The short answer: Open ING Bank Romania first — it is the fastest route to a working Romanian (RO) IBAN with a fully English app, and you do not need to speak Romanian to run it. Add Banca Transilvania if you live outside the big cities and want the country’s biggest branch and ATM network. Keep Revolut as a multi-currency sidekick — its IBAN is Lithuanian, so pair it with a Romanian account for salary and rent.
Opening a cont curent (current account) is usually the very first admin task after arriving in Romania: employers want an IBAN for your salary, landlords want it for rent, and the tax office (ANAF) expects your income to land in a bank account. Romania is an EU member state with its own currency, the leu (RON), a fast-growing IT sector in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca, and a steady flow of international students and workers — and its banks are far more expat-friendly than their reputation suggests.
Below we compare four of the most popular options among expats — ING Bank Romania, Banca Transilvania, BCR and Revolut. These are not ranked “#1, #2, #3”; the right choice depends on whether you need a Romanian IBAN on day one, whether you deal in cash, and whether you want branches. Fees and features change regularly, so always verify on the provider’s official site before applying.
ExpatMoneyEU answer: Romania’s national gross minimum wage is RON 4,325 a month from 1 July 2026 (Government Decision 146/2026), up from RON 4,050 in the first half of the year — and since April 2026, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 requires employers of foreign workers to pay wages into the worker’s bank account. A Romanian account is therefore a first-week task, not a nice-to-have. Deposits at licensed Romanian banks are protected up to €100,000 per depositor under the EU deposit guarantee scheme (European Commission).
Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you — see our affiliate disclosure. Always verify current fees with the provider before applying.
Quick comparison: bank accounts for expats in Romania
| Account | Monthly fee | IBAN | Free ATM withdrawals | Branches | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ING Bank Romania | 0–15 RON | Romanian (RO) | Free at ING ATMs | Few | New arrivals, English speakers |
| Banca Transilvania | 0–10 RON | Romanian (RO) | Free at BT ATMs (largest network) | Yes, largest | Expats outside big cities |
| BCR | 0–15 RON | Romanian (RO) | Free at BCR ATMs | Yes | Traditional banking + strong app |
| Revolut (Standard) | €0 | Lithuanian (LT) | €200/month free, then 2% | No | Multi-currency complement |
→ Open a Bank Account in Romania as an Expat — documents, steps and 2026 rules
Expert Score: how the four accounts rate
We scored each account from 0 to 10 on the six criteria below, using only the facts stated on this page. A “—” means the attribute is not stated for that bank on this page, so it is excluded from that bank’s average. Scores are the editorial judgment of the ExpatMoneyEU Research Team — never ranked by commission.
| Account | Monthly fee | Romanian IBAN | Free ATM access | Branches & cash | Deposit protection | English support | Expert Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ING Bank Romania | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9.0 |
| Banca Transilvania | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9.7 |
| BCR | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 9.0 |
| Revolut (Standard) | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6.3 |
Scores by ExpatMoneyEU Research Team from the criteria above — not influenced by commissions.
ING Bank Romania
ING Bank Romania is the expat favourite for one simple reason: it is the easiest Romanian bank to run entirely in English. The Home’Bank app is fully in English, the staff at larger branches are used to foreign customers, and the account works exactly the way a modern digital bank should — instant notifications, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and multi-currency accounts (RON, EUR, USD, GBP) you can add from the app.
The monthly administration fee is typically 0–15 RON and is often waived when your salary is paid into the account. You get a real Romanian (RO) IBAN, which is what employers, landlords and the tax office expect. The trade-off is the branch network: ING has fewer branches than Banca Transilvania or BCR, so if you live in a smaller city, check the nearest branch before you commit.
Banca Transilvania
Banca Transilvania (BT) is Romania’s largest bank, and its size is its selling point: more branches and ATMs than any other bank, in practically every town. If you live outside Bucharest or Cluj, BT is often the only big bank with a branch on your street. The BT Pay app handles everyday banking in English, and standard packages cost roughly 0–10 RON a month.
Online opening through BT Pay is built for Romanian citizens with a Romanian ID card or passport — as a foreigner without one, expect a branch visit for identity checks. Once the account is open, it is a full-service Romanian account with a RO IBAN, debit cards, and easy cash deposit at BT’s own ATMs.
BCR (Banca Comercială Română)
BCR is Romania’s second-largest bank and part of Austria’s Erste Group, which makes it a comfortable choice if you already bank with Erste elsewhere in Europe. Its George app is fully in English and covers almost everything — payments, savings, cards and currency accounts — and the bank has a large branch network for the days you need a person.
Standard package fees run about 0–15 RON a month and are often waived when your salary lands in the account or you keep a minimum monthly cash flow. English support in branches is good in Bucharest and the big university cities and patchier elsewhere, so non-Romanian speakers should favour the app or a big-city branch.
Revolut
Revolut is the account most expats in Romania open alongside a Romanian bank, not instead of one. It issues a Lithuanian (LT) IBAN, not a Romanian one — and while SEPA rules say that IBAN must be accepted everywhere in the eurozone, some Romanian employers and landlords still ask for a RO IBAN for salary and rent. Treat Revolut as your multi-currency sidekick: free currency exchange up to €1,000 a month on the Standard plan, instant transfers between Revolut users, and RON balances you can hold and spend.
