Romania Gambling License in 2026: ONJN Class I and Class II Costs and Process

Romania is one of the largest regulated gambling markets in Eastern Europe, supervised by the National Gambling Office (ONJN) under Government Emergency Ordinance No. 77/2009. It is a licensed, ring-fenced market: operators serving Romanian players need a Romanian license, and suppliers to those operators usually need one too.

The rules changed substantially in 2023–2025. OUG 82/2023 opened Class I to EU, EEA and Swiss entities through a Romanian permanent establishment and set fixed financial guarantees; Law 141/2025 raised the remote authorization tax to 30% with a €480,000 minimum. This page gives the 2026 position for both license classes. For a detailed online casino plan, read our guide to starting an online casino in Romania.

Romania gambling license: key facts for 2026

Class I: online operators

Class I covers businesses that organize gambling for players, including online casinos and sportsbooks. Besides the license, the operator needs an annual operating authorization for each gambling activity.

Recurring statutory cost

The 30% tax only exceeds the €480,000 minimum once relevant gaming revenue passes €1.6 million. The financial guarantee — €5 million for online casino, €2 million for betting, poker and other remote games — is a security that must be maintained, not a fee, but it can tie up significant capital or credit lines.

Eligibility

A Class I license can be held by a Romanian company, or by an entity established in the EU, EEA or Switzerland operating through a Romanian permanent establishment (OUG 77/2009 art. 1(2), as amended by OUG 82/2023). The applicant must meet the share capital requirement for each activity (RON 1 million for remote gambling), pass suitability checks on owners and managers, keep a mirror server in Romania and certify its platform and games.

Class II: B2B suppliers

Class II covers suppliers whose products or services are used by Romanian Class I operators, including:

• Game developers and studios;
• Platform and remote gaming server providers;
• Aggregators;
• Payment processors;
• Testing and certification bodies;
• Affiliates and marketing partners.

A Class II license costs €10,500 to issue, then €20,000 a year plus a €15,000 responsible-gambling contribution — €45,500 in year 1 and €35,000 a year afterward. EU and EEA companies can hold it in their own name with an authorized representative in Romania; a Romanian company is not required.

The ONJN process

1. License class and structure: confirm Class I or Class II, the applicant entity and, for Class I, the permanent establishment or Romanian company.
2. Company and capital: incorporate or register the establishment, pay up the share capital and, for Class I, arrange the financial guarantee.
3. Dossier: corporate and ownership documents, criminal and tax records for key persons, business plan, AML and responsible-gambling procedures, technical documentation and certificates.
4. ONJN review: answers to requests for clarification.
5. License and authorization: payment of fees, then the operating authorization for each Class I activity.
6. Go-live once the technical and reporting obligations are in place.

Our company formation and structuring service covers the Romanian entity or permanent establishment, and our gambling license services cover the ONJN dossier.

Continuing obligations

• Annual fees, authorization tax and contributions on time;
• Maintenance of the financial guarantee (Class I);
• Monthly and periodic reporting to ONJN;
• AML/CFT compliance under Law No. 129/2019;
• Self-exclusion, responsible gambling and advertising rules;
• Notification of changes in ownership, management, games and suppliers;
• Blocking of domains not authorized by ONJN (the ONJN blacklist works the other way, against unlicensed sites).

Does a Romanian license work outside Romania?

No. A Romanian license covers the Romanian market. There is no EU passport for gambling, so other regulated markets such as Malta, Italy or the Netherlands require their own licenses, and offshore licenses such as Curaçao cannot be used to serve Romanian players.

How Gambling Consulting Expert can help

We confirm the right license class, model the full statutory cost including guarantees, set up the applicant entity and prepare the ONJN dossier through to authorization. Request a Romania licensing assessment.