Your PCC is used twice in the Romanian process
Hiring a worker from India into Romania happens in two stages, and the criminal record appears in both.
Stage 1: the work authorisation (employer files it)
Your Romanian employer applies to the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) for your work authorisation. Along with your passport copy, CV, diplomas and photos, the IGI file must contain your criminal record from India. Romania asks for it to be translated and legalised. For an Indian document, legalised means the MEA apostille, because India and Romania are both members of the Hague Apostille Convention.
Stage 2: the long-stay work visa (you apply)
Once the work authorisation is issued, you apply for the long-stay visa for employment at the Romanian mission. The visa list again includes a criminal record, together with the work authorisation copy, proof of funds and insurance. The EU Immigration Portal says you have 60 days after the work authorisation is issued to apply for the visa, so keep your papers ready before the employer's approval comes through.
Ask your employer or agency one question early: will they keep your original apostilled PCC for the IGI file? If yes, you may need a second apostilled PCC for the visa appointment. It is easier to process two together than to start again later.
Which PCC do you hold?
Look at the top of your certificate. The route and the price depend on who signed it.
Issued by the Regional Passport Office
Passport office PCC
The PCC you get after a Passport Seva Kendra or POPSK visit usually goes straight to the MEA. ₹1,000 per certificate.
Issued by police station, SP or Commissioner
Police PCC
A police-issued certificate needs state authentication before the MEA. Notary + SDM where accepted, ₹1,500 in total. Otherwise the Home Department of the state that issued it, on quote.
Romanian translation: what gets translated, and when
Romania wants the document in Romanian. The usual order is apostille first, translation second, so the translator can include the apostille text as well as the PCC itself. A translation done before the apostille leaves the apostille untranslated.
Some Romanian employers and agencies accept a translation prepared in India. Others prefer to have it translated or certified by an authorised translator in Romania. Ask your employer which they want before you order one. If they accept a translation from India, we prepare the Romanian translation of the apostilled PCC and send both back together.
What to send and how it runs
- Original PCC (one per set you need)
- Copy of your passport, front and back pages
- The document list from your Romanian employer or agency, if you have it
- Whether you need the Romanian translation from us
- Photo on WhatsAppWe read the PCC, tell you the route and quote for the translation.
- Original to usDrop it at New Ashok Nagar, Delhi, or courier it from your city.
- AuthenticationOnly for police PCCs: Notary + SDM or Home Department.
- MEA apostilleFixed to your original PCC.
- Translation and returnRomanian translation if ordered, then Blue Dart back to you.
We give you a time estimate with the price, before you send anything.
How old can the PCC be?
The EU Immigration Portal does not state a validity period for the criminal record in Romanian work applications. Your employer, the IGI or the Romanian mission may still apply their own limit. Check your employer's checklist, and if your PCC is already a few months old, confirm it will be accepted before you spend money on the apostille and translation.
Questions about PCC apostille for Romania
My agent says Romania needs "legalisation". Is the apostille the same thing?
For an Indian document going to Romania, yes. Both countries are in the Hague Apostille Convention, so the MEA apostille replaces embassy legalisation. You do not need a Romanian embassy stamp on the PCC.
Who submits the PCC to the IGI, me or my employer?
Your employer submits it as part of the work authorisation file in Romania. You send them the apostilled and translated PCC. For the visa stage, you submit the criminal record yourself at the Romanian mission.
Can you translate the PCC into Romanian without the apostille?
We can, but Romania asks for the record to be legalised as well as translated, so a translation alone will not complete the file. We suggest apostille first, then translation of both.
My PCC was issued by my local police station in Punjab. Does that change anything?
It adds a state step. A police-issued PCC goes through Notary + SDM where accepted, or the Punjab Home Department, before the MEA apostille. Send a photo and we confirm which applies.
Do I need my degree apostilled for Romania too?
The IGI file includes your diplomas, and employers often ask for them to be apostilled. See our degree certificate apostille page for the routes and prices.