What steps and costs are involved in setting up an association in Romania?

The procedure was heavily simplified on 5 December 2020, and most guides online still describe the old version. One single document goes to the court, and the mandatory fees total 136 lei.

Short answer

An association is set up by at least three people, through a statute concluded as a document under private signature.
Since 5 December 2020 a separate articles-of-incorporation document is no longer required alongside the statute.
The law no longer sets a minimum initial patrimony for an association.
The mandatory fees are 36 lei for the name-availability proof and 100 lei of court stamp duty.
The association becomes a legal person the moment it is entered in the Register of Associations and Foundations, kept at the district court.

What the law says

GO 26/2000 art. 4 para. (1): an association is set up by three or more persons.
Art. 6 para. (1), as amended by Law 276/2020: the associate members conclude the statute as a document under private signature.
Art. 6 para. (2) letter f): notarial form of the statute is mandatory only if the in-kind contribution consists of immovable property.
Art. 7 para. (2) lists the documents of the file exhaustively, using the word "only".
Art. 8: the judge checks legality within 3 days of filing and orders the registration by interlocutory ruling.
GEO 80/2013 art. 12 letter c): the application for legal personality is charged 100 lei.

The steps, in order

Request the name-availability proof from the Ministry of Justice, paying the 36 lei tariff; it is issued within 5 days.
Draft the statute and sign it with the minimum three associate members, as a document under private signature.
Obtain the documents proving the registered office, usually a free-use or a rental contract.
Fill in the beneficial-owner declaration, unless you fall under the exemption for associations made up only of natural persons.
File the documents with the district court in whose jurisdiction the office sits and pay the 100 lei stamp duty.
The judge checks legality within 3 days and orders the entry in the Register of Associations and Foundations.
Collect the registration certificate, issued on request on the day the ruling becomes final.
Register for tax with ANAF within 30 days of incorporation, using form 010, and open the bank account.

Practical examples: the real costs

The name-availability proof: 36 lei; extending the reservation costs 18 lei.
Court stamp duty for the registration application: 100 lei.
Mandatory total: 136 lei, if you draft the statute yourself and nobody contributes real estate.
A notary fee appears only for an in-kind contribution of immovable property, when notarial form becomes mandatory.

Common mistakes

A separate articles-of-incorporation document is drafted, although the law has required a single document since 5 December 2020.
Notarial authentication is paid for no reason: notarial form is mandatory only for a contribution of immovable property.
An initial patrimony of "at least twice the minimum wage" is filed, a requirement deleted from the law in 2020.
The statute is signed by two founders: the legal minimum for an association is three persons.
Tax registration with ANAF is skipped, although it is due within 30 days of incorporation.

How 4ong helps

Starts the member register straight from the statute: who is a member, since when and on what fee.
Keeps the donor record from the first donation, with an automatically numbered receipt.
Tracks recurring donations and flags interruptions, so you do not discover the loss at year end.
Keeps the statute, the court ruling, the registration certificate and the tax certificate in one place.
Organisation and donor data are hosted in the European Union, in line with GDPR.