The Romania gaming licence cost 2026 runs far higher than ONJN’s published administrative tariffs suggest. Most operators researching entry into the Romanian market look at the application fee and issuance charge and assume those numbers define the cost. They do not. The annual authorisation tax, the financial guarantee requirement, the paid-in share capital, key person vetting, and ongoing technical certification all add up to a cost structure that is meaningfully different from offshore alternatives.
This article covers every cost category for the Romania gaming licence cost 2026, including the material changes introduced by Law 141/2025, which took effect on August 1, 2025 and revised the GGR tax rate upward.
Application and issuance fees for the Romania gaming licence cost 2026
ONJN charges two administrative fees at the application stage:
| Fee item | Amount | When paid |
| Documentation analysis fee | EUR 3,500 | On submission to ONJN |
| Licence issuance fee | EUR 10,500 | On approval |
ONJN does not refund either fee. The documentation analysis fee applies regardless of outcome. If ONJN rejects the application, the EUR 3,500 is not returned.
These are the lowest cost items in the entire Romania Gaming Licence Cost 2026 calculation. However, operators who focus on them to the exclusion of everything else are looking at the wrong numbers. Instead, the annual authorisation tax, financial guarantee, share capital, and compliance costs shape the real budget.
Annual authorisation tax: the largest item in the Romania gaming licence cost 2026
Law 141/2025 took effect on August 1, 2025 and revised the annual authorisation tax for online gambling. The previous rate was 21% of gross gaming revenue with a minimum of EUR 400,000 per year. The current rate is 30% of GGR with a minimum of EUR 480,000 per year.
| Category | GGR rate | Minimum annual fee | In force from |
| Current rate | 30% of GGR | EUR 480,000 | August 1, 2025 |
| Previous rate | 21% of GGR | EUR 400,000 | Prior to August 1, 2025 |
The minimum is the floor, not the ceiling. An operator generating EUR 5 million GGR per year owes EUR 1.5 million in authorisation tax. The EUR 480,000 minimum applies only if 30% of GGR falls below that threshold.
A separate 1% tax on player net winnings above a defined threshold also applies. The operator withholds and remits this amount to ANAF, Romania’s national tax authority. This is an administrative obligation on top of the GGR-based authorisation tax.
The EUR 480,000 minimum alone makes Romania significantly more expensive on an annual basis than Curacao, Anjouan, or Kahnawake. Operators need to model Romania on realistic revenue projections before entering this market.
Full detail on ONJN’s regulatory framework and application requirements is in the guide: ONJN Romania gaming regulator: what operators need to know.
ONJN publishes current legislation and tariff schedules on its official legislation page at onjn.gov.ro.
Financial guarantees required by ONJN
ONJN requires operators to maintain a financial guarantee before granting authorisation. The amount depends on the product category:
| Product type | Guarantee required |
| Online gambling (non-casino) | EUR 2,000,000 |
| Online casino | EUR 5,000,000 |
These are not fees paid to ONJN. The funds sit in a blocked account or take the form of a bank guarantee, and their purpose is to secure the state’s interest in unpaid tax obligations. The capital does not generate a return while it sits as a guarantee.
For online casino operators, the EUR 5,000,000 guarantee is a substantial capital commitment on top of the EUR 1 million share capital requirement. Together, they represent EUR 6 million tied up before the first bet takes place.
Corporate setup and share capital
ONJN requires a Romanian-registered entity or a registered branch of a foreign company with a local representative in Romania. Remote structures do not qualify.
The minimum paid-in share capital is RON 5,000,000, approximately EUR 1 million at current exchange rates. In addition, ONJN verifies that this amount is genuinely paid in at application. Therefore, source of funds documentation covering the capital’s origin is mandatory.
Corporate setup costs for a Romanian entity include notarial fees, registration fees, a registered address, and translation and apostille charges for any foreign documentation. In practice, direct costs typically run EUR 3,000 to EUR 8,000. However, this does not include legal advisory fees for structuring, which should be budgeted separately.
