Driving licence suspended in Romania: what you can do
The Romanian police took your licence and gave you a temporary permit (dovada înlocuitoare)? You have 15 days to contest the report, and once the complaint is registered with the court, the suspension is not enforced until the court decides. Below, in short, what the Romanian Traffic Code says — also for licences issued abroad.
Retained, suspended or cancelled
Legal basis: Romanian Government Emergency Ordinance no. 195/2002 (Traffic Code), art. 97, 111, 114(1) and 114^1.
- Retained (reținut) — the officer takes the licence on the spot and gives you a temporary permit, with or without the right to drive.
- Suspended (suspendat) — the complementary sanction written in the report: 30, 60, 90 or 120 days without the right to drive (or after 15 penalty points). Afterwards, the licence is returned.
- Cancelled (anulat) — for a Romanian licence, after a final criminal conviction for certain traffic offences. For a licence issued abroad, the same situations lead to a 1-year ban on driving in Romania.
How long the suspension lasts
The period is set by law for each offence — the officer does not choose it. The most common cases:
30 days
Running a red light, overtaking a column stopped at traffic lights, ignoring a police officer’s signals, using a phone without hands-free while also breaking a traffic rule, aggressive driving. Also 30 days after collecting 15 penalty points.
60 days
Failing to give way to pedestrians or vehicles, illegal overtaking, driving on the wrong side of the road, ignoring a temporary restriction.
90 days
Alcohol below the criminal threshold, speeding by more than 50 km/h over the limit, driving on the motorway emergency lane without reason, dangerously defective brakes or steering.
120 days
Speeding by more than 70 km/h over the limit, not stopping at a level crossing with the barrier down or a red signal, turning, reversing or driving the wrong way on a motorway or expressway.
Legal basis: GEO no. 195/2002, art. 100(3), 101(3), 102(3)–(4), 103(1).
Penalty points
Besides the fine, many traffic offences add penalty points. They do not suspend the licence on their own, but they add up:
- 2 points — speeding by 10–20 km/h, no seat belt, wrong stopping or turning, headlights not used in daytime
- 3 points — speeding by 21–30 km/h, wrong parking, entering a blocked junction, a child carried without a seat belt or approved seat
- 4 points — speeding by 31–40 km/h, using a phone while driving without hands-free, refusing to show your documents to the officer
- 6 points — speeding by 41–50 km/h, turning left across a continuous line, blocking a junction with traffic lights, ignoring the signs at a level crossing
- the points of each offence are cancelled 6 months after the offence was recorded;
- at 15 points the right to drive is suspended for 30 days; if you collect 15 points again within 12 months after that suspension ends, for 60 days;
- a suspension for points cancels all the points collected until then;
- if you contested a report whose points count towards the 15, the 6 months do not run while the complaint is pending.
These rules are written for licences recorded in Romania; ask us how they apply to a licence issued abroad.
Legal basis: GEO no. 195/2002, art. 103(1)(a)–(b), 103(4)–(5) and 108(1).
The complaint within 15 days
The suspension is not contested separately: it is part of the report, so you contest it through the complaint against the report (plângere contravențională).
Legal basis: GEO no. 195/2002, art. 118; Government Ordinance no. 2/2001, art. 31(1); Code of Civil Procedure, art. 18.
Note the date
The 15 days run from the day the report (proces-verbal) was handed to you or communicated to you. Take photos of the report and of the temporary permit.
Choose the court
The complaint goes to the district court (judecătorie) in whose area the offence was recorded — or, if you live in Romania, the one for your home address.
File the complaint
From the moment the complaint is registered, the fine and the suspension are not enforced until the court decides.
Ask for the licence back
Take or send proof that the complaint was registered to the police unit of the officer who took the licence.
If the complaint is finally rejected, you have 30 days to hand the licence back to the traffic police, and the suspension resumes the day after. The court decides in Romanian; you can take part through an authorised translator.
Leaving Romania before the suspension ends
Legal basis: GEO no. 195/2002, art. 113(1^1)–(1^2).
If your licence was issued by a foreign authority, you may ask the head of the traffic police for the area where the offence was recorded to return it before the suspension ends — at most one working day before you leave Romania — if you show proof that you paid the fine for that offence.
The Romanian police then inform the authority that issued your licence about the sanction applied.
Where we work
More details, in Romanian: Permis reținut sau suspendat: contestare. Other legal questions for foreign citizens: Legal help for foreigners in Romania.
- Otopeni / IlfovOtopeni, close to Henri Coandă International Airport, and the rest of Ilfov County around Bucharest.
- BucharestAll six sectors of Bucharest.
- PiteștiPitești and Argeș County.
Questions
Can I drive with the temporary permit (dovada înlocuitoare)?
Only if the document says it is issued with the right to drive (cu drept de circulație), and only until the date written on it — usually 15 days. A temporary permit without the right to drive (fără drept de circulație) does not allow you to drive, and driving while your right to drive is suspended is a criminal offence.
I am leaving Romania before the suspension ends. Can I get my licence back?
Yes, if it was issued by a foreign authority. You may ask the head of the traffic police for the area where the offence was recorded to return it, at most one working day before you leave Romania, if you show proof that you paid the fine for that offence. The Romanian police then inform the authority that issued your licence about the sanction.
How long do I have to contest the suspension?
15 days from the day you received the report or it was communicated to you. The suspension is a complementary sanction written in the report, so it is contested through the same complaint against the report.
The court documents are in Romanian. Can I take part?
Proceedings and applications are in Romanian. A foreign citizen who does not understand Romanian may read the file, speak in court and make submissions through an authorised translator; documents in a foreign language are filed with a legalised translation.
What happens if it is a criminal case, not a fine?
For example alcohol above the criminal threshold, drugs, refusing blood samples, driving without a licence or while suspended, or leaving the scene of an accident. There is no complaint against a report: the licence stays with the police during the case. If you hold a foreign licence and are convicted by a final judgment for such an offence, you are banned from driving in Romania for 1 year, starting the day after the judgment becomes final.
The information on this website is general and does not constitute legal advice.
Send us a photo of the report
Send a photo of the report and of the temporary permit, and the date you received them: we tell you whether you are still within the deadline and which court you can file the complaint with. Write in English or in Romanian.