostilled and legalised documents.
The translation requirement is where many students go wrong. Romania requires that document translations be performed by an authorised sworn translator — a translator certified and licensed by the Romanian Ministry of Justice, or in some cases by a recognised authority in your home country.
A translation done by a bilingual friend, a language school, or an uncertified online service is not accepted. The Ministry of Education will reject it. The translation must carry the sworn translator's signature, stamp, and registration number.
"We receive rejected applications every admission cycle where the student used a non-certified translation service. The error is completely avoidable. Any translation agency that provides a sworn certified translation with the translator's credentials and stamp is acceptable — the key is that credentials must be visible on the document itself." — ScholarPath Romania, Admissions Advisor, 2025
In practice, you have two options. First, find a sworn translator in Romania — many offer remote services and will accept scanned originals for translation, with the certified translation mailed to you. Second, use a certified translation service in your home country that can certify the translation in a way recognised by Romanian authorities. We recommend using Romanian-based sworn translators for Ministry submissions to avoid any ambiguity.
Some programs and some stages require documents beyond the core list.
Most medical universities require an extended medical examination before final enrollment. This typically includes blood tests, chest X-ray, HIV status confirmation, and hepatitis B and C screening — beyond what a standard medical certificate covers. The university specifies the exact requirements when they issue your acceptance letter. Budget time and cost for this additional medical documentation.
Read more about the medicine-specific application requirements in our guide to studying medicine in Romania.
These programs require a portfolio submission as part of the application — examples of your design work or creative output. The university specifies format and content requirements. This is separate from your academic documents.
Master's and doctoral applications require your bachelor's degree and transcripts in addition to all the standard documents, both apostilled and translated. Some programs also require a research proposal or letter of motivation.
Once the university accepts your application, they issue documents you then need for subsequent steps. Don't confuse these with documents you need to provide.
The Romanian student visa (Type D Long-Stay) requires a specific subset of documents, plus some additional items. These are the documents you submit to the Romanian embassy or consulate in your country:
Visa application requirements can vary slightly between embassies. Always verify the current list with the specific Romanian embassy handling your application. Our full visa guide walks through this in detail.
Our admissions service includes a full document review at the start of the process. We check every document against current Ministry of Education and university requirements before you submit anything. If something is wrong — missing apostille, incorrect translation format, expired medical certificate — we tell you immediately, before it causes a rejection.
We also connect you with vetted sworn translators and help you track document timelines so nothing falls through the gaps. The how it works page has more detail on what's included. If you want to talk through your specific situation, book a consultation.
"Document preparation is the part of the process where professional guidance has the highest return. A single rejected document — one missing apostille, one uncertified translation — can add six weeks to the timeline or, in worst cases, push the start date back by a full year." — ScholarPath Romania, Admissions Advisor, 2025
An apostille is a government-issued certification that verifies the authenticity of a public document for use abroad. It's issued by a designated authority in the country where the document was produced. Romania accepts apostilles under the Hague Convention. You need apostilles on your diploma, transcripts, and birth certificate. If your country isn't a Hague Convention signatory, you go through a legalisation process via your foreign ministry and the Romanian embassy instead.
Yes. All academic documents must be translated into Romanian by a sworn translator. The translation must carry the translator's certification, stamp, and registration number. Uncertified translations are rejected. If your documents are already in English, you still need a Romanian translation for Ministry of Education and university submission purposes.
Plan for six to ten weeks from the moment you start. Apostille processing takes one to six weeks depending on your country. Sworn translation takes one to two weeks. The medical certificate must be recent — within three months of submission — so you time that last. If you're applying from a country with slow apostille processing or complex legalisation requirements, start even earlier.
You can submit a preliminary application to some universities with scanned copies, but you must provide original certified documents before the Ministry review begins and before enrollment. Some universities allow conditional acceptance pending document completion. However, the Ministry will not process your study approval without the full apostilled and translated document set. Start document preparation in parallel with your university research — don't wait for an acceptance before you begin.
If your country is not a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, your documents go through a two-step legalisation process: first authentication by your national foreign ministry, then legalisation by the Romanian embassy in your country. This takes four to eight weeks. The result has the same legal effect as an apostille. Check the Hague Conference website (hcch.net) to confirm your country's status.
You have two practical options. First, contact a translation agency in Romania — many work remotely and accept scanned document uploads, mailing the certified translation back to you. Second, use a certified translation service in your country that provides sworn translator certification recognised by Romanian authorities. For Ministry submissions, we recommend using Romanian-based sworn translators to avoid any ambiguity about credential recognition. ScholarPath can connect you with vetted translators as part of our admissions support.
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