Operators without an existing Romanian structure can access gaming company incorporation covering the Romanian setup as a standalone service.
Key person costs
Key person vetting is another part of the Romania Gaming Licence Cost 2026 that applicants often underestimate. ONJN requires four key persons to pass individual fit-and-proper checks before an application advances:
- Legal Representative or Director
- Compliance Officer
- AML Responsible Person
- Technical Responsible
All four go through background checks covering criminal records, professional history, and source of wealth. After that, ONJN reviews these checks on its own timeline. As a result, candidates without regulated-industry experience usually take longer to clear. Moreover, there is no external mechanism to speed up the review.
Ongoing costs for the Compliance Officer and AML Responsible Person are either internal salary costs or outsourced provision fees. For operators using a third-party service, annual costs typically run EUR 15,000 to EUR 30,000 depending on scope and reporting obligations.
The gaming licensing compliance service covers ongoing ONJN compliance obligations, including key function management, for operators who prefer not to build in-house capacity.
Technical certification and ongoing compliance costs
ONJN requires all RNG-dependent games to carry certification from an ONJN-recognised laboratory. GLI and BMM certifications are the most commonly accepted. Certification applies on a per-game basis: a title certified in another jurisdiction may still need specific Romanian steps.
Romanian player data and transaction records must sit on servers in Romania or the EEA. In addition, platforms built for jurisdictions that run periodic auditing often need rework to meet ONJN’s continuous live reporting requirements, which run throughout the licence period. Therefore, technical readiness should be reviewed before the application reaches submission stage.
Ongoing compliance costs are a major part of the Romanian gaming licence budget. They include annual game certification renewal fees, AML platform and screening tool costs, responsible gambling system maintenance, data localisation infrastructure where not already EEA-based, and annual ONJN audit preparation. These costs vary by operator size but rarely fall below EUR 20,000 to EUR 40,000 per year for a lean operation.
Full Romania gaming licence cost 2026 model
The table below brings every component together. Capital commitment items (share capital, financial guarantee) are not lost, but they are tied up and unavailable for other operational use.
| Cost item | Amount | Type | Notes |
| Documentation analysis fee | EUR 3,500 | One-time | Non-refundable |
| Licence issuance fee | EUR 10,500 | One-time | On approval |
| Share capital (paid in) | ~EUR 1,000,000 | Capital | RON 5,000,000 req. |
| Financial guarantee (casino) | EUR 5,000,000 | Capital lock | Blocked account |
| Financial guarantee (non-casino) | EUR 2,000,000 | Capital lock | Blocked account |
| Annual authorisation tax (min.) | EUR 480,000 | Annual | 30% GGR if higher |
| Corporate setup costs | EUR 3,000 – 8,000 | One-time | Notary, reg., legal |
| Key person costs (outsourced) | EUR 15,000 – 30,000 | Annual | Compliance + AML |
| Technical cert. & compliance | EUR 20,000 – 40,000 | Annual | RNG, AML, audit |
| Legal advisory (application) | EUR 20,000 – 50,000 | One-time | Agent fees |
The real running cost for a licensed Romanian operator starts at approximately EUR 515,000 to EUR 550,000 per year before GGR-based tax calculations. Once the 30% GGR tax applies on actual revenues, the total rises quickly for operators generating meaningful volume.
The gaming licence acquisition service covers ONJN applications from corporate setup through to approval, with full cost transparency at the outset.