For sending money home it is genuinely useful — exchange at the interbank rate inside the free allowance, then send onward. Just remember the limits: free ATM withdrawals stop at €200 a month (then 2%), and weekend FX carries roughly a 1% markup. Revolut Bank UAB (Lithuania) holds the deposits under the EU deposit guarantee scheme.
Got your Romanian account? Send money home without the bank markup:
How to choose: a 3-question shortcut
- Do you need a Romanian IBAN for your salary this month? → Open ING first. English app, Romanian IBAN, salary-ready.
- Do you send money home every month? → Keep Revolut alongside and send with Wise — both beat Romanian bank transfer fees for most corridors.
- Do you want branches and cash deposit, or is an app enough? → Choose Banca Transilvania or BCR for branches and cash; an app-only setup is fine if you live in Bucharest or Cluj.
→ Free Romania Net Salary Calculator — check your take-home pay in RON before you sign a contract
Sending money home from Romania
Most expats in Romania send money home once a month, right after payday — and the corridor matters more than the bank. Romanian banks charge some of the highest international transfer fees in the EU, with a poor exchange rate on top, so the standard advice is simple: receive your salary in your Romanian account, then move it with a specialist. Wise shows the fee and the real exchange rate before you send, and it pays out to bank accounts in most home countries. Figures are illustrative — check the live fee and rate in the Wise app before every transfer, because rates move daily.
If you send a fixed amount home every month, set a routine: salary lands, convert what you need, send the rest the same day. Keep the transfer receipts — they double as proof of income and of financial ties if you ever renew a residence permit or apply for a family visa. Never use informal cash couriers: they are unregulated, uninsured, and a failed delivery leaves you with no receipt and no recourse.
→ Free Money Transfer Cost Calculator — compare the true cost of a transfer before you send
Documents you will need
EU citizens need only a passport or national ID plus proof of address, and can open an account within days of arrival. Non-EU citizens bring a passport and a Romanian residence permit (or long-stay visa), and the bank will ask for your personal numeric code (CNP) or tax number (NIF). Since April 2026, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 lets banks open an account on a long-stay work visa, a residence permit or other proof of the right to reside — you no longer have to wait for the plastic permit card before you can be paid. The recurring checklist is:
- Passport or EU national ID — the bank verifies your identity in person at the branch.
- Romanian residence permit (Permis de Ședere) or long-stay visa — for non-EU citizens; since April 2026, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 lets banks open an account on a long-stay work visa, a residence permit or other proof of the right to reside.
- Personal numeric code (CNP) or tax identification number (NIF) — issued when you register your residence; the NIF comes from ANAF, the Romanian tax authority.
- Proof of address — usually a rental contract or a utility bill in your name.
- Proof of income or employment — some banks ask for your work contract, especially for accounts with an overdraft or a credit card.
→ Free Romania Expat Budget Calculator — plan your monthly budget in Bucharest, Cluj or Timișoara
Practical tips for expats opening a Romanian account
- Expect a branch visit. Online opening in Romania is still largely built for Romanian citizens with a Romanian ID card; as a foreigner, plan one in-person appointment for ID verification, even if you start the application online.
- Ask for the basic payment account if money is tight. Anyone legally resident in the EU has a right to a basic payment account at a Romanian bank if they hold no other account in Romania; the bank must answer within 10 working days and can refuse only on anti-money-laundering grounds.
- Your salary must land in a bank account. Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 requires employers of foreign workers to pay wages into the worker’s bank account — cash salary is not the norm, so open the account in your first week.
- Keep a second account for transfers. A Romanian account pays your salary and rent; a multi-currency account handles cheap transfers home. That two-account setup is what most long-term expats in Romania actually use.
- Fees change. Monthly administration fees (comision de administrare) typically run 0–30 RON and are often waived when your salary lands in the account — always check the bank’s current price list before you apply.
What changes in 2027
Re-check every figure on this page each January: Romanian banks revise their price lists at least once a year, and the government reviews the minimum wage annually — the RON 4,325 floor from July 2026 will move again. Romania still uses the leu (RON) in 2026 and there is no confirmed date for euro adoption, so your RO IBAN and RON salary are not changing overnight; if euro adoption is ever announced, expect a long transition with plenty of notice. Watch too for digital-ID improvements: online opening for foreigners is slowly widening, and a fully remote account may be possible for more nationalities by 2027.
How we compared: the methodology
How we compared
Fees and features checked: the providers’ official websites and published price lists, as referenced throughout this guide, plus Romania’s 2026 account-opening rules (Emergency Ordinance 32/2026) and the National Bank of Romania’s register of licensed credit institutions. Criteria: monthly fees, ATM access, IBAN type and expat-friendliness — including opening requirements such as the residence permit, CNP/NIF, English support and deposit protection. Verdicts are the editorial judgment of the ExpatMoneyEU Research Team — not financial advice. Figures are illustrative; always verify the current terms with the provider before opening an account.