Before you start

Passport and, for a resident account, the residence permit with your CNP
Proof of address in Bucharest
A Romanian phone number for two-factor authentication
Employment contract or proof of income, requested by some institutions

Step-by-step

1
Decide between a non-resident and a resident account
Several banks will open a non-resident account on a passport alone, which is enough to receive money and pay for things but is often restricted on credit, overdrafts and some transfers. The full resident account needs the residence permit and CNP. If you need an account before the permit arrives, ask explicitly for the non-resident product.
In personWho: You
2
Choose a bank on branch language rather than on rates
Banca Transilvania, BCR, BRD, ING and Raiffeisen all offer comparable retail products at comparable prices. What differs is whether the branch you will actually use has staff who will conduct the appointment in English. Central Bucharest and the northern business districts are far better for this than the outer sectors.
In personWho: You
3
Open the account in branch and set up the app immediately
Romanian banking apps are genuinely good and instant domestic transfers are standard. Do the app enrolment while you are still in the branch, because the SMS-based activation is the step most likely to go wrong once you have left.
In personWho: You
4
Open a euro sub-account from the start
Rents, deposits and many freelance invoices in Bucharest are denominated in euro and settled in lei at the day's rate. Holding a euro balance alongside the lei one removes a conversion at every step and is free at most banks.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Keep a payment card for the small cash economy that remains
Card acceptance in Bucharest is close to universal, including in taxis and markets. Where cash still rules is smaller markets outside the centre, some notaries, and rural travel. A few hundred lei on hand covers it.
In personWho: You
6
Use a specialist service for international transfers
Romanian banks charge meaningfully for cross-border payments outside SEPA, and their FX spreads on non-euro currencies are poor. SEPA transfers in euro are cheap and fast; anything else is better done through a specialist.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Residence permit with CNP, for a resident account
Proof of Bucharest address
Romanian mobile number
Employment contract, where requested

Things most newcomers don’t know

The CNP is the key to everything, and it arrives with the residence permit rather than before it.

Your personal numeric code is issued as part of the residence permit and is what banks, the health system, the tax authority and your employer's payroll all key on. Until it exists, you are limited to a non-resident banking product and cannot complete a range of other registrations. This is the practical reason the IGI appointment should be booked the week you land rather than in the last fortnight of your visa.

Source: General Inspectorate for Immigration

Rents are quoted in euro but paid in lei, and the exchange rate risk sits with you.

Bucharest's rental market prices in euro almost universally, while the legal currency is the leu and Romania has no euro adoption date in force. Leases typically specify payment in lei at the National Bank reference rate on the payment date, which means your rent in lei moves month to month. Someone paid in lei and renting in euro carries that mismatch — holding a euro balance and asking whether the lease can fix a rate are both worth doing.

Source: community-reported

Banks will freeze an account when the residence permit on file expires.

Romanian anti-money-laundering practice requires banks to hold a valid identity document for foreign customers. When the permit's expiry date passes and no renewal has been provided, accounts are commonly restricted without warning — outgoing payments blocked, card declined. It is fixed by walking into a branch with the new permit, but it happens at the worst possible time. Upload the renewal as soon as you collect it.

Source: community-reported

Card acceptance here is better than in much of Western Europe, which catches people out in the opposite direction.

Romania leapfrogged the cheque and cash-heavy stages and went straight to contactless. Market stalls, taxis, small bakeries and rural petrol stations take cards. Newcomers who arrive expecting an Eastern European cash economy withdraw far more than they need and then carry it around. The genuine cash exceptions are a handful of notaries, some doctors' informal arrangements, and small markets outside the city.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to open a full resident account before the residence permit and CNP exist.
Choosing a branch without checking whether the staff there will work in English.
Holding only a lei account while paying rent quoted in euro.
Letting the bank's copy of your residence permit expire and having the account frozen.
Using a Romanian bank for non-SEPA international transfers instead of a specialist.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.