Healthcare in Romania, and what it costs without cover

Romania has a universal public system funded through CNAS, the national health insurance house, but it is underfunded and uneven, and most foreigners in the cities skip it for anything non-urgent.

Private networks in the cities

The private sector is where nomads actually go: large networks such as Regina Maria, MedLife, Sanador, Medicover and Monza run modern hospitals and clinics in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara and other cities, with same-week specialist access and quality that holds up well by EU standards. For a major emergency, the state system still matters: Bucharest's Floreasca Clinical Emergency Hospital is the country's main trauma centre, and serious cases often go there regardless of insurance.

English, pharmacies and 112

English is widely spoken by younger doctors and across the private networks, less so in small-town public clinics, so for complex care it pays to stay in a city. Pharmacies (farmacie) are everywhere, with 24-hour ones in larger towns, and many common medicines are sold over the counter. The emergency number is the EU-wide 112, which reaches ambulance, police and fire with operators who handle English. Romania is on the European continent with good road links, so this is not an evacuation-dependent island: the realistic worry is the bill for a private admission or a repatriation home, which is exactly what your policy needs to cover.

For short visits, US, British, Canadian and Australian passport holders enter Romania visa-free for 90 days in any 180-day period.

Full Schengen since 2025

Since January 2025 Romania is a full Schengen member (air and sea borders opened in March 2024, land borders in January 2025), so those 90 days count against the wider Schengen allowance. The EU's ETIAS authorisation is expected but is not yet required as of mid-2026, and there is no insurance mandate to enter as a tourist, though going uninsured anywhere is a poor bet.

Nomad visa and the €30,000 rule

To stay and work remotely, Romania's digital nomad visa (introduced in 2021) is for non-EU nationals who work for a company or clients based outside Romania. The income bar is high: you must show earnings of at least three times the Romanian average gross monthly salary for the six months before applying, which in practice has worked out to roughly €4,000 to €5,600 a month as the average wage has risen, so check the current figure before you apply. Health insurance is compulsory: a private policy valid for the entire stay covering at least €30,000 in medical costs, a figure stated in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa documentation. The long-stay visa leads to a residence permit, renewable to a total of around three years. Full details are on the Romania digital nomad visa page.

• Stray dogs and rabies. Romania still has free-roaming dogs and confirmed rabies in wildlife, so a bite means prompt medical attention and post-exposure shots.
• Tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme. Ticks are active April to October in forests and grassland, including Transylvania and the Carpathians; TBE is a serious brain infection and a vaccine exists.
• Driving. Romania has some of the EU's highest road-death rates, with aggressive overtaking, horse-drawn carts on rural roads, and a zero blood-alcohol limit for drivers.
• Tap water. It is generally safe to drink in the main cities, but locals often filter or buy bottled, and mountain or village water should be treated.
• Petty theft and scams. Pickpocketing on crowded transport, taxi overcharging and ATM card-skimming are the common nuisances rather than violent crime, which is low.