Working in Romania
Romania's ski resorts are affordable, accessible for EU nationals, and sit next to real cities rather than isolated mountain villages — Poiana Brasov in particular benefits from being 13km from a city of 250,000. The trade-off is modest terrain and a visa barrier that makes it genuinely difficult for UK nationals.
Visa and immigration rules change frequently. This guide is for general information only — always verify current requirements with the official government immigration authority before making any travel or employment commitments.
This is not legal advice. Employment law, workers' rights, and contractual requirements differ significantly between countries. Seek qualified legal advice if you have concerns about a specific situation.
Who can work here without a visa
Romania joined the EU in 2007. EU and EEA nationals can live and work in Romania without a permit or formal visa — standard free movement applies. For stays longer than three months, EU nationals are required to register with the local authorities (Evidenta Persoanelor), a routine administrative step that your employer can usually assist with. In practice this is straightforward paperwork, not a barrier.
UK nationals post-Brexit face a harder situation. Romania does not have a Working Holiday Visa arrangement with the UK. The route available to UK nationals who want to work legally in Romania is:
- Type D long-stay visa with work authorisation: Your Romanian employer applies for a work permit through the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) before you travel, then you apply for a Type D visa at the Romanian embassy or consulate in the UK. The employer is required to advertise the role locally first and demonstrate it couldn't be filled domestically — the threshold for hospitality roles is not always rigorously tested in practice, but the process takes several weeks and requires an employer willing to initiate and manage it.
The honest assessment: most Romanian resort employers have not set up hiring pipelines for UK nationals and won't take on the bureaucratic overhead for seasonal positions. UK nationals who do work in Romanian resorts have usually arranged things directly and in advance with a specific employer already committed to sponsoring them. UK nationals should treat Romania as a higher-friction destination and prioritise options like France, Austria, or Andorra where the employer ecosystem is more familiar with international seasonal hiring. It is possible — it just requires advance planning and an employer prepared to do their part.
Non-EU nationals: same position. Work permit and employer sponsorship required. Check the General Inspectorate for Immigration website (igi.mai.gov.ro) for current procedures.
The resorts
Poiana Brasov
The most internationally known Romanian ski resort, located in the Bucegi Mountains approximately 13km from Brasov city. Around 25km of slopes — predominantly beginner to intermediate terrain, with a handful of more challenging runs. Served by two cable cars and multiple drag lifts. The season typically runs December to March, with snowpack less reliable than higher-elevation Alpine resorts.
The defining feature of Poiana Brasov from a seasonaire perspective is not the skiing — it's the geography. Brasov is a real city of approximately 250,000 people. This matters more than it might appear. A seasonaire based in Poiana Brasov has direct access to supermarkets, a public hospital, a functioning public transport network, cinemas, restaurants outside the tourist economy, and a population that is not entirely made up of tourists and resort workers. That is a fundamentally different quality of daily life from an isolated Alpine village, and for a four-month season it makes a meaningful difference.
Job market: Poiana Brasov's hotels and restaurants are the main employers. Several large resort hotels have operated year after year and hire seasonaires for front-of-house, housekeeping, and kitchen roles. English is increasingly common in the resort, particularly in guest-facing roles — it's effectively a requirement in the international hotels. Romanian is helpful for daily life in Brasov; German is also useful given the resort's significant German-speaking tourist market (Transylvania's historical Saxon population has left German-language infrastructure and a German-speaking tourist pipeline that persists to this day).
Snowpack note: Poiana Brasov sits at around 1,000–1,800m. This is lower than most Alpine resorts, and warm or wet spells can interrupt operations. It's not as weather-volatile as Scotland but it's not Verbier either. A December to March run is typical in a reasonable year.
Sinaia
Known historically as "the Pearl of the Carpathians," Sinaia is a town in the Prahova Valley with a royal palace (Peles Castle) and a ski area of roughly 25km of pistes. It sits closer to Bucharest than Brasov — around 120km versus Brasov's 170km. Some of the runs have nighttime skiing. The job market is smaller than Poiana Brasov, with fewer large international hotels and a more domestic-focused tourist base. Viable as a quieter, cheaper alternative.
Predeal and Busteni
Small resorts in the same Prahova Valley corridor. Limited ski terrain, mostly domestic Romanian market. Worth mentioning for completeness; not realistic primary targets for international seasonaires.
Cost of living reality
Romania has one of the lowest costs of living in the EU, and this is the headline reason seasonaires consider it. To be specific about the maths:
- Accommodation: shared room in Brasov is significantly cheaper than equivalent accommodation in a French or Swiss resort. Expect costs noticeably below Western European equivalents, though exact figures shift with the market — research current listings on Romanian property sites before budgeting.
- Food and drink: noticeably cheaper than France, Switzerland, or Austria. A meal out, a coffee, groceries — all meaningfully lower.
- Wages: lower in absolute terms than Western European equivalents. Romanian hospitality wages are not high by Western standards.
The maths works because costs and wages are both lower in proportion — it is not that Romanian wages are generous, but that your outgoings are low enough that the savings rate can be comparable to or better than a more expensive Alpine season. Model this carefully with current figures before assuming it works for your specific situation.
Practical notes
- Currency: Romanian Leu (RON). Romania has not yet adopted the Euro despite EU membership. Card payments are widely accepted in resorts and Brasov city; carry some cash for smaller transactions.
- Healthcare: EU nationals should carry their EHIC card. Romania has a public healthcare system though quality varies. Private health insurance with winter sports cover is strongly recommended for all nationalities.
- Getting there: Bucharest Henri Coanda Airport (OTP) is the main international hub. Brasov is approximately 2.5 hours from Bucharest by road or rail. Cluj-Napoca (CLJ) in Transylvania is a growing alternative for western Romania. Budget airlines serve Bucharest from most European hubs.
- Language: Romanian. It is a Romance language — speakers of French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese will find it more accessible than Slavic or Germanic languages. English proficiency in Poiana Brasov's resort operations is good; in Brasov city it varies. Outside tourist areas, do not assume English is spoken. Romanian language apps and a pocket phrasebook will make daily life noticeably smoother.
- Getting around: Public buses connect Poiana Brasov to Brasov city regularly during ski season, making the city accessible without a car. Within Brasov, public transport is functional. A car helps for exploring the wider region but is not essential.
Bottom line
Romania suits EU nationals looking to maximise savings from a season on a modest wage — the cost-of-living advantage is real, and Poiana Brasov's proximity to a real city makes it more liveable than many isolated resort options at this price point. The terrain is genuine but limited: it suits beginners and lower intermediates for a season, or someone who's happy to ski what's available without needing constant new challenges.
For UK nationals and non-EU nationalities, the visa process is a genuine obstacle and Romania should not be a first-choice destination unless you have a specific employer prepared to handle the paperwork. If you do have that, the cost-of-living advantage becomes more compelling.
Go in expecting a Carpathian budget season in a country with interesting culture, real cities, and genuinely low costs. Don't go in expecting Alpine terrain or Alpine infrastructure — the comparison doesn't hold and the disappointment will be swift.