This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Driving in Romania: the three basics
Drives on the
right
The driver sits on the left and overtakes on the left. Roundabouts turn anticlockwise.
Your licence
EU licence is enough
An EU, EEA or Swiss licence is valid as it stands. A licence from anywhere else works alongside an International Driving Permit, which hire desks and police expect to see.
Motorways
Vignette
Motorways are paid for with a time-based vignette bought before you join one, not at a barrier. Driving a motorway without it is a fine, and the check is usually automatic.
The rovinieta is electronic and is checked by camera; hire cars usually include it, but confirm before leaving the airport.
Romania's rovinieta is electronic and camera-checked, and the alcohol limit is zero.
An electronic road vignette checked by camera, and zero tolerance for alcohol.
The rovinieta covers the national road network, not just motorways. Hire cars normally include it; confirm at the desk rather than assume.
The alcohol limit is zero. A positive test above a low threshold is a criminal matter, not a fine.
Dipped headlights are compulsory outside built-up areas.
The mountain roads are the point and the risk. The Transfagarasan and Transalpina open only in summer - roughly July to October - and are closed by snow the rest of the year.
Horse carts and unlit vehicles on rural roads at night are the reason locals avoid driving after dark outside the cities.
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