How Romania compares to other jurisdictions
In any Romania Gaming Licence Cost 2026 comparison, Romania carries the highest annual cost of any jurisdiction in this set. By contrast, Malta MGA costs EUR 35,000 in annual fees for a B2C operator, plus compliance contributions. Therefore, Romania’s EUR 480,000 minimum annual authorisation tax is a different order of magnitude.
| Jurisdiction | Application fee | Min. annual cost | EU market access |
| Romania (ONJN) | EUR 14,000 | EUR 480,000+ | Romania only |
| Malta MGA (B2C) | EUR 5,000 | ~EUR 35,000+ | EU-wide (varies) |
| Curacao (GCA) | ~USD 27,000 | Included | No EU access |
| Anjouan | ~USD 20-30,000 | Annual renewal | No EU access |
What Romania offers that no other jurisdiction provides: direct legal access to Romanian players. ONJN does not recognise any foreign licence. Operators holding Malta MGA authorisations, Curacao registrations, or any other foreign approval still need direct ONJN authorisation to serve Romanian residents.
The Romania gaming licence jurisdiction page covers the full requirement set for ONJN applicants. The ICLG Gambling Laws and Regulations 2026 report for Romania covers the legal framework in detail, including the Law 141/2025 changes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the total Romania gaming licence cost 2026 for an online casino?
Administrative fees are EUR 3,500 for documentation analysis and EUR 10,500 for licence issuance. Casino operators also need EUR 5,000,000 in financial guarantee capital, approximately EUR 1 million in paid-in share capital, and an annual authorisation tax of 30% of GGR with a EUR 480,000 minimum per year. Total first-year cash requirements, excluding capital commitments and legal advisory fees, start at approximately EUR 510,000.
Did the Romania gaming licence cost 2026 change recently?
Yes. Law 141/2025 took effect on August 1, 2025 and increased the annual authorisation tax from 21% of GGR to 30% of GGR. As a result, the minimum annual fee rose from EUR 400,000 to EUR 480,000. However, the administrative application and issuance fees remain EUR 3,500 and EUR 10,500 respectively.
Why is the Romania gaming licence cost so high compared to offshore licences?
Romania is an EU member state with a fully regulated market. Therefore, the Romania Gaming Licence Cost 2026 reflects mandatory continuous live reporting to ONJN, per-game RNG certification, AML compliance under Law 129/2019, and a financial guarantee that secures tax obligations to the Romanian state. By contrast, offshore jurisdictions with lower costs do not grant access to Romanian players.
What is the financial guarantee requirement in the Romania Gaming Licence Cost 2026?
EUR 2,000,000 for online gambling other than casino, and EUR 5,000,000 for online casino operations. The funds sit in a blocked account or are provided via bank guarantee. They are not fees paid to ONJN but a capital lock-up for the duration of the licence.
Can I use an existing EU gaming licence to operate in Romania?
No. ONJN does not recognise any foreign licence, including Malta MGA, Gibraltar, or any other EU gaming authorisation. Every operator targeting Romanian players requires a direct ONJN authorisation, regardless of what other licences they hold.
How long does the ONJN application process take?
ONJN’s review period after a complete submission runs three to four months. However, reaching that point requires corporate setup, key person vetting, policy documentation, and technical audit readiness. As a result, most operators take six to nine months from starting preparation to going live.
Are the annual Romania gaming licence costs tax-deductible?
The authorisation tax and operational costs are generally deductible against Romanian corporate tax. The financial guarantee itself is not a cost item and does not create a deductible expense. Confirm treatment with a Romanian tax advisor familiar with gambling industry accounting.
What key persons does ONJN require, and what does each cost?
ONJN requires four key persons: Legal Representative or Director, Compliance Officer, AML Responsible Person, and Technical Responsible. In addition, all four must pass ONJN fit-and-proper review before the application can move forward. As a result, applicants need to budget for both appointment and compliance management costs. For operators using external support, outsourced Compliance and AML provision typically costs EUR 15,000 to EUR 30,000 per year combined, depending on scope.
The Romania gaming licence cost 2026 is not a single fee. The EUR 480,000 minimum annual authorisation tax, the EUR 2-5 million financial guarantee, the paid-in share capital, and the ongoing compliance structure together define a cost that serious applicants model before they start the process. For operators ready to assess their readiness for ONJN, contact DD Consultus at contact@licencegaming.com or +356 99408536.