Healthcare in Romania, explained clearly

Public insurance or paying yourself?

Romania has public and private healthcare providers. How you pay depends on your insurance and the service you book, not just whether the clinic is public or private.

For public insurance, CNAS is the national organisation and CAS is your local office (CASMB in Bucharest); we use the term CAS throughout this guide. Note that in practice, online resources and people may use these abbreviations interchangeably to just mean 'national health insurance'.

Private clinics can also offer CAS-covered appointments. When booking, say that you want to use public insurance and ask whether the specific doctor and service are covered. Available appointments and funding can affect when you can be seen.

Clinic or hospital?

For a planned visit, start with a family doctor or an outpatient clinic. Hospitals may also have outpatient departments where you can book a consultation without being admitted.

• Clinics provide appointments such as specialist consultations, follow-up visits and blood tests. Services vary, so check that the clinic offers what you need.
• Hospitals provide care that may require surgery, admission or monitoring. If you call 112 for a medical emergency, the emergency team may take you to a hospital emergency department, rather than a clinic. These departments are often marked UPU or CPU. Patients are assessed by urgency, so arrival order does not determine when you are seen.

Your family doctor (medic de familie)

If you live in Romania, a family doctor is a useful first contact for everyday health problems and ongoing care. They can assess your symptoms and arrange further care when needed.

Why it matters

Your family doctor can issue a referral (bilet de trimitere) for specialist care or tests when medically needed. They can also prescribe medicines, including prescriptions partly or fully covered by public insurance (rețete compensate), and issue sick leave certificates when the conditions are met. Some services can be accessed without a family doctor's referral.

How to register

Contact a family doctor's practice and ask whether they are accepting patients and have a CAS contract. The practice will explain the registration form and documents required for your situation. Have your ID, insurance details and residence documents ready. If you have a CNP, Romania's personal identification number, provide it. If you are already registered elsewhere, ask about the transfer rules.

Finding a doctor who speaks your language

Ask which languages the doctor speaks before booking. An English-language website does not necessarily mean that the consultation is available in English. If you need an interpreter or someone to help you communicate, discuss this with the practice in advance.

Using your referral

Tell the clinic or laboratory what your referral is for when you book. Ask whether it will still be valid on the appointment date and whether you need to prepare, for example by fasting before a blood test.

What to bring

Ask the clinic which documents it needs when you book. For your visit, prepare:

• Passport or ID, plus your residence permit and CNP if you have them
• Your Romanian health card if issued, or the insurance documents relevant to your situation, such as an EHIC
• Your referral (bilet de trimitere), if required for the appointment or tests
• Previous test results, hospital discharge papers and a list of current medicines with doses

Common situations

The documents and registration steps depend on why you are in Romania and where you are insured.

Frequently asked questions

Official resources

Use the insurance links below to check your status and covered services, IGI for immigration-related healthcare information, and UNHCR for guidance for people displaced from Ukraine. Some pages are in Romanian.